usvi-on-line
Day 7: Daysail, Hawksnest, Compass Rose & Putt-Putt
Day 7: Daysail, Hawksnest, Compass Rose & Putt-Putt
Day 7: A Morning Sail with Bread on the Water, Hawksnest & Dinner followed by Putt-Putt at Pastory Gardens
Good morning, Sunshine. Good morning, St. John! I can't believe it is Tuesday. We've been on vacation almost a week and I feel like I never want to go home!
The boy agrees (my apologies for the drool)
After yesterday's rain, I was worried our morning sail would be a wash-out. I had talked to Joan the morning prior and we had planned to meet at 8:45 am. I set up the sail with Captain Gary on the Bread on the Water. Though we had done two all day boat trips (one power and one sail) on previous trips, we settled on a 1/2 day this time for several reasons. 1) I felt too guilty to leave the kids all day with Gram and Jo, 2) Jim has some seasickness issues, and 3) I wasn't sure we'd have passports on time for entry into the BVI.
In 2005, we did a full day sail with a different captain, who is very well liked by many, but just did not suit our style. We were disappointed so I felt a lot of pressure to make sure we made a better pick this time.
Gary and Joan and the beautiful, pristine 46 ft Bread on the Water did not disappoint. The other, not to be named Captain, was a bit extreme about his boat. I understand the care and work that it takes to maintain a boat. I am extremely, almost pathologically respectful of others property, especially those providing me with a service. I personally didn't like the "let's go over my 100 rules right at the top of the trip" feeling that we all got from that experience. I also felt the other captain pressured us to buy out the entire boat, when we only had 4 people, basically wanting us to pay for 6 or else he was going to line up another couple. We really didn't care either way, so we didn't and he did find 2 more to add to the trip. 6 people on his boat plus crew was TIGHT. I would not feel my customers were getting a comfortable experience with 8 people total (6 guests and 2 crew) on a boat that small. Let it go, Flip-Flop. I know. I know. We all know what opinions are like and that's mine.
Enough with the back story, and on to our day with Bread on the Water. We were up and headed to the Cruz Bay homeowners dock at 8:45. Lucky for us this dock is just down the hill, 4 speed bumps from our house. Free parking and convenient.
We parked and grabbed our snorkel gear and headed down the steps to the little floating dinghy dock.
A shot of the boat (stolen from the website)
Gary picked us up in his dinghy, Crumb on the Water, and I realized that this is going to be a whole different experience. Gary had a sense of humor, that must be what was lacking on the other sail!
A great day! He said that he and Joan wouldn't be happy until we are happy and he really meant it.
We got a good look at the Westin on our way out on the dinghy and I again am just not all that impressed, especially for the money!
As a kid, I had the great fortune to practically grow up at the marina/Hatteras dealership where my mom worked. I spent summers there, got off of the bus everyday there from the time I was 5 until I was 10. I have a deep and profound respect for the water and boating. My childhood also instilled in me a taste for the good life, maybe not such a good thing. Nevertheless, it gave me a lifelong love of the water and boaters in particular. When we asked Gary about the maintenance on such a boat he smiled and said that every single day they do something to maintain the boat. And it really showed.
We had our group of 4, myself, Mr. Flip-Flop, Barbo & Jim, and there was plenty of room to spread out. Very soon we were on our way. The weather was beautiful and we had a nice wind.
Happy girls ready to sail
The boys look happy too
We were all in a go with the flow mood, just wanting a laid back sail, a bit of snorkeling and some relaxation. Gary suggested sailing out to Christmas Cove and we were all good with that suggestion. The 1/2 day sail is technically from 9-12 ish. About 3.5 hours or so. Ours was more like 8:45 to 1pm. Thanks Gary. I know he doesn't do this for everyone but we were having such a good time and the afternoon was not booked so we took our time and really had a great time.
The best part of the trip was Roxy, the doggie. She was so cool. I loved her little life jacket with a handle so that we could pass her around if need be!
