Saturday 1st May (Lini’s Journal)

Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Mon 3 May 2010 16:02
Today’s travels took us to the island of Jost Van Dyke named after a
sixteenth century pirate. Reading the pilot book en-route I was keen
to go to White Bay with its shallow pale water and birthplace of the
Painkiller cocktail at the Soggy Dollar Bar, so named after all the
sailors who swam ashore from their boats and paid for their drinks
with – you’ve guessed it – soggy dollars. It still seems strange to me
that the currency is US dollars here in British islands. I guess we
are right next to the US Virgin Islands though and most of the
visitors here are American charterers. There are zillions of charter
boats around from dozens of different companies and I’d say fifty
percent are catamarans. I suppose these do make very sociable craft
for groups of people and are very forgiving at sea and in the
shallows. We can’t understand however why their hifi systems only have
an extra loud volume level and the people as well come to that!!
A couple of charter boats had very kindly anchored in the narrow
channel between the reefs leaving no gap to get in. We sailed to Great
Harbour next door which was wide, relatively empty with the added
bonus of the world famous Foxy’s Bar ashore. Tonight I read, there
would be a barbecue and live music. A visit tonight was a must.
It was still early afternoon so a great opportunity to whip off the
sprayhood and continue the ongoing replacement of the disintegrating
stitching. I plodded slowly on with the huge task being entertained
meanwhile by some very loud neighbours who seemed to think the whole
anchorage, no island, would like to also listen to their music while
they played air guitar with the deck shower. More cans of beer were
thrown to screaming ladies swimming off the back and at a closer look
- OMG! it was the ‘Good Time Girls’ from Willy Ts!!!! We would get no
peace tonight! Luckily I think they peaked too soon and all
disappeared some time later no doubt nursing headaches.
Rather than risk fatty food ashore I made chicken kebabs and spicy
potatoes for our barbecue, then while chilling with our sundowners
looked up to see Blonde Moment coming into the anchorage. Our fellow
ARC Hallberg Rassy 40 had just arrived from Antigua ready to return
with ARC Europe next week. “Nice boat”, I called as they motored past
and Si called them VHF to catch up. Indeed their identical boat was a
fine sight. Paul dinghied over to say hello and we agreed to catch up
at Foxy’s later. I shall never forget the lovely welcome Paul and his
crew gave us at the end of the transatlantic, all waiting and ready to
take our lines and welcome us to the Caribbean.
Foxy’s was a great bar with the whole of the roof draped with hats,
t-shirts and various other ‘smaller items’ all with messages from
yachties written across them. Business and boat cards were tucked into
anything that would hold them. Fab smells wafted from their barbecue
and a great solo blues guitarist was playing in the corner. We perched
at the bar and I ordered my first Red Stripe, Jamaican beer while Si
got straight in there with the rum punch. Paul’s new extra crew of
four all seemed very nice and were getting on well with each other
after their first sail together. I still can’t imagine having room for
even one more person with all their things aboard Brindabella with all
the stuff we have aboard. The drinks slipped down far too quickly
while we chatted and I had to try just one of those Friggin in the
Riggin cocktails before we left. It was a totally delicious icy mango
sort of sorbet with a rum float. Yum!
Back on Brindabella the weather turned foul and we had to quickly
close all the hatches as torrential rain washed the salt from
Brindabella. It was a hot sticky night with no air.