Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

Moored here for the night.

Apparently someone sneaked a peak at my passport as it was lying at the helm and the guests found out my birthday is Sunday. They asked me if I could be anywhere in the islands for my day where would I be (uh STT hello?!?!!?!) but I said it didn't really matter to me, which it doesn't because we are back in the BVI and we can't go back to the US. So they are giving me the day off from cooking on Sunday and they are taking me out to dinner. So nice!

Today we had sub sandwiches and chips and I created the tastiest little dessert! Since the oven is broken I resorted to creativity. After breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs I whipped up my blueberry muffin mix and made silver dollar blueberry muffin pancakes. I set them aside and scooped out about a half a stick of cream cheese into a mixing bowl, added a bit of vanilla, and about 3 tablespoons of sugar and mixed it up with a spoon. I proceeded to build mini blueberry cheesecake sandwiches. I set them in the freezer and I served them after lunch. You should have heard the ooh's and ahh's LOL! I love being a smart ass. After lunch we head out to do some more provisioning and the oven man came to fix the oven. YAY! So now I can proceed with my baking plans. :)

Tonight I am making BBQ pork chops with sauteed yellow squash and zucchini and twice baked potatoes. For an appetizer I am making little caprese salad skewers. They are marinating right now. All I did for that it cube some mozzarella cheese, throw it in a big ziplock bag, add some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, basil flakes and some minced garlic, and halved cherry tomatoes. Then you just shake it up! Let it marinate for a few hours. Then you take some toothpicks, skewer one half of a tom, then a cheese cube then another half a tom. Repeat. TA DA! Easy and delish.

Tonight I think I will take it easy, Hal says he is going into town tonight and coming back in the morning which is fine with me. I can take care of things here. He needs his nights out.

Tomorrow we are off to Marina Cay and monkey point on Guana Island for snorkeling. I assume I will have interwebs there but you never know. I seem to find it in the least likely of places.

Cheers to Maria who is finally where she belongs back at home on Arigato Jack! Possibly the best boat name in the world. Oh so relieved and happy for you!!!

At Jost Van Dyke!

It is day 5 of the charter and we are anchored outside of Foxy's bar. I made bacon wrapped scallops with broc and rice for dinner! I par cooked the bacon to make it easier to handle then I wrapped it around the little scallops and poked a toothpic through. I pan seared them in the same pan I cooked the bacon in so it had a nice bacon flavor, I also added a handfull of minced pineapple to the pan for a sweet kinda hawiian flavor. They loved it. I made burgers and hot dogs for lunch today at White bay, easy. Last night we moored in Maho Bay, St. John. That was great because as soon as I was done cleaning up dinner I hopped in the dingy and buzzed over to Maho Bay Camps where my friends live and work and ended up staying the night there in a tent cabin because I can. This morning in woke up and buzzed back to the boat before the guests woke up. :)

What was for dinner last night you ask? Oh just a deeeeelish chicken carbonara pasta and garlic bread. It was so good, I made it from scratch, I am really impressed with myself. The guests loved it and asked if I would make it again next week! Lunch yesterday was curry chicken salad on a toasted baguette with a greek side salad, romaine and iceberg topped with yellow bell peppers, kalmata olives, cherry tomatos and feta cheese crumbles.

I think tomorrow I will try out the pancake adventure again now that I have the tools I need. We are headed to Soper's Hole, Tortola to do some more shopping in the morning then we will head over to Cane Garden Bay, Tortola and anchor for the day and night if it's not too swelly. The waves have been big and the Christmas winds are here so finding a smooth place to spend the night is key. Cane Garden Bay is home to the infamous Bomba's Shack which serves majic mushroom tea during the full moon party every month.

I will write again soon as I can!

Internet for a few Seconds!!!

Ok, quickly.

Breakfast was a near disaster yesterday as I realized this boat was not equipt with the proper utinsels to cook breakfast... a.k.a. a skillet and proper spatula. And I forgot to get the Pam, which my mom will tell you is very important!!! "DID YOU SPRAY THE PAN?!!?!!?" So after a botched attempt at butter in a large pan and a shitty spatula and disgusting looking pancakes, I resorted to toast, fried eggs, bacon and a fruit plate. They were totally understanding. The dad was like "hey, if you haven't the proper tools how can we expect you to make things like that? Don't worry Jo, everything looks beautiful!" I tell ya, I am so blessed.

