usvi-on-line
California Girl's Trip Report - Part 4 w/ pics
-
California Girl
California Girl's Trip Report - Part 4 w/ pics
Trip Report - Part Four, Day 3 - Monday, May 7th
Today is the day we're going out with Captain Phil on the Wayward Sailor. We've really been looking forward to this day. I did a lot of research on day sails, and Capt. Phil's itinerary seemed to be the right fit for us. He only takes a maximum of 6 guests and it's a sailboat, unlike some of the powerboats that also go out. To me, "fast & noisy" was not necessarily a requirement, and we weren't heading to The Baths or any far destinations, so the quiet ride with the wind was perfect.
Sharon didn't go with us because she had a bad seasick experience at the Great Barrier Reef and really doesn't care to go out on a boat again anytime soon. So Rick and I were up early in order to meet Capt. Phil in front of JJ's Texas Coast Café in Cruz Bay at 7:45 a.m. I suggested that Sharon drive us into Cruz Bay and pick us up again so she could have the rental car to herself all day, but she opted to stay at the villa by herself all day and lounge by the pool in the sun and walk down to the smoothie truck whenever she was in the mood. I think she had an ok day, but I KNOW we had a BETTER day!
Capt. Phil met us on time and there was only one other couple going, so it was almost like a private charter. Our itinerary for the day was to sail to Lovango Cay and snorkel there, then over to Jost van Dyke for lunch at Foxy's and a short walking tour around the area, then sail back and arrive at Cruz Bay at 4 p.m. The day was fairly cloudy and threatened to rain and there was no wind to speak of so we had to motor most of the way to Lovango Cay, but it was still just great! Capt. Phil pointed out the house he's building on Lovango Cay and told us all about it. He's been working on it for 2 yrs. and still has 1 yr. to go before it'll be done. (Interesting fact: One half acre on Lovango Cay costs $550,000 and there's no water or electricity!)
Capt. Phil's house is the one with the turquoise roof
He took us to the west end of the cay for snorkeling. The other couple with us on the boat were divers and long-time customers of Capt. Phil's and were in the water right away. Rick and I, being novice snorkelers (we had snorkeled before, but not much!) took a little longer to get in the water as Capt. Phil made sure all our new snorkel gear was adjusted properly. I hadn't washed my new mask well enough, so he washed it again with Soft Scrub to get all the manufacturing gunk off of it. I had bought some mask defogger at the dive shop and I had also made up a batch of Pia's baby shampoo & water mix, but Capt. Phil said spit was the best because of the enzymes in it. I will be a spitter from now on. It works great, it's handy, and you never run out!
Getting into the water was just amazing! The water was crystal clear and there was so much to see! Elkhorn coral, sea fans, fish, fish and more fish! I wasn't able to get a picture of them, but we saw a baby moray eel and a baby Hawksbill turtle. Capt. Phil showed us pictures of octopuses and told us how to spot their "homes" before we got in the water, but there were none to be found that day. Capt. Phil got into the water with us and sort of showed us around his favorite places. He brought up this West Indian Sea Egg Urchin to show us and then he gently replaced it where he found it. I just plain didn't want to get out of the water when it was time!
From Lovango Cay, we sailed over to Jost van Dyke. When we came into Great Harbour, there was a huge sailing schooner moored there. It looked like the Black Pearl and us girls were trying to spot Captain Jack Sparrow... alas, it was not the Pearl and there was no Cap'n Jack
But it was surely a beautiful ship and had come a long way from home... it was flying a Cook Islands flag!
Once Capt. Phil moored the Wayward Sailor, we took the dinghy in and did the customs thing. From there we walked down to Foxy's for lunch. I had a very good Chicken Roti and Rick had a chicken salad. (sorry no food porn this time). And Foxy was "in da house"!
