Celebrity Summit. First stop...St. Christopher aka St. Kitts

Celebrity Summit in St. Thomas, with our little sailboat near the stern

You've probably heard Karen comment about "never getting to go on vacation anymore"!! Well, she finally got to take her vacation…and I went with her to make sure she stayed out of trouble.

Our room, with a view. Can't you just hear her let out a big, peaceful sigh...

 She seems to have a knack for finding good deals. She had been watching the fares, even after we had booked the cruise, and noticed the prices had dropped significantly from what we paid. One call to the cruise line and we were upgraded to Aqua Class and a balcony room on the 9^th floor.

Jenely (Jen-e-lee) and Karen in the Christmas mood

Some folks on the “Cruise Critic” website had been unhappy with the type of room we got, but we found it to be perfect. Our balcony room sat just under an upper floor extension that projects out about 15’ from where we sat. We saw this as a huge benefit when sitting out on the balcony: early shade from the sun, protection from any rainfall, the wind is cut down quite a bit when the ship is moving, etc. No need for us to see the stars from our balcony…that can be done on an upper deck when walking around, if you can handle the wind. I suspect the wind averages around 15kts to 25kts when the ship is headed to the next port-of-call.

 One of the first adventures we signed up for on-ship was a drawing for the spa/salon area. I wasn’t interested (in the slightest) to have a free manicure and pedicure, but Karen filled out two of the entries…one for each of us. Well, as it turned out, I won the drawing. We pre-arranged that if I won, she could step into the limelight as “Sandy”. She was soooo happy to “win” the free manicure/pedicure, valued on-ship at about $200.

 Karen also invested some time with one of the hairstylists for a trim and attended a class on styling tips. I decided to have a straight razor shave in the salon. Don’t need one of those again. The blade wasn’t as sharp as it should’ve been, so it felt a little abrasive. Besides…I’m not so keen on having someone so close in my “space” that I don’t know. Don’t even get me started about massages.

Mario gave Karen a lot of styling tips, along with a really nice haircut

The ship left San Juan on Saturday, and headed to St. Croix…arriving at 8am. We’ve been there/done that, so that’s the time we spent in the ship salon. Our next port-of-call was St. Kitts. Karen had made arrangements with a tour guide (Annie) to meet us, and quite a few others heard of the great price we were offered and joined us. (Karen spent most of the two weeks before the cruise signing folks up for this tour, as well as one on Grenada). There were enough folks that Annie needed 3 tour vans to hold everyone. St. Kitts was so much more beautiful and scenic than we imagined. Annie was superb at taking the time to show us the island and explaining its colorful history. Of course, it still has the poverty that all of the islands have, but it seems the economy there is stable, if not improving. Unemployment is the largest issue that most of the islands have to deal with. Hopefully, all of the islands can have a little rest from some devastating hurricanes so they can get things going again.

Annie was certainly happy for all of Karen's help. We highly recommend you choose her if you visit St. Kitts, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Part of the Caribelle Batik Store and floral gardens at the Historic Romney Center

 

The original slave bell tower, at the Romney Manor

Our new little friend...a greenback monkey. I wonder if it would make a good boat pet?

Looking northwest along the windward shore

A blog about the cruise wouldn't be complete without some mention of the food on board. The Summit has numerous restaurants, as well as a main buffet and several of the snack bar variety. Our favorite was Blu...for members of the "elite" Aqua Class (remember, we were card-carrying members).

Our room came with these tasty, little snack trays everyday...complimentary!

Blu's menu featured smaller portions, made healthier with less of the fats and carbs. This allows you to eat twice as much as normal when on a cruise, and not gain more than the usual 15#.

Jenely made our suite up each night, and made a towel lobster on one of them.

I forgot to mention...these flowery clothes and fancy hats we are wearing...are the same we wore on our honeymoon in Antigua, Christmas 1999

We hope your Christmas was wonderful and 2015 will be peaceful, happy and full of the Lord's Blessings

Cousin Sharen!!

So, I lied to you....you thought I was all done with sharing the Caribbean stories for the season...not even close!

I must first describe, in full and loving detail, our visit with cousin Sharen...then later (next blog) you get to hear of Shawn and Yasmeen...and then much later, there's much to tell of our sail to St. Croix and the visit with Jan, Mandy, and Merryn. 

Yes, I can hear all of the grand sighs beginning now.

Just remember that, despite the various blogs I've written, it's not always fun and games in the islands...sometimes we do need to sleep. And there's always the challenges of cleaning up the dive gear after we use it. Not to mention all of the hiking to various lookouts...that's not in everybody's "fun index", either.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the unending chore of restocking the rum. Yep...it's not a real easy life, but someone needs to take one for the team, occasionally.

Like most visitors to our boat, the guests, like Sharen
get to relieve us of our duties for a time. See...everyone
needs a break from the work every so often.  

This leaves me to do the tasks that I must do...
like testing the standing rigging for stability and attachments.
Sharen is learning a lot about boat maintenance!

