Skype - Internet phone - FREE VOIP

Click on image when you are ready to download SKYPE!

We have been using Skype for just over a month now. We would have used it earlier but they were having problems accepting credit cards. Well, I tried once again to buy "SkypeOut minutes" and it worked! We can make calls for about $0.02 per minute.

We are using WiFi out here in the Simpson Bay Lagoon, St.Maarten and Skype usually works pretty well. Sometimes we get disconnected but not as often as the satellite phone... I'll spare you and won't start ranting about GlobalStar's "service" for now though...

We also use the free Skype-to-Skype service when the other party is also a Skype user. Works very well and we recommend it. PLUS, toll-free numbers (800 numbers in USA) are free and accessible for many countries!

Great for travellers. If you are chartering and your yacht has internet access, just log into your Skype account and talk to your friends and family for CHEAP! Those credit card calls made from your roaming cellphone with BVI Boatphone can be really expensive. You may want to pack your headphones with your swimsuit.

The Coming of the Second iPod

We are now a two iPod boat with a 4GB mini and a 6GB mini. I was going to wait a bit before buying a second iPod but Apple has discontinued them with the release of their new Nano iPods. The mini iPod (I like the pink!) does everything that we need and at a good price so we wanted to get them while they were still in stock.


The next thing we have to purchase is a waterproof housing to keep it dry. Don't know about taking it in the water with us while snorkeling but it would be a good thing to have when things get a bit wet in the cockpit. It's going to be a good companion while on watch. The listening time on one charge is something like 16 hours! We have a couple of language courses (French and Spanish) on them, audiobooks, podcasts, along with music!

Check it out!

First day of Autumn

Well, today, September 22, 2005 is the first day of Autumn. The length of our day today in St.Maarten is 12 hours and 7 minutes with sunrise at 6:01am and sunset at 6:08pm.

As we are at 18 degrees north, the days won't get too much shorter... Not like when I worked in Paris and in the depths of winter (brrrrr) it would be dark when I arrived at work and dark when going home (although the long summer nights were nice!)

Bullwinkle seems to have noticed the change in day length as he has been shedding somewhat.

Daylight savings time should be ending soonish, I'll have to check that out. We don't have it in the Caribbean. We are always 4 hours behind GMT.

We missed it! Argh me hearties!!!

Monday, September 19th was International Talk Like a Pirate Day and we missed it!!! Aaaargh!
So, make sure you put it on your calendar NOW for next year!

Walker Bay Dinghy

We bought an 8-foot Walker Bay Dinghy (rowing version) last month. We really wanted to buy one last October/November but Budget Marine here in St.Maarten was sold out of them and, like everything else we needed, would arrive in 6-8 weeks.

But, we lucked out! We were walking into Budget Marine to buy a few nuts and bolts and there was a dinghy in the parking lot displayed suspiciously like it was going to be a great deal. I ran in and inquired about it while Lilly was in the process of typing up the "For Sale" sign. 25% off because of a few dings (well it is a ding-ee, isn't it?).

I may be cheap but know it good deal when I see one. Bob concurred. We bought it and Bob rowed it home. We made a little video to show the boat to my brother, but you can look at it if you wish: Watch Sheila Row the Walker Bay Dinghy Video (2.8MB QuickTime video).


I was very surprised when I noticed that the Walker Bay Dinghy is from Union Gap, Washington just outside of my hometown of Yakima... Do any of you remember the group Gary Puckett and the Union Gap??? My brother is a little farther down the highway and he sent us an article about the good folks at Walker Bay sending 200 of their 8-foot boats to navigate the flood waters of New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. Good show!

Check them out at: http://www.walkerbay.com/

We'd like to make a sailing rig for this little boat but that will have to wait a bit as our Job Jar is already overflowing.

Busy with Charter Yacht Newsletter

Well, this week we didn't do much work on the boat and, So It Goes...

We have busy working on our newsletter for Paradise Connections Yacht Charters which we have decided to assemble using Blogger. You can view our newsletter here: http://paradiseconnections.blogspot.com

It has a list of good charter yachts that are still available for the holidays (what about a barge on Loch Ness to ring in the new year?), some news on various charter yachts, dates of Cannes festivals, special offers, and a bit about Mr.B.

Hope you enjoy it!

FOR SALE: French Canal Barge Berendina

One of our friends from St.Thomas is selling their barge that they have been chartering along the Canal du Midi in the south of France. We lived on the French canals for many years on previous boats (Loose Moose) and we really enjoyed it. In fact, Bullwinkle (see first post, below), is French.

This is a great opportunity... Check out their website at: www.ahfrance.com

Hello

Greetings from So It Goes! which is a classic, fantastic, CAL34 sloop. This is our first attempt at using Blogger so please bear with us...

This is a photo of our cat, Bullwinkle (or Mr.B to his friends) trying out his new handmade quilt that was made by his Auntie Laura way up in Washington State. It has parrots on one side and a quilted compass rose design on the other.

He loves his new quilt as it has a smidgen of catnip sprinkled into the batting by Uncle Ed. His feline cousins helped out testing the quilt before shipment to the Caribbean, so they have added their messages as well.

It is another beautiful day in St.Maarten.

More soon come...