Hi All~
Hello! How are you?
Long time, no eLetter!
As each day and
week and month progressed, I did not notice items of interest to tell you about
. . .
. . . so a year has
passed and now I see Windigo sailed over 1300 miles, encountered a hurricane
and sailed in three other named storms; we met three Governors, dozens of
chartering tourists, and many liveaboards & locals; besides the sailing on
Windigo we captained many, many charter boats; started a new business facet to
Windigo Skilled Services; married off one of the kids . . . whew! I guess it
has been an adventurous year!
Well, here's 2010
in review:
http://ciekurzis.org/Life%20in%20the%20Virgin%20Islands/Life%20in%20the%20Virgin%20Islands.htm
NEW --- BVI PHONE NUMBERS --- NEW
Kevin's
BVI phone number: 284.342.8686
Karin's
BVI phone number: 284.342.8454
US /
USVI / Puerto Rican phone number:608.658.0565
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THIS ELETTER FEATURES:
Windigo Sailing Adventure Tote Bags
A new offering from Windigo
Skilled Services:
CONCEPT
Windigo
Skilled Services Repurposed Materials
PRODUCTS
Windigo Sailing Adventure
Tote Bags & Wallets
INSPIRATION
Crappy Cotton Bags Selling For $150!
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And now, the eLetter:
Life in
the Virgin Islands
Working
Stiffs.
After the extended
road trip across America (a few times!) and the exhaustive exploration
of la costas del Puerto Rico in 2009, we adjusted our focus and aimed for
the goal of making money in the BVI. I have been utilizing my certifications
and skills as a Charter Captain / Sailing Instructor to earn a living since we
left Mobile in 2002. Karin acquired captain's certification while living in the
States and has developed all the skills necessary to operate a sailboat aboard
Windigo these many years; but had some trepidation concerning hosting paid clients
on a boat in the ocean.
Since her return to
Windigo in July 2009, she had this in mind whilst we sailed Windigo, but
desired a greater level of comfort and competence if she was going to be
"Captain Karin, hostess with the mostess". She will elaborate on this
preparation, and all her feelings in the Girlie Stuff section below.
No
Recession Here.
Late in the Autumn of 2009, we made a couple stops to go geocaching on St. Thomas and the BVI before heading on to live in Road Town and work. I thought I would help give Karin some experience in seeing the islands from a Charter Captain's view. Having only spent one week in the BVI during a visit in 2008, she was interested in the 'what-where-how' of the popular [and not so popular] spots where she will be working. We leisurely checked out Jost Van Dyke in detail before heading to Road Town and making our presence known. Sure enough, as soon as I arrived in Road Town, teaching opportunities knocked upon my door, and I was off to Horizon Yacht Charters to put sailing students through the paces. It was good to be back in the BVI - I was at home here right next to the Sunsail/Moorings base and among my good friends around the islands. We even got to spend some time with Klaus [from Swan Victoria] and his mom.
![Klaus [from Swan Victoria] and his mom](with%20Klaus's%20mama.JPG){kind=link}
Karin and I volunteered for the 2009 BVI Charter Yacht Society Boat Show in Road Town. We helped set up the show and organize the days' events. We met lots of charter crews; and made connections with boat owners, government officials and all things 'chartering'.
The highlight of the event was the party at the BVI Governor's Mansion in Road Town. Governor Dave is a laid-back guy; he couldn't see everybody for his speech in his backyard, so he stood on a chair to talk. He has sailing pictures on his walls, and cycles with his young daughter.
One of the charter boat owners hired us to crew a yacht to take to the St. Thomas Charter Yacht League Boat Show; so the following week, we mingled with all of our new friends over in Charlotte Amalie at the huge boat show there. Again, we were invited to the Governor's Mansion, so we partied, chatted with the USVI Governor, and thoroughly enjoyed the evening high above the harbour.
After the charter yacht boat shows, Karin took the opportunity to take Windigo out by herself! This was the very first time she had single-handed Windigo, and visited several islands. She spent the better part of a month exploring alone on Windigo.
