CLEAN, CHECK, KEEP OR CHUCK .......

Each day we opened up our crate in CULEBRA, Puerto Rico,and took out more stuff to take with us to the VIRGIN ISLANDS in preparation of getting the new boat "SOUTHERN COMFORT" ready ........ Load it all in the dinghy, take it to "ARITA" and try not to sink her ...... We think we loaded maybe an extra ton with batteries, tools, inverters, water-maker and just stuff .....



Further to the north of us, the cold and snow is on its way while we 'rejoice' in these beautiful temperatures and where frangipanis bloom all year round ....



And to the west of us are Annemieke and Timo in CURACAO, having their 'WOOD FOR WOOD' sculpture exhibition to raise the funds to replace the loss of their beloved yacht 'BLUE MARLIN' ..... Very well attended and an absolute success story ............. The sculptures sold like 'hot cakes' ......



Incredibly talented to create these brilliant oil paintings out of washed-up driftwood ....... Even a reporter from the local newspaper gave the venture the 'Thumbs up' .....



And Timo is not slow off the mark either ......In no time at all, he has his floatation raft completed on which the new plywood/epoxy yacht is to be constructed ..... She is to be called "LAZY LIZ" ...... (Strange for there is nothing lazy about either of them) ...... This platform's buoyancy was worked out to carry the weight of construction without going under, but then finally being submerged in order to launch it, when she is rolled over .....



Talk about 'Thinking outside the box' ....... What a classic way of constructing a yacht .......



But despite Timo's enthusiasm and ingenuity, someone still has to keep an eye on him .......



We departed CULEBRA and cruised through the US VIRGIN ISLANDS like a 'knife through hot Brie cheese' ........ Anchored between St. Thomas and St. Johns in Christmas Cove and took the dinghy ashore to meet with the broker who sold us "SOUTHERN COMFORT" ...... Yes, the deed is done ..... We have put "ARITA" officially on the market .......... You can take a sneek-peek at www.stthomasyachtsales.com .. Look under 'John Alden Custom' ..... And when we got back to "ARITA" in the late afternoon there was this beautiful rainbow ...... Both ends visible on the water .... Isn't that supposed to mean something 'rich and wonderful' ........



And in the morning, we moved south to the British Virgin islands and straight to VIRGIN GORDA ......... Motoring through a headwind of twenty knots ......



These beautiful volcanic islands lie right in the path of the Caribbean 'hurricane alley' and are very steep-sided with poor holding, and very little natural shelter ...... The local marinas kind of bury the hulls during haul-out time or as in this case simply build a concrete well to hold the keel and rudder but it helps keep the yachts low-down during the terrible winds of the summer season .... Most other yachts move out of the hurricane zone south to Trinidad or further north to the USA .....



But VIRGIN GORDA is beautiful .... Even the dock where the cargo ferries land is nice ....... And only a mile away are those famous granite boulders called " The Baths " ....



That''s "ARITA" anchored out on the far right in the rolly swell and we come ashore in the dinghy to begin the real appraisal of what we have purchased ...... This is the moment of true reality ...... Our own reality show without cameras ..... And at the end of that first day, covered in sweat and 'sheizen' we are ecstatic .... "SOUTHERN COMFORT" is truly beautiful ....... No less so than "ARITA", but just a different kind of beauty...... Laurie has this necklace made of 'sea-beans' ...... She wondered, what with all the perspiration, they might just sprout ....... "Don't call me sweetheart", .... "Try sweatheart ...."



We found at least twenty pairs of fins and snorkels on board, skis, wakeboard and floaties ....... All the toys you can think of, for charter guests young and old .... We donated it all to Micheal Beans on the yacht "Mangele" next door, for his "HAITI Good Samaritan Foundation" ..... You remember(maybe?) that Micheal Bean is the talented musician that runs the pirate show at Leverick Bay in Virgin Gorda Sound during the sailing season ..... We are keeping the kayak though .....



What a beautiful place to work in ..............



But what are we going to do with fifteen life-jackets ...... Let's see if the cruise ship anchored out needs some more .....



We are now up to our eyeballs in work .... Cleaning, scrubbing, sorting, chucking, polishing .... The boat has been closed up for more than two years, and in the tropics you can kind of figure what that means ........ And in the engine room there is an accumulation of water, diesel and oil that goes back well beyond the last two years .... Not that we're complaining, after all when the day is done and the body has recovered, the sunrise is pure 'inspiration' to do it all again ...... Even though we have dirt and crud up to our elbows before showering at night, we are 'Still living the dream' ............. And if we seem to use that word 'BEAUTIFUL' far too often, it is because it is all true ..........

And Yahoo News mentions something about 'HOME DEPOT's improved fiscal outlook ...... Well, we know why that is ..... We hit HOME DEPOT in Puerto Rico only last week, several times .....