Final Financials

Hello Everyone! I'm sorry this has taken so long, but I was waiting for an overcharge from Saba Rock to be posted to our account before I e-mailed. As I feared, we went over budget... but only by $5.42 :-)

I'd like to take credit for coming so close the budget, but I know we were lucky and I'd rather be lucky than smart any day!

Gas ended up being $2,846.11 and we had $2,840.69 available in the account. I've attached a picture of the spreadsheet I made, but I know it's practically impossible to read, so if you want to see the actual spreadsheet, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you. My understanding is that we settled up (with cash from the group account) with everyone who forked over cash during the trip for group expenses, like ice, water, customs, etc. All that's left is to write checks to everyone who used their credit and debit cards for expenses while the trip account was locked (oh, and Rick and I used our credit card to pay for the gas so we could get air miles). Those checks are as follows, please let me know if I've made a grievous error:

Pat $2,195.64

Barbara $1,452.20

Greg/Darcy $ 192.84

Rick/Amy $2,932.11

So congratulations everyone, no one has to pay any extra!

Darcy & Greg - I don't have your address, please e-mail it to me (amyt@genejuarez.com) so I can mail you your check.

Thanks again for a great trip, take care!

Amy

Try clicking on the following link. It should give you a LIVE web cam that you can move with your mouse. This camera is at Saba Rock. You will see the boats, people and the weather LIVE!!

If you have a problem after double clicking the link, just go to http://www.sabarock.com/ and look for the web cam button and select 640X480. then select the presets to move the camera (1 through 8)


http://208.0.229.84/CgiStart?page=Single&Resolution=640x480&Quality=Standard&RPeriod=0&Size=STD&PresetOperation=Move&Language=0
You can give this link to people at home and then call them when you are at Saba Rock and wave to them and talk to them. This is a full motion video camera.

Have fun, see you in the Islands!

Pat

LAST MEETING, IT'S TIME TO CRUISE!!!

Hello to all!

Barbara and I are hosting the meeting and dinner tonight.

For those of you who have not been to our house and need directions we live at 29211 7th Place South in Federal Way. If you get off of I-5 at the 320th Street exit in Federal Way take 320th West to Highway 99. Highway 99 is Pacific Highway South. Go north on PHS about 2 miles to the construction zone. At the first stop light in the construction zone turn left onto Dash Point Road. At the first traffic light on DPR turn right onto 11th Avenue South. Go down the hill until you reach 293rd Street. Turn left and go to the end of the street. Look across the street and our house is to your right with a flat roof and a bunch of cars.

Barbara has planned a big turkey dinner since we won’t get one this year. (I’m having the duck at Craig and Sally’s!).

I’ve been told 2 hours is way too much time for a meeting. Fine. We can get through all our plans in less than one hour if everyone gets here by six o’clock and we start right in. Then we can have dinner at seven.

Please have a clear head for at least the first hour because the information we need to cover is important.

I am asking Patti and Lysa from their respective boats to fill out our customs documents tonight. This will save us the time and hassle of doing this at the dock with VIP.

To our cooks, please bring or be ready to create a duty schedule for the entire cruise assigning the cooking and cleaning duty for each meal period we will have. There will be 11 dinner periods. We will only make 4 dinners. Those dinners should be cleaned up by the couples that make the meal, so that leaves 7 evening cleanings when we won’t be making a meal. One evening per cruiser makes sense to me…easy. 11 lunches. Lunch will require the most effort. Some days we will have hamburgers some days we will have cold sandwiches and probably other things. This person should clean the kitchen after everyone is through with lunch around 2:00 PM? 11 breakfast periods. This person should setup the coffee maker the night before and clean the kitchen after everyone is through getting whatever they want for breakfast. Say, clean the kitchen by 10:30 in the morning?. We might want to have two or three mornings with a big (cooked) breakfast. This might be a fun get together time on some of the mornings we will not be moving the boat. Just a few of my thoughts on the subject. Overall, if properly organized and cooperation is maximized, this potential source of irritation will be no problem.

Barbara and I have got the Margarita and Mai Tai machine cranked up so be ready for a good time!

See you tonight.

Pat and Barbara

ps. If anyone wants to use our tanning bed while you are here, come early, or stay late and feel free.

Hello to all!

Barbara and I are hosting the meeting and dinner tonight.

For those of you who have not been to our house and need directions we live at 29211 7th Place South in Federal Way. If you get off of I-5 at the 320th Street exit in Federal Way take 320th West to Highway 99. Highway 99 is Pacific Highway South. Go north on PHS about 2 miles to the construction zone. At the first stop light in the construction zone turn left onto Dash Point Road. At the first traffic light on DPR turn right onto 11th Avenue South. Go down the hill until you reach 293rd Street. Turn left and go to the end of the street. Look across the street and our house is to your right with a flat roof and a bunch of cars.

Barbara has planned a big turkey dinner since we won’t get one this year. (I’m having the duck at Craig and Sally’s!).

I’ve been told 2 hours is way too much time for a meeting. Fine. We can get through all our plans in less than one hour if everyone gets here by six o’clock and we start right in. Then we can have dinner at seven.

Please have a clear head for at least the first hour because the information we need to cover is important.

I am asking Patti and Lysa from their respective boats to fill out our customs documents tonight. This will save us the time and hassle of doing this at the dock with VIP.

To our cooks, please bring or be ready to create a duty schedule for the entire cruise assigning the cooking and cleaning duty for each meal period we will have. There will be 11 dinner periods. We will only make 4 dinners. Those dinners should be cleaned up by the couples that make the meal, so that leaves 7 evening cleanings when we won’t be making a meal. One evening per cruiser makes sense to me…easy. 11 lunches. Lunch will require the most effort. Some days we will have hamburgers some days we will have cold sandwiches and probably other things. This person should clean the kitchen after everyone is through with lunch around 2:00 PM? 11 breakfast periods. This person should setup the coffee maker the night before and clean the kitchen after everyone is through getting whatever they want for breakfast. Say, clean the kitchen by 10:30 in the morning?. We might want to have two or three mornings with a big (cooked) breakfast. This might be a fun get together time on some of the mornings we will not be moving the boat. Just a few of my thoughts on the subject. Overall, if properly organized and cooperation is maximized, this potential source of irritation will be no problem.

Barbara and I have got the Margarita and Mai Tai machine cranked up so be ready for a good time!

See you tonight.

Pat and Barbara

IT'S MEASURED IN DAYS NOT WEEKS!!

Well it is almost time! I feel compelled to share my enthusiasm. I admit when I was in the BVI last week I thought that I might be loosing some of my excitement about our big trip. Hey, I was there it was great but now I've seen that, been there, done it, you know? NOT TRUE!!! On Monday, the day after I got home I was ready to go right back.

Here are some thoughts leading up to this Saturdays final gathering......

Please come ready to seriously listen and participate in the meeting. We have a lot of info to cover. I want to get through it as fast as possible.

Please make two or three copies of your Passport and bring a copy to the meeting on Saturday. You should leave one at home in case anyone at home needs the info or you loose your Passport. This copy will assist you in replacing a lost Passport.

I will be asking Patti to prepare BVI customs documents for us on Saturday. This will save us time in the Islands.

At the meeting I will be asking our cooks for each of the boats to have a schedule prepared for the cooking and cleaning duty day by day and meal by meal. There should be one person assigned to prepare and clean up after each meal. Additionally we should finalize our provisioning list. We will start buying the items on the list five days after the meeting!

Amy will give a final review of our finances.

I received a call from Nori today. She said all documents are in order and they are ready for us to arrive. We will be the first charter of the season for one of the boats and the second for the other.

Rick and I have prepared a FM transmitter for each boat. We will use these to broadcast our I-Pods etc. through out our boat and to the other boat when we are close enough. FUN!

If you have a 21 channel GMRS radio please bring it to the meeting. It would be nice to confirm the compatibility of our radios here.

The meeting is at 6:00 PM sharp on Saturday. I will start going through your Cruise Book as soon as everybody is here. Please allow two hours for info plus a little extra for the food and drink. I won't be talking for the whole two hours, it is just that when we meet the details seem to come out a little slower.

Barbara and I look forward to this meeting and our time together on Saturday. You are a special group of people and we are thankful for the privilege to make this journey with you.

See you Saturday!

