Part 1 – St. Thomas
May 10, 2016
Lincolnville Beach, Maine -
It
was November, 1968 and I was in St. Thomas USVI and after a few weeks
sleeping on the deck of the Tontine II, a 76 foot John Alden
schooner, drinking 30 cent Heinekens at Fearless Freds while my
laundry rolled along behind the bar, I was ready for a change of
scenery. This big Australian sitting next
to me was telling me his
plans to sail to South America with his wife and hinting that I
should join them. Sounded good to me and better than staying on land
for even one more day.
We drained our beers, checked the laundry, and then walked over to his boat to meet his wife and check it out. Hmmmmm. Not much of a boat. 26 foot long and it looks homemade. I took a few pictures later but now I can't find them. Too bad. She was ugly but she was going to be my first “command”. I think her name was SPRAY but maybe I was projecting an image of me as a younger Joshua Slocum.
I met the wife. What can I say? Honestly, she was a beast. Short, fat, curly black hair, frumpy in an irritating aunt-type way. Bad teeth, poorly capped and a suspicious, probing and disapproving look. However, she liked me and we sat down in the cramped cockpit to discuss their plans and how I might fit in. Our knees touched and despite my homeless/boatless status, I was embarrassed to even be aboard this thing.
The Australian (I have forgotten his name now but he called me “Kid”) pulled out some lukewarm beers and we started the negotiations. They wanted me to be the Captain and teach them to sail as we cruised down the islands to South America. No problem there. How much were they going to pay me?
“Well, actually Kid, we sort of thought you could kick in $5 bucks a day for food and we could see how things go from there..” .(this attractive offer was delivered in a strangely familiar, Cary Grant type accent that cracks me up even today)
“What??!!” No way. I need money more than I need a job so forget it!”
“Now wait a minute Kid, me and the missus need your help just to get started and you're stuck here in Yacht Haven and told me you wanted to get on down island. Right?...So this way you can join us, help us out, get some sea-time and jump off at any island down the chain like Tortola, Anguilla, St. Marten or even wait until we reach Antigua. What do you say?”
What COULD I say? It WAS 1968, I had just flunked out of Penn State and lost my 2-S deferment status and would soon be re-classed “1-A” and have to go back to the states to serve somewhere. Probably the Navy but that was somewhere out there in future-land. This was NOW.
“OK. Lets do it. When do you want to get going?”
“Thats the way, Kid! Lets drink to a new adventure!”
To be continued….stopped here at 6:38 am on Sunday, January 17, 2016. Almost 48 years later. Bummer, I am so freaking old that I can't believe it! By February 5th I will be back in Tortola, with my faithful. Long-suffering, still beautiful wife, Nelle, and her brother Jake, his wife Valerie, and their two amazing kids; Mae & Bo. We will bareboat a 47 foot Leopard catamaran and, once again, sail the BVI. The adventures continue!
Tom Crowley, Man of Action!
(aka; “Bad Captain”)
RESTARTED THIS IN 2022 --
The Aussie never needed any event or encouragement to drain a few and I was glad to join him and...her. We loaded up the little boat, tied on a 12 foot sailing dinghy and cast off from the Yacht Haven dock, waving to our sad, land-stuck drunk friends at Fearless Freds. The wind was pretty strong, even in the harbor but we drove along nicely as we headed for open water and an adventure that could not have been imagined by even me, an imaginative, optimistic, Cuban-Irish sailing flunkout.
As we rounded the point of land called Point Knoll and where Morningstar Beach is today, the wind hit us hard, almost knocking us over. Luckily...the frayed line holding the bottom front corner of the jib down, gave way with a snap and the jib flew up the forestay and wrapped around the top of the mast. Not a good start but perhaps a foreshadowing that should not be ignored. I ignored it and we headed back to a sheltered area behind the point and I re-attached the jib so we could get underway again. By this time, it was past noon and we had not even left St. Thomas. I was definitely not interested in going back in and have to share this hapless pre-adventure with the gang at Freds so we sailed on and made it as far as the island of Great Saint James and Christmas Cove where we dropped anchor just before sunset.
To be continued - stopped here on
March 10, 2022,
Gulfport, Mississippi
I had no idea, nor could ever imagine, that just a few weeks from that day, after being stranded on the customs dock in Road Town (Sitting on The Dock – Part 2) , I would be trying to sail a 12 foot dinghy, with all my gear stuffed under a green canvas tent, from Road Town, Tortola back to Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas to find another boat!
Part 2 – Underway for South America (via Tortola)
Loaded up
Left St. Thomas – strong winds
Tack on Jib broke! - back to port
Underway again
Christmas Cove
Snorkeling
Ax in Hand w threat
Underway again to Tortola
Dock Scene
Threat of police
Offer I refused
He owns the dinghy
Part 3 – Underway – Back to St Thomas!
We try to sail to St. Thomas
Rudder broke – fixed on the dock
Mast broke – fixed on the dock
Underway again – to St. Thomas!
Too rough – into Cinnamon Bay
3 weeks in a tent
Abandon the camp
Back to St. Thomas
TO BE CONTINUED…..
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