Ok, We took the ferry from Tortola to St. John so the guests could get their US visa's and I could show them around the town of Cruz Bay while Hal brought the boat over. They walked around while I scoped out places to get the last few things on my shopping list. We went to the Westin Resort to meet Hal at 3pm which is when they do the Iguana feeding at the hotel. Then we went to the boat, I made them a fruit and cheese tray and Hal dingied me to the bay to shop. We stopped for a beer or 3 at the Quiet Mon Pub, an irish pub on a tropical isle. Then we shopped and went back to the boat where I cooked up my speciality.... FAJITAS! I made beef for the parents and chicken for Steffi because she doesn't like beef. I went a bit overboard on the cayanne pepper I think because poor Steffi kept glugging water but she sure stuffed her face with seconds. They are from Scotland originally and said they don't get much mexican food over there but they LOVED it. :)

Today I did blueberry muffins, yogurt, a fruit tray and cereal for breakfast, we are headed to Great St James island for snorkeling this morning. For lunch, it's curry chicken salad sandwiches with chips and dip, and fruit, and a salad, and tonight I am making chicken carbonara pasta.

Dude, I'm a good cook....

Ok, from here we are headed to Francis Bay, St. John for the night then over to Jost Van Dyke and from there I really don't expect to have much service so I will write when I can!

Love ya!

Above, great st james island

p.s.

Y'all really need to start following this blog I found, it's flippin hilarious! Especially today!!!

Toast Floats

Good Morning Campers! (Hi Maria!)

I slept like a rock!

Woke up at 8am to set up an easy breakfast, just cereal, bananna nut bread and a lovely tray of fresh cut fruit and OJ. Figured I would go light because we may be on rough seas today...

The guests are going swimming with the dolphins today which leaves us to get the generator fixed and leaves me time to play my music loud in the galley and get lunch ready.

Today I am making Monte Christo sandwiches and home made potato salad...
And brownies...

We are headed to Pelican Island today and the Indians to do some snorkeling. Then we will spend the night in The Bight at Norman Island. That's where the Willy T is anchored... hmmm...

I won't have interwebs tonight so maybe tomorrow, I think they want to go to St. Thomas tomorrow... Above is a picture of the Willy T, and a favorite pastime of its guests...

Have a good day!

1 day down, 14 to go...

Whew... I am exhausted.

My day in a nutshell...

6am: woke up
7am: caught cab to ferry dock
8am: boarded ferry to Tortola
9am: meet up with Captain Halford
10am: arrive at boat and get acquainted with my surroundings
11am: leave dock and head to Peter Island Resort (big swells)
12pm: arrive at Peter Island
12:15pm: generator bites the big one
12:15pm: Captain Halford goes into a west indian tirade and climbs into the engine room.
1pm: Charter guests arrive, I meet them on the dock and explain that we are having technical difficulties... yadda yadda yadda.
1:30pm: we leave the dock with guests on board and head to Road Town, Tortola to provision while Hal waits on a mechanic
2:30pm: arrive at Village Cay marina and head to the store with guests in tow (BTW they are AWESOME!!! So cool and so nice.)
5:30pm: finally done shopping, even though we didn't get everything on my list, Ron was getting antsy with our 3 shopping carts full of stuff... still, it's stuff we needed.
6pm: load food on boat and then move boat to a different slip to hook up to shore power,mind you I am deckhand in all of this docking and casting off and stuff, I'm not just in the galley.
6:30pm: still putting things away
7pm: start prepping for dinner, realizing all the things that we really needed and didn't buy...
8pm: Dinner is served!

Tonight I made:

Crab Cakes (FROM SCRATCH!!! THEY WERE KICK ASS! I EVEN ATE A BITE OF ONE!)
Green Beans
Roasted corn on the Cob
Corn Bread

Served with a lovely Pinot Grigio!

They loved it! Even the 9 year old said "mum, this is quite nice don't you think?"
:)

They stocked a whole cooler with Heineken for Hal and bought the biggest bottle of Cruzan rum I have ever seen for me... This is the beginning of a beautiful charter.

I am totally exhausted and only had to cook one meal. The good news is, they are not early risers! They wake up at 9am! Thank God!

Now for the best part... I am in my own cabin, lying on a memory foam bed... in the A/C, sipping a glass of wine...

My bed at home sucks so bad. I wanna be on charter forever!

Tomorrow the little girl is going swimming with the dolphins and hopefully Halford will have the genset fixed by the time they get back and we are off to Virgin Gorda I think...

I have internet here at this marina but supposedly we will be anchoring out alot so this might be my last post for a while.

GOOD NIGHT!

I'm shipping off!

I have my big backpack packed up, and sadly, there's not much left in my closet... It's kinda nice living out of a suitcase but sometimes I wish I had an apartment somewhere with my stuff in it, all cozy with a bed that doesn't have springs poking me in my pressure points and pillows that weren't like flat pancakes. I am really looking forward to sleeping in a comfy bed on charter!

I'm not sure if I will have internet access while I am on charter but if I do I will write a little blip if I get a chance. We are picking them up at the exclusive Peter Island Resort, then motoring back over to Tortola to provision.

Awesome news!!! We will be going to ANEGADA!!! That's where the pink flamingos live and it's one of the BVI's I haven't been to yet. I don't know anyone who has been there actually. You can only get there by private boat or sea plane. It's a low lying coral island like Key West, It's not mountainous like the rest of the islands around here. I wish I had a camera. :(

The pic above is Anegada...

