Old Year's night

Old Year's night, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Happy Friday, New Years Eve or Old Years Night, or whatever you call it. We're going low key for this year's celebration. Jay has to work today and tomorrow so no Foxeys for us. Going to have dinner and drinks with friends and hope that Jay can stay up to midnight lol We were hoping to catch the fireworks but Yacht Haven Grande cancelled them so that's a bummer.

It's also our anniversary, 12 years. But we've been together 17 years. Wow! It's been an eventful 17 years to say the least. We've done a lot, seen a lot, met a lot of great people and have no plans for stopping. ;-)

So I hope everyone has a great new years celebration, whatever you're doing.... Have fun and be safe!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Winds

Christmas Winds, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Well this morning the winds were calm as can be. Not so much now, the winds have built to twenty knots and the north swells are building. Looks like it's going to be a windy New Year.
Jay

Happy day after Christmas

Happy day after Christmas, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Another lazy day at the house for me today. Jay had to work and I had him to just take the car since I have no plans on going anywhere. It's a little hazy out today but the sun is out, the warm breeze is blowing, James Taylor is playing on the new iPod dock, which sounds unbelievable by the way. It's a good day.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas. :-)

Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas from the Islands. Deb and I didn't do a whole lot of shopping this year since we are already spoiled rotten. I bought her a bracelet last week when we were on St John, although she picked it out and she snuck off yesterday and bought us a Bose Portable Docking station for the iPod. Today is a lazy day we are hanging out at the house, cooking a little food and watching Christmas Movies. It's nice to have a little down time as the week coming up will be very busy for me at work. Lots of boats going out this week. I hope everyone enjoys their day.

Jay

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve, originally uploaded by captainjay.

It's an absolutely beautiful day in the VI today. I've spent the last two days chillin' at the house recuperating from our visitors lol. So today I decided to get out of the house and enjoy the day.

I got my Charlie Brown Christmas tree out and decided to decorate to see if it would look a little bit more like Christmas. It helped a little but once you look out and see the beautiful blue sky and water you forget that everyone back home is looking out and seeing snow and freezing their booty off. I miss family but definitely don't miss the snow :-)

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Last Night of Stay-cation

So we have had a great visit with the Schaub's and some much needed relaxation and a little rest. We went to St John today to take a look at the Villa's that T and Neville rented for their February trip. Both look to be real nice places and they are only about a quarter mile apart. We spent a little more time looking for them than planned so after a little lunch at the tap room and the discovery of a new cocktail we decided shopping and visiting a few watering holes in Cruz Bay would be a good use of our afternoon. The rational being it was to late to make any meaningful beach time. So the girls bought some jewelery and Rob and I held down stools at Woody's, and Joe's Rum Hut. Then it was back on the car barge for St Thomas.

About half way across Pillsbury Sound I came up with the idea of stopping in Marina Market, picking up some steaks as well as some veggies for salad and staying in the last night. Turned out to be a good decision. The food and company were great as usual and the view is as good as any restaurant on St Thomas or St John. Plus and easy evening may make re-entry into work for me and flying on Us Scareways a little easier on our guests tomorrow, but no worries for Deb she is on Christmas break and has off until some time in January.

Jay

PS the new cocktail we tried was appropriately enough named the R&R. It is basically almost equal parts St John Brewers homemade Root Beer and Cruzan Vanilla Rum on the rocks. Very smooth and a little sweet.

Not Quite Jost

Not Quite Jost, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Well we tried to go to Jost today but apparently the lady at customs the didn't like Rob put a voodoo curse on the boat. I won't bother with the details but it included spending two hours at Great St James cleaning out oil lines then limping back to Frenchtown.
The girls were supposed to meet us in Red Hook, so since they were stranded at Molly Mallone's they did some brunch and drinks then went to Sapphire Beach for a while.
Now we are hanging by the pool at some friends house watching the sun crossing the horizon.
Jay

Beach Day

Beach Day, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Had a beach day today with the girls. It was supposed to be a boat day to Jost but it didn't quite work out. The plan was for the guys to take the boat from Frenchtown to Red Hook and pick up the girls. That way we bypassed the rough south side of St. Thomas. We went to Molly Malones to partake of the bottomless bloody marys and mimosa. Well about half way to Red Hook the boat had some issues (Jay will have to give details). So the girls went to Sapphire to wait it out. Not a bad plan B ;-)

Lighted Boat Parade

Lighted Boat Parade, originally uploaded by captainjay.

