Excitement and anxiety as we wait….

The eating area

David: hard at remote work….

We stayed (oh, so reluctantly) at the beautiful Frenchman's Cove (luckily, at the last minute we decided to get this timeshare for David to go ahead of us and have a place to stay). Not a bad thing to say about the folks and the accommodations at the Marriott property. On-site restaurant, pool with kids and adult sections ( and water activities), full beach with rental paddle boards, kayaks, and a water taxi to the downtown area. The suite had so much - full kitchen, sleeping for six or eight, full cable access and wi-fi. We spent our days on the water and our nights watching the Presidential election drama…..

It was about a 1/2 mile walk to the marina, over typical Cruzan roads - no sidewalks, traffic drives on the left and lots of speeding automobiles.....

Charlotte Amalie is fun, even during a pandemic

Although the island had a small amount of people, it was not empty. We did a bit of local “travel”.....first, a great breakfast place, Delly Deck, because that’s what you do on a vacation….

Delly Deck STT.jpg — The good folks at the Delly Deck

Voted **"Best Breakfast of the VI on St. Thomas and Best Johnny Cakes, First place and People’s choice Taste of Two Islands",** by readers of the *VI Daily News*. Delly Deck has been a mainstay in the community since 1976. Good portions, reasonable prices and excellent service.

We visited the north side of the island - Megan’s Bay Beach ….superb swimming beach protected by hills on both sides. Of course: crystal clear water that was warm, rental kayaks and paddle boards, and a beach bar. We ate at a local joint with great salads - Dog House Pub - a little crowded, but we sat near the open window. Walked to Yacht Haven Grande and met the staff to ensure a spot for our new baby. The marina was convenient to provisioning and liquor stores, Moe’s and Pueblo - these would be important in the days to come.

SNAFU’s continue with the delivery

The boat was delayed two days due to customs issues in the BVI. It seems as though the primary captain could not sail to the USVI at all due to immigration issues, so there was a scramble. Finally, on Nov 6, Bubista II made its appearance at Yacht Haven Grande and we met her. As mentioned, the transfer process was similar to receiving an AMAZON delivery. It was put at the dock, tied off, and the captain left on a follow boat. No stepping anywhere on land, only on the dock and only to hand the keys to us. No questions could be answered, no walk through of the boat or any issues. This was very unsatisfying for the amount of money spent. Everything we expected, things generally seemed to work and were present.

Captain(s) arrive and get to work

Amber

We were blessed with the opportunity to have a female captain, this was suggested by our delivery company, At The Helm, to make the passage more comfortable for Kim, in particular.

Graham

Lead captain, spunky Chicagonian with a knack for creativity on the high seas.

As soon as the captains arrived Friday (Graham and Amber), they got to work. Karl Weber from At The Helm, recommended these two for our trip. Since this was Kim’s first long passage, having another female on board was a source of comfort. Walk throughs of the major systems, discussions of do's and don'ts, provisioning tips and testing/checking/listing all the tasks to be accomplished before departure all happened within three hours of their arrival. We were anticipating a Monday departure if the scheduled radar installation went well over Saturday and Sunday.

Time for a little R&R while we are in the VI

Captains: Graham, Amber, Carlos. Crew: David

A great time to get to know the folks you will be travelling and living with over the next 2 weeks.

Graham was a frequent visitor to this part of the world and had a passion for great food. Since we had completed the walk throughs and had a plan for the weekend installation, he initiated and we followed on a jaunt to St. John’s, the smallest of the Virgins Isles. We caught an uber and hopped a very crowded ferry in Red Hook and arrived on ST. John - making reservations at The Longboard,, one of the island’s best. It did mean that we had to wait a couple of hours to be seated, but it was all worth it…

Also in anticipation of departure, we began the provisioning process. Here’s the deal: buy more frozen foods that help to keep the refrigerator cold (freezer on top and cold air spills to the frig! Brilliant!) But, don’t overbuy. Three people went shopping, leading to too much food. We had to eliminate boxes in order to get it all to fit.

Continued to get ourselves prepped for departure - awaiting installation of radar system.

In the next blog:

Radar installation scheduled and completed

Making the move to the boat

Provisioning and space

Old friends heard we were in town

SNAFU with the radar / chartplotter communication

Glad to meet you S/V Bubista II

Days spent to get Bubista II in passage ready shape

Logistics for the delivery of Bubista II