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

17 hours till my new adventure begins!

In just 17 short hours I will be on a ferry to Tortola, British Virgin Islands. I am excited and nervous but it will work out just fine. I am headed over to the West End of Tortola, a.k.a. Sopers Hole. That's where Blackbeard the pirate used to keep his fleet of pirate ships! From there my captain will take me to the Charter company office and I will get my uniforms and a little brief on the charter. After that we will head over to Peter Island to pick up the guests. I am a bit nervous but i know I will be ok.

Congrats to Dane who just got a job as the second mate on the schooner Argia in Mystic, CT!!!

OMG MY SHIP HAS COME IN!!!

Hahaha! Not really, but I found a Schooner that I am destined to own! THE HMS PICKLE!!! It's amazing. Now I just need my rum fortune to come rolling in from Cruzan rum and everything will be fine!!! :)

Read about her HERE.

Homework today.

I have been busy planning my meals for the first 7 days of the charter. It's really hard. In the process I forgot to eat lunch. Now I am hungry and have dreams of amazing food dancing in my head after putting together my menus. Too bad I don't have any amazing food.

I think I will whip up some tuna salad on toast with broccoli and cheese soup as a side. Maria got me thinking about broccoli. :)

I need to figure out how I am going to get to town tomorrow to pick up my paycheck from Limnos finally. Gotta pay rent. :(

I have planned Breakfast, Lunch, Appetizers, Dinner and Desserts for 7 whole days and I am exhausted. It's so much food. Now I hear that the family doesn't want me to shop for them like a normal charter, they want to go WITH ME to the store and pick and choose!!! What a pain in the ass!!! This throws everything off. Ugh. I am so stressed.

But this makes me smile... If you haven't taken time to watch Slumdog Millionaire, do it. Now! This is a part of the end credits where all the cast and crew dance to a really cool song!!!



I got a lead on another charter with a different captain from the 28th through the 3rd. Maybe I can book it too. I get back from this one on the 27th... quick turnaround. Then there is another one with him a few days later, a week in mid Jan. If I can line these charters up I can save enough money to have a nice savings when I go back to Florida in March. Fingers crossed.

Schooner Smiles, Winter Wishes.

Here are a few lovely things I have found while perusing my blog-o-sphere. These things made me smile, made me happy, and somewhat transported me into a little bit of the holiday spirit. (Somewhat.) Above is the Schooner Argus in the Baltimore lighted boat parade, when I tried to find info on her it was difficult, and what I found didn't look good. Seems that she fell into disrepair and when they tried to auction her off no one bid. Sad. Supposedly dry docked somewhere in California.

This blog here called Completely Coastal is one of my favorites! I found these great pictures there.

I just imagine this one being towed behind a big beautiful Schooner somewhere in New England.
This is an ornament you can get at Macy's.

Check out Christmas Coast for more awesome nautical Christmas decor!

In other news, here is a bit of St. Thomas trivia: the popular "Fraiser" actor, Kelsey Grammar was born here! His father lived here until he was murdered (go figure) in his own front yard when Kelsey was 13 years old. Upon further reading about Mr. Grammar I found even more HORRIFYING facts, when he was 20, his 19 year old sister was raped and murdered in Colorado and in 1980 his twin half-brother's were both killed in a scuba diving shark attack!!! It's amazing someone with so much tragedy in his life can come out with a smile on his face and laughter in his heart.

I am so thankful for my friends and family.

Merry Christmas from the Islands...

Stressing for the season!

The charter starts in 4 days and I have no idea what I'm doing. I know it's not hard to read a recipe, and I am a damn good cook but it's a bit scary when you are doing it for pay and for people you don't know. It's a good thing its only a Mom and a Dad and their 9 year old daughter. Kids are easy and picky so she shouldn't be a problem. I just need to make sure I can at least go over the menu and shopping list with Jen before we leave. She has been busy with work and hasn't had time to go over it with me. Hopefully this evening.

I have some exciting news, just a little glimmer of hope you know. I have been talking with the Captain of a boat I used to work on a few years ago and now, under new ownership and with a cool new itinerary he wants to talk to me about re-joining the crew. I am so excited! It's exactly the kind of boat I have been wanting to work on and the sail plan is amazing. Miami for the winter and New York City for the summer. Fingers crossed everyone. The Captain wants to talk to me on the phone when I get back from charter. It's not much money but it's what I love.

In other boat stuff, my friend Capt. Pao used to drive the schooner Appledore and now works on tug boats in Maine. He emailed me and said they are always hiring cooks and they pay really well but I have to be able to handle being around crusty boat guys... I said, those are my favorite kind of guys! So, if the Miami thing falls through I will check into that!

I really hope this works out!

GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!!!!

And, this is how I feel about my blog lately...

I am such a mess sometimes!