We had a great time in the Lighted Boat parade last night. There were 13 boats and some really went all out. We threw some lights together last minute and went for the fun of it. Everyone that participated got a free slip at Crown Bay Marina and a $25 gift cert at Budget Marine. The top four got really nice prizes, cash, free gas, etc. So next year we're going to really get into it and try to win. I'll go after Christmas and try to find some deals on decorations for next year. If anyone wants to donate lights and mail them, we'll take 'em lol The boat is small so it won't take much :-)

Friday Beach Pucture

Friday Beach Pucture, originally uploaded by captainjay.

This was yesterday afternoon at Magen's Bay. Having fun with the Schaub's in town.

Friday Beach Pic

Friday Beach Pic, originally uploaded by captainjay.

It's Friday! Last day of work before my two week break. UVI closes for two weeks between Christmas and New Years. It's soooo nice.

Tonight is the Miracle on Main street and Lighted Boat Parade. We decided to enter the boat this year so Jay and our WV friends will be running around today gathering lights and decorating the boat. I hope to get out of work early so that I can help. Miracle on Main Street is a really nice event. If you're on island you should definitely come downtown and check it out. The stores stay open late for Christmas shopping, there will be steel pan bands playing Christmas tunes, bars and restaurants offering specials on food and drinks. And boats out in the harbor decorated with Christmas lights circling around. Its just a really nice event to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Merry Christmas :-)

Stay-cation with the Schaub's

Stay-cation with the Schaub's, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Hanging at Magen's with the Schaub's having a little BBC. My first day of the mini vacation.
Jay

Mini Rednecks Staycation

So Deb's birthday week continues. The organizer, Theresa,  of the original Rednecks in the Caribbean trips and her hubby Rob are coming to visit. They are actually on dePlane leaving CRW as I post this. So Deb and I are taking some time off, Deb more than me, to have a mini Stay-cation. This is were you take off and don't travel. We are hosting our first guests at the condo, gonna do a little boating and very likely a little limin. Stay tuned for updates. And for those of you that are friends with T on Facebook count on her doing her normal bottle of wine and mac and cheese updates.

Jay

Pre-birthday day

Pre-birthday day, originally uploaded by captainjay.

We were able to get out on the boat yesterday for a little pre-birthday day for me. We took out some friends and coworkers and headed over to Water Island to hear Eric Stone play. To my surprise, Melissa, owner of Joes Beach Bar (along with her husband Joe of course), made me a home made birthday cake! I felt so touched that she would think enough of me to do that. She even sang happy birthday to me as I blew out the single candle. It was perfect, and it was an awesome cake. Topped with Hershey kisses.

Then we had a beautiful sunset. It was a perfect way to spend a pre-birthday day :-)

Friday Beach Pic

Friday Beach Pic, originally uploaded by captainjay.

TGIF! Finally! Been a very busy week so I am soooo happy it's Friday. We've had a consultant on campus working with us on a very large project so there's been lots of meetings and after work dinners. We've also been working on getting the new place ready for our first visitors that arrive this Tuesday. So you can why I'm ready for the weekend.

Yacht Haven Grande is going to start having FREE Zumba classes on Saturday mornings at 10 am in the area next to Fat Turtle. All the on island Zumba instructors are going to take turns leading the class so you'll get to experience the different styles of the different instructors. They are also going to provide FREE drinking water. So if you're on island on a Saturday come on over and enjoy a fun workout! I'll be there for sure because I love Zumba :-)

Have a great weekend!

Boating

 

So we had a great time this weekend. Spent two days on the boat. I haven't had much time off with the start of season and the new boat to commission so it was nice to get to spend the time. The conditions were nearly perfect for this time of year. Low seas, moderate winds and the boat ran well. Still have a few issues, it's a boat after all. We spent Sunday night in the Bight at Norman Island. Did a snorkel at the Indians then we got cleaned up and went into the Willy T's for a little while with our friends. Then it was over to Pirate's for dinner.

Monday we got up did a little breakfast and headed of to Jost, had lunch at Gertrude's and came back to St Thomas late afternoon. We were more than a little surprised to see three cruise ships anchored off of Cruz Bay in St John. That place must of been a freak show with that many people in town.

Time on the Water

Time on the Water, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Took a couple days off and got a little Time on the Water. We ran over to Norman Island and met up with some friends who chartered with CYOA. Willie T on a Sunday night is pretty wild :-).