Pat

TWO WEEKS TO GO !!!

Last chance to take off those final 3 or 4 pounds!! In just two weeks from tomorrow Barbara, Rick and I (Pat) depart for our adventure.

As most of you know I just returned from a one week research trip to the Virgin Islands. I learned a lot that will make our trip more fun and efficient. We won’t waste time with a steep learning curve. But most of all I learned that you don’t go away for a week on a boat trip and not call home for five days. I am sorry and apologize to each of you who were concerned for my well being. As Barbara said to me I was just “being Pat”. However in this case that is not good enough and I will not let this happen again. Promise.

On the topic of our trip, I obtained a big stack of promotional material from both the USVI’s and the BVI’s. I will share this along with our cruise manual at our final meeting on the weekend before our departure.

Some information I do want to share before the meeting is as follows:

I found polyester “athletic” shirts to be most comfortable because they stay dry and keep you cool. I know the girls are shooting for style, but perhaps you could incorporate some open knit polyester type clothes in your wardrobe. Do not even think of bringing a sweater or light jacket for those cool nights. There won’t be any. It is very humid in the morning around 80 to 85 degrees until the sun heats the air about 5 degrees and “burns off” some of the humidity. The sun goes down before 6:00 PM. While it is cooler after sunset the humidity comes back up making you less comfortable than you might otherwise be with the temperature drop.

While the biting bugs were ever present my use of “OFF” in 30% Deet form kept me safe. I did see one 20 ish girl that had hundreds of bites swollen to about the size of a quarter all over her body. Everybody will get a few bites, just remember to use Deet. Most beach bars and restaurants have a bottle of “OFF” behind the counter for customer use. I will bring two cans plus wipes.

I want to reiterate from earlier meetings a request to keep our meal plans as simple and easy as possible. I can guarantee to you we will have most dinners on shore. Most breakfasts will be ad hock. First one up in the morning turns on the coffee and then you are on your own. Maybe one or two big pancakes and eggs type of breakfasts. Lunch will be a free flowing affair.
If you swim as much as I do then wear your dry (salty) suit all day you will probably get the swimsuit rash I did. Taking off my suit when I get out of the water and applying an antibiotic salve fixed me right up. My rash is gone. I can prove it if necessary.

On a similar note, I sprayed my toes after each shower with Tinactin. I get itchy feet when I visit warm places.

There is a new and very useful type of sunscreen I highly recommend. I will show some at the last meeting.

I was on one of the boats we will be cruising. The other one was in charter last week. The 2 ½ + years since Lysa, Todd, Barbara and I had seen them have taken their toll on the boats and they have lost their new shine. I believe we will still have all the same great fun and functionality we have planned on.

Some notes about our itinerary. There are two basic ways to create a BVI itinerary. They are clockwise (our plan) and counterclockwise. The prevailing winds will determine for us which of the two directions we chose. In the Virgin Islands the trade winds almost always blow from the East. The wind can be South East or North East. If you look at the charts you will see that a North East wind (the most common) would not effect our anchorages on Jost. This would allow for a clockwise start. We cannot know until the day we depart which direction we will go. We do know with some certainty the anchorages of our choice.

In our Caribbean Adventure Book I will provide each couple at the last meeting I will list our proposed destinations and itinerary. Please remember we will always keep our eye on the weather and make adjustments as needed.

After hearing from Scott about using his Verizon phone in the VI’s I called the Verizon service center. I asked to sign up for “I dial” service (international dialing). I just got my cell phone bill from the first days of my trip the VI’s. The .69 per minute rate plus $3.99 per month for “I Dialing” in the USVI’s was charged as promised. I left my charger behind on my boat trip so I did not get to use my cell phone in the BVI’s. I did see others using their phones. The locals don’t get off their phones to rent you a motel room! So I am reasonably certain the $1.29 per minute plus long distance chargers will apply in the BVI’s. Not a hot deal but at least you will be able to make and receive calls in most of the places we will be. This is a tremendous improvement from just six months ago. Recommendation: If you wish to bring your cell phone call your supplier, ask to enable international dialing, ask if your phone will work in the USVI’s and the BVI’s. If they say it will work ask how much the minute rates are? Then use your phone sparingly. If you have Verizon you will get the .69 per minute in the USVI’s and 1.29 in the BVI’s and home rate in Puerto Rico. Cingular (AT&T) works in a similar fashion I am told.


Just some random thoughts as Barbara and I make our final preparations for the trip. See you soon.

A Fun Spot

Here is a link you may want to try.

http://www.pussers.com/redbox

Here is the trick. When you are in the BVI's at Marina Cay on the dock you can have someone at home get on the internet and see you on the dock. Is this cool or what?

Check out the gallery.

Pat

CELL PHONE IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

I have purchased an AT&T "Go" phone for use on our trip. The cost of $28 plus purchased time is very low in my experience. After extensive research I have found that this phone is the best solution to our communications challenge. Verizon phones (most of us have) will work on a limited basis in the USVI. I do not know if T-Mobile or others work at all. I am told to expect a Verizon phone will not work in the BVI's. The only phone that works with any degree of coverage and reasonable cost is a Cingular or AT&T phone. The local phone company in the BVI's is CCT. They are extremely expensive ($200+ to purchase a phone + up to $4 a minute to the states) to use on a short term basis, and we don't want a one year contract.



This AT&T phone we now have will work on the local BVI CCT phone system. Our AT&T phone will cost $1 each day it is used + $0.10 a minute to use in the states and the USVIs. I am told by AT&T if we purchase the $3.99 per month "World Traveler" upgrade the cost of use in the BVI's will be $1.99 per minute instead of the normal $3.49 per minute. Still expensive but we can communicate if we need to. This phone is a "pay as you go" phone. We will purchase a limited amount of "time" to use the phone. We can buy more any time we wish. We cannot get a "big surprise" bill as we will know how much credit is left on the phone account after each use.



I will have good knowledge of the coverage the phone receives after my trip next week. I will share this with you upon my return.



You may wish to give this phone number to people at home that may wish to call you while you are gone. Those needing to get in touch with you should also have the number at VIP Charters. The new cell phone # is 206-304-3150. The number for VIP is 370-774-9224. If we cannot be reached by our cell phone, VIP will be able to reach us and relay a message to call someone.

Pat

Takin' One For the Team

Well my shipmate friends, I will be traveling to the Virgin Islands next Friday the 12th of October to obtain as much information about our trip as I can. I will be meeting with our people at VIP and touring the boats we will be chartering.
I have chartered a 25 foot runabout to tour the BVI'S the week of the 15th. I will travel to each destination we have on our trip. I will be discussing our itinerary with "Bob" the Captain at VIP that will give us our chart briefing before our charter. I called Bob yesterday. When I told him I would be visiting him the week of the 15th of October he told me he would take some time with me to help us improve our itinerary. He indicated there are places (off the beaten path) that he would recommend that would amaze us. I will meet with people at the locations we plan to visit. People such as the dive operators, the little beach bars operators and the marina people. I will work to establish an itinerary that will give us a great sunset view from our boats as many nights as possible. This trip I am taking will give us the ability to make better quality decisions about our itinerary. I hope to minimize nonproductive time and maximize time at play. From the discussions I have had this week with people in the Virgin Islands I have already learned how we can make our trip better. I am told we should expect to cruise (motor to our next location) for one or two hours at most on any given day. Bob from VIP told me he has boated in the San Juans in the past and boating in the Virgin Islands is very different. He tells me the focus of each day will be the destination and NOT the journey. I want to assure you I will be working hard to learn how to create the absolute best trip for all of us. In short I will be takin' one for the team next week learning from the people who live there and captain charter boats for a living. I don't mean to be melancholy about the burden I will bear for the group but I do ask you to keep me in your prayers for the price I will pay being in the islands for a week. ....... OK I'm having a great time and I wish you were here. WOW!!! Less than five weeks and we are on the trip of our lives. Words cannot express the excitement and anticipation I have for our trip. I hope to infect you with my enthusiasm for the adventure. GET READY TO HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE.

Oh....and by the way Todd, I got my Speedo.