I went from teaching to captaining charters for the holidays. During one of my first charters, I encountered the largest private motor yacht, the “A” owned by Andrey Melnichenko, the second-richest Russian oligarch. It is an amazing 400' vessel, which cost $300 million [that's 3/4 of a million dollars per foot!]. I'm sure Abramovich (the richest Russian) is already building a bigger boat.
Before the end of the year, Karin delivered a boat across the Caribbean to Antigua and had a whole family aboard for a Christmas charter. During the lull time between charters, Karin started selling her sewing services for all kinds of nautical and land-based projects. It wasn't long before her fears of being bored were only a distant memory.
We had considered doing "Crewed Charters" together; these are the premium charter service, providing a Captain and a Chef with the boat to provide an all-inclusive sailing experience. The obstacles being: that Karin doesn't cook and: I decided I could not be relegated to cooking whilst someone else is in charge. So, when the first Crewed Charter opportunity came in March, it was Karin who captained it with another Chef! Karin's son Adam visited for a week and got his sailing Jones on, good for another year!
I taught for a couple other sailing schools and captained charters while Karin did a couple more deliveries and captained her own charters. It was during this period that the Windigo Sailing Adventure Tote Bags were conceived. Our friend Dan sailed up from St. Croix, USVI in April, and we showed him around the islands. He was thrilled with the BVI, and shall return with his wife Kimber for a longer stay.
Then an unique opportunity arose in May aboard a private Crewed Charter boat that required a sailing instructor captain and a chef for an extended sailing class / charter. Karin was willing to tackle the Chef's position, so off we went - and it turned out GREAT!
After we did the Crewed Charter together, I spent six weeks on a Moorings Signature Crewed Charter catamaran with a chef from South Africa. Karin had a string of charters, developed the Windigo Sailing Adventure Tote Bags, and picked up a once-a-week gig for the Offshore Sailing School in Road Town and was doing the "Meet & Greet" for arriving students. Karin returned to Wisconsin for her son Nick's wedding, and brought her sister Dawn back for a week of sailing in the BVI.
In July and August I had more sailing school and charters; while Karin captained charters, did her Meet & Greet, and delivered a catamaran to The Bahamas. She also delivered dozens of her new Windigo Sailing Adventure Tote Bags, which are a big hit in Arizona, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and are now offered in the Sunsail Boutique in the BVI. The charter activity slowed down, as usual, in August because of the beginning of hurricane season.
The Sunsail / Moorings / Footloose base has 500 sailboats [the LARGEST charter base in the world!] and needs to protect them from the hurricanes. Several dozen boats are transported to the Mediterranean Sea for their peak charter season up there in the summer. Many of the remaining boats are moored in a well-protected mangrove bay on Tortola just a few miles from the base. It takes many people to coordinate the relocation and securing of a couple hundred boats, so Karin and I were in the thick of that operation.
We got the boats into Paraquita Bay just in time for the first nasty storm to hit the BVI in several years. Windigo rode out Hurricane Earl right in Road Town with no incidents. Unfortunately, there were places in the BVI not as well-protected, and the boats left there suffered much. Yes, this is the charter boat Karin & I crewed for the USVI boat show last year! (It has since been raised and repaired.)
After the storm we left the BVI and traveled to the USVI, dodged another storm (Gaston), but were lucky later when Igor & Julia curved away from us. A very active hurricane season, with three or four storms active simultaneously from time to time. We sailed on to Puerto Rico where I started an appointment process to deal with some medical issues at the Veterans' Hospital.
While in San Juan, we arranged to acquire two new dinghies to supplement Pedigo, one we had sent from Italy to Puerto Rico, the other we picked up in St. Croix while returning to Road Town (in another storm, Otto!). We spent October in Road Town where I had a surprise sailing class and Karin did a charter. She spent most of her time with many sewing projects, and then we both worked for the 2010 BVI Charter Yacht Society Boat Show. Immediately after meeting the new BVI Governor at the reception at his house, we sailed off for more doctors' appointments in San Juan (and fought against the reverse edge of Tropical Storm Tomas all the way there!).
