Radical Changes Are Coming

Have any of you heard of this new and developing technology? We hadn't until a couple of days ago...maybe, it's because we don't get news like normal folks. Anyway, I wanted to share it with you, in case you hadn't been aware of it...

 

GRAPHENE

 

 

I don't usually get excited about stuff I come across on the internet or see in the "what's new" type of shows on television. I sure am excited about this, though.

 

Emerging graphene technology is really interesting. I've done a little research about it, and I think it may be a real game changer in our world. Graphene technology may have a profound and positive effect on almost everything we touch and use...batteries, semiconductors, solar, construction, space, aviation, ground transportation, the medical field....it appears that the use of the material to improve what we all use everyday might shake the very foundations of our lives. Of course, it isn't going to happen overnight and I don't think every idea will be able to be realized.

 

But, hey...let's imagine the possibilities:

 

with aircraft:

they could be made 80% lighter using graphene laminates...

powered by graphene-based energy capacitors and electric motors...

using no gas, jet fuel, or diesel to power them....

and have larger payloads than comparable aircraft of today!

 

military applications:

so many possiblities here, but how about stronger armor on the vehicles

 to protect from IED's...and it repairs itself!

 

automobiles:

they could be built lighter and safer...

wide-spread use of electric cars could be a reality.

 

medical:

more efficient, and lighter pacemakers...

faster, more accurate computers to aid in diagnosis and treatment...

prosthetics that can be stronger, faster, lighter...

(sounds like a soundbite from 6 Million $ Man)

One of the websites I read described the strength of the material...you could support a cat in a hammock made of graphene that wouldn't weigh more than a cat's whisker.

I'm thinking a light-weight cage for the cat would be a better use, though.

 

Check out these websites and see what you might discover for yourself!!

http://www.extremetech.com/tag/graphene

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11852691/1/graphene-the-renewable-energy-solution.html

http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/10/graphene-heals-itself-powers-our-dreams-and-nightmares/

And, for the studious among us...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene

What do boaters do for Christmas?

Just so you know, we too, can have Christmas trees in the Caribbean on our boat. Thanks to our friend Lori, we were supplied with the Christmas spirit, all the way from Minneapolis, MN.

Step one....look through the forest for a suitable tree,
cut it down, process it into cardboard, add paint and plastic,
then put it into stores for purchase.

Next, assemble the various pieces of the
cardboard into a loose idea of a small tree...

then, add water into the tree holder...

and wait a few days.

After a couple of days, the tree begins
to take shape...

I think that's cool....how about you?



Of course, you have to be in the spirit
to write all of the Christmas cards
to be sent out...



Mom always told me to sit up straight
when I was writing

Belated Merry Christmas to you!

cody and jureen

Cody and Jureen took a break from their work schedules to join us on the boat for Christmas. Yes, I know that Christmas was about 2 months ago...but, hey, we've been a little busy.

 

They flew into St. Thomas, and came all the way to Coki Beach in a taxi. We spent the night in Water Bay, adjacent to the beach, and headed there for a dive the following morning. Cody had never used scuba equipment before, so it was a real treat for him. Jureen couldn't do any diving...it seems no one has ever proved that pregnancy and diving were or were not compatible. She didn't want to be a test case for the industry. I also think that sailing and being pg aren't always compatible, either. Or, maybe, it's just my driving....

 

We followed up with sail to St. John...it was a little rough attempting a passage between Mingo and Grass Cays, so we elected to drop the sails and motor on the lee side of the islands....after Jureen "lost her cookies" due to the 5 ft waves and lots of wind. We made it to Leinster Bay and had a wonderful walk up the trail to the ruins of a home on the hill overlooking the bay. There were lots of creepy spiders on all of the pretty flowers around the ruins...it was necessary to watch where you walked to avoid pushing through all of the webs that were everywhere. I don't do spiders very well!