Pat

Duty Assignments and odds and ends

Because of our many discussions in the past I have rather confusing notes on duty assignments. Would you please email me your understanding of your individual duty assignment? I will have this in a summary format for everyone on Sunday. Currently I have:

Three Sheets

Skipper: Rick
First Mate: Jerry
Coxswain: Scott
Chef: Jacque/Kay
Special Sea & Anchor Duty: Dale/Jerry
Master @ Arms: Patti
Engineer: Dale
Purser (both boats): Amy


The Love Boat

Skipper: Pat
First Mate: Darcy
Coxswain: Ed
Chef: None
Special Sea & Anchor Duty: Greg/ Darcy
Master @ Arms: Andrea
Engineer: Greg
Purser (both boats): Amy


We can finalize our food and beverage preferences at the meeting. I would suggest our cooks set up a place at Patti and Scott's where we can go to you and make our last requests for your inclusion in your provisioning order.

Amy has made the final payment for the boats as of 12:30 this afternoon. Nori @ VIP has received our manifest. Rick and I are sending a signed copy of our charter agreement today.

With these actions all that is left for us to do with VIP is show up and get our charter checkout and depart.

It is my understanding all travel arrangements have been made and rechecked.

I will be confirming our rental pickup we are using for all transportation and provisioning and hotel reservations for the night of the 22nd of November for eight rooms.


Pat

Inclusion in Google Groups

Hi everybody.
I am looking forward to our next meeting. It is my understanding we will be meeting at Patti and Scott's home on this coming Sunday.

Today I am asking Amy to make the final payment to VIP for our boats. Barbara, Rick and I will be getting on a plane to Saint Thomas in about 90 days to start our trip. WOW! I am excited!

I have a request in to the Marriott in ST for a one night Thanksgiving hotel reservation. I hope to receive a call back today. I will have a room for everyone for that night one way or another by the time of the meeting.

I want to make sure everyone is receiving our group messages. These messages do not normally post to the blog. I intend to post this one. Please send me a little message back just to let me know you have received this Caribbean-Cruisers-2007@GoogleGroups.com message.

Skipper Pat

but you can call me Skippy

Update on Money Matters

Hello Everyone! I hope you've all been (and still are) enjoying the beautiful weather and all the fun summer has to offer! All July payments (except for Pat & Barbara who will deposit when they get back from vacation this weekend) have been deposited to the account, the balance of which is $19,051.32. The final payment for the boats is about $16,800, so we're good there.
To date everyone has paid $3,300 of the $4,185 for the trip (per couple), which means that there will need to be another payment of $885 per couple by the time we depart. Since this is the money that we will use for provisioning, gas, water, etc. I don't have a particular preference as to when it gets deposited. If people would like to go ahead and write a check for the remaining balance at the meeting next weekend to get their account all squared away, then that's fine or we can have a deposit of $500 at the next meeting and another $385 due before we depart.
Also, just to put a bug in your ear, we had discussed giving a $100 credit to those couples who would be staying at a hotel Saturday night instead of sleeping aboard the one boat we have for that night. I think that everyone had agreed this was fair, so at the next meeting we'll need to confirm which couples those were so that I can adjust the amounts still owing on their account accordingly. If any one has any questions, please let me know.
See you all on the 12th!
Take Care,
Amy

TIME TO RECHECK YOUR AIR RESERVATIONS ! !

Hello, long time no blog.

I wanted to share a note about our air booking. Rick Lester discovered recently that Delta had canceled the second leg of our flight from Seattle to Saint Thomas. Delta reduced their frequency from 7 flights a week to only 3 or 4. This gave Barbara, Rick and me a 28 hour layover in Atlanta !! After a little over an hour on the phone I got Barbara and myself rescheduled through Newark with almost the same departure and arrival times. After this experience I thought it prudent to give you a "heads up" about this situation. If you find any changes in your booking please post it on the BLOG.


Thanks

O, by the way, it's less than FIVE months to the cruise!!


PAT

Account Balance Update

JOST VAN DYKE

BITTER END YACHT CLUB

BUBBLY POOL

SAINT JOHN

THE BATHS

I CAN'T STOP ! !

VIDEO FROM THE ISLANDS

A BIT OF A VISUAL OF OUR TRIP

http://www.vipyachts.net/PDF/14day_itinerary.pdf

GUEST MANIFEST Preparation

To comply with US Coast Guard Manifest Requirements, VIP Yacht will need the following information for each crew member:
First and Last Name
Date of Birth
Citizenship
Address (street, city, zip,)
Telephone
Email
Airline and Flight Number
Arrival Date and Time

VIP Charters will also use this information to prepare in advance the necessary information for B.V.I Customs and Immigration.

Please email the above information to me at panderson3@wavecable.com. I will complete the manifest and provide a copy for everyone at the next meeting in May.

Also at the next meeting, please bring additional information such as passport number and expiration date, emergency contact information, primary physician and number, and any special medical information you think we might need to know should an emergency occur. This information is for our use only.

TIP: Make two photocopies of your passport identification page. Leave one copy at home. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport (i.e. I could keep photocopies all together with manifest information). This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen.

Thanks. Looking forward to getting together again.

CHARTER SLIDESHOW

Here is a link to a slide show about chartering a sailing bare boat in the BVI's. I am sure our experience on a powerboat will be similar.

http://www.ed-hamilton.com/A/BB/1.BBslides.html

After you click on the link and the picture of the American Airlines airplane pops up just single click on the "auto play" or "next" buttons.


Pat

GREAT THIRD MEETING ! !

Thanks Greg and Darcy.

Great folks, great food, great home and great time. Thanks for the pizza, it was .... well, Great !

We continue to move forward with each meeting. I will post the results of our last meeting in the next few days. This will be done to confirm all the things we agreed to and give a chance for correction if any misunderstandings exist.

We were excited to hear from Ed and Andrea about the possibility they might be able to join us for the full cruise. That would be wonderful.

Along with the results from our meeting I will work with Todd and Rick to tighten up our itinerary. I will try to find a way to post a map that will be useful. If one cannot be posted I will print one and hand it out by our next meeting. I will post a list of all possible activities at each of our planned stops along our cruise. The complete list of desired activities as I understand it is:

• Sightseeing
• Shopping
• Cruising
• Swimming
• Fishing
• Taking pictures / video
• Scuba Diving
• Snorkeling
• Drinking adult beverages
• Enjoy each others company
• Eating / on the boat or in some interesting restaurants
• Hanging out in funky beach bars
• Kayaking
• Gittin drunk with people we don't know
• Rent a sailboat
• Quiet time / perhaps reading
• Get some rays / hang out on some beautiful beaches
• Gittin drunk with people we do know
• Dancing / enjoying music
• Gittin drunk alone
• Did I mention drinking?

Well, if I left out your desired activity, please leave a comment and we will be sure to add it into the mix.

More later.

Pat

MORE GREAT RESOURCES

Here are some links that will keep you busy and excited about our adventure. We will be sharing more in the future.

This one has many interesting clickable links:
http://angelinacat.com/BVILINKS.htm

Ditto:
http://vicharteryachts.com/usvi/US_Virgin_Islands_map.html


I have been looking for a quality satellite view of the Virgin Islands for a few weeks. I finally found what I think is the best view. If you look close enough you can find both of our Tarquin 59's in their port at Compass Point Marina. UNBELIEVABLE ! ! (I will show you how just call me). Also you can find Bubbly (Champagne) Pool, Sandy Cay (Spit), Saba Rock, Our Cost U Less Grocery where we will buy our provisions WOW ! !
http://www.flashearth.com/

Pat


PS:http://www.normanisland.com/info.htm
http://www.williamthornton.com/

DUTIES

I admit to taking a little license with the idea of Co-Cook. Perhaps this is a bad idea. My thought was that two people could share the scheduling of cooking and cleaning assignments and meal planning and provisioning. I envision this as a larger job than the other duties and we have extra (unassigned) cruisers to involve. BUT I see that there can be problems with this idea. I have no doubt that we need at least one cook on each boat. Perhaps we can table this until our next meeting (the 18th of March). I will add the discussion of duty assignments to our itinerary at the nest meeting.

Pat

Map?

Being older than most on the cruise (except Barbara) would it be possible to see a map of all our stops at our next meeting....a visual of what we're doing would be great. Looking forward to the next meeting. Is any one besides us having trouble getting into the blog? It seems fussy at times letting me in......usually says password and name does not match....

CABIN ASSIGNMENTS

CABIN ASSIGNMENTS

AWAITING FINAL DUTY ASSIGNMENTS.


