I
woke my first morning and took this shot. Every morning I've been here has
been awesomely beautiful in its own way, although the natives look at me oddly when I exclaim.
Well, I finally did it: put down some funds on a boat..... the
boat is in Coral Bay on St John in the US Virgin Islands..... and I came
down to see it and to have an adventure I will long remember. I touched
down in Boston on Sunday after a red-eye from San Francisco and waited
several hours with good friends until my 9:20 flight to NYC, Puerto
Rico, and St Thomas (another red-eye!), then made my way via taxi and
ferry to Cruz Bay, then by bus to Coral Bay.
Look up Coral Bay. It is the funkiest, most laid-back place
I've seen in a long time. Many folks here work ten hours a week and live
very frugal lives so they can spend their time socializing and playing
and creating. The whole place ACCEPTS that sort of lifestyle, so one is
not pressured to keep up with the Joneses. I like it! I am sitting at
Pickles Cafe, drinking a coffee and using the internet while someone watches Dr Who on the TV.
The boat is a 1988 Catalina 34 that definitely needs work....but it is nearly all work that I can do and would enjoy doing. It is a tiny house and even the biggest problems are far smaller than a homeowner faces. The list, though, gets longer and longer and I sometimes get nervous....but then just tackle cleaning another room or solving another thing on the list and all is well.
The owner has moved back to Michigan to be near the grandkids, but arranged to have Alan, the local mechanic assist me. He gave me a ride out to the boat the first day and I sat and contemplated. I swam over to visit a neighbor, Peter, in his floating house/bar.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Anyway, lots of cool stuff: 2' fish, rays breaking surface by the boat, giant termite nests in trees, hermit crabs on land, herds of burros and goats, and flocks of chickens. I look forward to coming back here with my prescription mask so I can snorkel and painting the bottom of my boat so I can sail!
So, you say, what are my plans? To which I respond "Plans? I don't need no stinking plans!
Then I get more serious and say I plan to spend some time down here this winter fixing the boat up and sailing, then bring it to Cape Cod before hurricane season.
Adventure! (I am quite terrified....and unspeakably excited)
The boat is a 1988 Catalina 34 that definitely needs work....but it is nearly all work that I can do and would enjoy doing. It is a tiny house and even the biggest problems are far smaller than a homeowner faces. The list, though, gets longer and longer and I sometimes get nervous....but then just tackle cleaning another room or solving another thing on the list and all is well.
The owner has moved back to Michigan to be near the grandkids, but arranged to have Alan, the local mechanic assist me. He gave me a ride out to the boat the first day and I sat and contemplated. I swam over to visit a neighbor, Peter, in his floating house/bar.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Anyway, lots of cool stuff: 2' fish, rays breaking surface by the boat, giant termite nests in trees, hermit crabs on land, herds of burros and goats, and flocks of chickens. I look forward to coming back here with my prescription mask so I can snorkel and painting the bottom of my boat so I can sail!
So, you say, what are my plans? To which I respond "Plans? I don't need no stinking plans!
Then I get more serious and say I plan to spend some time down here this winter fixing the boat up and sailing, then bring it to Cape Cod before hurricane season.
Adventure! (I am quite terrified....and unspeakably excited)
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