Secret Harbour

Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness.

bRYANt H. Hill

I can’t tell you where this is because, well, it’s a secret, a secret harbour. But, I will tell you it’s on the south shore of St Thomas, you won’t find it on any chart, at least not by the name Secret Harbor which is the unofficial name of this place. There are private moorings here but limited space for boats on the hook, which is your only option if one of those moorings is not yours; nevertheless, if you get a spot, it’s a beautiful place to spend the night—tired of galley duty? The on the beach restaurant will happily take care of you.

Look closely at the powerboat moored close to the beach on the left side of the top photo. That’s a dive boat operated by Aqua Action Dive Center. They will also happily take care of you. Not a certified diver? Not a problem. They have on-site instructors who will get you in the water on the same day. For divers like me, who haven’t donned a tank in a few years, they offer a brief refresher course. It consists of a short lecture, a safety film, and a shallow water check-out from the beach.

As fun and simple as a snorkel can be, the complexities and logistics of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus are definitely worth the trouble. It’s a bit of a paradox, but all that clumsy gear opens up a whole new level of underwater freedom. Deeper reefs become accessible. Half of the scenery in the islands is under water, and you don’t want to miss it. The Aqua Action Dive Center folks take you to the good spots; they rent the gear and literally do the heavy lifting with a smile. They come highly recommended.

I don’t trust my snorkeling camera at diving depths, so here are some shots from a previous dive, but no worries they are all from the USVIs.

Carribean Reef Squid

The only thing we have to fear is a giant wheelchair-crushing squid.

Well… uh… actually, I guess that’s the only thing I have to fear.

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

Curious creatures, these luminous swimmers be. Forward and backward, gliding effortlessly with the smoothest of directional shifts, they keep a giant eye focused on the floating human while maintaining a short but cautious distance. Which is stranger? Ten tentacles and undulating fins or a single air-filled glass eye and strap on rubber fins. I suspect each contestant would vote for the other in such a contest.

Before we cast our vote, let’s consider a few weird facts: On the one hand, the Caribbean reef squid has an enormous eye-to-body size ratio, the grandest of any land or sea creature. They also have chromatophores and iridophores that glow and change colors. They can leap out of the water like a flying fish and die after reproducing. On the other hand, depending on gender, snorkelers are known to shave their faces or armpits. They snore, fart, get bored, dream, sleep, kiss, worry, skydive, and snorkel. Perhaps, you can see where this is going? By my count, it’s squid nine and snorkeler twelve on the weirdness scale.

See the Chromatophores?

Setting Sail (For First Timers)

A great man is the man who does something for the first time.

Alexander Smith

It’s easy to have more than a few expectations about your charter when you first arrive at its dock.  For a first-timer, the call of the sea can be daunting as you watch it bob your vessel and wonder how well your lunch is going to stay down over the next week or so. Your mental preparedness might have you eager to launch yourself out into the open water before any more doubts enter your mind. You are willing after you you had to do to get to this point (Remember that inconsolable baby on the plane?). You fling yourself on board (don’t worry, you’ll get better at it) and begin stowing your things.  A boat isn’t as forgiving as a resort when it comes to space.  It forces you to rethink your idea of essentials, especially when there is no place to shave that doesn’t move. Razors and and boat movement … hmmm.  So, you’ll be a pirate for a few days (That was the idea anyway, right?).  You have to get used to the cabin situation fast and count your blessings quick.  The SeaSea is better equipped than most.  She’ll treat you right once you get to know her. 

Whenever you think you’re ready, you usually aren’t.  Don’t let the excitement distract you from the little things.  Little things tend to become big things once they are forgotten.  Get your checklist, locate everything, and make sure it works.  You might find yourself out there packed with provisions without any way to use them if your heating elements don’t work. (Actually not a real worry as CYOA has already done this, but no harm being a little OCD) Provisions?  That’s just the nautical term for food.  Did you remember you need that too? GrubHub won’t find you out on the water, so you’re kind of on your own if you aren’t moored or anchored somewhere with restaurants or shops.  Lucky you, St. Thomas has some places to stock up.  Take a cab and your wallet (you’re gonna need it).  Sticker shock is becoming pretty standard in the states these days.  When comparing that to the prices on the Virgin Islands, there probably needs to be a new term coined.  Maybe something akin to “price tag concussion.”  You’ll have to get over it quickly because there’s not much you can do about it, except maybe grab an extra bottle of rum to help lessen the blow. Rum is cheap in the islands.