Boat # 1 (tentatively TWO SHEETS):
V-berth Rick & Amy Skipper & Purser
Mid- Forward Jerry and Jacque First Mate & Co-Cook
Mid- Aft Dale & Kay Engineer and Co-Cook
Aft cabin Scott and Patti Coxswain & Master-at-Arms

Boat #2 (tentatively THE LOVE BOAT):
V- berth Greg and Darcy Engineer/(First Mate?)
Mid- Forward Ed and Andrea Ditzler (No duties assigned yet) Coxswain & Master-at-Arms?
Mid- Aft Todd and Lysa Bartender & Cook
Aft cabin Pat and Barbara Skipper & Sailing Documentor


Boat #2 will need a Coxswain and a Master-at-Arms.
Both boats need to have a First Mate assigned. This person will assist the Skipper at dockings, buoy hooking (mooring), anchoring and piloting the boat. This person could be the Engineer.

Pat

MARCH MEETING DATE IS SET ! !

We will meet on March 18th at Greg and Darcy's home in Gig Harbor. Their address is 4821 Deer Creek Lane. The social hour will start at 4:00PM. We will conduct business once everyone is a little tipsy. This (the meeting) should take 60 to 90 minutes. Topics will be:

• Pursers discussion of our finances.
• Cooks discussion of proposed menus. IE: what do you want to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and in between. What is your beverage of choice? (This will help our two cooks prepare a provisioning list.)
• Discussion of our itinerary. Pat will discuss from Wednesday the 7th through Sunday at the time we sail. Rick and Todd will then lead the discussion about each of our days on the boats. Finally Pat will discuss what happens when we return to port on Thursday the 22nd at noon until everybody leaves the islands.
• We will have a final discussion about duty assignments. Should we have Co-Cooks? Who will be the First Mate for each boat, etc.
• Coxswain will show us pictures of his dinghy.
• Master At Arms will have a discussion about passports, and create a complete list of all cruisers full legal names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.
• We can digress to a general discussion of how brilliant we all are to be taking this cruise together.

If Greg and Darcy wish to add a comment to this Post with further ideas for the evening please do so. It is their house after all.

Pat

DEFINITION OF DUTIES

Jobs On board
There are a number of jobs to be done on board. While the skipper is ultimately responsible for most of them, there is too much for one person to do. Sometimes 4 or 5 things need to be done simultaneously and if any one of them gets done poorly, we could be in trouble. Each of the following persons are responsible to see that the jobs get done, you should not be the only one to do them. Each of us should help with any of the jobs we are capable of doing. By dividing all the necessary duties on the cruise we will maximise our fun and skills and minimise the burden of no fun jobs.

Skipper: Navigation, Anchoring, Docking and overall safety of crew and boat.
The skipper is on call 24/7, is responsible for the safety of the crew and a boat worth more than a house, and is the final arbiter of all on board problems. Skippers also always seem to have a "moral obligation" to ensure everyone is having a good time. Thus, all skippers usually have at least one "cranky" evening from the strain, often -but not limited to- the last night of the cruise.
Feel free to ask to take the wheel or question whether we're pointed in the right direction. It wouldn't be the first time that a skipper aimed at the wrong island.
Early in the trip, I will want to play with moving the boat in docking and mooring conditions. I should practice with a mooring or float before going near anything that could cause a dent. I might even call a "crew member overboard" drill to test our skills. [If you see me picking up a seat cushion on our first leg, be ready for "the drill".]

First Mate

The first Mate will assist the Skipper. Occasionally drive the boat, take charge of the crew upon catching a buoy (mooring), and docking.
These are usually "All Hands" maneuvers. You're coordinating the crew for the skipper. Do a good job, and you'll make it look like he knows what he’s doing. Let's have fun critiquing other boats' misadventures.
Mooring We'll do this 10 or 15 times, hopefully only once per mooring.
Be the skippers eyes as we approach a mooring buoy. He can't see it from the helm when we're close, nor can he hear you from 50 feet away when the engines are running.
Guide him with hand signals for "left", "right", "faster", "slower", "stop engines", "back up" and "back up really hard".
Keep your hand and arm visible when you point. He can't see your arm in front of you any better than he can see the buoy. Straight up is straight ahead; 45 degrees off of that is 45 degrees horizontal.
Try to avoid the "YOU FOOL!" signal. Instead, use a combination of "back up really hard" and "circle around and try again". He'll get the idea.
Grab and secure the mooring line with the boat hook in the middle of the line, not the loop (or you won't be able to let go), and put it on the nearest cleat. Often takes two to accomplish. We'll lead it through the fairlead later.
Ensure mooring line is adequate: If the line on top of the buoy is bad, back it up. If the line between the buoy and anchor is bad, we move.)
DockingWe'll do this four or five times. This is when the skipper will be most nervous.
Direct the laying out and tending of fenders and dock lines before we come into a dock. The skipper will say which side as we approach. We may even back in and tie off to the stern cleats, like Chesapeake Bay crabbers.
We weigh about as much as a tractor trailer, so:
·
Do not fend us off with your feet or hands. That's what fenders are for.
Do not try to stop the boat's motion yourself. At most, throw a half turn around a cleat and let it take most of the strain if I ask you to. Sometimes, I want to go further up the dock than I said five seconds before. The engines will stop us pretty smartly.
Do not jump off onto the dock. If you can't toss (or preferably hand) the line to someone on the dock, I will go around. On a cruise in the past one crew member didn't heed this warning and broke both ankles. Ended the trip for him and his wife and the remaining three couples were pretty bummed out for the rest of the trip. Months later, he still hadn't recovered.
The most important line is the center spring line. Given a good spring line to work against, I can pivot the boat around any way I want.
The bow line usually goes on last. You'll probably have to override the dockside recommendations and give them the spring line.
If any line goes in the water, particularly aft near a prop, tell me immediately so I can put that engine into neutral. Anchoring We'll do this once or twice during the trip
We don't anchor on coral or where our rode (chain or nylon) could drag past and damage coral, remembering that the boat will drift around. If you can see coral, we probably shouldn't be there.
Lay out anchor line(s). We anchor with a minimum of 5:1 measured from the bow roller to the bottom. The bow roller will be 5 to 7 feet above the depth sounder's reading. If we do not have all chain, then we go with 7:1. When in doubt, lay out more.
We dive down on the anchor once it's supposedly set to make sure. The skipper will do it independently the first couple of times because he's paranoid.

Coxswain
You are responsible for the dinghy.
Ensures someone will drive the dinghy. It's a lot of fun, so everyone should get a turn or two.
Ensures the dink is properly secured to the boat, whether under way or at anchor.
Ensures the dink's drain plugs (sometimes 2) are pulled to drain the water on the floor and between the floor and hull, and puts them back in before we lower it into the water. [Not catastrophic, but slows us down and gets our feet wet.]
Checks tube pressure and tops it off when necessary. Do you know where the foot pump is?
If the dink is in the water when we move (almost never done when we have davits)
·
You have no other duty or care than watching the dink while docking or undocking.
Ensures we do not run over it or its painter while we're moving. If we run it over or catch its painter in a prop, we could have a very bad day.
Ensure the motor is tilted up when not in use, particularly if being dragged behind us.

Cook
The Cook does not prepare all the meals and clean up after all the meals are done. The Cook does prepare and post a duty roster involving everybody on the boat with a meal to prepare and clean up after. With eight crew on each boat and three serving/cleaning periods on 11 days there will be 33 periods divided by eight for a total of just over four meal periods per person for the whole trip – NOT TO BAD ! ! Perhaps our cooks will provide a rotating schedule that will involve each person once every 2 ½ days. Great !
Everyone takes a turn or two at making meals - whatever his or her forté is.
Ensure we have a menu and people to cook it.
Meals are planned around, and food is stowed according to, what food spoils most quickly.
Know where all the supplies are. Thus inventories the supplies against the checklist as they come aboard and directs where they are stowed

Master-at-Arms
Do a head count of all crew before we pull away from the dock. Would hate to leave one of the crew behind.
Ensure no lines hang in the water to be sucked up by the props. [Thus you back up the Coxswain and Special Sea and Anchor Duty.]
Ensure that the public areas are clean and neat
No laundry is hanging from the rigging as we enter or leave port (pet peeve and a safety item).
All fenders (those big, ugly, white things AKA "bumpers") are stowed by the time we've gotten 10 feet away from the dock.
Organizes cleaning parties as necessary.
Because the Engineer is pretty busy at the start of the trip, ensure all water tanks are full before we leave the dock on departure day. After that, can remind the engineer to check the tanks. For some reason, the crew gets cranky if we run out of water, so the MAA would want to double check to keep the natives from getting restless.
Theoretically, the MAA ensures the rest of the crew are happy - or at least aren't mutinous. If you can intercept problems, you might lessen the skipper's "moral imperative" to keep everyone happy. If you can't resolve a problem, though, bring it to the skipper and he'll try to ensure ill feelings don't fester.

