Not sure Ram Head is what Helen Keller had in mind when she said the above , but its a pretty good description of what this south east point on St John , USVI has been doing for thousands if not millions of years, standing over 100 feet tall and looking straight ahead across the ocean .
This viewpoint is from the end of the peninsula looking back at St. John. It is accessible from Ram Head trail which can in turn be reached from the road or one of the lovely moorings in the calm bays seen in the upper left corner of the picture . To the right is Drunk Bay . You don’t want to swim or anchor there but it’s only a short hike and is spectacular in its ruggedness.
People who drink to drown their sorrow should be told that sorrow knows how to swim.
Ann Landers
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Drunk bay is on of my favorite places anywhere, because its so unexpected . Walk a couple hundred yards from the beautiful quintessential white sand and calm turquoise water of Salt Pond Beach and you will find yourself on a rugged coastline of spectacular beauty and variety. A few thousand miles to the east is the continent of Africa. In between is water , lots of water which is perhaps how this place got its name . Not because this is the place to overindulge in Cruzan rum but because a long time ago someone met their unfortunate watery demise here. Drunkne is the Danish word for drown .
Please don’t drop her. SeaSea arrived in Guadeloupe at 6am , Tuesday January 14 2020.
Interesting job unloading ships. My uncle Harry used to operate a crane at the port of Baltimore. His greatest fear was that someone on the hook end would overload the crane and the whole thing would go tumbling forward. Never happened. SeaSea survived her little flight off the deck as well.
“No one likes change but babies in diapers.” Barbara Johnson
Sea Sea in Fountaine Pajot Factory . Photographer unknown
1/12/2020
Curious thing about banks , before they are willing to loan a large sum of money they want evidence that the asset they are funding actually exist. This is proof of the existence of hull number 67.
“There are many spokes on the wheel of life . First we’re here to explore new possibilities”
Ray Charles
January 11, 2020
Sea Sea is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. As of this writing her position is N 22° 49′ 27.58″ W 049° 30’52.19″, as denoted by the blue arrow on the map. On December 28, the vessel departed from La Rochelle, France as a passenger aboard the general cargo ship “Impala”. She’s on a course of 237° at 11.8 knots and scheduled to arrive in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, on January 14 at 6 am . A professional delivery crew will sail her on her own hulls to her new home , CYOA in St. Thomas, USVI.
Most of her commissioning , bottom paint, solar panels , rigging was completed at Uchimata Sailing Services in France . Upon arrival in St Thomas she her natural gas system will be converted to propane and she will be fitted with such amenities as a convection microwave and flat screen TV , decadent yes, but necessary to watch DVDs of Captain Ron . Soon she will be ready to explore new possibilities.
This little project of ours started just about a year ago. At times it does not seem possible that it is actually happening . Our 23,000 pounds of svelte fiberglass reinforced plastic has started her journey. Somehow, it seems appropriate that our life course correction is occurring in the first year of the new decade. Here’s looking forward to good times and good friends . Happy New Year.
“Concealing an illness is like keeping a beach ball under water. “
Karen Duffy
So if sailing is an affliction our relapse started a few years ago with a trip back to the Islands. In our early years Sandy and I had vacationed in the Bahamas and honeymooned on St. Thomas. Then came the financial decision to distance ourselves from boating and our beloved Chesapeake Bay. We know some people manage to do it on the cheep, but for most, boats and waterfront property have a way of draining a bank account. We stayed nearby, but far enough that for a few decades large bodies of water were largely out of a sight and out of mind.
In the year 2014 we were invited, by our dear friends the Joneses, which to protect the innocent may or may not be their real name, to a beautiful vacation home located in St. John, USVI. Guess what? St. John is an Island. It is in the middle of a big wet mess of the bluest turquoise water you ever want to see. Boats of all shapes and sizes float there, lots of them. We hire a blue catamaran, Calypso, and do some sailing and snorkeling on a gray drizzly day. No matter the weather, it was a glorious time. Little did we realize, this little nautical outing was akin to handing an ex-smoker a cigarette. One won’t hurt. Yes it does.
Calypso 2014
Top photo is of “The Baths” , British Virgin Islands 1986.