Lilly and I carved a pumpkin last night and I burned the pumpkin seeds. It's ok though because we had a really nice time hanging out and spending some quality time together which was much needed! We drank rum and cokes and talked about our plans for the next year and we laughed about what a wild ride this year has been for the two of us! What an amazing year. Key West up and down the east coast ending up in the virgin islands! Crazy.

I will not be happy living away from boats and the water. That's all there is to it. I miss working on Schooners. I am applying with a few boats for the summer season somewhere up north. I would love to work on Liberty again. I got an email from the Schooner Manitou yesterday, they are hiring a deckhand and first mate. We will see how it goes...

As you all know, I change my mind faster than the tides so take this blog with a grain of salt, or sand, or a squeeze of lime and a shot of tequila...

I do miss Texas but I worry what I would do for work there. I wish I could work on a boat there!!!

I got the job!

The charter is from December 13th through the 27th. Two whole weeks! That's such a long time. It's good though. Should get me caught up. The captain also told me I was hired on for the Easter charter too. When is Easter? I really wasn't planning on being around here that long. We will see. I have applied for lots of other crew positions as well. Hopefully I can get something from New Years through mid February. My uncle is getting married on Valentine's day down here in St. John and I really want to be here. Who knows. Ok, well I have nothing else to write about. Have a good day. I hear it's snowing in Texas...

Big Shout Out Time!

Tomorrow is Big Nasty's birthday! So in honor of him and everything he stands for, and my love for pickles, I want everyone to know about MANDINGO PICKLES!!!

I met Big Nasty through my ex-boyfriend early this year in Key West and found him quite entertaining. He and his buddies have started their own pickle company and I encourage everyone to head over and buy a few jars to give as Christmas presents this year! Support your local homegrown businesses and all around good guys!

Here is an entertaining article to give you a little background on the company as well. Enjoy!

Also, a little video for your viewing pleasure!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG NASTY!!!

A song for Wednesday!

I love it! Seeing as how I really, really, really want one of those vintage Shasta or Scotty trailers, and I want to be a member of Sisters on the Fly one day, when I ran across this song I just couldn't resist! I have been doing some research and the SOTF will be in Canton this weekend at the first weekend trades day thing they do out there in Texas. Check out their site, it's really cool. I miss my country music can you tell??? Well, this is Miranda Lambert and I'm not big on Nashville country, I'm more of a Texas Country kinda girl, always have been. But, this song is cute. Enjoy!



Sometimes I wish I lived in
airstream homemade curtains
Lived just like a gypsy
Break a heart and roll out of town
Cause gypsies never get tied down

Sometimes I wish I lived on a mountain
Drank from a stream
Instead of a fountain
I'd stay there, on top of the world
But I was born a red dirt girl

Unbridled, or tethered in the ride
[ Find more Lyrics on www.mp3lyrics.org/gYuc ]
Safety of the fence
Or the danger of the ride
I'll always be unsatisfied

Sometimes I wish I lived by a pier
In a lighthouse with a chandelier
I'd watch everybody's ships come in
And then I'd sail away with them

Unanchored in a storm
Or safely on the shore
If this is all I need
Why do I want more

Sometimes I wish I lived in
airstream homemade curtains
Lived just like a gypsy



Now, back to searching for cheap trailers for sale! Yes... I know... it's 4am. I can't sleep. I drank a giant iced coffee at about 11pm. Bad idea. I never drink caffeine anymore and whew...I am feeling it! Simultaneously watching Dazed and Confused which just makes me miss home even more because it's about Texas.

In other news, I'm feeling better even though things here on island aren't going any better. Playing my guitar is like a miracle cure.

HIP HIP HOORAY FOR CHRISTMAS VACATION!!!!

I'M SO HAAAAAAAPPPPPYYYYYYY! I just turned my TV on and BAM! The very beginning to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation... I mean the very beginning! Didn't even miss a single note of the song!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Full Moon over the Water....

This is a Coqui frog... this little guy is about the size of a silver dollar but he is LOUD! And they are going crazy tonight. I can't even hear myself think!



My camera is the worst!

WOW.

I'm gonna stop being a whiny wahine on here. I just got a big spoon full of "you never know who's reading your blog". IN A GOOD WAY! Full moon's always bring the unexpected. :) Thanks for reaching out!

Full Moon "Party"

It's not really a party when you're alone, but whatever.

No news, no interview.

Still waiting around to go interview with the owner of the charter company. First it was yesterday, postponed to today... maybe tomorrow. UGH. So bored I joined Twitter! SAVE ME FROM MYSELF!!!

Be Somebody.