Back at the dock, the provisions are stowed.  You’ve finally had enough time to think about having no idea what you are actually doing.  Fear not.  As the saying goes, “We’re all on the same boat.” Just be sure that the boat has a capable Captain, which basically means anyone but you (for now). Depending on your charter’s scheduled departure, you may be spending the night docked.  If so, you’ll have even more time to familiarize yourself with the boat and get your head wrapped around things. Another suggestion is to take advantage of walking on some stable ground.  CYOA has a few restaurants within walking distance.  The French Quarter Bistro is highly recommended.  There are no promises on how stable the ground will be on the walk back to the dock after a couple of Painkillers though. 

The morning just before you start out goes quick.  You double-check.  Then triple-check. Then you are forced to resolve to the idea that if you forgot about anything, you probably didn’t really need it anyway.  The CYOA crew will skillfully get you off the dock (think maneuvering a house in a tight parking lot), but from that point on, you and your crew are on your own and finally sailing SeaSea.   Eric.

Eric

We have a new contributor, who is in the process of writing a series of posts from the prospective of the brand new sailor. His dad is noticing for the first time that the OCD trait appears to have been passed to the next generation . Bill

Barracuda

The books all say that barracuda rarely eat people, but very few barracuda can read. — Dave Barry

These guys get a lot of respect in this world. Think of it: cars, hard drives, security networks, books, and songs all carry their name. They are the bad boys of the sea. Eyes wide open, the new snorkeler or diver will recount their first encounter. Old-timers still feel the tingle of a meeting and keep their distance, knowing there is no way to counter 30 knots underwater velocity. Fortunately for us, humans are not that tasty. Other fish may not be so lucky; The smaller ones risk being swallowed whole, and the larger ones often find themselves bitten in half by 2 rows of teeth before dinner.

So what is the story of the little guy flanking the boss? Opportunity! He’s looking for crumbs. Not in the photo, but this big guy had a whole entourage. It’s a common theme in the natural world. Many species are up for a good scavenger hunt, given the right situation. Think, vultures, hyenas, crabs, lobsters. Perhaps less obvious are bear, lion, shark, eagle, and of course, people. Not to be left out, barracuda are known to follow divers around hoping to steal some spoils. Respect but don’t fear the barracuda. They swim throughout the Caribbean and most warmer oceans. This one was patrolling Frances Bay just a stones throw from the popular Maho Bay Beach on St John.

Only one music video is appropriate here.

Saint John Pumpkins

If you’re ever wondering what to wear, just dress like a pumpkin, you’re good to go.

Devendra Banhart

I’m about to let you in on a bit of a secret. There are pumpkins all over the Caribbean. They hide in plain view, typically on higher ground or a drier microclimate. Botanists who are in on the rouse call them with a wink, Melocactus intortous. The uninitiated think they are cactus and wonder why they are here. ” I’m in the islands; I got here by cruise ship. Aren’t these things supposed to be in the desert?” Well, yes, they are, but these aren’t your typical cacti. These are pumpkins incognito, on vacation, avoiding carving knives and pie makers. They are most definitely trying to stay out of the dessert. Pretty good costume, I’d say. Happy Halloween.

I’ve eaten a lot of pies since the following song came out in 1981.

How Wet Can You Get?

Do you know the phrase, ‘The word ‘water’ will not wet you?’ It’s one thing to write down an idea and another thing entirely to execute it.

Alejandro gonzalez inarritu

Too much screen time lately? YouTube, TV, movies, or don’t say it, video games. All are perhaps redeemable pastimes if they endeavor to spawn ideas or inspire. But eventually, you have to get wet, or things become a little artificial and mundane.


Lately, I’m guilty of spending too much time watching educational pirate videos. I know, that’s odd on a couple of levels, including that the videos even exist. Now, I imagine myself sailing the Islands between 1650 and 1730 during the golden age of pirates. I’m an adept seaman; operating tall ships is my only skill, and tiresome low-level land jobs aren’t available or don’t appeal. Because it is peacetime, nations aren’t funding privateers to harass their enemies, and the navy isn’t hiring. Still, I’d like to continue cruising the islands. YouTube hasn’t been invented yet, so I can’t create a sailing channel to entice paying Patreons. So what do I do? One option is to cruise the islands until provisions get low and find a merchant ship willing to share. It is simple enough to raise a black flag, sometimes adorned with skull and crossbones, to alert passing vessels that I desire supplies. The black color of the flag indicates that I mean no harm to a cooperative crew that is willing to share. It’s understood that I get grumpy with selfish victims who don’t want to play. This ancient game, essentially a nautical version of trick or treat, is still enjoyed in some parts of the world. It is one option for me, an unemployed seafarer until the plundering gets boring, war breaks out, or I get caught and hung.