So here we are, in
San Juan finishing up our errands and appointments, ready to get back into the
mix of Charter Captain life in the BVI for another tourist season.
Local
Voyaging.
[close-up
MAP of Western VI Sailing]
[close-up
MAP of Eastern BVI sailing]
At first thought, a
"local voyage" could be an oxymoron, but wait - there's 'adventure'
and 'exploration' listed in the definition of voyage. So even though we only
ran errands and went shopping on Windigo for most of 2010, each trip away from
Road Town exposed us to some excitement and adventure. Take a look at the
tracks of our movements and you might believe there is never a dull moment
living on a sailboat in a foreign country.
AND NOW, THE SECTION WITH
"FEELINGS" - VIEWS FROM THE FEMALE CREW:
Girlie Stuff
Well,
well, well…so here I am all calm, comfy and qualified in my new role as
captain. I even got a tattoo to remind me daily how lucky I am to be here in
Paradise doing something that I never thought, in a million years, that I would
be doing. I initially started the Captains course because a friend wanted me to
join her so we could study together and then I thought it would be good to see
if "sailing" was what I wanted. Then on to advanced sailing just to
recheck my earlier decision, then on to sailing Windigo alone just to build the
confidence level a little higher. Pretty soon my ego grew and I was going to be
the "best charter captain in the BVI" but I didn't dare share that with
anyone….just yet! So I had a good year meeting new people and building a good
support system of women here. After Puerto Rico we head back to work for the
new season. When we returned we were informed that we had to test for our BVI
Boatmaster’s License soooooo - I think I've finally made it to the big league.
I'm probably in WAY over my head but so far so good!
I've
been told that work was going to be slow-almost non-existent and you know me
that I just can't sit around and wait so I started looking for other jobs on
the Sunsail/Moorings base. The Sunsail Flotilla hostess position came up, which
means that I live on a 50' boat with a captain and engineer. The three of us
are called the "lead crew/boat". Other boats sign up (pay more money)
to follow us around the islands; basically telling them what to do every minute
of every day. Thank god I'm a control freak - hahaha
We
lead them to different islands every day and help them learn how to grab a
mooring balls, anchor, where to swim, eat, etc. Then my job kicks in with a
"welcome punch party" on the
beach with snacks and painkillers while the captain gives a briefing to all the
people. We usually have between 7&14 boats in our flotilla. Anyways, then a
couple of the nights we have a group meal at some fancy restaurant so everyone
can get drunk again and meet others on the flotilla. Soooooo, by the end of the
week all the people on all the boats know each other and have hopefully had a
good time without killing themselves because they don't really know how to
sail!!! This is my fourth week and all is well. I get to see Kevin 4 days a
month or when he's doing a charter we sometimes meet up as the BVI just isn't
that big.
My
schedule is that I go out for 1 week with a group, then we come in and 24 hours
later go out another week with another group, then we come in and 48 hours
later go out for TWO weeks with another group. So 1 week, 1 week, and then 2
weeks - then we start over and this will go on for the whole season.
Now
some information on the two young men I live with on "Gambas":
The engineer's name is Lindsey, he's 33 years
old and single. He's a bit gruff but a big teddy bear when dealing with the
guests. He's from Detroit Michigan and just here to meet the woman of his
dreams. Not much luck on these Flotillas because most of the people are my age
(40-70).
The captain’s name is Fulkert (he's dutch).
He's a bit dorky looking (pasty white, tall, skinny with curly hair……..hey wait
he could be my twin brother. He's 36 years old and also looking for the perfect
young female. I feel like I'm living with Nicholas and Adam again.
I can
get off work once in a while so if anyone wants to come and visit, please do
so!!
Anchorages
in the Travels of Windigo.