Things always work out for me. They always have. I don't know how or why but it always happens. Just when I think I have finally gotten myself into something I can't get out of on my own, something comes along and makes everything work out. But it's just not happening this time. This is the longest stretch of bad luck I have ever had. I wish I could say it was all my fault and I got myself into this but through no fault of my own I seem to keep failing. That doesn't even make sense. It has to be my fault. I have never been so sad and depressed and lonely and hopeless. I just want to go home. I don't want to live on an island in the middle of nowhere far away from my friends and family anymore. I have had enough of this. I don't want to hear any "It's that time of year" shit from anyone either. It doesn't even feel like the holidays here. It's the middle of summer as far as I am concerned. I have been sweating for years. I wish I could wear jeans without my knees sweating every once in a while. I want to drive for miles and miles and miles, I wanna go faster than 35 miles an hour. I would like to listen to country music on the radio. I would like to walk down the street in the middle of the day without being hissed at and followed and heckled. There are so many reasons that other people give for living here and I have tons myself but I feel like if you get to the point where you have more negatives than positives, it's time to move on. Like Gladys at Glady's Cafe here on island says, "When one is physically tired one must sleep, when one is emotionally tired one must wake up and move on."

I will try. Try. Try. I will try to find a job for the rest of the season. I would like to save some money and go back to the states in the spring. I am brainstorming right now in between naps and playing guitar. Being stuck on the North Side had sent my world into a frenzy. It made working at Limnos hard. It makes getting a new job hard. I have an interview on Monday with the owner of a charter company. My friend Jen told him I would be taking her place for a two week charter in December and he wants to meet me first, which is understandable. I feel like I am setting myself up for another disappointment though. I am losing trust in what people say.

Lilly gets home tonight. We will see how that changes things. She doesn't want to come home to a negative nancy. She doesn't understand that while she has been at home with her friends, OUR friends, and her family having the time of her life, I have been here, alone, struggling for work and struggling with the drama that has been going on here. Forgive me for being depressed. People don't understand what it's like.

I don't know what I would do if I went to the states. Working on boats is all I know how to do. That and bartend. I would love to be involved in the music industry in Texas somehow. Like event planning or managing. Maybe working for a Texas music label. I just need a way to get my foot in the door in that industry. I have my whole body in the door of the boating industry and it's obviously not where I am supposed to be right now. Like I said, time for a change.

Holy crap.

What a day. Yesterday started out like any other... Me, hammock, MacBook, lovely view. Then I get a phone call from a local crew agent. She tells me to pack my bags I am on a charter for a week. Long story short, she sent me down there to the boat all ready to go and the boat had not agreed to hire me yet because they were either gonna hire me or a chef to help the current cook because the guest if very fancy and demanding. Needless to say they chose the chef and I am on my ass. I had to quit Limnos to take the job and now I am screwed. Well later in the day I got a call from my friend Jen who I worked with at the boat show this year and she tells me she has some work for me but not till the 11th of December. Damn. At least it's work. Now I have to find a way to make some cash till then!

Holy Ghost of Christmas Past!

I had one of these.... I know it. I ran across this on a random site. It stopped my heart! I loved this! Mom? Confirm? If I didn't have one of these then I have really lost my mind because I have memories of this for some reason!

Check this out!!! Caribbean Jerk!!!! lol

Check out Bent Objects blog!!!

Found a song about me! (if it was about a woman)

It's me to a T!



Better as a Memory - Kenny Chesney

I move on like a sinners prayer
I let 'em go like a levee breaks
walk away as if I don't care
learn to shoulder my mistakes
I'm built to fade like your favorite song
gettin' reckless when there's no need
laugh as your stories ramble on
break my heart but it won't bleed
my only friends are pirates, it's just who I am
I'm better as a memory than as your man.

I'm never sure when the truth won't do
I'm pretty good on a lonely night
I move on the way a storm blows through
I never stay, but then again, I might
I struggle sometimes to find the words
always sure until I doubt
walk a line until it blurs
build walls too high to climb out
but I'm honest to a fault, it's just who I am
I'm better as a memory than as your man

I see you leanin', you're bound to fall
I don't want to be that mistake
I'm just a dreamer, nothing more
you should know it before it gets too late

cause goodbyes are like a roulette wheel
you never know where they're gonna land
first you're spinning, then you're standing still
left holding a losin' hand
but one day you're gonna find someone
right away, you'll know it's true
that all of your seek is done
it was just a part of the passing through
right there in that moment
you'll finally understand
that I was better as a memory than as your man
better as a memory than as your man

The cutest damn thing I have ever seen!!!!!!

I am the QUEEN of f-ing up my own life.

Holy hell I am so over this place!!! The power went out last night, therefore messing up my alarm clock which in turn made me sleep till 9am, missing work by an epic 2 hours. I will be lucky if I even have a job. And I can't get ahold of anyone at work because they are all on the boat because I assume that Clement, Sara and Akim all worked today. I feel like such an asshole. Why can't anything on this island work properly??? Why can't I learn to set 3 alarm clocks? Whatever I'm over it.

New Goal!!!