After lunch, we shopped for t-shirts and souvies, and then Capt. Phil guided us on a walk around back of Foxy's and we saw Foxy's water desalination plant, brewery (it was so odd to see those big, shiny copper kettles in that setting!) and a boat that is being built out of Mahogany. The boat is a classic Tortolan sailing sloop. Anyone who lives on the island who is qualified may work on the boat, and when it's done, anyone who lives on the island who is qualified may sail it. Pretty cool!
Our walk took us on the road that loops around back of Foxy's and we saw the house where Foxy was born and still lives. We also saw lots of cool trees and plants: Papaya trees, Breadfruit trees, Tamarind, Calabash, Kapok, Mango, Banana trees and sugar cane. Unfortunately the grocery was closed so we didn't get to get one of those yummy coconut cookies someone here on the forum mentioned.
After the walk, we headed back to St. John. By now the sun was out and it was HOT! Still not a lot of wind, but a nice ride all the same. Tarn, Capt. Phil's mate, served us home made brownies and fresh pineapple on the way back. We got back to Cruz Bay about 4:15 and went through customs and then headed back to the villa.
We all got cleaned up and decided to cruise for a good place to eat in Coral Bay. Aqua Bistro was packed - no place to park! We somehow missed Island Blues in the dark, but when we got to Shipwreck Landing, there was a parking spot right out front and we grabbed it! I had a lot of fun petting "Buster" the resident kitty, who liked to hang out at our table for the attention. Sharon ordered a chicken Caesar salad, Rick had fried shrimp, and I got the Mahi in citrus butter sauce - man oh man... was THAT ever great! (Buster liked it too!) I was the only one who ordered dessert, Key Lime Pie, but it wasn't the best I've ever had. Still, though, I think it was a very good dinner and the ambience was really nice. For us, Shipwreck Landing gets 2 thumbs up!
We hit Love City Mini Mart on the way home for a few groceries and went back to the villa for some TV and early to bed. I see in my journal that I wrote "SO MANY MOSQUITO BITES!!" at the bottom of the page. They're all gone now and didn't even itch once we got home, however it was pretty icky at the time.
Today is the day we're going out with Captain Phil on the Wayward Sailor. We've really been looking forward to this day. I did a lot of research on day sails, and Capt. Phil's itinerary seemed to be the right fit for us. He only takes a maximum of 6 guests and it's a sailboat, unlike some of the powerboats that also go out. To me, "fast & noisy" was not necessarily a requirement, and we weren't heading to The Baths or any far destinations, so the quiet ride with the wind was perfect.
Sharon didn't go with us because she had a bad seasick experience at the Great Barrier Reef and really doesn't care to go out on a boat again anytime soon. So Rick and I were up early in order to meet Capt. Phil in front of JJ's Texas Coast Café in Cruz Bay at 7:45 a.m. I suggested that Sharon drive us into Cruz Bay and pick us up again so she could have the rental car to herself all day, but she opted to stay at the villa by herself all day and lounge by the pool in the sun and walk down to the smoothie truck whenever she was in the mood. I think she had an ok day, but I KNOW we had a BETTER day!
Capt. Phil met us on time and there was only one other couple going, so it was almost like a private charter. Our itinerary for the day was to sail to Lovango Cay and snorkel there, then over to Jost van Dyke for lunch at Foxy's and a short walking tour around the area, then sail back and arrive at Cruz Bay at 4 p.m. The day was fairly cloudy and threatened to rain and there was no wind to speak of so we had to motor most of the way to Lovango Cay, but it was still just great! Capt. Phil pointed out the house he's building on Lovango Cay and told us all about it. He's been working on it for 2 yrs. and still has 1 yr. to go before it'll be done. (Interesting fact: One half acre on Lovango Cay costs $550,000 and there's no water or electricity!)
Capt. Phil's house is the one with the turquoise roof
He took us to the west end of the cay for snorkeling. The other couple with us on the boat were divers and long-time customers of Capt. Phil's and were in the water right away. Rick and I, being novice snorkelers (we had snorkeled before, but not much!) took a little longer to get in the water as Capt. Phil made sure all our new snorkel gear was adjusted properly. I hadn't washed my new mask well enough, so he washed it again with Soft Scrub to get all the manufacturing gunk off of it. I had bought some mask defogger at the dive shop and I had also made up a batch of Pia's baby shampoo & water mix, but Capt. Phil said spit was the best because of the enzymes in it. I will be a spitter from now on. It works great, it's handy, and you never run out!