Engineer
These are unseen duties that we won't notice if done properly.
Attends boat walk-through with the skipper.
Ensures we remember to turn on all lights and instruments during the boat checkout to ensure they work. A second set (The Master At Arms) of eyes help.
Knows where the equipment, tools and spare parts are, thus directs the equipment inventory at the start of the trip. Except for cooking gear, this doesn't intersect the cook's inventory.
Ensures someone checks that water tanks are full at start of trip and before leaving any port/dock. At least two people should check this one.
Maintains the "gripe sheet" - everything we find wrong or broken on the boat- so we can tell all at the end of the trip and the problems get fixed. Too many charterers rely on memory and forget.
Checks out the diesel each morning (water, oil, raw water filter & "other")
Ensures batteries and refrigeration are kept charged, morning and evening.
Ensures domestic water pump is off while under way.
Knows which water tanks are empty and how long the water should last. Only one tank is on at a time, If we have more than one tank.

Purser
Prepares a spread sheet of income and expenses and shares this information with all cruisers on the BLOG and in person at our monthly cruise meetings.
Prepares a monthly budget of assessments to each couple sufficient to pay all deposits as required by VIP.
If needed, assesses a levy from all crew during the cruise.
Pays for the provisioning of the boat.
Maintains the kitty and pays the incidental group charges.
Keeps records. We trust you, but sometimes memory is weak.
Refunds all excess funds upon return to home.

NEXT MEETING DATE ? ? ?

Lysa has suggested Sunday the 18th as a replacement day for our next meeting. Please respond to this POST with a comment as to whether the 18th works for you. If so, great. If not please give three other evenings or more that would work in the month of March on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Assume all days through the 11th are out.

Thanks, Pat

HOLY COW! Y'ALL MUST THINK I'M NUTS!

When I was reading Pat's comment about meeting date, I was in the February zone because we were going out of town. March 18 will work for us for a meeting date.

AND, I don't know what I was thinking about traveling 24+hours....it's 14 hours....was thinking of another trip we are making to South Africa next year! Holy Cow! I was really out to lunch....I'm really not that ditsy....well, sometimes. See everyone on March 18.

Jacque

SOMETHING TO WHET YOUR APPITITE

Here is an article that is right up your alley !


http://www.fineedge.com/ARTICLES/Power_Cruising/BVI_Power.pdf


Let me know what you think. If you want more, just let me know.


Pat

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE PLANS HOTEL ETC..

CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS MADE ARE IN GREEN

Wasting away in Margaritaville. Welcome Jerry and Jacque. And for all, ... here is what should be our definitive statement on hotel rooms for the entire trip. I will include a detailed arrival schedule (days only - no time of arrival, we will add these details later LIKE NOW).

Rick Lester and Pat & Barbara and Greg & Darcy will be traveling to Saint Thomas leaving Seattle on Wednesday the 7th of November arriving on Thursday the 8th. The FIVE of us will need a hotel for one night (Thursday).

NOBODY arriving after Thursday (the 8th) of November will need a hotel room until after the cruise is completed.

EVERYBODY arriving on Friday the 9th and Saturday the 10th will be able to sleep on Boat # 2 (The LOVE BOAT) on Friday and Saturday nights.

These are the travel dates as I understand them: (PLEASE CORRECT ME WITH A COMMENT TO THIS POSTING ... ALSO PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR ARRIVAL TIMES IN SAINT THOMAS (ST). THIS WILL HELP WITH OVERALL PLANNING)

Arriving in ST on Thursday: Rick Lester, Pat & Barbara, @ 2:20 PM Greg & Darcy @ 9:15PM. (G&D we will pick you up at the airport and take you to your hotel. If you wish, let me know and I will make our reservation for the 8th to include you. This would make our transportation issues more simple).

Arriving in ST on Friday: Dale & Kay @ 3:55 PM (someone will pick you up in the community rental car).

Friday night will be our one and only Sleep-A-Board night. The LOVE BOAT will be moored in Compass Point Marina and CANNOT leave the dock. (Because of the Sleep-A-Board status) On The LOVE BOAT that night will be P&B in their permanent cabin; the Aft Cabin, Rick Lester in a Bunk (probably) G&D in their permanent cabin; the V-Berth, and D&K in their temporary cabin Mid - Forward.

On Saturday Pat and Rick will receive their Skipper training, briefing, and checkout. This is expected to take four to six hours between 9am and 3pm. While this is going on any cruisers that do not participate in the Skipper training, briefing, and checkout will most likely take the community rental car and purchase our provisions and deliver them to the dock. This will probably take four to six hours also.

After The LOVE BOAT has been provisioned (with food and beverages and supplies for BOTH boats) and the Skipper indoctrination has been completed, The LOVE BOAT will cruise to Crown Bay Marina. (We will get to Crown Bay as soon as possible, hopefully by 4PM) This is a marina that is many miles closer to the airport and close to the place where we will drop the community rental car. One of the Sleep-A-Board cruisers will have driven the rental car from Compass Point Marina to meet The LOVE BOAT at Crown Bay Marina. Once all of the Sleep-A-Boards have been reunited, someone (volunteers anyone?) will drive the rental car to the airport and shuttle Saturdays (seven) arrivals (see below) from the airport to Crown Bay Marina. (two to three trips) DO NOT FEAR ! ! From experience I can tell you the local tourist welcoming committee will greet everyone at the airport with free rum ! They do this before you go to baggage claim. DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY ! ! After you get your bags our volunteer shuttle driver will whisk you and your mate away to Crown Bay where your personal 60 foot yacht will await your arrival. (Que the Dating Game Theme Song).

http://www.crownbay.com/index.html

Arriving in ST on Saturday: Amy Lester, Todd & Lysa, Patti & Scott, and Jerry & Jacque ALL @ 3:55 PM

Cabin assignments for Saturday will remain as on Friday with the addition of Amy in the other Bunk (probably) Todd and Lysa in their permanent cabin Mid - Aft, Scott & Patti and Jerry & Jacque will find make shift quarters on the boat. It is my suggestion that the group purchase four sleeping bags (if everyone approves and we cannot get bedding from VIP) in Saint Thomas for use on Saturday night for those two couples. UPDATE: Jerry and Jacque will arrive in ST on Saturday and have a hotel reservation for the 10th in ST. They will join us on Sunday morning at Compass Point Marina. Unfortunately Boat #1 (TWO SHEETS) will not be available to us until Sunday morning. After all cruisers are on board and the rental car is returned we (all 12 of us) will depart Crown Bay for Water Island. I believe not having boat #1 available could be a blessing in disguise as we will have one night to all be together (albeit, crowded). (Minus Jerry & Jacque and Ed & Andrea).

We will spend our first night on the hook at Water Island. On Sunday morning at a time arranged with VIP, we will return to Compass Point Marina to acquire TWO SHEETS. At that time the stowaways on The LOVE BOAT will go to their preassigned cabins on TWO SHEETS.

Least we forget... Ed and Andrea will be joining us on Thursday (I believe) the next week on Tortola. We will meet at a place to be determined. (Note to E&A: Please leave a comment with the time, date and place of your arrival in the islands. We will arrange our itinerary to me up with you upon your arrival). We would like to know what day you will leave ST as we wish to include you in the Thanksgiving dinner.

On Thursday morning the 22nd (Thanksgiving) we will return both boats to VIP at Noon. We will then travel to our hotel in Saint Thomas. This is the hotel night I will book for all couples staying in Saint Thomas on Thursday night the 22nd. I will also book a reservation at Craig and Sally's Restaurant in Saint Thomas for Thanksgiving dinner. I can't imagine a better night or a greater group to give thanks with and for.

http://craigandsallys.com/

PROPOSED ITINERARY

Hello, fellow cruisers. Please review this proposal. Tell me whats missing and what you don't want. This is just an outline. There will be many details to fill in over the coming months.