Hooray! I finally have something to look forward to! My friend Amanda, that I have known since the 7th grade and I have decided to do what we promised each other we would do the summer after we graduated high school... Go on a road trip! We planned this out so long ago then she went into the Army and I went to Houston and on to Key West and the rest is history! She is back home in Allen, TX for the winter and spring semester going to grad school at UTD. She and her husband bought a house in our home town but he is in Iraq so she is there alone. We have decided on the third week of July, the 18th-31st. Two weeks. Our agenda is to do the Western USA, national parks, wine country, grand canyon, LA and Vegas... Wyoming, big sky in Montana. I am so excited! I have wanted to go on a big road trip FOREVER!!! I love to drive and I love the states, and I have been away for so long that I feel this is the perfect thing for me. It's given me something to strive for and work towards. We have set it in "stone" on our calendars. If you know anything about either of us you are already laughing and shaking your head, but hey, it's my dream and I will sleep if I want to. If we don't end up going then at least I will have saved up a bunch of money and will be that much better off. I think I want to take the summer off from working and set myself up for next winter somewhere new. It's become obvious to me that I will not be able to take my capt. class here with my work schedule. So I have looked into courses in Texas. There are classes in Houston and in Dallas and I am sure my Parents in Dallas or my aunt Nita in Houston would let me stay with them for a week while I took the class. These are all summer plans.

I have really been missing my family and my home in Texas. It is beautiful here and the water is great but I miss driving to visit people and normal everyday life on land. I'm on land technically but it's different when you live on island. Also, having Lilly out of town this month has really made me realize how alone I am here. All my old friends have paired off and act like old married couples. No one ever calls to hang out or wants to play with me. I am stranded on the north side of the mountain now which is the best thing that has ever happened to me on this rock. I go to work (13 bucks one way in a taxi) I work my ass off for 14 hours and then I come home. When I get here... I stay here. I have not spent a dime on bar tabs or fast food in weeks. I actually have a little savings going for the first time in ages...hell, ever. I don't mind spending the money to get to work because I make 80 bucks a day trip pay plus I haven't come home with less than 100 bucks in tips every day. The only downfall is, I have only been working 2 days a week. The boss says it will pick up, so soon I should expect 5 to 6 days a week. That's good money. With 35 weeks left till road trip time you bet I am saving up. My rent is only 400 bucks a month thank goodness. It was only going to be 350 but I moved to the bigger room because I like it more. Way worth it.

In other news, I have gained all my weight back that I lost in Key West. Bummer. I blame it on just not having much to look forward to. As stupid as it sounds, I was skinny because I was trying to keep a guy around who was obviously never in it for the long haul. Not that I was in it for the "long haul" but at least I cared. Then he really made me feel like I wasn't worth the time or the effort that a relationship requires. So. I need to stop thinking like that. I need to concentrate on my summer and on my family visiting me in Feb.

Feeling very bloggie today for some reason. More like writing in my public diary. I don't care though, I have never been a very private person.

Tomorrow I actually have to work, and good news!!! I have a W2 from last year waiting for me! I should have about 800 bucks coming to me when I file! Awesome! Straight to the Capt. License fund! 6 am comes early on the island so I will leave you with a video.... My favorite band... Kings of Leon

Video of the day!!!

Modest Mouse - Dashboard from Jenny Ko on Vimeo.

Another lazy day at the house. The weather was beautiful though. Tomorrow I get to go to work yaaaaaaaaay! So, I better get settled and get to sleep.

Hope you are all well and happy!!!

Rainy day in paradise....

It was a rare, cool, cloudy, rainy day here on island. Looks to be more of the same tomorrow! Makes for good sleeping and napping in the hammock. I plan to do that all day tomorrow. No work.

I made a mexican food feast last night because I was missing home and craving it. It was good. Had it for dinner again tonight and probably the next 3 nights in a row till i can eat it all! I even have a batch of enchiladas in the freezer for a later date.

Will just moved to PUERTO VALLARTA yesterday!!! I am so excited for him! He is living 2 blocks from the beach and the bars and has 10 chickens and 2 donkeys in his yard. He says the donkeys are loud as hell and make him wish for more chickens. He also thinks I should just move there so we can be Will and Grace, or Willimena and Graciela in Mexico. Don't think I'm not tempted.

I have a few leads on some freelance gigs on yachts around here. Hopefully something will come through.

In other news, I finally got to go to the store, the real grocery store, for the first time in like years! I have a real kitchen! I got all sorts of goodies. Lots of morningstar farms veggie meats and fun stuff like, riblets, chicken fingers, spicy black bean burgers, and chicken patties! Some little frozen pizzas, stuff for sandwiches and soups. Of course all the makings for Mexican night, ground beef, taco seasoning, refried beans, cheese, rice and beans, salsa and chips.... too bad no one showed up. yeah... I invited my roommate/not really roommate Shauna and her boyfriend Alex and Jason who work with Lilly, over for dinner but Shauna said this morning that she forgot about it. I tried to text and call her but she didnt answer last night so now i have plenty of leftovers. Sucks. Oh well, Alex is always asking me when I am going to make tacos and Jason is from Ennis, TX so I know he would jump at home cooking so it sucks that she forgot. Whatever. More for me.