Getting into the water was just amazing! The water was crystal clear and there was so much to see! Elkhorn coral, sea fans, fish, fish and more fish! I wasn't able to get a picture of them, but we saw a baby moray eel and a baby Hawksbill turtle. Capt. Phil showed us pictures of octopuses and told us how to spot their "homes" before we got in the water, but there were none to be found that day. Capt. Phil got into the water with us and sort of showed us around his favorite places. He brought up this West Indian Sea Egg Urchin to show us and then he gently replaced it where he found it. I just plain didn't want to get out of the water when it was time!
From Lovango Cay, we sailed over to Jost van Dyke. When we came into Great Harbour, there was a huge sailing schooner moored there. It looked like the Black Pearl and us girls were trying to spot Captain Jack Sparrow... alas, it was not the Pearl and there was no Cap'n Jack
But it was surely a beautiful ship and had come a long way from home... it was flying a Cook Islands flag!Once Capt. Phil moored the Wayward Sailor, we took the dinghy in and did the customs thing. From there we walked down to Foxy's for lunch. I had a very good Chicken Roti and Rick had a chicken salad. (sorry no food porn this time). And Foxy was "in da house"!
After lunch, we shopped for t-shirts and souvies, and then Capt. Phil guided us on a walk around back of Foxy's and we saw Foxy's water desalination plant, brewery (it was so odd to see those big, shiny copper kettles in that setting!) and a boat that is being built out of Mahogany. The boat is a classic Tortolan sailing sloop. Anyone who lives on the island who is qualified may work on the boat, and when it's done, anyone who lives on the island who is qualified may sail it. Pretty cool!
Our walk took us on the road that loops around back of Foxy's and we saw the house where Foxy was born and still lives. We also saw lots of cool trees and plants: Papaya trees, Breadfruit trees, Tamarind, Calabash, Kapok, Mango, Banana trees and sugar cane. Unfortunately the grocery was closed so we didn't get to get one of those yummy coconut cookies someone here on the forum mentioned.
After the walk, we headed back to St. John. By now the sun was out and it was HOT! Still not a lot of wind, but a nice ride all the same. Tarn, Capt. Phil's mate, served us home made brownies and fresh pineapple on the way back. We got back to Cruz Bay about 4:15 and went through customs and then headed back to the villa.
We all got cleaned up and decided to cruise for a good place to eat in Coral Bay. Aqua Bistro was packed - no place to park! We somehow missed Island Blues in the dark, but when we got to Shipwreck Landing, there was a parking spot right out front and we grabbed it! I had a lot of fun petting "Buster" the resident kitty, who liked to hang out at our table for the attention. Sharon ordered a chicken Caesar salad, Rick had fried shrimp, and I got the Mahi in citrus butter sauce - man oh man... was THAT ever great! (Buster liked it too!) I was the only one who ordered dessert, Key Lime Pie, but it wasn't the best I've ever had. Still, though, I think it was a very good dinner and the ambience was really nice. For us, Shipwreck Landing gets 2 thumbs up!
We hit Love City Mini Mart on the way home for a few groceries and went back to the villa for some TV and early to bed. I see in my journal that I wrote "SO MANY MOSQUITO BITES!!" at the bottom of the page. They're all gone now and didn't even itch once we got home, however it was pretty icky at the time.
Last edited by California Girl on Tue May 22, 2007 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Great report, Margo. Glad to hear you had a good time with Capt. Phil. Man his house has come a LONG way since we were there 2 years ago. He was telling us about the land on our trip, but nothing was there yet. What a difference a few years makes, even on island time things get done.
Glad to see that Tarn is still with him too.
Good times ... keep them coming.