My husband has an interest in (some might say an obsession with) boats, and Gary was wonderful to him. Very engaged, answering all of his questions, giving him practical tips and ideas, and even letting him take the wheel for a while. I love power boating, and honestly am probably more that kind of girl. But sailing is such a wonderful laid back experience. Gary is a master sailor, having raced sailboats for much of his life with his family, and I could really appreciate the finesse it takes to sail. Keeping the boat on an even keel is far more about incremental intuition than muscle. Though muscle is required!
Joan had a smile on her face the entire time and they had a sweet banter between them. You could tell these two were in it for the long haul and were living their passion!
Some shots around Christmas Cove
Soon we were off the boat and into the dinghy with Gary to head to our snorkel. Because one of us wasn't a confident swimmer, Gary took us as close as we could get in the dinghy and dropped us off. He even had a dinghy ladder that was extremely helpful when it came time to get back in the dinghy! He also was vigilant about sticking around us in the dinghy should anyone have any trouble at all. This made our nervous swimmer much happier and allowed us all to better enjoy the snorkel.
For some reason, today the snorkeling came so much easier for me. I relaxed and began exploring Christmas cove seeing some really interesting things. The thing I always forget about snorkeling is if you just find a spot and linger, quietly and calmly, stuff will come out of the woodwork. We saw tons of beautiful fish, which I can't name. I need one of those fish decoder cards. The coolest little guy we saw was a long skinny fish that seemed to have rear propellers. I swear he stopped and backed up to get closer to us. He seemed to go everywhere we did.
Post Snorkel, Mr. Flip-Flop is very happy. 16 years later and I still think I nabbed a Hunk!
Joan had a nice snack for us when we returned.
Oh, I forgot, Gary had a fully stocked cooler with beer, sodas and water which he encouraged us to partake.
A warm freshwater shower later, we were all enjoying a beverage and a snack of fresh hummus, cheese, veggies, crackers and later, donuts! YUM! On the way back we took our time and enjoyed a lovely sail.
This is when my husband was able to get a feel for sailing this size boat. I could tell he was really enjoying himself.
Gary and Joan were fabulous hosts and I found myself saying to my husband and our friends "they are great" repeatedly.
It looks like she's being sweet here, but it is only because she just accidentally elbowed him in the head!
Very happy sailors
Bread on the Water sails out of St. John, November through June, so if you are planning a trip for that time frame be sure to check them out! They were awesome and made us feel completely at home on their boat.
After our great morning, we headed back to the house to find everyone has had a great low key morning. Knowing they were probably ready to get out a little bit, we decide to head to Hawksnest. It was a bit cloudy and spit rain on and off, but we were going to be wet anyway right! Mr. Flip-Flop, a bit tired from the mornings activities, elected to stay at the house with the baby and the rest of us headed off to enjoy the afternoon.
I like Hawksnest because it is easy and close and beautiful.
Mini Flip-Flop dug around in the sand
It was pretty quiet there, probably because of the threat of rain, so it was very enjoyable.
We decided to go for a bit of a walk.
While we were lazing the afternoon away we had the great fortune to watch a small wedding taking place at the far end of the beach. A beautiful bride! A really special moment. They had a little ring bearer boy who came down the sand "aisle" ringing a small bell. It was such a nice touch. This was the 2nd wedding I have seen on St. John, the first being kenny's ... JUST KIDDING ... the first being on our very first trip on Jumbie beach. We were asked very nicely if we would mind moving so that the ceremony could take place in the little cove we were in. We happily did. I must say I do have a tinge of jealousy of those who are lucky enough to be married in such a special place.
After a while we decide to pack it in and head back to the house. It is Jo's last night. Wow, 5 days goes fast. She joined us Friday - Wednesday and I couldn't believe it was almost time for her to go home. I had decided that it would be fun to go to Compass Rose for dinner and then do the putt-putt course at Pastory Gardens. For those who have not been here, it is a fun spot. The food is good, not great, but good. And if you have kids, they will love the putt-putt. I was a little disappointed that the upkeep on the course seemed a bit lax, but the Mini Flip-Flop didn't mind and she had a fierce battle with Jo and her daddy for the HIGH score! Actually Jo eeked out a 2 stroke win, with the mini shooting about 90 over par! I was not going to be the one to tell her high score doesn't win!