We were focused on
working in 2010, so it wasn't really a cruising year for us. Therefore I was
really surprised to type out the list of ONE-HUNDRED-SEVENTEEN Windigo
anchorages! I have them all below, but only put details on the first visit for
the year. Wireless inet access is noted in red.
Magens Bay, St.
Thomas, USVI - N18° 21.829' W064° 55.961'
15' deep - again anchored on the 'wrong' side to get a bit more wind than the boats in the proper anchorage. Party music! linksys
Muller Bay [Red
Hook], St. Thomas, USVI - N18° 19.475' W064° 50.719'
13' deep. Appeared quite a bit different with different boats on 'moorings' and anchored about. Found a nice open spot with good wind and minimal wakes from the ferries. "meraki" ="Brought to you by Computer Express 340.714.2660 340.714.2660 in Red Hook Plaza above Chelsea Drug Store"
Great Harbour,
Jost Van Dyke, BVI - N18° 26.574' W064° 45.121'
13' deep in front
of HUMP. Only TWO other boats in harbour when we arrived! Dlink and at Foxy's
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, BVI - N18° 26.511' W064° 45.702'
11' deep on mooring
ball toward west end of mooring field. Impressed the charterers sailing in
& out. Exited the west channel for the first time [gets a little shallow at
the west end of mooring field].
Little Jost Van Dyke, BVI - N18° 27.184' W064° 42.840'
13' deep, really
close to shore. Lots of little coral heads on the bottom, but found a sandy
spot. VERY close to Little Jost Van Dyke.
Little Harbour, Peter Island, BVI - N18° 21.264' W064°
35.987'
25' deep, in middle
of end of bay. Uninhabited, quiet, no visible development. Well- protected. No
services, but some future exploring to do among ruins.
Road Town, Tortola, BVI - N18° 25.363' W064° 37.000'
22' deep, next to Moorings
dock. Mucky, mucky bottom. Growth starts in about a week. Village Cay has a few signals that work perfectly with 15db
antenna.
Great Harbour, Peter Island, BVI - N18° 21.601' W064°
34.980'
20' deep, on slope.
One of our favorite quiet spots with lots of wind for the generator, clean
water for cleaning the bottom, and close to Road Town.
Buck Island, BVI - N18° 25.613' W064° 33.690'
12' deep, just past
moorings.
Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island, BVI - N18° 23.092' W064°
30.886'
40' deep, on mooring
ball at south end of field, near Cistern Rock. Can anchor close to shore
further south (watch out for abandoned moorings near docks). Cooper Island Beach Club.
Trellis Bay, Beef Island, BVI - N18° 26.848' W064° 31.818'
9' deep among
moorings. Busy, busy place. Free inet computer on the
bar at the Last Resort.
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Great Harbour, Peter Island, BVI
Dead Chest Island, BVI - N18° 22.130' W064° 33.839'
15' deep on NPT mooring ball off the reef on the north point of the
island. Nice snorkeling.
Salt Island Bay, BVI - N18° 22.365' W064° 31.948'
14' deep when
anchored. Very sandy bottom with small coral intertwined. Get close to shore,
very calm.
Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island, BVI
Ginger Island, BVI - N18° 23.044' W064° 28.824'
15' deep on NPT
mooring ball in South Bay (one of FOUR "South Bays" in the BVI!).
Very rolly today.
Big Trunk Bay near The Baths, Virgin Gorda, BVI - N18°
26.314' W064° 26.677'
15' deep just north
of The Baths. Subject to swells, but on a nice day can get close to shore and
near interesting hiking among the rocks.
St. Thomas Bay, Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, BVI - N18°
27.372' W064° 26.537'
25' deep on mooring
ball. Possible to anchor NE of mooring field, but many coral heads. "EnGenius"; & "Not so EnGenius"
Great Harbour, Peter Island, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
The Bight, Norman Island, BVI - N18° 19.168' W064° 37.108'
28' deep on mooring at north edge of field. Pirate's Bight
Great Harbour, Peter Island, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Muller Bay [Red Hook], St. Thomas, USVI
Long Bay, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI - N18° 20.194'
W064° 55.408'
12' deep just off
(wrecked) dinghy dock NW of Yacht Have Grande. YHG has cheapest fuel around,
but very high concrete dock [Windigo will no longer attempt to dock there]. Free computers in the YHG office.