It is a time honored tradition that mariners name their vessels after the love of their lives. In keeping with this tradition our sailing craft, which does not yet exist, will be named SeaSea after my dear wife, Sandy. The name, not obvious, is a nickname given her years ago by her then preschool niece and nephew who found it much easier to say than “aunt Sandra”. Some poetic license was taken with the spelling, but to this day she is known in certain circles as SeaSea.
The significance of the location in the feature image above will be revealed in the next post.
“The seeds of our destiny are nurtured by the roots of our past. “
Master Po.
Boats are supposed to be holes in the water into which money is thrown and yet we bought a boat. How did this happen? Well let’s just blame it on dad . He grew up on an island , moved to the states, became successful and bought a boat . His first boat was an O’day Sprite, a 10 foot sailing vessel, that had no given name, but it became known as the little green boat because, you guessed it , it was green. He learned to sail this boat and he taught us. Sailing was his thing , his passion.
In lieu of little league, he enrolled us kids in the junior racing program at Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis. Like it or not we became sailors. A succession of larger boats followed. We grew up. I sailed for a very informal college sailing team. We coached ourselves, which was fun, but a little chaotic as can be seen form the photo above. I finished school and intentionally quit sailing. Why ? Because boats are holes in the water into which money is thrown. I could not throw a ball and chose not to throw money. I would be financially responsible.
But that was then and now is now. The thinly veiled secret that I kept from myself, for years, is out. I’m returning to the water. My past is my past. My destiny is my destiny. They are connected and I can not keep the seeds of Master Po from sprouting.
O’Day Sprite Sailboat Sales Information and Specifications (1966)
O’Day Sprite Designed by Bob Baker
Pretty and practical, the Sprite is fast becoming the nation’s number one junior trainer.
Her convertible rig makes it easy for the beginner to learn to sail with a single sail as a catboat and then gain experience with two sails (mainsail and jib) simply by moving the mast back to make a sloop rig.
Safe and stable, she is extremely portable and easily carried by two people.
Ideal for junior club racing fleets, the Sprite is the least expensive way to get youngsters started in the wonderful, fun filled sport of sailing. Designed by Bob Baker.
Sailing is a cinch with an O’Day Sprite, the perfect boat to get youngsters started. Lively, stable and easy to handle, she’ll give the beginner a wide range of sailboat “feel”.
She can be rigged as a cat or easily changed to a sloop, and she flys a spinnaker smartly for exciting downwind sailing, a delight for the kids with racing in mind.
Her hull is completely fiberglass with built-in floatation tanks forward and aft. She will easily float her crew if swamped. Super-finished outside and extra-smooth inside, she’s strong, lightweight and requires minimum maintenance (seasonal scrub-down and she’s ready to go). Easily car-topped, ideal for the beach and no problem to store.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Length: 10′ 2″
Sail Area: 63 sq. ft. *Dacron Sails
Beam: 4′ 9″ Rigged for Spinnaker
Draft: centerboard up 3″; down 3′ 5″
Weight Complete: Approx. 150 lbs.
Optional Propulsion: Rec. up to 3 hp 0/B motor
CONSTRUCTION:
Fiberglass hull and deck, alum. mast and boom, SS stays, pivoting rudder and centerboard, vinyl gunwale guards, drain plug, dacron lines, molded in colors, bow eye, bright hardware, molded in waterline stripe, oar lock sockets, styrofoam flotation.
Sales Information:
Length: 10′ 2 ”
Hull Color Options: Light Blue, Turquoise, Red or Yellow
Deck Color: White
Price List:
Complete boat less sails: $ 575.00
Dacron Main and Jib (including sail#): $ 72.00
Spinnaker: $ 35.00
Spinnaker Gear: $ 20.00
Lifting Ring: $6.50
Crating Charge (If Necessary): $25.00
Find out more about the O’Day Sprite and other O’Day boats. Mail the coupon or see your nearby O’Day dealer today.
Source: 1966 O’Day Fleet Catalog and Price List Flyer.
Truth be told this page is a sample kickoff page from the good folks at WordPress. Rather than figure out how to delete it, we will make it our own, nice quote, photo and all. This blog is going to be about an adventure that has yet to be, told one little anecdote at a time.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Sailing Sea Sea 