Author: Tom Grimmett

With enough time in Davis Harbor, Eleuthera to make our knotmeter grow weeds and stop working, it was time for us to shove off and move on! We left the marina early in the morning on Sunday, May 27th to take advantage of the high tide. This little marina had been our ‘any port in a storm’ haven and although it didn’t have a lot of amenities, we were glad to make its acquaintance. We knew we had many more miles to go, but a refreshing break without worries of dragging anchor or wet dinghy rides ashore was a real treat.

Continue reading “Holding out Hope Ep. 55”

If they can measure aging from week to week, this has been one week that has tipped the scale towards convalescence sooner than nature intended! Does anyone know where Grecian Formula is available in bulk?! I guess we should have known this would not be easy, trying to put 800 miles under our keel from Puerto Rico to the northern Bahamas before the hurricane season officially started June 1st. But it wasn’t just the mileage that we had to conquer, it was the crazy navigation needed in these shallow and storm ridden Bahamian waters.

Continue reading “Scooter Salvation Ep. 53”

If there’s anything close to New York City down here, it is San Juan… and I mean that in a positive way! We had thought St Martin was a huge, bustling metropolis, but San Juan blows everything else away. It is a massive sprawling city, and the purpose for the multitude of power plants on the southern coast clearly made sense now!

We rented a car for two days and, with my Dad and June, drove from Ponce into the San Juan area. It was reassuring to know that Karen had not lost her New York driving skills, as she blasted us down the expressway, honking at anyone going too slow in the fast lane – clearly her inner child was coming out!

Continue reading “San Juan Ep. 51”

There’s just something special about being back home – at least the familiarity of U.S. soil one enjoys by visiting the US Virgin Islands. After our stressful overnight of dodging unpredictable thunderstorms, we welcomed the calmness of the harbor and the American-esque scene ashore. I had built a long list of errands that would be easiest to do in a place so connected to U.S. products and services, and we spent several days in Christiansted checking items off the list. The US Postal Service serves the USVI’s with their normal domestic US rates, and we took advantage of this fact to send out many packages to points back home. In fact, we did so many errands in the first three days in Christiansted, I have a hard time recalling what we did for pleasure – such is the downfall of a well connected island! While I can write about the joy we had in finding ‘Cost U Less’ a Costco-type store here that is a boon for a family of four trying to re-provision a sailboat, I don’t think you’d understand our excitement! However, here’s a picture of the net result… our loot ready to load aboard Hermes (name for our dinghy!) and then onboard Thalia.

Continue reading “Buck Island Stew, Take Two Ep. 50”

We had some special guests aboard Thalia this week – my brother Todd and his daughter Julia. Todd, along with his wife Molly, live in Sacramento, CA, along with two additional boys. Given the distance – and they currently hold the record for the longest travel to be onboard with us! – they couldn’t all come together. Regardless, we had a very enjoyable week with the two of them; it is always fun to show someone else the pleasures of cruising in the Caribbean!

Continue reading “Just Plain Fun, No Fooling Ep. 47”

It is hard not to feel a little sense of competitiveness with your fellow Caribbean 1500 ralliers. After the rum punches and prizes were dispersed in Tortola last November, many boats like us hung out in the BVI’s for weeks – and gradually months. But a handful of more adventurous souls – in particular, one boat whimsically named ‘Over Margaritas’ for how the young couple had met and discussed their mutual sailing dreams – pointed their bows south for the 3-4 day voyage to the bottom of the Caribbean chain. On the morning SSB chat, these folks raved about places like the Grenadines for it’s isolated beauty and crystal clear waters. At one point, Karen and I had contemplated this same strategy whereby you sail to as far south as you dare and slowly make your way northward through the islands. But, how, I wondered, did these southern adventurers really know that the beauty they were experiencing was that much better then the tremendous sights we were taking in at places like St John, Jost van Dyke and Virgin Gorda? Afterall, they had skipped over those sights in their pursuit south. On what basis could they rightfully gloat about their seemingly advantageous setting? We now know!

Continue reading “At One With Mother Nature Ep. 46”