Saturday February 15, 2014

8:00 breakfast before slipping the mooring line and headed back to the Moorings base to drop off the boat.  Neil was waiting for us at the dock with our Navigation Certificates and log book entries. We graduated.  Yeah!

It was time to unload the boat so it could be cleaned and readied for the next guests.


As we waited patiently for our hotel rooms to be ready we met Renee who had moved to the nearby Island of St Thomas from mainland USA in December with her husband,  Throughout her career she worked in hotel management and now works as a private chef for charter companies,  Her husband Scott also works for the charter companies as a private captain.  They were waiting to meet their clients for the week.  They joined us for lunch at Charlie's at a table directly beside the Paw Paw Wight.  We were entertained as the staff prepared the boat and the new guests boarded,

Customer Service Desk, the Moorings

We walked into town and went to the famous Pussers Pub.  Pussers make a rum on the island.  

Pussers Pub

Later for dinner Renee and Scott joined us.  We called it a night.

Friday February 14, 2014

Friday February 14

8:00 Exam.  

We dropped Neil off in the busy Road Island Marina and headed 187 M to Peter Island.  After a week a structure we both just wanted to relax. We picked up a mooring ball and enjoyed a couple of cold beers while we sat out on the aft deck.  

Thursday February 13, 2013

Thursday February 13

With our hand bearing compasses we were off to Ghana Island were we anchored for lunch and had a lesson on the influence of currents on your course and how to make adjustments. 

After lunch we headed to Jost Van Dyke"s Great Bay.  All the mooring balls were taken so we went to Little Harbour.  With no available balls there we went to Diamond Bay for the night.  But before supper we had a 3 hour lesson on tides, tide tables, and currents.  My interest was starting to drift after being in the sun and wind all day.  Finally it was time for happy hour, supper and then bed.

Skipper Eric at the helm

Wednesday February12, 2014

Wednesday February 12

Today's lesson continued on compass bearings.  After morning classes we were given a coordinate.  Our job was to find the coordinate by plotting a course using a hand bearing compass, no GPS, we did.  From that point we motored 30 degrees M for 30 minutes and marked our DR (Dead Reckoning) to later determine our EP (Estimated Position) once considerations are made for current direction and strength.  We then proceeded to Trellis Bay. 

We picked a mooring and went back to class focusing on lights and flags.  

Tuesday February 11, 2014

Tuesday February 11

Breakfast at 8:00 followed by a lesson on site bearings.  

As we were doing some chart exercises, Neil notified us that one of the 'so so' super yachts and a large sail boat had crossed anchors. They were tangled and drifting towards our mooring,  We quickly moved to a vacant mooring ball and went back to our map work.

Glad it wasn't us

Our assignment was to locate a shoal near Carrot Rock.  With 3 established points from our desired destination, we set sail.  After finding the spot it was realized that the shoal was no longer there.  Part of the lesson was not only to find a point with a compass but sometimes what was considered a fixed landmark on a map may not be there.  We arrived at the right spot.  

Following we picked up a mooring ball at Great Harbour and carried on with a lesson on lights and buoys.

Monday February 10, 2014

Monday February 10

Showers, breakfast, and last minute supplies before our 9:30 Captains briefing in the Chart Room.  Instructor  Neil was waiting for us on our boat

.  

After a thural orientation of the boat and a course piloted at 206 degrees taking us from the entrance of the marina to Pelican Island we slipped the dock lines.  As we approached Pelican Island we did a starboard tack, a port tack and entered The Blight at Norman Island where we took a mooring for the night at 4:05. At this time most sailors start cocktail hour, not us, Neil rolled out some navigation charts and the lesson was on.

Instructor Neil Devine

Sunday February 09, 2014

Sunday February 09

12:00 came early as we checked out of Inn and hung around the marina all day awaiting 5pm to board our course yacht.  

We picked up a more few supplies at the dockside store and met Neil Devine, our instructor for the week, aboard 'Paw Paw Wight', A 46 foot sailing Catamaran.

The Classroom

4 ensuite births (with 2 additional ½ bunks), 5 heads, fridge, freezer, microwave, coffee maker, blender, toaster, tv, generator able to provide AC aside from shore power.

The Spare Room
(aka the root cellar)

The Aft Deck

The Galley

I could live on this without hesitation. 

Loaded up with provisions but not allowed to cook at the dock we went to the onsite Charlie's restaurant.  It was a bit pricy for the decor and food but it was a good meal.