Like with most of the visitors, Sharen joined us in a whirlwind tour of the BVI, with stops in Soper's Hole for customs (yep, that special place we all enjoy) Norman Island (where pirates hang out) North Sound of Virgin Gorda (where other pirates and various strange folk reside)

We always try to get people to join us on a hike
to the top of Norman Island...it is really a great view!

The staff at Saba Rock treat the visitors to a tarpon
feeding frenzy at about 5pm each day. It's their version
of catfish noodling.

There's quite a nice setting on the north side of Saba Rock
that overlooks the ocean and reefs.

Ahhh, below is one of our best places in the North Sound we like to visit....The Bitter End Yacht Club...a place most of us probably can't afford to stay at. That always leaves us with the need to put on our pirate hats and enjoy the place anyway!

All I wanted to do was dip Sharen down for great photo op,
but she wasn't having any of it. I guess she's used to the
Shelton family pranks.

Now, this is what pirates do best...use the facilities of the
resort. At least we brought our own towels. For some reason,
the cabana boys never stopped by, so we had to get the drinks ourselves.
Like I said...it's not always fun and games!

It just so happened to be St. Patty's day when we visited Michael Bean's "Happy ARRR" at Leverick Bay. Since Sharen is more than a bit Irish, she thought the "spirit" of the Irish needed to be well-represented.

No, our table didn't win the conch-blowing contest,
probably due to the free-flowing cocktails messing with
our good technique.

We sure loved having you visit us, Sharen!!!!

Another late addition...

After our stay at Coffin Island, we headed to Ponce, PR for a visit to the town and see the upcoming Carnival...PR's largest. Our group included Herb and Karen, from Aaranda.

I recommend a visit to Ponce for the scenery as well as the architecture...but not necessarily for the Carnival. The parade was nice, but our expectations were of a somewhat more elaborate affair...like what you'd see during Mardi Gras (anywhere). The 2014 Ponce Carnival featured a few costumed folks, some HS marching bands, a couple of carnival floats and a lot of youth groups (ages 8 and under) in uniforms. There were a number of booths set up around the center of the square, offering a host of souvenirs and food items...the usual things you see at most small town festivals. There were supposed to be a variety of bands playing, but we chose to leave before most of them played.

We discovered that the town square was near the final destination of the parade-goers and the bottle neck of the entries seemed to be right where we were standing. So we were able to check out each group of kids and the various bands in full detail...for up to 10 minutes at a time. All in all, it was a nice community parade. We stopped at a really nice sidewalk café for lunch and walked around the square to see all of the booths and vendors. Karen and Karen picked up some nice jewelry, of course, while Herb and I looked for a place to get dessert.

A 1969 Chevelle!!!Yes I know it's a Malibu and it is
not a Chevelle SS, 400hp 396 V8 Big Block, 12 bolt main, with 4
speed manual transmission and positraction rear end...
but it still fits at the top of the best-car-ever-made category
and worthy of any parade!

Traveling buddies, Herb and Karen

The stage area, near the end of the parade route

I'm not sure if this is a good or bad creature.
The Bride of Chucky was riding in the car in the background...
maybe this wasn't meant to be a feel-good parade after all.

I thought this was a happy kind of costume...but I'm not so
sure, now

We toured one of the older homes in the area, and there were
a lot of really neat features, but I found the
stand-alone shower pretty cool: side sprays, overhead spray
each with their own controls...and pre-1940.
...our "modern culture" seems to always imply that we know
so much more than those of the past. It just goes to show
that we're not so smart after all!

We needed to head back to St. Thomas and pick up cousin Sharen for a visit with us, so we said our goodbyes to Herb and Karen and slogged our way eastward. Our next stop was a return to Bahia de Jobos, then on to Patillas, PR. (where we saw a manatee in the water under our dinghy) and then to Culebra. Each stop was just for the night, then we were off again. There were some long days of sailing/motoring to windward, but the weather was great and the waves were small... less than 3'. It took us 4 days to sail from Ponce to Water Island for our provisioning.

On our way with a 6am Sunrise at Bahia de Jobos.
A nice send-off for our rip back to the USVI

  

Back on Duty

Man, it's been a long time since I've blogged our adventure. Much has happened, both in the islands as well as after our return to the US. I think I/we will be best served if I give you the "Reader's Digest" version and bring it all back to our current status.

Our Culebran and Monkey Island trip was a prelude to sailing over to and then along the southern coast of Puerto Rico. We met up with our good friends, Herb and Karen in "Aaranda" (Beneteau 361 like ours) at Palmas Del Mar marina to prepare for our buddy-sail with them...we needed to get provisions and do laundry. By the way...how many of you have ever taken your dirty laundry to Walmart to get it cleaned? The Laundromat was inside the store where you would normally see the hairdresser. The lady weighed our bag by lifting it off the counter to estimate the weight/cost. She said it would be done about 9pm, so we headed into the store for our groceries and supplies and then back to the boat to store it all. It was a first for us, also....$9.00 and 3 hours later, the clothes were washed/folded and waiting for our return. Talk about service!