On that note, my video of the day. New favorite by Fall Out Boy. Enjoy!

Fall Out Boy - What A Catch, Donnie from Pete Wentz on Vimeo.

Busy week so far!

I have been working at the boat show with Jen on her catamaran called Good Medicine. It's been fun but long long hours! We were cleaning and detailing the boat as well as prepping food for the show. Basically the charter boats sit at Yacht Haven Grand marina and all the brokers from all over the country and caribbean come tour the boats and talk to the crew and gather info for prospective charters. Jen and I made appetizers and cocktails for the events. We even made mini cheesecakes in... you guessed it Dad, MUFFIN TINS! Ha! They are awesome. We made cuban beef skewers with chimichuri sauce and some really cool tomato mozzarella balsamic skewers. I mixed up a big batch of mojitos to round out the theme. Work is slow, so it's a blessing that she needed my help this week! I work on Limnos on Friday and have no idea how I'm gonna get there!

In other news, I am thinking about joining the Coast Cuard Auxilliary here in St Thomas. Now, before you freak out... it's not the reserves or anything like that, it's a volunteer group that dispaches to help the USCG in the event they don't have a boat near by, they also do safety for events like the sailboat races and boat shows, as well as vessel inspections locally. They also teach you all these great life saving and survival skills. We will see...

There is a kitty asleep on my back. It came with the house. Very cuddly.

I love this place. It's so cool and airy and breezy! I have been sleeping very well! I would sleep alot better if I had stable work.

Soon come.

Above are pics of the house.

Moved!

Well, I finally got my stuff moved into the new place but unfortunately the car that my friend was going to rent to me is broken so now I am just stuck up on the north side which is really isolated. Beautiful views but far far away from work or town. Oh and BTW I got my old job at Limnos Charters back for at least a few days a week. I also got an offer to work as a chef on a yacht in the BVI for a week. I need to call Jen today about that. Things will be ok eventually. I know it. I will have to take some pictures of the new house and post them like a tour sometime but I think I will be training with Jen on the new boat so that will have to wait. I am so stressed out.

Locked out. Tired. Bored. Getting eaten by Dengue Fever carrying mosquitos.

Guess I will just type here till the battery on my computer runs out.

Been lounging around for a few days. Have to go to work tomorrow though. Thats good. Need the money. We got our shifts cut down to 4 shifts a week which sucks. We have so many people working there that we can only have 4. I guess they are trying to stock up for season. I need to hurry up and get my TWIC card so I can part time with OnDeck to make up for the days I won't be working.

In other news, Lilly leaves on Monday to go home to KW for a whole month! We found a nice place on the North Side that I will be moving into on the first, she will join me when she gets home. It's super nice, I can't wait to take pictures for you! This is the view from our living room. :) Did I mention the living room is all open air? No windows or screens or anything. Just a giant tile living room with couches and chairs and a coffee table and a big dining table right at the edge of the porch. It's covered and everything, just open.

Pretty nice huh? That's Magens Bay on the right, the island on the left in the foreground is Hans Lollick, in the center in the background is Jost Van Dyke, BVI and to the right out in the mist is Tortola, BVI. So. Yeah. It's going to be a huge change but we will be saving money on rent and we will be saving money on food and entertainment because we will be living out in the country and we will have a real kitchen!!! Right now we live in a hotel room with a microwave and a mini fridge so you can imagine how much money we drop eating out. Also, living in town gives us an excuse to go out drinking all the time because we can walk to the bars and stumble home. Living on the mountain will keep us in shape and give our livers a rest.

It's about that time of year again, all the mega yachts and sailboats are trickling back into the harbor! My buddy Brian (the one i got my fingerstache tattoo with) will be here on his yacht this thursday! WOO HOOOOOO! And I am sure the rest of my wayward pirate friends will follow soon.

Damn these mosquitos!

I have spent all day cleaning the house and doing laundry like a good little wifey and now I am locked out. wow. I don't know when Lilly is coming home and Jill and Doug are out so I have no way of getting in until Lilly decides it's time to stop drinking and comes home. This could be a long night.

Day off, relax. Do nothing.