Today we ran over to Jost Van Dyke for lunch before heading back to St. Thomas. It's a beautiful day out and it feels great to be back on the boat :-)

Key Lime Kind of Day

Key Lime Kind of Day, originally uploaded by captainjay.

So Deb and I took today and tomorrow off. We have the boat running and met up with some friends in the BVI so after a "small" lobster we just had a little Key Lime Pie. Life is good.

Since the band forgot to bring their instruments over from Tortola, just can't make this stuff up, we are heading back to the boat.
Jay

Friday Beach Pic

Friday Beach Pic, originally uploaded by captainjay.

It's Friday! Yea! Hope everyone had a great week. We went over to St. John last night for dinner with forum friends and had a great time. It always feels like a mini vacay when we hop over there. Tonight having dinner at Hook Line with a different group of forum friends that are chartering a boat with CYOA. What would we do without our forum family lol

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Pic above is Smith Bay (Lindquist) taken last weekend :-)

Finally a boat day

Finally a boat day, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Jay finally got a couple days off so he was able to repair the boat. He'll have to tell you what exactly, shift cable something linkage something blah blah blah. It finally was running so we went out for an evening run and saw a wonderful sunset. So glad to have the boat running again. More boat pics soon come :-)

Work Post

So sorry the blog has been a little dry lately. We just can't post about I got up and took a shower, ate cereal and went to work every day.  So we have had a bit of writers block. Between the start of the season at CYOA and moving into the new place there really hasn't been much time for our normal fun so fresh boating videos of Dolphins, and beach pictures with live music just haven't been flowing like times past.
With that I thought I would talk about that infamous four letter word WORK.  Over the last few weeks I have been commisioning a new Yacht at work. Azzurra a brand new 36 Foot Fountaine-Pajot Mahe Catamaran.  The boat was delivered from France across the Atlantic Ocean on it's own bottom by a delivery crew.

Four thousand three hundred and eighty four miles on the log meter. So after all of this ocean time it was time for us to put in the "American Toys". Europeans use a different electrical system. So the boats from France come with a basic shore power systems. This boat now has a 6.5 KW generator,

as well as two air conditioners,

and a 2.5 kw inverter. We also installed a freezer to compliment the fridge installed at the factory as well as power converters to run the fridge and freezer on 110 Volt american current.

Besides the panels above we ran the wires to make them all work. we also doubled the battery capacity of the boat. The ground tackle, anchors were upgraded and we added a sun screen for the cockpit, as well as a soft bimini for the raised helm seat. There are tons of other little things but you get the idea. It's been a long couple of weeks but the boat has turned out really nice.

Greg and  Tiziana congrats on your new boat.

Jay

Beach day

Beach day, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Finally had a beach day. Not sure when the last time I was at a St. Thomas beach, but it's been a long time. Some friends vacationing on St. John came over for the day and we hit the beach, had a few cocktails at the new abode, and then dinner at Hook Line & Sinker. The north swell was up so the beach was a little rough. I guess we should have gone to a south shore beach to see if it was calmer but it was so pretty at Smith Bay we decided to stick it out. The sun kept coming in and out and it actually got a little chilly when it wasn't shining directly on us. It definitely felt like the Christmas winds had arrived. But we had a great day, sad that Jay had to work, but glad I finally got to kick back and enjoy the beauty of the island, for at least a little while :-)

Friday Beach Pic

Friday Beach Pic, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Well, I forgot today was Friday. This pic isn't actually a beach but I thought it was pretty cool. We drove out to the end of Peterborg to check out the wave action. I love watching the water out there and the view is pretty awesome too.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Jay and I spent the morning unpacking and organizing and getting settled in the new place. Then we went to some friends house for dinner and had a great time. The food was unbelievable but the comradery is what I needed. I had been feeling a little down after reading everyones posts on Facebook over the last few days about being with family and cooking and catching up on things and traditions. But I felt so much better once I got to my friends house and saw how much effort they put in to making the day feel special. And after I made some calls to my family, all was better and I was back to my usual happy self and appreciative of where I was living and the experiences I am gaining. I truly am Thankful :-)

First guests are coming

First guests are coming, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Just got confirmation that we'll have our first guests in the new place middle of December. Guess that means we have to get the guest bedroom cleared out lol. It's a disaster area at the moment. But the condo has tons of storage space so we just need to get it all put away or thrown away :-)

Can't wait to see Rob and T! Yea!!

The Weather Station at Mahogany Run

We are in the new Condo at Mahogany Run and we have a live weather station on Weather Underground. It shows real time data on current conditions for the area. Here is a link to it. By the way the weather has been blustery the last few days with winds in the twenty mile per hour range, and gusts to thirty.

