Friday Follow

Week Two of a new game.  How fun is it to meet new friends in the blogging world, increasing your own readership at the same time--just lovin it.  Last week I read poetry, window-shopped for jewellery, read happy, funny and sad stories.  Lots going on.  If you want to join the fun, just grab the button and go.  If I could do it, believe me, anybody can.

While you're at it, check out my blog and tell me what you think--leave comments, questions, remarks.  I will respond.  Hope you have a Happy Family Holiday (aka:  Valentines Day).  We're going to a wedding on the 14th.  Somebody is soooooooo romantic.  :)

Here are a couple of photos of us 3 Valentine's Days ago, learning to sail in the BVI.  We went with Moorings Charters on a 43 foot Beniteau and took a captian for 9 days.  We challenged 3 levels of American Sailing School and passed, leaving us to sail solo for the remainder of our 2 week charter.  The BVI is a super easy place to do this, as everything is line-of-sight, there is a dependable and significant wind, and it's really pretty.

Sailing is much more work while underway than motoring is.  There is always something to do, no lounging with a book or doing crosswords on this trip.  We studied every night, worked in our homework books every morning and did drills all day long.  Captain Steve Surprise was our instructor.  He weighed 375 pounds and was literally on his last legs.  He succumbed to morbid obesity at age 45, just 6 months after we met him.  He was an outstanding instructor and we truly missed him when we returned for a second time 2 years later. 

On our second excursion to the BVI, we chartered a 45 foot Lagoon Catamaran.  Another family joined us for their March Break after Buz and I brushed up on our sail skills with a different captain for 3 days.  This gentleman was a wealth of local knowledge and charm, illiterate and a heavy drinker.  Beers for breakfast?!!  We learned the difference between sailboats and catamarans:  they have a different point of sail, they have different amounts of living room and they have different drafts.  This translates into being able to do different things with each boat.  We liked the intimacy and sailing experience of the sail boat.  We enjoyed the room and flexibility with the cat.  Overall, we would choose a sailboat over a cat if we were to purchase one, but that is neither here nor there, as we already own a 47 foot motor vessel and are very happy with that, thank you.