 

The next day, we blew into Soper's Hole and cleared into the BVI. We've discovered the RiteWay grocery store there is a great place to purchase provisions, including libations that are appropriate for sailors and their boat wenches. The meal we had at Pusser's Restaurant was great. Our sail from Soper's Hole to Benures Bay on Norman Island was fast and fun with no one "feeding the fish". We spent quality time with more diving, snorkling, hiking on trails and just relaxing in each other's company...for two days.

 

Then, our destination was to Trellis Bay for the Full Moon Party...a full day sailing the 15 miles. Our decision (Cody and me) to attempt a sail between Norman and Peter Islands and then out over the deep water of the Caribbean sea and tack back through the Salt Island Passage was a mistake. Should've known better, given the recent history....yep, Jureen was not doing so well...Bless her heart...not once did she complain or yell at us (we sure deserved it). We motored the remainder of the way to Trellis Bay and anchored for the night. We went ashore and enjoyed the evening with the mocko jumbies and an exotic dancer on the roof...it appears the venue is working towards a more adult crowd than what we have seen in the past. The little ferry boat picked us up on shore and delivered us to Bellamy Cay, where we went to the Last Resort for a short visit.

 

We decided to enjoy the next day in a rental car, driving around Tortola and seeing some of the sights. Cody and Jureen hopped on the ferry in Road Town and headed back to St. Thomas for their flight home. There were so many other places we wanted to take them, but just ran out of time. Cody and Jureen liked their Christmas adventure and are hoping to make it back next year...and we will get to spend time with our newest grand daughter...YEAH!! I'll get her into sailing early. I bet she will probably become an "Admiral of the fleet" instead of a boat wench. I need to get the other grandkids down to train them all in the proper use of a sailboat!

All our stockings were hung from the handrail with care...

 

It was really nice to have family for Christmas morning



On top of Norman Island



A budding diver in Benures Bay



Jureen watching from above



Cody seems to learn quickly...



and get comfortable



Our growing diving family!



Jureen was a natural at manning the helm and tacked
like a pro



Cody ran the helm also, and easily learned to
trim the sails



On top of some of the lower ruins along the shore of Leinster Bay



The pretty flowers on the ruins...



with nasty-looking spiders, just waiting to crawl on you,
bite you and etc.

The ruins of the house on top of the hill are covered
 in the flowers and other vegetation.



Are we there, yet?



They sure make a nice couple

Hanging out at "The Last Resort"

Snow birds in paradise

Steve and Chris have a few things to work out, now that they are back home to Billings: how to make another trip to the Caribbean soon, how to justify a permanent vacation on a boat, how to catch fish and land them, where to find lobster, etc.

Their visit with us on the boat became a great adventure, with more than a few of their bucket list items checked off, such as sharing very small sleeping quarters, enduring constant nausea from a rolling and pitching boat and the feeling of panic when 8 foot waves wash over the bow. If you think this equated to a horrible time, think again!
 

Just beooootiful....crossing from Puerto Rico to Tortola.
Steve was able to sit in the co-pilot's seat and took this wonderful picture.

Just arrived from the red-eye flights, and ready to paaarrrrtyyy!

 

We walked over to the airport, after a short dinghy ride from Trellis Bay and saw Steve and Chris get off the plane. They settled in on the boat and we spent the night on anchor in the bay. Our first destination in the morning was to Cooper Island to meet up with the folks and guests from "Cruising Outpost" and their "BVI Share-The-Sail." 

(Cruising Outpost is a new sailing magazine, offered in both hard copy and online. IT IS A GREAT MAGAZINE!!! I've read almost all of the different magazines that are offered about sailing, but I have to say that this is the best I've seen that caters to the cruising lifestyle. I highly recommend those that are into sailing to visit the website and see what they offer.)

http://cruisingoutpost.com/

Anyway, the sail over to Cooper Island was pretty tame, by our standards, but Steve felt a little queasy from the boat's motion...he was glad for our stop for the night on the mooring ball.