Additional note: With as many as 16 or more cruisers going together on a single trip it is inevitable that there will be different wishes and different styles of vacationing. Together we will create an itinerary that will balance the wishes of all.

Perhaps the best way for me to describe this task is "We will create a through plan that will allow us to go to as many places in the Virgin Islands that a relaxed schedule will permit. We will do this with detailed planning that will allow us the freedom to spend the maximum time doing nothing ."

If we are sucessful at this we will all see the places most important to us, do the things we wish to do and feel no push or pressure to maintain anything more than a RELAXED ISLAND PACE.

I am confident this adventure we are all planning will be a joy to participate in and one of our fondest memories after the fact.

So, while I anticipate including a lot of detail in our "itinerary" this detail will only show what is available to couples that wish to keep up a high level of activity. All couples should make their own decissions about participation. Nobody can do everything. But because of the diversity of interests of each of our couples I will try to include as many of the possibilities as is reasonable.

Caribbean Cruise 2007

(Proposed) ITINERARY


FRIDAY Sleep-a-board B&P G&D D&K Rick Lester Compass Point Marina

SATURDAY Skipper training sleep-a-board everybody (12) Water Island

SUNDAY Motor to Compass Point to pick up second boat Depart for Saint John Trunk Bay @ noon or sooner. Spend the night in Cruz Bay.

MONDAY 8 AM motor to Sopers Hole clear customs. Spend 2 or 3 hours in Sopers. Motor to Jost, Sandy Cay and FOXY'S

TUESDAY Jost and Bubbly / Champagne Pool ETC. Marina Cay

WEDNESDAY Cross to Apple Bay / Cane Garden Bay. Evening at Bomba’s Shack anchor off?

THURSDAY East End of Tortola Trellis Bay. (Pick up Ed & Andrea?)

FRIDAY East End of Tortola Marina Cay / Pussers

SATURDAY Gorda Sound @ East end of Virgin Gorda. Leverick Bay and more. We should find a Laundromat here, might help to freshen up. Maybe a sunset dinner at Saba Rock, I hear they have a great band.

SUNDAY Gorda Sound. Bitter End Yacht Club. Rental kayak, little sailboats, bicycles, boaters paradise.

MONDAY Motor to the baths at 10 AM. Get a rare buoy. Three hours? Overnight at Cooper or Peter Island

TUESDAY Norman Island. Perhaps a daytime crossing to Nanny Cay for fuel and or water. Hiking on the Island.

WEDNESDAY Norman Island AM. Then to Sopers Hole to depart BVI and Customs. Motor to Saint John for one last night on the boats.

THURSDAY Return Boat to Compass Point Marina by 12 Noon.

Dates we are available for next meeting

We are out of town on February 18; we are free on March 9, 10, 11 (the 11th if during the day); also free on March 23, 24.

I think we will keep our room on November 10 at hotel; after traveling 24+ hours I think I would like a bed instead of sleeping bags....will join you'all on Saturday to say "hey" and then sleep in hotel hooking up early Sunday morning.

JJ

Possible Name for Boat #1

Yesterday Rick came up with a possible name for not only the Boat he's captaining (Boat #1), but the dingy as well. The boat's name would be "Three Sheets" and the dingy's name would be "To the Wind".
Imagine on the walkie talkie.... "this is Three Sheets To the Wind... come in To the Wind"
It just makes me laugh :-)

GOT SO EXCITED MADE PLANE RESERVATIONS!

We are on the same flights as Patti/Scott with the exception of last stretch from Dallas back to Seattle on November 23.

Also made reservations at the Emerald Beach on November 10. Wanted to be sure that the reservations for Thanksgiving dinner and hotel were for November 22 not November 23.

We are set!

JJ

TO OUR NEW/OLD/NOT SO OLD FRIENDS

We are so excited to be joining you all on this journey! We are not able to make the March 3 meeting as we have a previous commitment.
Pat: Count us in for the November 23 dinner and hotel reservations....thanks! If you keep the next meeting on March 3, we will give our balance due to Patti and she can bring it to you.

Thanks again and Bahama Mama's here we come!

Final Cost Per Couple & Deposit Schedule

OK here it is... the final cost per couple for the whole trip (of course excluding airfare and spending money). $4,255 per couple for whole 11 day cruise and $3,400 for our 7 day cruise couple. Since we've got both boats full we have the maximum financial benefit for each couple, yeah... more money to spend on swimsuits :-)

The deposit schedule above shows that we will have sufficient funds to pay the deposits on the boat as they become due and have all the money we need for the trip (provisions, etc.) by September, after that each couple can focus on saving extra fun money. I believe that I have everyone shown at what they've deposited... please let me know if I have made any mistakes. For the couples that have joined us since our last meeting, you will need to catch up in March with a $1,300 deposit and then you'll be on the regular $500 per month schedule. I know that Ed and Andrea have already given Todd a check for $1,000 so (since their total expense is less for 7 days) they're next deposit ($500) will be due in April.

We believe that we have sufficiently accounted for all expenses to be incurred on the trip and may possibly have some left over... the only caveat is this: If we end up needing a captain for one of the boats (unlikely, but possible) then the cost will be spread among all couples and will be approximately $200 - $250 per couple.

That's it, please post comments if you have questions or concerns.

I THINK I HAVE A NAME FOR BOAT # 2

Love, exciting and new,
Come aboard. We're expecting you.

Love, life's sweetest reward.
Let it flow, it floats back to you.

The Love Boat soon will be making another run.
The Love Boat promises something for everyone.
Set a course for adventure,Your mind on a new romance.

Love won't hurt anymore
It's an open smile on a friendly shore.

It's Looooove!
Welcome aboard - It's Looooove!

EMAIL ADDRESSES

We need the email address for Ed and Andrea. We want to invite them to read, post, and comment in and on the BLOG. Thanks Lysa and Todd. Please send the address to my email address.

FISHING ANYONE?

Fishing in the Virgin Islands. The fishing is excellent in the Virgin Islands. If you are an avid angler, you'll find a wide variety of game fish looking for a fight. Bring your own tackle or rent it locally.

Let's talk about this at our next meeting. We will want to accommodate anyone who wishes to go after the fishes.

GREAT NEWS ! !

I FIXED MY MISTAKE (WRONG DATE, CORRECT DAY)
CORRECTED FEBRUARY 15TH AT 1:40 PM

The boats are full. Congratulations to all of us. But Patti, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that if I had to invite every one I rear ended we would need another boat! Well anyway we are all happy it is you, Jerry and Jacque.

I will plan to make a dinner and hotel reservation for all couples staying in Saint Thomas on Thursday night of Thanksgiving. Currently the plan is to get a reservation at Craig and Sally's for 16 for dinner. I hope they are open. I will need to hear from J&J, E&A, and G&D. I am not sure you are going to be in Saint Thomas on Thursday the 22nd. If you are, please let me know. I will include you in the dinner reservation at Craig and Sally's. I will also get a reservation at the hotel on the night of the 22nd in S.T. if you wish. I am sure we can get a great rate for 8 rooms at the Best Western in Charlotte Amalie.

I feel like I am already there. I have been reading so much about the places in the BVI's. Only 269 days to go.

The Party is On ! ! !

WELCOME ABOARD 8TH COUPLE

Congratulations Jacque and Jerry Johnson. We now have our eight couples. Jacque and Jerry live in Port Orchard and met Patti in 1979 when Patti rear-ended Jacque's brand new camaro in the school parking lot. They've been friends ever since!! J and J will be busy this week getting their airline reservations and getting caught up.

Welcome, Jacque and Jerry, to the trip of a lifetime!!!

MARCH MEETING

Greg and Darcy have generously invited all cruisers to their home for a social / business meeting on Saturday the 3rd of March. Thank you G&D ! Their address is 4821 Deer Creek Lane in Gig Harbor. There are many (four or more) people who cannot attend this meeting. I suggest we move the meeting back one week or to some other time that works for all. Let's talk. I will make some phone calls. Please call each other and we will come up with a date that works for all. If no date improves the attendance we can stay with the 3rd.


Pat

GOING, GOING, GONE ! !