The rental car story was a little interesting...the lady gave us the keys and two complimentary drink cards at the local tiki hut beach bar! We still aren't sure if we were meant to drink our free libations before or after our excursion in the car. Oh, I was just reminded to share with you something wonderful and exciting...just like 4 years ago, we discovered that my driver's license was expired again! Yeah!!! This meant that Karen had to do All of the driving in Puerto Rico...AGAIN!!! Man, I just love being chauffeured with a chance to gawk around.

Our 1st two places we wanted to share with you are Bahia de Jobos (Jobos Bay) and the town of Salinas.




I just love these stylish hats. They convey to people
that we are real Caribbean turistas!

You could easily get lost in the many turns these
mangrove channels make. I tied bright yellow flagging
on the mangrove branches to find our way back out.

We kept the dinghy speed low so as to not
spook the manatees...it worked...we didn't
see any!

No, I didn't tie yellow ribbons on the mangrove tree branches. We spent time here, both on our trip west and then on the return trip back eastward.
Salinas is a small town located along the southern shore of Puerto Rico. We did get to see a manatee here, while entering the anchorage. It swam up and grabbed a quick breath and then re-submerged before we could get a photo. From a distance, it reminded me of a big, grey slug.

A monument to the fishermen of Salinas

This is what happens to boats when their owners stop paying
slip fees...they are removed from the slip, pulled to shore and
beached. I don't know how long it's been here, but the mangroves
appear to have taken over residence.

Just foolin' around

Salinas harbor is a very nice anchorage, if you can avoid all
of the moorings.

We enjoyed some very nice nights in Salinas, as the water was almost flat-calm the entire time we spent there. We left Salinas for Isla de Caja de Muertos (the Spanish way to say Coffin Island)

From a distance, Isla Muertos does look a little like a body
laying down, thus "Coffin Island".

Here's the greeting we got...a nice little snake, just waiting
for a tasty morsel...or a hand to bite.

I found a little snow to lay down in next to some plants
that looked like worms...

Actually, they are just cactus and a cloudy sky...sillly!
There's probably never been snow on this island.

The old lighthouse, circa late-1800's, built by the Spanish

Looking up the lighthouse stairway

Looking down...

The whole island is set up as a park with covered
pavilions, trails, a nice dock and even a large composting
toilet. We definitely recommend a visit, especially if you want
to wander inside the lighthouse...it's getting pretty rickety inside.

Culebran Drift

Sailing from St. Thomas to Culebra is a nice, swift run of about 17 miles…and a little over 3 1/2 hours, if you can make about 5 knots or better. We pulled into Ensenada Honda shortly after 2pm and anchored about 200 yards from the famous “Dingy Dock Restaurant”. Our 1^st stop ashore was Zaco Tacos, Karen’s favorite Culebran eatery. All of the streamers, decorations, etc were in place on the street and storefront. Nope it wasn’t for us. They were setting up for a benefit dinner for the local school. Dinner was being served at 5pm. Karen had been having daydreams about their hibiscus tea. Oh well…it was already 3pm, so we headed over to the Dingy Dock. We were told they were under new management and the food was much better now. There were a lot of folks there…especially cruisers. No one was eating. When we asked for a menu, they told us that they stop serving meals between 3pm and 5pm…not even a side of fries or nachos…just alcohol…and it was now 3:20. So we settled on some drinks and I asked for a Modelo Negra…a tasty, dark beer. The bartender said “wrong country” and I settled for a Corona. Light colored. Weak flavored. Beer. Karen did better…she ordered a tea of some sort. Oh yeah…the afternoon’s meal was served on the boat by my lovely KAREN! It was waaay better than what they were serving on-island.

Here's a nice Culebran sunset

 One of the excursions we like to make while we’re here is to the produce market, held on Tuesdays and Fridays each week. You need to get there early if you want the best selection. I believe they bring it over on the ferry from Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Good selection, great prices and fresh vegetables/fruit.

Next, we sailed on to Cayo Santiago...Monkey Island! We had an even better sail, with wind at our backs for about 20 miles...averaging better than 6 knots and, sometimes, hitting over 8 surfing down the fronts of the waves. YAHOO!! Man we love them new sails!! We found a nice, somewhat quiet anchorage in the lee of the island, but I'm sure it can get pretty rolly here with waves wrapping around the ends of the island. The following morning we set out to take some photos of the island and see monkeys. I thought they would be on the shore waving us over and asking for bananas. We saw a few, but they seemed more interested in each other. Later in the day, there was a small runabout leaving the island with a number of folks on it. They were some of the researchers from the university, and only one could speak English. She didn't think it was too funny when I asked for a tour of the island. "Stay off the island"....I think she said!

The sign doesn't quite say it all...they should put
a couple more notices on the bottom..."These monkeys
are known to bite" and "These monkeys are known
carriers of Hepatitis B"

Here's one...taunting us to come ashore and pet it

Cayo Santiago is where more than 400 rhesus monkeys were turned loose about 50 years ago. The monkeys get fed, probably get shots and whatever else needed to make their lives better. It seems to me that they're not too good at creating "carbon copies," because, now, there are just over 900. If those were American teenagers turned loose for that long, there would be a need to get a larger island to hold the population. Anyway, if you want more info you can google it or go to this page:

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



And....here's Monkey sunset for you!