Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas

and Happy Holidays

My Favorite

The St Croix Lighted Boat Parade took place last Saturday, December 8 2018.

This was my favorite but I'd like to thank ALL participants for a good show.

From the St Croix Source: See article

Photo by Anne Salafia

Happy Holidays!

Is it over?

Yesterday was officially the last day of Hurricane Season... Time to chill out a bit...

So it goes...

It still ain't over

Today is Saturday, November 24th (2018) and this morning we were surprised to see this...

Just when you think "that's it" and you don't have to worry about storms anymore, you get a reminder that the official end of Hurricane season is November 30th.

So it goes...

Bad news / Good news

The bad news is that the storm has dropped south a bit and we appear to be in its track. The good news is that its intensity has also dropped. The blob has changed from red to yellow.

We expect it to be a bit breezier than normal and expect quite a bit of rain. We don't mind if our hair gets wet while bailing rainwater out of the dinghy.

So it comes...

It ain't over...

Plus, the US election isn't over either. Many votes still need to be counted.

So it goes...

Make a difference

The Fifth of November

My mother would recite this to us every November... Today is Guy Fawkes Day


The Fifth of November

Remember, remember!

The fifth of November,

The Gunpowder treason and plot;

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot!

Guy Fawkes and his companions

Did the scheme contrive,

To blow the King and Parliament

All up alive.

Threescore barrels, laid below,

To prove old England's overthrow.

But, by God's providence, him they catch,

With a dark lantern, lighting a match!

A stick and a stake

For King James's sake!

If you won't give me one, I'll take two,

The better for me, and the worse for you.

A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,

A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,

A pint of beer to wash it down,

And a jolly good fire to burn him.

Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!

Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!

Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray! 

English Folk Verse (c.1870)

Possibly most widely known in America from its use in the movie V for Vendetta, versions of the above poem have been widespread in England for centuries. It celebrates the foiling of Catholic Guy Fawkes's attempt to blow up England's Protestant-controlled House of Parliament on November 5th, 1605. Known as Guy Fawkes Day, Gunpowder Treason Day, Fireworks Night, and Bonfire Night, the November 5th celebrations typically includes the burning of Guy Fawkes in effigy.

Hmmmmm... another example of celebrating racism/ bigotry/ intolerance, but it is good to know the history of such things and learn from it, n'est pas?

Here's an interesting article from The Sun : CLICK HERE

They usually have bonfires in the BVI (everyone loves an excuse to party) but it is a rainy day.

So it goes...

WORLD ANIMAL DAY - OCTOBER 4TH

World Animal Day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on October 4, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Mission of World Animal Day

To raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. Building the celebration of World Animal Day unites the animal welfare movement, mobilising it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals.

It's celebrated in different ways in every country, irrespective of nationality, religion, faith or political ideology.  Through increased awareness and education we can create a world where animals are always recognised as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare.

Visit https://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/ for more information

Oh, come on!

We have just had the first anniversary of the category 5, Hurricane Maria that we sat out in Salt River, St Croix.

Now we see this from the National Hurricane Center...

Hopefully they'll be "done in" by wind shear and dry Saharan dust.

We have a named storm headed this way

We now have a named storm heading our way... ISAAC

When I saw that earlier today I immediately thought...


So It Goes

Celebrate

Another month... Bye July

What a great way to start off a new month.

Keep that Saharan dust coming 😊

WHAT? Hurricane Beryl???

Well, it is that time of the year...

OK.

This forecaster has a nice calm voice and does a good job. Check out his website for video tropical weather updates: https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/



It seems like Beryl may not be anything for us to worry about as she will probably fizzle out but nevertheless we will still prepare for a storm.

So It Goes

Happy Canada Day

We would like to wish our neighbors to the North and also our Canadian friends around the world a happy Canada Day.

Fête de la Musique ♫

What a great way to start off the summer. I wish we were in Paris today.

We attended the first Fête de la Musique in Paris back in 1982. We just walked all over the city enjoying the scene and the music. We even saw Joan Baez at Place de la Concorde.

Today is definitely a day to crank up the tunes and have a Pastis.