That is the inspiration, and I’m itching to get wet. I’ll modify the execution in these modern times to avoid being a total pirate copycat and to avoid the risk of hanging. Rather than having a kidnapped musician for entertainment, my vessel will be equipped with a blue tooth-enabled stereo. It will have twin auxiliary engines, air-conditioning, electric winches, refrigeration, electric freshwater heads. A happy, comfortable crew is much less likely to stage a mutiny. When provisions are low rather than hoist a Jolly Rogers, I’ll just sail to port and raise the credit card from my wallet at the grocery or restaurant.


Notice that Mr. Chesney has a black flag, not a red one. He means no harm to a cooperative crew.

Three Gray Lines

Companies and capital operate internationally, often beyond the economic reach of any particular nation-state. People are pretty global , too, living lives that freely cross national borders

Chrystia Freeland

It is a  strange pastime, but  I’ve been looking at nautical charts lately. They are full of cryptic symbols and squiggly lines, all of which have a deeper meaning for those willing to take a close look and do a little research. Those mariners who manage to keep their vessels off the rocks recognize the symbols representing the aids to navigation and the soundings. But what about some of that other stuff. What exactly does that gray line interrupted by little fishies represent? The three nautical mile line and twelve nautical mile territorial sea line are also gray, and their meaning seems self-explanatory, but what exactly is their significance. Call me a nerd, but I looked it all up. 

The gray line interrupted by little fishies between St John and Tortola marks the Exclusive Economic  Zone. Typically this extends 200 miles out to sea from the coastal state, but when neighboring nations are close together, they draw a  line down the middle and call it a day. In this situation, the British have economic dibs on everything to the right, and the  Americans have economic dibs on everything to the left. This 200-mile line is a big deal and changed almost overnight in the mid-1970s by a  UN  resolution. Before this, commercial fishing vessels would travel across oceans to fish close to the shores of distant nations.  A problem because there was no practical way to enforce fishing limits and maintain sustainable fisheries. A surprise to me, but there was widespread if not universal agreement.  Perhaps nations that did not gain from a fisheries standpoint saw it as a way to keep foreign oil rigs from springing up off their coast, but that is speculation on my part. 

Also by UN agreement, the territorial sea extends  12 nautical miles from the shoreline of a coastal State. Within this zone, the coastal State has full sovereignty and may legislate on matters as they see fit without obligation to make these rules compliant with international standards, other than allowing the innocent passage of surface vessels.

So what about the 3-mile line?  In 1608, Hugo Grotius published in his book MARE LIBRUM the idea that the oceans belonged to all states equally. He supported the premise that all vessel have the right to navigate and fish without interference. He allowed for a territorial sea belt for self-defense of 3 nautical miles, which was about the maximum range of the cannons at the time. The use of the oceans for the next three and a half centuries was bound to this legal framework. Now, the  3-mile line marks the boundary beyond which we can empty our holding tanks without fear of being fired upon by cannons.

Rock Carvings

Our ancestors are totally essential to our every waking moment, although most of us don’t even have the faintest idea about their lives, their trials, their hardships or challenges.

Annie Lennox

The Petroglyphs

I first visited this site near Reef Bay St John USVI in 2014 to find a young gentleman enjoying this serene spot. We exchanged a few pleasantries for five minutes or so when he noticed my camera and offered to move so I could get a better shot of the petroglyphs. I sheepishly explained that I’d been trying to think of a polite way to take his picture as he looked perfect sitting there. He obliged by posing for several photos, then explained that he could trace his lineage to the Taino Amerindians who carved these images sometime between AD 900 and 1200.

2 island natives. One of them goes way back .

I’ve been back several times, as this is a special place.

Indigenous Americans, including those of the Caribbean, believe that the natural world and the supernatural world are intricately intertwined. They hold high regard for their ancestors and believe that communication with them is possible. Ceramic artwork found in archeological sites in Puerto Rico depict human faces with bat noses, odd perhaps, but this makes perfect sense if one believes the human spirit can physically cross from the supernatural side to the natural side in the form of a bat. In Taino culture, bats were respected, revered, and feared. Is it a coincidence that the petroglyphs in this area are all in caves or adjacent to pools of water? Nope. Where do bats hang out? In caves and, in the evening, over pools of water where all the bugs are. So, if you are going to carve pictures of your revered ancestors with hopes of gaining supernatural knowledge, you do so where they come to hang out. And if you are particularly creative, you put the carvings near the water’s edge to get a reflection representing the duality of the natural and supernatural. Neat huh?

