bvi captains log blog

It is just us and the baby black tip sharks here left in South Sound now...Everyone left today. Well, there is also our bait balls that were going into interesting shapes today.

Between the baby sharks, barracuda, tarpon and pelicans the poor things did not quite know which way to go!

We had a lot of butterflies again today, including lots of Monarch butterflies, which I never seem to see much out on the water. Many more pelicans sitting in the trees. 2 straight days of work, putting the boat back into pre hurricane shape (what came down the masts must go up the masts...)

and not only do we have a boat that looks pre hurricane, IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE A CHARTER BOAT ON THE OUTSIDE... The one thing that the hurricane probably helped us do by coming up here is to get a lot of cleaning and things done. It is perfect sitting in here as it is so calm, no wind at all and no distractions (beside the fish) that we can really power through the tasks. Anyone who knows Bazza knows that we spend long days working!

I had forgotten how much I actually enjoy cleaning the outside of the boat when you have lots of time and no distractions. Have not done it for many years, but believe me, it is much more interesting then cleaning the inside of the boat! I have spent the last couple days cleaning every inch of this deck I think. At least I have used up all my poor little hands and have many sunburns as well!

We would like to get a coat of varnish or two on before charter starts, but I am not sure if it will happen. (Just like Richard and Lisa said they had wanted to get a coat on before they left, it seems to be one of the things we put off)
Some of you probably don't know, but long before I met Bazza and he came to the Caribbean from Australia to be an Engineer on a large catamaran, he said in his interviews that there were two things he did not do. Paint (he hates it but it very good at it, I have never known anyone who can spray a boat so well!) and varnish. He hates varnishing (also something he is very good at). So what did the silly man do??? He met a girl who had a boat with TONS of varnish and paint on it!!! No gelcoat here!!!!
I think every time he varnishes one more piece on the exterior of the boat gets turned over to paint, as I think he has decided that painting is better then varnishing... We need to varnish so often here on the exterior, 3 times a year at least optimally. The inside is much better, it has so many coats on it from the last thirty years that it only needs it every few years.
I think tonight I will try and get to answering some of the emails I have received this week, mostly from friends wishing us well over the path of Omar! Nice to know that so many of our friends read our blog even though we don't hear from them often enough!
Our friends and guests, the Cape Cod Pirates, keep in good touch with us and we have heard many stories over the years of this old black zodiac that they have had for decades (it may be even older then Promenade) Do they replace it or not??? It finally had floating gas tanks and split seams, so off it went to the boat doctor, and as Maureen says "We want a Bazza Boat with steering wheel and electric start etc" . I would go one step up on the Bazza boat guys, and get one with hydraulic steering! I have complained to Bazza every time I have driven this dinghy of ours as it is so hard to steer. He says it is not, it is me. Who are you going to believe?

So to close off this entry i have put up a Cape Cod Pirate Sunset which is much prettier then the ones we have (NOT) been having in here this week! We have a mountain in the way for the sunset!