Max & Gram watch over the battle for victory
I think we were all pretty tired from a long day, so after a round of putt-putt we headed back to the house to relax and ended up playing the name game. I had never played this before but the adults ended up staying up WAY past our bedtimes because it was so addictive. The rules: (this is intended to be a drinking game and I would imagine it gets far more interesting the more you drink) You say a name and the person next to you has to say a name (of someone famous - actor, politician, historical figure, whatever but famous) that begins with the first letter of the last name of the name you said. Like I say, Jimmy Buffet, the next person says Barry White, the next person says Willy T! You keep going around, and if someone says a name w/ a double letter (like Marilyn Monroe) it reverses. Some people were really good at it and there were times I didn't think I was going to get a turn because it kept reversing between two players. It sounds totally lame, I know. But it was fun and we all got sucked in for hours. Finally we called it a night!
Tomorrow: Morning Massages, Cinnamon Bay, Bye Jo, we start Gram's birthday celebration early & Ronnie's Pizza!
Good morning, Sunshine. Good morning, St. John! I can't believe it is Tuesday. We've been on vacation almost a week and I feel like I never want to go home!
The boy agrees (my apologies for the drool)
After yesterday's rain, I was worried our morning sail would be a wash-out. I had talked to Joan the morning prior and we had planned to meet at 8:45 am. I set up the sail with Captain Gary on the Bread on the Water. Though we had done two all day boat trips (one power and one sail) on previous trips, we settled on a 1/2 day this time for several reasons. 1) I felt too guilty to leave the kids all day with Gram and Jo, 2) Jim has some seasickness issues, and 3) I wasn't sure we'd have passports on time for entry into the BVI.
In 2005, we did a full day sail with a different captain, who is very well liked by many, but just did not suit our style. We were disappointed so I felt a lot of pressure to make sure we made a better pick this time.
Gary and Joan and the beautiful, pristine 46 ft Bread on the Water did not disappoint. The other, not to be named Captain, was a bit extreme about his boat. I understand the care and work that it takes to maintain a boat. I am extremely, almost pathologically respectful of others property, especially those providing me with a service. I personally didn't like the "let's go over my 100 rules right at the top of the trip" feeling that we all got from that experience. I also felt the other captain pressured us to buy out the entire boat, when we only had 4 people, basically wanting us to pay for 6 or else he was going to line up another couple. We really didn't care either way, so we didn't and he did find 2 more to add to the trip. 6 people on his boat plus crew was TIGHT. I would not feel my customers were getting a comfortable experience with 8 people total (6 guests and 2 crew) on a boat that small. Let it go, Flip-Flop. I know. I know. We all know what opinions are like and that's mine.
Enough with the back story, and on to our day with Bread on the Water. We were up and headed to the Cruz Bay homeowners dock at 8:45. Lucky for us this dock is just down the hill, 4 speed bumps from our house. Free parking and convenient.
We parked and grabbed our snorkel gear and headed down the steps to the little floating dinghy dock.
A shot of the boat (stolen from the website)
Gary picked us up in his dinghy, Crumb on the Water, and I realized that this is going to be a whole different experience. Gary had a sense of humor, that must be what was lacking on the other sail!
A great day! He said that he and Joan wouldn't be happy until we are happy and he really meant it.
We got a good look at the Westin on our way out on the dinghy and I again am just not all that impressed, especially for the money!
As a kid, I had the great fortune to practically grow up at the marina/Hatteras dealership where my mom worked. I spent summers there, got off of the bus everyday there from the time I was 5 until I was 10. I have a deep and profound respect for the water and boating. My childhood also instilled in me a taste for the good life, maybe not such a good thing. Nevertheless, it gave me a lifelong love of the water and boaters in particular. When we asked Gary about the maintenance on such a boat he smiled and said that every single day they do something to maintain the boat. And it really showed.
We had our group of 4, myself, Mr. Flip-Flop, Barbo & Jim, and there was plenty of room to spread out. Very soon we were on our way. The weather was beautiful and we had a nice wind.