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So how do you get there ?

The easy way is to grab one of the National Park Service day morning buoys in Reef Bay, dinghy in to the beach near the Reef Bay Plantation then take Reef bay trail inland, there will be a well marked spur to the left that takes you to the petroglyphs .

The more difficult land route is to catch the Reef Bay trail head on centerline road, there is space for a few cars , take the trail downhill to the sea, of course coming from the other side the spur will be to the right. The hard part is, well , going back up. St John in mountainous.

Parting thoughts.

Visit the petroglyphs with friends, and when the conversation turns to the origin of the carvings, even though you now know better, volunteer that ancient space aliens came to St John to go snorkeling, and when they got tired, carved their pictures on the rocks. Snorkeling space aliens, that’s what they look like to me. It’s plausible or not.

Here is Annie Lennox again:

The last Straw … in a good way

Attitude and enthusiasm play a big part of my life.I get excited about things that inspire me .

Dwayne Johnson

My sister in law, Nora , has accused me of being a rotating hobbyist . Mr. Webster says “a hobby is an activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure”, if this is so then I have five main hobbies, four of which were part of the rotation by age twelve. I’m almost always intensely enthusiastic about one or two of these. Eventually my attention turns, but like the spokes of a wheel, quite reliably my interest does circle back again. Of course, It’s sailing and to a lesser degree photography that pertain here.

The original plan was to leave sailing behind but that was not to be. Several events made it increasingly obvious that I needed all five spokes. The final straw came in the form of a 33 foot World Cat known as Catzilla, which ironically isn’t even a sailboat. She is owned and operated by Katie and Joe, two of the nicest people on St John. We chartered their boat a couple of times, fell in love with the islands and knew the islands needed to be a bigger part of our lives. They were gracious enough to meet with us to discuss the charter industry and other things St John. Ultimately , it made more sense for us to have a sailing vessel that we could live aboard than a day boat. However , I suspect that is not the situation of most people. If you only have a day, and are looking to experience the islands by boat, which you really must, I highly recommend you give Katie and Joe a holler at Love City Excursions to see all the options they have available and to book “the best day of your vacation”. You won’t regret it. I promise. The following pictures will give you a tiny glimpse of the possibilities .

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Some times it just take the just a little bit of encouragement to “Let my heart take me where it wants to go “.

Moon Jellies

Comic by Scott Nickel

We are all jellyfish, too pitiful and too afraid of being disliked to be honest.

May Sarton

Ouch, as true as it may be, May Sarton’s quote really stings. The good news is that the moon jelly pictured above has really short tentacles, is rather poor a hugging and as far as stinging goes is pretty weak. So no excuses, everyone into the pool or ocean at the case may be!

Not all sea nettles are as benign as this one, I recall what a nuisance the Chesapeake bay version* was when I was a kid . Those have long tentacles that are great at wrapping around arms and legs . Since visibility in the cloudy water of the bay is limited at best, particularly in summer, those big bad hugs were often big bad surprises. Unlike the Caribbean, where swimming is a year round pleasure , the season is quite a bit shorter up north. Just about the time the water becomes nice and comfortable those nasty , nasty sea nettles were entering the free swimming medusa stage of their life cycle. By the forth of July swimming becomes an at your own risk proposition. We would use spotters but due to water clarity, or lack thereof , there were no guarantees. Yeah, I know there are jelly fish in the waters of Australia that will kill you so I shouldn’t be complaining.

That said there is a certain gracefulness to these creatures, they truly go with the flow and its hard to imagine their neural networks experiencing much stress. Their lifecycle is truly bizarre and a grad student in China recently discovered the things can actually age backward – sort of. They wave been around for 500 million years and are the oldest multi organ creature. They are 97% water and of low nutritional value. Despite this sea turtles and sunfish enjoy dining on them. According to wikipedia the moon jellies pictured here are considered to be edible. 321 thousand metric tons of edible jellies, not the bean kind, were harvested globally in 2001. But unlike lion fish I have never seen moon jellies on the menu of any Island menu. Yum. So if you want to give it a go, your adventure will be of the do it yourself variety.

The above video and featured image were taken in the waters off Coki Beach, St. Thomas USVI

It is thought that our oceans may become more gelatinous. While human presence typically has negative consequence on marine life, pollution has reduced the pH of the seas and overfishing has reduced populations of competing species, both to the delight of the jellyfish .

You can find anything on YouTube ( this one is worth a listen but has a little language so be warned )

*In 2017 the Sea nettles in the Chesapeake Bay were determined to be a species separate from the Atlantic Sea Nettle.