Ahhh, mal-de-mer. naupathia, kinetosis, seasickness. I've been there...man, you just want it to quit...stop the motion or roll me off of the boat and let me die, one or the other. Corner me sometime and I will tell you a whole story about my fun on a salmon charter off of Ilwaco, Washington with my brothers.

Steve wasn't that bad, though. He decided to relax a bit while the rest of us spent the evening having a great time making new friends and meeting some old ones.


The next day broke to a spectacular sunrise...I think. Anyway, when we got up about an hour after sunrise, we had a great breakfast and headed out. It's a lonnnng way from Cooper (by a slow sailboat) to our next stop...North Sound, Virgin Gorda and Leverick Bay to see the Mocko Jumbies and have a Caribbean buffet dinner with the "Outposters".




Everybody gets involved in the fun...

We spent the next morning relaxing and then motored to the other end of North Sound to Biras Creek and enjoyed the evening walking around Saba Rock. We wanted to show them one of our other favorite places and catch a movie on the beach...unfortunately, the Bitter End Yacht Club was persona non grata...the whole resort had been rented for a wedding. Now, who has that kind of money?

 

 



Maybe, it's people like those that charter the "Maltese Falcon"
http://www.symaltesefalcon.com/
or the "Hemisphere", the world's largest
sailing catamaran   http://www.sy-hemisphere.com/



Our next sail was a little rougher...not!

We did get into some "sporty" weather on a couple of day's sails...
+20 kts of wind and 6' swells north of Tortola & The Dog Islands, but it
was fun, especially for those used to it.

Photo, courtesy of Steve, taken from the rollicking bow of our boat

 

I've included some of the fishing activity that some people do in the BVI, but not us.




This is supposed to be a tuna, but it appears to have
been munched on by a much larger fish



I think this is a barracuda, caught with a couple of lures...
not sure, though



This colorful girl (a dorado hen) is another fish
available to those that are fortunate enough
to land them

 

We made it to Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke and visited Foxy's, as well as some of the other places. While there, we met up with some of the "Outposters" again and I was asked to take Bob Bitchin's granddaughter and his friend diving. I do not need to be asked more than once to go diving, so we rented gear for them and the three of us headed out around the corner to find a place to dive. The coral and visiblity weren't the best but Tabatha and Paul sure had a great dive, anyway.

That's a lionfish Tabatha found, in the center of the photo



That's Tabatha in the center of the photo

And here is another rare find...Paul

 



On the dock in front of Foxy's with a local

I think this would be a great sign for our boat!



Lovely, up until someone loses their balance and rolls the whole
thing over



Karen and Chris having cold ones on Foxy's lap



What happens in the BVI, stays in the BVI, sometimes

I tell you, the sail the next morning was easy...the sails were full and drawing...and we made good all the way across (about 2 miles) to Cane Garden Bay for the "Share the Sail" dinner at Myett's. Our friends, Toddy and Sue...Ken and Lori...and Gail met us there. I must say, we had the best time. And we must've behaved ourselves a little, because the owner of Myett's brought over a complimentary bottle of Myett's Label Rum. It didn't take us long to polish most of that off, too. Our friends, Eric Stone and Kim Hess were there, entertaining the whole crowd with great sailing/boating/Caribbean/diving music. He does it all, but just don't ask him to play "Jimmy Buffett" (That could be a whole blog of itself).



We sure enjoyed ourselves!

 

Lori and Karen with new "Outposter" friends, George and Kay Baker



Yep, that's a whole new bottle of rum for the table...and, as you can tell,
 Steve, Toddy and I are all happy about it!

 

 

Sue and Ken

 

Yes, Steve and Chris also enjoyed some of the snorkling, at the SW shore of Mosquito Island, Diamond Reef along Great Camino and Spyglass Wall along Norman Island 

Steve was like a fish...doing somersaults

Chris REALLY liked the snorkling...



Steve found a lot of things to pick up, photograph and just chase around

So, there you have it. Another couple of satisfied customers. So far, we haven't had any complaints or people wanting their vacation days back.