Soper's Hole, West End, Tortola, BVI - N18° 23.214' W064°
42.021'
13' deep at far
east end deep into bay past all moorings. Beware of sunken ships!
Trellis Bay, Beef Island, BVI
Eustacia Island, BVI - N18° 30.594' W064° 21.695'
10' deep off
western tip of island, looking out over Necker Island and across the Atlantic
Ocean. Saba Rock
Prickly Pear Island (north), Gorda Sound, BVI - N18° 30.642'
W064° 22.475'
12' deep at north
end of the western side of island. Very quiet with maximum protection from wind
and seas.
Drake's Anchorage, Moskito Island, BVI - N18° 30.714' W064°
23.420'
10' deep, up behind
the reefs on the east side of Moskito Island.
St. Thomas Bay mooring, Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Muller Bay [Red Hook], St. Thomas, USVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Muller Bay [Red Hook], St. Thomas, USVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Dead Chest Island, BVI
Great Harbour, Peter Island, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Muller Bay [Red Hook], St. Thomas, USVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Muller Bay [Red Hook], St. Thomas, USVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Sand Box, Prickly Pear Island, Gorda Sound, BVI - N18°
30.287' W064° 22.262'
11' deep just north
of mooring field, close to shore.
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Red Hook [Muller Bay], St. Thomas, USVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Sand Box, Prickly Pear Island, Gorda Sound, BVI
Necker Island, BVI - N18° 31.383' W064° 21.663'
15' deep, next to
row of moorings off SW tip of island.
As Richard Branson says, "A little more beautiful than the
beautiful BVI".
Sand Box, Prickly Pear Island, Gorda Sound, BVI
Setting Point, Anegada - N18° 43.225' W064° 23.090'
10' deep, just to
the west of the mooring field. Hard sand.
Pomato Point, Anegada, BVI - N18° 43.648' W064° 24.216'
12' deep, right in
front of the Anegada Beach Resort.
Edge of reef, Pomato Point, Anegada, BVI - N18° 43.533'
W064° 24.180'
10' deep, further
south towards Pomato Point and the reef - along sand bar parallel to shore (be
careful!)
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Red Hook [Muller Bay], St. Thomas, USVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Marina Cay, BVI - N18° 27.500' W064° 32.000'
20' deep, at south
edge of anchorage near Great Camanoe Island.
The Baths, Virgin Gorda, BVI - N18° 25.800' W064° 26.800'
30' deep, on NPT mooring.
Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island, BVI
The Bight, Norman Island, BVI
Diamond Cay, Little JVD, BVI - N18° 27.101' W064° 43.403'
15' deep, next to
mooring field along Little Jost Van Dyke Island.
Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, BVI
Red Hook [Muller Bay], St. Thomas, USVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Red Hook [Muller Bay], St. Thomas, USVI
Great Tobago Island, BVI - N18° 26.741' W064° 49.708'
20' deep, at north
side of small indentation on west shore. LOTS of coral heads. NOW PROHIBITED TO
ANCHOR HERE.
Diamond Cay, Little JVD, BVI
Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, BVI
The Bight, Norman Island, BVI
The Indians, Pelican Cay, BVI - N18° 19.942' W064° 37.775'
30' deep, on NPT
mooring.
Red Hook [Muller Bay], St. Thomas, USVI
The Bight, Norman Island, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Red Hook [Muller Bay], St. Thomas, USVI
Soper's Hole, West End, Tortola, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Great Harbour, Peter Island, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
The Bight, Norman Island, BVI
Diamond Cay, Little JVD, BVI
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, BVI
Great Harbour, Peter Island, BVI
Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Great Harbour, Peter Island, BVI
Long Bay, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Little Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, BVI
Soper's Hole, West End, Tortola, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
mooring in Soper's Hole, West End, Tortola, BVI
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Lee Bay, Salt Island, BVI - N18° 22.086' W064° 32.101'
18' deep on NPT
mooring ball off the western tip of the island in south Lee Bay. Moored right
over the wreck of the HMS Rhone.