We are now in the new place just have to un pack and organize, I mean throw away some stuff. It is amazing how much junk you can accumulate in such a short period of time.

Jay



Moving Day

Moving Day, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Sunday was official moving day. A few friends came over with vehicles and we got most of the stuff in one run. Jay and I went back for one more run with a borrowed truck. Good thing the new tenant bought all the furniture so the only big things we had to move was the grill, the patio furniture and the bar. :-)

Now the fun part of putting it all away at the new place. We shoved it all in the guest room which looks like a bomb went off! Lol good luck trying to get to the bed right now, so no visitors yet, please :-)

Friday Beach Picture

Friday Beach Picture, originally uploaded by captainjay.

This one is live from the deck. The beach on Hans Hollik.

Early morning

Early morning, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Stayed our first night in the new place and absolutely loved it. Cooked a nice dinner and enjoyed the view. The breeze was awesome! I'm going to have to invest in a sweater lol

I got up early to check out the Leonids and I saw a few pretty good ones and several quick streaks. It was pretty cool. And pretty cold. I was wrapped up in a blanket with a hot cup of coffee. I guess I also need to invest in some winter pjs :-). I had to use my iPhone app to find the constellation Leo (which was right overhead) but most of the meteors were closer to the big dipper and the northern horizon. At least the ones that I saw.

The sunrise was pretty good also and the drive to Frenchtown was only 20 min so now we know we can leave a little later.

I'm really going to love living in our new place :-)

Leonid Meteor Shower

Tomorrow morning is the peak of the Leonid Meteor Shower after moonset, before sunrise. So basically around 5:00 am or so Thursday morning. We're going to pack a bag and stay the night at the new place so in the morning we can go out and hopefully catch a glimpse. Thats about the time we would be getting up anyway. The owner said that you can get a good view of the shower from the deck as long as the sky is clear, so lets hope it clears up from what it was like this morning. Here's more about the Leonid Meteor Shower.  Pic taken from stardate.org.

New View

Stopped by the new place to hang out with the owner and pick up our key. The view us just so beautiful. I couldn't stop taking pics. The sky was overcast so the pics aren't the greatest but trust me, it was awesome.

The new place has a web cam and weather station so you'll be able to see the view and get the weather stats whenever you want :-)

Web cam: http://mahoganyrun.viewnetcam.com/CgiStart?page=Single&Language=0
Weather station: http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KVISTTHO6

Packing again

Packing again, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Next weekend we are moving to a new place so I started the packing madness this weekend. We're moving to a beautiful two bedroom, two bath, a/c, with an unbelievable view! I can not wait! Packing is no fun, but it's so worth it for the opportunity we've been given. We're moving into a fully furnished condo at Mahogany Run which the owner plans to sell at the end of our twelve month lease. So stay tuned for some awesome pics over the next year. And who knows, maybe after seeing all the pics, one of you guys will decide you just have to have it :-).

Next weekend we're going to have a little moving party. Some of our wonderful friends are going to come over to our current place for a little brunch, Then load up the vehicles and head to our new place where the bar will be the first item unpacked lol Should be a fun day, thanks to our great friends.

Luckily since the new place is furnished, the guy moving into our current place is going to buy all our furniture! So the grill, the patio set and the bar are the only big items we'll have to move. Sounds like a good deal to me :-)

No Posts

Not sure what's going on with Blogger, but I've done a couple posts from my phone with some pics but they're not coming thru. Sorry about that. Hopefully they'll fix the problem and the posts will appear. If not, I guess I'll have to do them manually.

Have a great weekend! :-)

Not so fast on the smoking ban

In typical government efficiency they have screwed this up to. Apparently the Department of Health who has been tasked with this legislation failed to hold enough committee meetings to make this new law a reality. They didn't send any information out to the business owners they didn't write any of the rules for implementation so we get a ninety day delay in enforcement. This will give them plenty of time to hold lunches, I mean meetings and waste more time and money. Which is exactly what governments do. I do hope that the bar and restaurant owners choose to go ahead and put this in place now before the start of tourist season. Read all about it here.

Jay

VI Smoking Ban

VI Smoking Ban, originally uploaded by captainjay.

So we are going to see a lot more of these around. The new VI Smoking Ban law goes into effect tomorrow. It is hard to imagine a place like Betsy's without a fog of cigarette smoke inside.