Although, I must confess that it is a beautiful day in the Virgin Islands...

So it goes! Enjoy...

National Beer Day

National Beer Day in the USA is April 7th but if you missed it or if you want to celebrate again, today, June 15th, is National Beer Day in the UK.

Enjoy...

Blowin' In The Wind

It's the first day of June and we all know what that means... another 6-month period of potentially windy, nasty weather.

 

Keep a watchful eye on the weather and don't wait until the last moment. It's much better to clear the decks than have the wind do it for you. Prepare for the worst. If the storm passes you by that's great! Don't think of it as wasted effort.

If a neighbor is having problems securing and preparing their boat, give them your assistance because they are a danger not only to themselves but to YOU. Also, never be smug :)

Speaking of "Blowin' In The Wind"... this classic folk song came on yesterday evening as we were having our sundowner.

[Verse 3]
Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan - Live on TV, March 1963

So It Goes...

May 23rd is World Turtle Day

This is from https://www.worldturtleday.org

American Tortoise Rescue, a nonprofit organization established in 1990 for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle, is sponsoring its 17th annual World Turtle Day® on May 23. The day was created as an annual observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.

RVG windvane self-steering gear

We have been getting many inquiries concerning our post from many years ago that had information about the RVG windvane. The files were on a website that we took down.

We know how difficult it can be to find stuff on the internet so I have uploaded the files to another website to help out our fellow cruisers...

As the good Doctor says, "Allons-y !"

---

All About Boats : September 12, 2008

I've noticed that there are quite a few postings on the web looking for information about the RVG self steering gear / windvane.

We have info in jpg files and pdfs. The jpg files are smaller but look and see which best fits your needs.

JPG images:

• RVG Brochure (page 1)
• RVG Brochure (page 2)
• RVG Brochure (page 3)
• RVG Brochure (page 4)

PDFs:

• RVG Brochure (page 1)
• RVG Brochure (page 2)
• RVG Brochure (page 3)
• RVG Brochure (page 4)

JPG images:

• RVG Parts List (page 1)
• RVG Parts List (page 2)
• RVG Parts List (page 3)
• RVG Parts List (page 4)

PDFs:

• RVG Parts List (page 1)
• RVG Parts List (page 2)
• RVG Parts List (page 3)
• RVG Parts List (page 4)

JPG image:

• RVG Antifouling Paint

PDF:

• RVG Antifouling Paint

JPG images:

• Sailing with self steering article (page 1)
• Sailing with self steering article (page 2)

PDFs:

• Sailing with self steering article (page 1)
• Sailing with self steering article (page 2)

Hope this will be helpful to someone.

Enjoy!

Hurricane Irma: 8-month anniversary

Can't believe 8 months have passed since Hurricane Irma.

Hurricane Irma hit the Virgin Islands on September 7, 2017. It pretty much had no affect on us in St Croix compared to the VIs to our north. We up anchored and ventured over to Salt River to ride out Irma which was good preparation for Hurricane Maria which struck the night of September 19-20, 2017.

Wow! sums it up pretty good.

Hurricane Maria was #10 in the top ten list of most intense hurricanes ever.

The official beginning of 2018 H-season is only 24 days away.


Here's a YouTube video that was posted yesterday by News Of St John

Prepare early and check on those folks that are around you.

So It Goes...

Earth Day

Today is April 22nd... Earth Day.

I'm too angry to say much (idiot politicians, etc).

So please just do something no matter how small that will improve the state of our planet.

Perhaps: Drive less by planning your shopping trips (1 trip that includes 5 stores instead of 5 separate trips, for example). Use public transportation, or better yet, walk or use your bike. Pick up trash along your stretch of roadway. Be aware of packaging. Do you really need a straw (unless for a cat toy)

So it goes...

It's Friday, and the 13th

Yes, it is Friday the 13th but don't worry, focus on something else.

How about the fact that it is National Scrabble Day? I play Scrabble on my tablet a few times a day so I will definitely be celebrating.

Also, I have noticed that the first Friday 13th of the year is "National Blame Someone Else Day". This holiday began in 1982.