Haulover Bay, Cooper Island, BVI - N18° 22.543' W064°
30.623'
20' deep in nice
sandy patch.
North Seal Dog Rock, BVI - N18° 20.538' W064° 25.891'
35' deep, on NPT
mooring next to rock.
West Seal Dog Rock, BVI - N18° 30.400' W064° 26.149'
20' deep on quiet
mooring tucked into small cove on south side of island.
George Dog, BVI - N18° 29.556' W064° 27.637'
25' deep on mooring
at tip of island [best snorkeling at tip].
Visables, Cockroach Island, BVI - N18° 29.699' W064° 27.889'
30' deep on mooring
at west side next to "alley" with awesome snorkeling.
Savannah Bay, Virgin Gorda, BVI - N18° 28.198' W064° 24.993'
15' deep way in at
designated anchorage spot.
Road Town, Tortola, BVI
Soper's Hole, West End, Tortola, BVI
Cruz Bay, St. John, Virgin Islands - N18° 24.182' W064°
37.040'
10' deep just out
of the channel at indentation in northern bay near Customs/Immigration.
Red Hook [Muller Bay], St. Thomas, USVI
Christiansted Harbour, Gallows Bay, St. Croix, USVI -
N17° 44.984' W064° 42.100'
10' deep close to
the west side of Protestant Cay, just out of the channel.
Ensenada Honda, Vieques, Puerto Rico - N18° 07.017' W065°
20.687'
12' deep, at far
eastern end of bay, just above mangrove indentation at SE corner
Green Beach on Isla de Vieques, PR, under Punta Arenas -
N18° 06.858' W065° 34.658'
20' deep on DRNA
mooring ball.
Cayo Lobos, La Cordillera, Puerto Rico - N18° 22.666' W065°
34.387'
15' deep on DRNA
mooring ball.
San Juan Bay Marina Anchorage, Santurce, San Antonio
Channel, Bahía De San Juan, PR - N18° 27.580' W064° 05.517'
33' deep on north
side of channel, near "Manati" buoy. 1Centennial
BluZone
Cayo Icacos, PR Spanish Virgins - N18° 23.304' W065° 35.710'
30' deep on DRNA
mooring. Can have unbearable swell.
Bahía Taramindo, Culebra, Puerto Rico - N18° 18.345' W065° 19.092'
15' deep on DRNA
mooring ball on Culebra's south coast, behind Isla Luis Pena.
Christiansted Harbour, Gallows Bay, St. Croix, USVI
Road Town,
Tortola, BVI
Bahía Taramindo, Culebra, PR
San Juan Bay Marina Anchorage, Santurce, San Antonio
Channel, Bahía De San Juan, PR
So that's 2010: The Year in Review for the crew of the fine ship Windigo.
See where Windigo has been since leaving The Bahamas:
<http://shiptrak.org/>
Enter Windigo's callsign: W3ooo
(and zoom in when it starts tracking)
[to see Windigo's anchorages from St. Pete through The Bahamas
& Turks & Caicos,
Enter the callsign: W3igo]
Where we are right now (when we are on the move!):
Our permanent and EXACT address:
Capt. KJ & KL Hughes
S/V WindigoIII - PMB 365
88005 Overseas Hwy. #9
Islamorada, FL33036-3087
NEW --- BVI PHONE NUMBERS --- NEW
Kevin's
BVI phone number: 284.342.8686
Karin's
BVI phone number: 284.342.8454
US /
USVI / Puerto Rican phone number:608.658.0565
Text-only emailio addresses aboard Windigo, checked daily:
[reliable communication]
Karin's emailio address:
emailio addresses checked when at a land-based computer
(infrequently, but good for attachments):
<http://www.ciekurzis.org>