Happy girls ready to sail
The boys look happy too
We were all in a go with the flow mood, just wanting a laid back sail, a bit of snorkeling and some relaxation. Gary suggested sailing out to Christmas Cove and we were all good with that suggestion. The 1/2 day sail is technically from 9-12 ish. About 3.5 hours or so. Ours was more like 8:45 to 1pm. Thanks Gary. I know he doesn't do this for everyone but we were having such a good time and the afternoon was not booked so we took our time and really had a great time.
The best part of the trip was Roxy, the doggie. She was so cool. I loved her little life jacket with a handle so that we could pass her around if need be!
My husband has an interest in (some might say an obsession with) boats, and Gary was wonderful to him. Very engaged, answering all of his questions, giving him practical tips and ideas, and even letting him take the wheel for a while. I love power boating, and honestly am probably more that kind of girl. But sailing is such a wonderful laid back experience. Gary is a master sailor, having raced sailboats for much of his life with his family, and I could really appreciate the finesse it takes to sail. Keeping the boat on an even keel is far more about incremental intuition than muscle. Though muscle is required!
Joan had a smile on her face the entire time and they had a sweet banter between them. You could tell these two were in it for the long haul and were living their passion!
Some shots around Christmas Cove
Soon we were off the boat and into the dinghy with Gary to head to our snorkel. Because one of us wasn't a confident swimmer, Gary took us as close as we could get in the dinghy and dropped us off. He even had a dinghy ladder that was extremely helpful when it came time to get back in the dinghy! He also was vigilant about sticking around us in the dinghy should anyone have any trouble at all. This made our nervous swimmer much happier and allowed us all to better enjoy the snorkel.
For some reason, today the snorkeling came so much easier for me. I relaxed and began exploring Christmas cove seeing some really interesting things. The thing I always forget about snorkeling is if you just find a spot and linger, quietly and calmly, stuff will come out of the woodwork. We saw tons of beautiful fish, which I can't name. I need one of those fish decoder cards. The coolest little guy we saw was a long skinny fish that seemed to have rear propellers. I swear he stopped and backed up to get closer to us. He seemed to go everywhere we did.
Post Snorkel, Mr. Flip-Flop is very happy. 16 years later and I still think I nabbed a Hunk!
Joan had a nice snack for us when we returned.
Oh, I forgot, Gary had a fully stocked cooler with beer, sodas and water which he encouraged us to partake.
A warm freshwater shower later, we were all enjoying a beverage and a snack of fresh hummus, cheese, veggies, crackers and later, donuts! YUM! On the way back we took our time and enjoyed a lovely sail.
This is when my husband was able to get a feel for sailing this size boat. I could tell he was really enjoying himself.
Gary and Joan were fabulous hosts and I found myself saying to my husband and our friends "they are great" repeatedly.
It looks like she's being sweet here, but it is only because she just accidentally elbowed him in the head!
Very happy sailors
Bread on the Water sails out of St. John, November through June, so if you are planning a trip for that time frame be sure to check them out! They were awesome and made us feel completely at home on their boat.
After our great morning, we headed back to the house to find everyone has had a great low key morning. Knowing they were probably ready to get out a little bit, we decide to head to Hawksnest. It was a bit cloudy and spit rain on and off, but we were going to be wet anyway right! Mr. Flip-Flop, a bit tired from the mornings activities, elected to stay at the house with the baby and the rest of us headed off to enjoy the afternoon.
I like Hawksnest because it is easy and close and beautiful.
Mini Flip-Flop dug around in the sand
It was pretty quiet there, probably because of the threat of rain, so it was very enjoyable.
We decided to go for a bit of a walk.
While we were lazing the afternoon away we had the great fortune to watch a small wedding taking place at the far end of the beach. A beautiful bride! A really special moment. They had a little ring bearer boy who came down the sand "aisle" ringing a small bell. It was such a nice touch. This was the 2nd wedding I have seen on St. John, the first being kenny's ... JUST KIDDING ... the first being on our very first trip on Jumbie beach. We were asked very nicely if we would mind moving so that the ceremony could take place in the little cove we were in. We happily did. I must say I do have a tinge of jealousy of those who are lucky enough to be married in such a special place.