And, it is National Dolphin Day eve.

Enjoy!

It's National Pet Day - April 11th

Celebrate...

https://www.nationalpetday.co/

Happy St Patrick's Day - Recipe

Today is St Patrick's Day, March 17th

Ireland.com is a wonderful resource for all things Irish. Check out this link to St Patrick's Day recipes. Which I have incorporated into this post.

Irish or not, the world goes green on St. Patrick’s Day. But with such a range of delicious traditional foods to choose from, you don’t have to think emerald-colored when it comes to your St. Patrick’s Day party menu.

Here is a delicious-looking salmon dip.

Cliff Academy: Lesley Keogh's Smoked salmon pâté

The west coast of Ireland is famous for its quality traditional smoked salmon. Beautiful served on its own, you can also give it a twist with this simple pâté recipe.

Ingredients

• 8oz/225g smoked salmon
• 8oz/225g cream cheese
• 1 tsp horseradish sauce
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• A few sprigs of dill

Method

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend. It’s as simple as that!
• Serve with a crisp green salad or some watercress for a shamrock-style effect. Don’t use shamrock – as pretty as it looks, it’s not actually edible. Watercress makes a good edible substitute.

Not into fish?  How about Beef & Guinness Stew then?

Wineport Lodge: Beef and Guinness Stew

This is a classic Irish dish that is perfect for feeding a group of people. With the distinctive flavor of Guinness, it makes a good alternative to Irish stew.

Ingredients

• 2.25 lb (1kg) of stewing beef (shin, flank or rib, trimmed and cut into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes
• 1oz (25g) flour
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced thickly
• 1 large or 2 small parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 1 pint (600ml) Guinness, or beef stock
• Quarter bottle (225ml) prune juice or to taste (optional)
• Bouquet garni or mixed herbs
• Half celeriac or 3-4 stalks celery, trimmed and cubed
• Half an orange, left whole (optional)

Method

Season the beef and toss in the flour to coat. Heat a little oil and butter in a heavy pan and brown the meat in batches, then transfer to a casserole dish. Add the onions and other vegetables, and sweat gently for a few minutes in the same pan.

Transfer to the casserole dish. Add any remaining flour to the pan, stir to absorb whatever fat is left, then cook for a minute before stirring in the Guinness (or stock and prune juice if using). Add the liquids to the casserole (enough to cover the main ingredients) as well as the bouquet garni or mixed herbs and the orange. Season, stir to mix well, cover and cook in the oven for about 2 hours, or until the beef is tender.

Remove the orange and bouquet garni, check seasoning, and add two prunes soaked in Guinness (optional). Serve with mashed potatoes and garnish with chopped parsley.

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, 

May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

- Irish blessing

So it goes... Enjoy!

The Doctor's words still ring true

This clip was for the new year of 2017 but The Doctor's words still ring true for 2018... Maybe even more so with this past year of weirdness and the future to come.

How many of us can fit in the TARDIS?

Hurricane Recovery: More airline seats

Great news for tourism and folks who travel about...

Three Airlines to Expand Service
With the latest flight additions, the U.S. Virgin Islands is now being served by approximately 13,000 seats each week – 9,000 to St. Thomas and 4,000 to St. Croix (not including intra-island service).

Read more here: https://stcroixsource.com/2018/01/30/three-airlines-to-expand-service-to-st-thomas/

Listening to: Getting Better

VI recovery - A bit more every day

I was happy to read this morning in the St Croix Source that an additional 1,762 customers have had power restored since January 1st. Restoration levels now stand at 92 percent on St. Croix, 99 percent on St. John, and 91 percent on St. Thomas.

This year the three street parades of the St. Croix Crucian Christmas Carnival were combined into one. Saturday's parade honored recovery teams that worked in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. It saluted visiting linemen, WAPA (Water And Power Authority) workers, and the Red Cross, incorporating blue tarps, neon vest colors, and hard hats into their schemes.

Thanks to everyone.

Bye Bye 2017

Welcome 2018... It's time for change

Best wishes for a happy new year