I just got word that the seventh cabin has been taken. Welcome Ed and Andrea Ditzler. We are very happy to have you join us on what will certainly be a very memorable and unique event shared by good friends and family. I understand their current plans have them on the boat for seven days. Perhaps they will fly to Saint Thomas and ferry to meet us on Tortola. I am sure we can work out the details. They will occupy the fourth full cabin (Mid - Forward) on Boat # Two (unnamed).

We have been informed the Ditzlers will not be available at the next meeting as they will be in Mexico. (This is one unlucky couple). Along this line I have discovered there are others that cannot make the Saturday 3rd dinner meeting. I would like to find a consensus on a later date. I have heard there is no resistance to attending, just conflicts in our schedules. 14 busy people - - go figure. I suggest moving the meeting to the next Saturday in March. Please call me and other cruisers to see if we can find a date that works for all. While we understand scheduling conflicts I feel strongly that the group will benefit greatly if we can keep a discipline that has 100% attendance at these social / business meetings as our goal. Results of a meeting date change will be posted on the BLOG.

We now have seven couples that have paid their deposits (currently $800 as I understand it). We will require a $500 payment from all couples at our March and all subsequent monthly meetings. (until we have collected what we will need for the compete trip). I believe our newest couple is paid a little ahead (maybe $200) . This payment in March will give our Purser (Amy) the cash to make the required payment in March of the additional 15%. This will bring our total payments to VIP to 25% of the cruise (about $6200). A final 75% payment is required in August (90 days before sailing). Our current payment schedule ($500 per month per couple) will provide for this.

Just to make things absolutely clear, NOBODY going on the cruise gets a penny from our account. Every dollar will be used for payment of items we are required to pay for to make the trip possible. Every penny will be accounted for to every person. This account will be used for the following items:

• Boat rental to VIP
• Boat insurance to VIP
• Boat fuel
• Purchase water for the boat
• Payment of moorage
• Payment of tourist taxes (BVI)
• Payment for provisioning of the boats. Food, booze and supplies.
• Any money not spent on these items will be returned to you after the cruise on a "pro-rata" basis.

All cruisers will be separately responsible for payment of any food and beverages consumed on shore. You will also need to pay for any activities of your choice, IE: scuba diving, renting a little sailboat, jet skis, ferry rides, rental chairs at beaches, rental cars (Except for the car we use in Saint Thomas to get us to the boat and provision the boats, if we all agree to share this cost). You will also need to allow for purchases you will make of souvenirs, bail money, and toys you will want (floaties for example).

You will need to pay for your hotel at the beginning and end of the trip...if you stay in Saint Thomas. BTW, I have committed to getting us the best deal (price-value) for a hotel on the last night (Thanksgiving Thursday) at one hotel (makes transportation easier) once we have all of our cruisers on board. As far as I know, everybody is planning to depart Saint Thomas on Friday the 23rd of November. Please wait to make this hotel reservation. Barbara, Rick and I will pay for our own hotel on Thursday night the 8th of November when we go early to secure provisions and receive our skipper training. I do not remember if G&D are arriving in Saint Thomas on Thursday or Friday the 9th. Please let me know in your comments. All cruisers will be able to "Sleep - A -Board" boat #2 on Friday and Saturday nights at no additional cost.

There is a small hospital in Saint Thomas if we need. All health care in the Virgin Islands is less sophisticated than what we find at home so don't get sick or hurt...but if you do you might want to find out about your insurance providers policy coverage in the Virgin Islands. Remember you may need a helicopter to get to the hospital quickly so this might be something to ask about also. Just trying to be cautious, ya never know.

BACK TO THE CABINS...
With seven couples this leaves open just the single (Mid - Forward) cabin on Boat # One (unnamed). After that cabin is taken we will have two full boats and a great cast of characters. Also, there are two bunks in a small room (closet) in the aft cabin of each of the boats.

There has been talk of Velecia Williams (a friend of P&B) joining us on Boat #2 in one of the bunks. If she is able to make the trip she would use the head in our (P&B's) cabin.

Fears of needing a smaller boat have certainly been put to rest by now. We can now concentrate as a group on just how much booze it will take to keep us floating for two weeks. I for one am working on a system to haul aboard a 50 gallon keg of Caribbean Coconut Rum and lash it to the poop deck. I know it only comes in bottles but it sounds fun to say it anyway.

With this posting I will be updating our Cabin Assignment posting. I hear Amy will be posting an update of our finances soon. This will show where your money is going.

Aye Aye,

Pat

TOURIST TIPS IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

Keep Left - we drive on the left side of the road (steering wheels are also on the left). Pedestrians - before crossing the street look to your right - that is where the traffic is coming from

Before you do business of any kind ( ordering a burger, buying a hat, hailing a taxi etc. ) say "Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening (at the appropriate times of course) and you will be amazed at the better service you will receive in return. Also at night time "Good Night" is used as a greeting! It is difficult to say "Good Night" when you enter a room but you will give the impression that you have been here awhile.

When in town, government buildings, and restaurants don't go shirtless or in your bathing suits. Not only is it frowned upon by locals it is also illegal and can result in a fine!

Alcohol - we have very liberal drinking laws in the islands. You may walk around the streets with a cocktail, you may enter a bar or restaurant with a cocktail (as long as you have the courtesy to buy your next one there), you may even get in your car and drive with a cocktail in hand. Here's the catch - you can drink and drive but you cannot drive drunk. You would be surprised how very few drunk driving accidents occur here. Drinking age is 18. The Virgin Islands is also a place where you can drink outside & smoke inside. A bottle of rum at KMart is around $3 and a carton of cigarettes is around $12.

Do not expect anything to happen in a hurry around here. The more anxious, obnoxious, or in a hurry you appear the less likely you will get service. Not only did God send you here to soak up the sun and relax She (or He) sent you here to teach you patience. Oh and "fast food" - well, isn't.

Wear sun screen! It is painful for locals to watch very white people become very red people.

Do not ask a local if they live here. If someone is working here (as a bartender, clerk, taxi driver , etc.) then we guarantee you that they do not commute from Atlanta every day... yes they live here! - It is acceptable to ask "How long have you lived here? or "Do you live here year round?" (some people do work here seasonally).
Do not ask, "Do these islands float?", "Are these islands here year round?", "Does the water go all the way around the island?" " Can you swim underneath the islands?" "Why are all the boats in the harbor pointed in the same direction?" "Is there a bus to take you to Puerto Rico?" Enough said about that.
Do ask the locals, "Where is a good place to eat?" "What's your favorite snorkel spot?" "Where's the best place to by cameras, liquor, jewelry etc.?" We love it here and will happily share our favorite places.

Basically kick back, enjoy, relax - no worries, no hurries.

OUR BOAT IS POPULAR ! !

A competitor of VIP offers one Tarquin that is an exact copy of our boat. They call it a trader 585. This is the schedule of available dates in 2007. As you can see it is a good thing we booked when we did. VIP says all three of their Tarquin 59's are in constant use. They need an investor to purchase another one for them.

There is an article in a recent edition of Voyaging Magazine (fall 2006). The author is on our boat and takes our cruise. He recommends extra time in Virgin Gorda's East Sound. I'm gitten wrapped around the axel. I better stop. 272 Days til the cruise.


http://www.powell-graphics4.com/calendar/2098/calendar.cgi?uid=42


Pat

O' by the way, I will continue to make changes to the Official Itinerary after getting input from each of you. I
expect we will make improvements to the schedule and activities for the next nine months.


There have been concerns about getting quality cuts of meat that we would recognize. USDA choice is a proper requirement. We can get these items in Saint Thomas at Cost-U-Less. Here is their site.

http://www.costuless.com/products.php?l=2&subsection=Meat&id=21

There ore other higher cost options we can use later in the week in the BVI's

NEWS FLASH ! ! !

Ladies and Gentlemen we have our sixth couple joining Caribbean Cruise 2007. Welcome Dale and Kay Robertson (D&K) to our November cruise in paradise. They have booked their flights to Saint Thomas to arrive on Friday the 9th and return on Friday the 23rd. They have not picked a cabin as of yet. They are planning to sleep-a-board on Friday the 9th and help with provisioning and our skipper checkouts on Saturday the 10th. Once they pick their cabin we can assign them duties and titles.