After a while we decide to pack it in and head back to the house. It is Jo's last night. Wow, 5 days goes fast. She joined us Friday - Wednesday and I couldn't believe it was almost time for her to go home. I had decided that it would be fun to go to Compass Rose for dinner and then do the putt-putt course at Pastory Gardens. For those who have not been here, it is a fun spot. The food is good, not great, but good. And if you have kids, they will love the putt-putt. I was a little disappointed that the upkeep on the course seemed a bit lax, but the Mini Flip-Flop didn't mind and she had a fierce battle with Jo and her daddy for the HIGH score! Actually Jo eeked out a 2 stroke win, with the mini shooting about 90 over par! I was not going to be the one to tell her high score doesn't win!
Max & Gram watch over the battle for victory
I think we were all pretty tired from a long day, so after a round of putt-putt we headed back to the house to relax and ended up playing the name game. I had never played this before but the adults ended up staying up WAY past our bedtimes because it was so addictive. The rules: (this is intended to be a drinking game and I would imagine it gets far more interesting the more you drink) You say a name and the person next to you has to say a name (of someone famous - actor, politician, historical figure, whatever but famous) that begins with the first letter of the last name of the name you said. Like I say, Jimmy Buffet, the next person says Barry White, the next person says Willy T! You keep going around, and if someone says a name w/ a double letter (like Marilyn Monroe) it reverses. Some people were really good at it and there were times I didn't think I was going to get a turn because it kept reversing between two players. It sounds totally lame, I know. But it was fun and we all got sucked in for hours. Finally we called it a night!
Tomorrow: Morning Massages, Cinnamon Bay, Bye Jo, we start Gram's birthday celebration early & Ronnie's Pizza!
Last edited by flip-flop on Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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California Girl
I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading your reports - They make me feel as if I was right there with you! When you described the afternoon and going to the beach while it spit rain on and off - I could practically smell the air and feel the rain. Those overcast days are part of the trip and, IMHO, an essential part of experiencing it all. I really need to get back to St. John!! Thanks for helping me relive it!
Another great day in Paradise. The Pastory putt-putt is fun for everyone - no kids required. 
I'm hoping there are at least another months worth to share.
Your kids just keep getting cuter and cuter.
It's too bad that your previous day sail was such a poor experience. I know there are many of us on this forum that have had truly, great days with the same captain, boat and crew. I can't get my hubby to even think about going sailing with anyone else.
thanks for taking the time to share; especially during this busy, busy season.
I'm hoping there are at least another months worth to share.Your kids just keep getting cuter and cuter.
It's too bad that your previous day sail was such a poor experience. I know there are many of us on this forum that have had truly, great days with the same captain, boat and crew. I can't get my hubby to even think about going sailing with anyone else.
thanks for taking the time to share; especially during this busy, busy season.
janet
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designbyroe
- Posts: 1348
- Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:27 pm
- Location: Chilaxin on White Bay at least in my mind
You know me, at least I think most of you do now 
and I tell it like it is. Good or bad.
I just don't even have enough good things to say about Bread on the Water. I found them online. Just googling daysails st. john.
I hadn't heard much about them, but decided how bad could it be. I was very plesantly surprised.
I still want to try the one VickiH recommended, Whitewing I think. I would have gone with them but they were not back for the season yet.
and I tell it like it is. Good or bad.I just don't even have enough good things to say about Bread on the Water. I found them online. Just googling daysails st. john.
I hadn't heard much about them, but decided how bad could it be. I was very plesantly surprised.
I still want to try the one VickiH recommended, Whitewing I think. I would have gone with them but they were not back for the season yet.
Two reasons near as I could gather.mrsb wrote:You all look so happy on that boat! Maybe this is a dumb question, why the name bread on the water?
1) they ran a bakery business in their prior life so they took their bread and put it on the water and
2) bread as in moola $$ on the water
The dinghy "Crumb on the water" was cracking me up all day.