South Pacific

South Pacific, originally uploaded by captainjay.

The theater at UVI is presenting South Pacific starring Greg Alan Williams this weekend, Fri and Sat. If you're on island come out see this awesome musical, it's one of my favorites :-)

Friday Beach Picture I mean Boat Picture

Well the boat is back from Puerto Rico, we haven't had a chance to use it yet but at least it is home. Plan on doing a little cleaning and maintenance on Saturday and then it will be time for some "Time on the Water"

We have been busy between work and some friends being on St John for a visit we just haven't had much free time. Work is getting caught up and should level off soon. Who knows I might even get to use the new fishng poles that I bought before Hurricane season that haven't even been on the boat yet.

Jay



Happy Liberty Day

Happy Liberty Day, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Today is a government holiday in the Virgin Islands. I'm using the day to relax from our fun weekend. We had a great time with our friends on St. John and a blast at the Halloween party at the Beach Bar. Today is overcast and a little breezy, probably out skirts from TS Tomas that is south of us. I think it's time for a nap since the power has been off for awhile so I can't do laundry or any of the other things I need to do around the house :-)

Taken from infoplease.com, here is the meaning of Liberty Day:

Held as a public holiday in the U.S. Virgin Islandsannually on 1 November, Liberty Day commemorates David Hamilton Jackson and the institution of Free Press in the Danish West Indies, now the U.S. Virgin Islands.
As a territory of Denmark, the Danish West Indies were under severe censorship on all publications. David Hamilton Jackson, who was born in St. Croix in 1884, petitioned the King of Denmark for freedom of press. Jackson was successful in his efforts to remove strict censorship in the Danish West Indies that had been in place in 1779. He started the first free newspaper, the Herald, and helped organize the first labor union in the Danish West Indies during the early 20th century.
“Liberty Day” is celebrated on 1 November—the day Jackson printed the first addition of the Herald in 1915—in appreciation of his efforts on behalf of the people.

De Beach

De Beach, originally uploaded by captainjay.

So we are in St John today for the Halloween parties and to see some friends. So we spent the day at the beach. We could tell you which beach but then we would have to kill you, it's a secret.
Jay

Friday Beach Picture

Maho Bay on St John, we haven't been over in a while but we are working on it. One of our favorite beaches. Been busy at work, the boat is coming back the first part of the week. so hopefully we will get some Time On The Water soon.

Jay

Boatin'

Boatin', originally uploaded by captainjay.

Got to go boatin' today. It was sooo good being out on the water, it's been a long time. So it was way over do. Our boat is still in Puerto Rico so friends of ours took pity on us and took us out for the day. :-)

A day at home

A day at home, originally uploaded by captainjay.

Spent the day hanging out at the house today. We definitely needed some down time with all the running around we've been doing. :-)

But it wasn't a day to just sit around. I spent most of it cleaning windows and screens. And we have a lot of windows so it took like four hours! After doing zumba five days straight you'd think I'd have the stamina built up for a little house work. But man it wiped me out! So I had to reward myself with a little refreshment :-). BBC always makes you feel better.

Friday Pic

Friday Pic, originally uploaded by captainjay.

TGIF! Survived five days in a row of Zumba with four evenings at the gym! Not really sure how I'm not in traction lol but I'm feeling really good and hope to keep the momentum going.

Tonight we're heading to the Pistarckle theater to see our friends in the production of Rocky Horror show! I can't wait! I've really been looking forward to this. I really meant to watch the movie to gear up for the show but never did so I guess I'll just have to wing it lol. But it should be lots of fun. In honor of the show, my holloween costume this year is Magenta. I ordered it from buycostumes.com and it was here in one day! could not believe it. But it's a little big so I'll have to do some alterations. I'm not used to things being too big! Lol

So anyways, we still haven't been to the beach yet since we've been back so no beach pic. I guess I need to go borrow some friends pictures or get my butt to the beach! I think I like that idea better! :-). So I'm sharing a sunrise pic from earlier this week. It got lots of compliments on facebook so hope you enjoy it also.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Clear Views

We've had some really clear horizons lately. We've been able to see St. Croix to the south which is 40 miles away. We've also been able to see Culebra and Vieques (Spanish Virgins) to the west which are around 20 miles away. Yesterday Culebra was so clear that you could see the houses scattered over the island and see the outline of Puerto Rico behind it, which is 40 miles away.

I know this time of year we really don't want clear horizons. Hazy conditions helps to keep storms away but I'm really enjoying the beautiful views :-)