With the addition of our sixth couple I have great confidence we will have 8 couples for the cruise and probably have to tell some friends there is no more room.

MORE NOTES ABOUT THE CRUISE....

I intend to rent a car in Saint Thomas when Barbara, Rick and I arrive on Thursday. I hope to find a large enough vehicle to accommodate the transportation of all cruise members (not at one time) this would eliminate the need to pay for a taxi. My plan is to rent the car from Thursday 2:20 PM (our arrival) to Saturday afternoon. This would facilitate our provisioning and transportation to the boat for all and to and from our Hotel (Barbara, Rick and me) on Thursday night / Friday morning. I will inform you on the BLOG of my progress in finding a suitable vehicle for this purpose.

I spoke with Nori to get an update on our confirmation of our charter dates. She informed me (new news) that our second boat that we requested for a Saturday Night sleep-a-board will not be available as it is returning from mechanical service with the owner on Saturday and will not be ready before Sunday morning. DO NOT DESPAIR ! ! I am sure we can fit everybody aboard the first boat that we (P&B, Rick Lester, G&D and D&K) will be sleeping-a-board on Friday. After we complete our skipper checkouts (Rick Lester and I) on Saturday we will find a slip in the Crown Marina in Charlotte Amalie. This marina is less than 2 miles from the airport. One of our Friday sleep-a-boards could drive the rental car for the round trips necessary to transport all Saturday arrivals (T&L, S&P and Amy so far) to the boat. We might even find having all 16 of us aboard for the first night might be fun! We would need extra bedding or sleeping bags (for three couples - remember we have the two bunk beds available) but surely this will be less expensive than hotel rooms. If anyone would not want to do this they could stay in a hotel on Saturday night in town.

We will need a complete list of provisions for our departure from our cook(s) before we travel. This will allow us (the Friday sleep-a-boards) to acquire the items on Friday or Saturday for delivery on Saturday/Sunday to our boats. So far our Cook and Bartenders are Todd and Lysa. Hopefully we will have a Cook for the other boat. However our menus will be such that Lysa and Todd could provide a list to review at our next meeting at Greg and Darcy's

I know there is a great desire on the part of our fellow travelers to have every detail prepared in advance, including our itinerary. This is the purpose of our BLOG and our monthly meetings. Rest assured we will not go without an agreed upon itinerary months in advance. I hope to have a good outline of our itinerary completed at the next meeting. I will plan on being prepared for this goal. Please call me if you have any special desires. I might even publish on the BLOG a rough draft before the meeting.

On another note, I was informed by Nori that "rafting" of the two boats is not allowed. I am sure we can find many ways to share our fun from one boat to the other. Many of the couples have "walkie-talkie" type radios. I recommend one in each cabin. I have a couple of sets to share if needed. We should bring them to the next meeting to make certain they will all communicate with each other. Please post a comment if you have radios to bring.

I hope everyone finds the monthly meetings useful. I know it seems we don't do much. I believe having the meetings allows us to get comfortable with each other before the cruise. This way there won't be such a "culture shock" when we get on the boats. Planning for the trip is at least half of the fun.

Until next time...

Pat

BOAT NAMES

Hello,

I had a conversation with Nori of VIP yesterday. I asked her if the boats had names. She said yes. I asked her what they were and she replied that she could not tell us. She explained that in the past they have told charter guests the boat names and they would arrive with hats or shirts with the boat name on them. They were disappointed to find VIP needed to swap boats for the charter because of a mechanical or some other need. Nori explained that they have three Tarquin 59’s and they cannot predict which boat we will get. So, we will have to give the boats our own names.

Pat

CRUISING TAX IN THE BVI'S

Hey Amy,

I just checked and the BVI tourism guys say we will pay $.75 per person per day cruising tax. Off season you know! We will be in the BVI's 8 or 9 days. With 12 cruisers that comes to $72.00 or $81.00 for all. This is good news. I will try to help nail down other costs for water, mooring, docking and fuel with more certainty.

I don't know of any tax in the USVI's.

To be Continued............

SEATTLE BOAT SHOW SEMINAR ON CRUISING THE BVI'S

Mark Bunzel (a noted BVI sailing oracle) will be giving a seminar on chartering a boat in the BVI's at the Seattle Boat Show on Wednesday the 31st of January at 7:00 PM. Barbara and I will be there. This is just days before our meeting on the 3rd of February. If anyone would like to ride share / save on parking and go with us please let us know. 206-799-0100 or on the Blog!


Pat

MORE INFORMATION TO DROOL OVER

Here are some of the more popular websites and location phone numbers in the BVI's

This is a good source of info and pictures to help us plan the itinerary of our dreams.

If you have more please share them with the crew!

Calling anyone in the BVI's is easy! Just dial 1 the area code 284 and the BVI number. From most cell phones and Vonage it is free.

TOURIST INFORMATION:
http://www.bvitourism.com/ I noticed under the heading of USEFUL INFORMATION they have indicated a chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous meets regularly if anyone wants to schedule their meetings in advance.

http://www.bviwelcome.com/

http://www.b-v-i.com/ http://reservationsbvi.com/

http://www.bvibeacon.com/main/ http://www.villagecay.com/

http://www.nannycay.com/



CHARTER COMPANIES:
http://www.moorings.com/ http://www.virgintraders.com/

http://www.ed-hamilton.com/ http://www.bareboatsbvi.com/ use this site to see the Bomba Shack and they also have a Tarquin 59. They call it a Trader 585

http://www.sunsail.co.uk/yachts/destinations/caribbean/british_virgin_islands


RESTAURANTS:
http://www.pussers.com/ http://www.brandywinebay.com/

http://www.foxysbar.com/

The Last Resort: 284-495-2520
Fat Hog Bob's: 284-495-1010
Capriccio di Mare: 284-494-5369


Here is the begining of a list for the USVI's (I don't think we will spend much time in the US. - - maybe two nights at the begining and two or three at the end of our trip).

http://www.usvi.net/

PAYMENTS, CABIN SELECTION, ETC

Hello,

Barbara and I agree with the $500 per month payments. This will keep us on track financially.

On the other note, we do need to hear from Rick and Kathy.

As for the two additional couples I feel strongly that we can and should wait until we are required to pay the additional 15% deposit before we give up on a second large boat. We will have plenty of time after March 8th to move two of our couples to a smaller (less expensive) boat. There are a number of advantages in having two boats of the same size. Rafting will be easier, The partying would be shared equally between the boats. All cruisers would have similar cabins to share. We have a number of candidates for the last two positions and I really would like to give them the time to decide without pressure.

An additional topic for our next meeting could be setting a different price for the 4th (slightly smaller) cabin on the 59 Tarquin. I think a reduction of approximately 15% of the average price would be fair. This 15% would be paid by the three other couples. My math would have this number @ $390 discount for the cabin with three other couples paying about $130 more. As I recall three cabins are about equal in size. The difference with the fourth cabin is the ceiling height over half of the bed and this is the only cabin without a “walk-around” bed. But this is just from my memory, maybe Todd or Lysa can recall the room in better detail. Maybe I’m making something out of nothing. I just know (now that I'm 52 years old) that some people need to get up one or more times in the night and a "walk-around" bed is more convenient for this purpose. I don’t want anyone to feel slighted on the cruise. This is my idea I would like to put up for a vote at our next meeting. Maybe $390 is not enough of a discount, maybe to much. The question I ask myself is “how much of a discount would I need to accept the smaller room”? Perhaps someone will jump on the discounted cabin. Who knows?

We also may want to select cabins at that meeting. Perhaps we can agree or draw straws, roll dice, arm wrestle. Maybe one couple would prefer the discounted cabin. I know Todd and Lysa have made it clear they would need one of the three other cabins. Barbara and I would prefer the aft cabin or the “V” berth, I believe TL would like the mid cabin, just forward of the aft cabin. This would be on boat #1(unnamed).

BTY, I want to encourage ALL couples to participate in posting and commenting in and on our blog. This blog is for EVERYONE going on the cruise. We need to hear from all of you. If anyone needs help getting started please feel free to call me at 206-799-0100 and I will be glad to help you.

PS:

Barbara and I just received the cruising documents from VIP. We will share these with all at the 2-3-2007 meeting. We will need info from each of you at that time.

Barbara and I are looking forward to our next meeting at our house on February Third @ 6:00 PM.