Glad to see that Tarn is still with him too.
Good times ... keep them coming.
-
obsessedmuch
-
California Girl
Best $1 I have ever spent on a vacation! Hands down. Now watch someone will go in search of the cookie and HATE it! It is just sugar and coconut. YummmmmmmmCalifornia Girl wrote:I made a point to ask Capt. Phil about the cookies the minute we got on dry land. I was seriously disappointed after your great cookie review!flip-flop wrote:That's me about the cookies on Jost. Ohhhhh you missed out.
-
California Girl
-
sailorgirl
- Posts: 1644
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:03 pm
Cail Girl,
The Tall Ship is the Picton Castle, it's a sail training vessel. Folks can sign on for various legs of a longer voyage. The owner/captian is Dan Moreland. here's a link to her islands adventure.
http://www.picton-cstle.com/voyage/crew ... an/venture in the Islands.
They had a tragedy this winter a young trainee went over baord in a gale and was lost.
Too bad you didn't have a chance yo board her. I did in NY during Op Sail 2000. Met Moreland, he knows some people I know, and is a real character. He introduced himself as " Captain Dan Morealnd Masetr of the Pictin castle". Wore a hat and everything.
.
The Tall Ship is the Picton Castle, it's a sail training vessel. Folks can sign on for various legs of a longer voyage. The owner/captian is Dan Moreland. here's a link to her islands adventure.
http://www.picton-cstle.com/voyage/crew ... an/venture in the Islands.
They had a tragedy this winter a young trainee went over baord in a gale and was lost.
Too bad you didn't have a chance yo board her. I did in NY during Op Sail 2000. Met Moreland, he knows some people I know, and is a real character. He introduced himself as " Captain Dan Morealnd Masetr of the Pictin castle". Wore a hat and everything.
.-
StJohnRuth
- Posts: 1989
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:42 pm
- Location: St. John, VI
Uh-oh, Rick and Margo. Were those supposed to be a PRESENT for someone?!!California Girl wrote:I just finished off (with Rick's help) a box of "Miss Hatties Chocolate Dipped Coconut Patties" from St. John Spice. Oh so bad, yet oh so gooood!
I LOVED your photo of Captain Phil. I have known Phil for so many years and I have so much respect for him and what he offers. There are a lot of new folks out there offering day trips on a boat. Some definitely cater to a younger "party" crowd. I am so glad you had this day with Captain Phil. Great choice. Captain Phil, Captain Bob Ready on Spree, Captain Doug on Gypsy Spirit and Captain Neil Neuhardt (now on the "Flying Circus") are the pros out of Cruz Bay.
And by the way, half a million dollars may be the going rate for a half-acre on Lavango now, but Captain Phil has owned his property for years and he certainly didn't pay that back then. Believe me, he's no gazzillionnaire! I see him working very hard every single day to get this house built.
Great day, great report.
-Ruth
Last edited by StJohnRuth on Tue May 22, 2007 9:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
California Girl
Wow, it's so cool that you know about that ship! Thanks for the link. She sure was a beauty up close!sailorgirl wrote:Cail Girl,
The Tall Ship is the Picton Castle, it's a sail training vessel. Folks can sign on for various legs of a longer voyage. .... Met Moreland, he knows some people I know, and is a real character. He introduced himself as " Captain Dan Morealnd Masetr of the Pictin castle". Wore a hat and everything.
-
California Girl
Yes! A present for ME!!StJohnRuth wrote: Uh-oh, Rick and Margo. Were those supposed to be a PRESENT for someone?!! ....
And by the way, half a million dollars may be the going rate for a half-acre on Lavango now, but Captain Phil has owned his property for years and he certainly didn't pay that back then. Believe me, he's no gazzillionnaire! I see him working very hard every single day to get this house built.
Great day, great report.
-Ruth
I got the impression that Capt. Phil had owned the land for years and didn't pay that much for it, but I was seriously taken aback at what it's going for now. Especially with no water or electric!
It was a great day! Thanks!