I have today off. I didn't get out of bed till John called me at 11am. Even now I am just lounging on the pool deck Facebooking and reading TextsFromLastNight. I am so tired for some reason. Lilly and I took it easy last night and went to bed early. I registered for my TWIC card so I can start working for OnDeck, a sailboat racing company here. I need something to break up the monotony of working in a restaraunt. So that's what's new with me. Lilly is going to KW for a month and wont be back till the day after Thanksgiving. In the meantime I have to find a place to live. I would like to stay in Frenchtown or at least in town here somewhere close. I will be looking for a two bedroom place even though Lilly and I haven't decided if we are going to live together or not. I like having a place to myself but I get lonely so I am thinking I definately want a roommie. She hasn't given me a straight answer on her plans yet so I am going it alone for the time being. Everything will work out. I really don't need to find something till December 1st anyway. So, I'm gonna put that off my list of things to stress about for now. The weather is fine here, hot, but we got lots of rain this week so everything is nice and green! Tropical. I got bit by some weird bug on my arm and now I think I have staph so I will have to have Jill look at that today. Boo. Hopefully not.
OH!!!! My best boyfriend in the world, Will came to visit me last week! Stayed for 3 days, too short but he had 4 days off from work and was freezing in P-Town, Mass so he showed up here! We had an AMAZING time. We went on Limnos, the boat I used to work on, to Virgin Gorda, Norman Island, Jost Van Dyke and St. John. We stayed in St John at Maho Bay Campground, my favorite place in the world! We called it our "honeymoon"! Pics above!

Hot Hot Hot in da ilons.

Its SO EFFING HOT HERE!!!! It was already 86 degrees at 7am. Things are good. Lilly has decided to stay for the whole season so we are looking for a 3 bedroom place with a co-worker of hers. Hopefully it's somewhere nice and close to the bus route or safari. Lilly and I have also been looking into buying this old Taurus that a friend is selling for 600 bucks, but honestly, having a car opens up a whole new box of pain in the ass. I don't think it's a very good idea.

In other news, my old boss, the owner of Limnos Charters called me and asked me to come back to work for him. He heard I was back. That makes me feel really good but he would have to make me on offer I can't refuse. It's really hard work and I have been making such good money here at Bella Blu that I would have to guarantee that I could make at least the same amount. I would have to start commuting again, which I hate. I would really consider getting a car if he offered me a good deal. I was only getting paid 80 bucks a day plus tips for an all day trip, and it was really really hard work. I made 80 bucks yesterday in 3 hours at lunch. The only thing is, I really miss the water. I think I am going to stick it out here at the cafe. After all, they have agreed to give me the time off I need to take my capt. course. And that's really what's most important here. There is a class starting on Saturday but I don't have the time off or the money to take it yet. I may have to wait till December.

Life is good. The weather is great. Water is clear. I need to go fishing soon though, need to touch some fish!!!!! One of our buddies is mate on a big sport fisher, he says next week he may have a chance to take us. WOO HOOOOOO!

I am off all weekend! I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself! We are having a painting party here at Villa Olga and Jill asked Lilly and I to do the detail work on all the railings and whatnot. We love to do maintenance!

Suckers!

Lilly and I went lobster hunting the other day with Mango, Peanut and FNG. She snared one, I sat on the boat because I was too scared to get in the water. It was late evening, I dont wanna die by shark bite.

Worst blog ever award goes to...

me.

I have been really busy and really stressed out. Having Lilly here has really saved my life though. It's so nice to have her around, I missed the hell outta her. We have been trying to figure out what to do this winter. We both want to go back to Key West but I'm so damn stubborn that I keep coming up with reasons to stay because I don't want to admit I was wrong about coming back. I just want to get my captain's license so bad! My job is still good but I miss the water. Lilly's job pays really well but its hard work and her boss is quite unsavory to put it mildly. We will more than likely save our pennies till late october and bail out of here. The college in key west offers the captains course once a semester but we missed this one, we are thinking about doing it in the spring. We just need to do SOMETHING. That's all I have to say.

Hello Ana and Bill!

Tropical storms Ana and Bill look so come near us this week, not a big deal because Ana is fizzling and Bill will probably get sucked way north. But, hey, its H season and this is to be expected! Lilly gets here in 75 hours! Just in time for the Hurricane Party! Things are going well, I am off to the 25th Annual Texas Society Chili Cook-Off! I wish Lilly could have been here for this party! I have been hanging out with my new roommate Chris alot, he is a boat captain, surfer, boxer, from.... you guessed it.... Texas. He is from Farmers Branch which is like 20 mins from where I am from. Small world. So we are headed to the cook off together to make our executive decisions about the chili. We already put our stamp of DISAPPROVAL on the new mexican food place in Red Hook. Totally sucked. He is a mexican that doesn't speak spanish so I'm not sure if he is even qualified to make decisions like that. LOL. He's looking forward to Mom coming to visit so she can teach him some words! HaHa! Well, I have to run! Time to get to the beach!

Twins?

No... I am not having babies.
But, today as I walked past a rasta fruit stand in town I stopped to try a Quenepa. They are small fruits that I have seen all over but never tried. I asked the rasta man what they tasted like and he said "go on a try one chile". So I picked one off the bushel. I couldn't figure out how to eat it, apparently you are supposed to bite the skin to break it open then the pulp covered seed slides right out and you suck the pulp off the seed and spit the rest out. As I did this in front of the old rasta man and some island ladies lounging under the palm trees they asked "you like?" to which I replied, "it tastes like grass." They all cracked up laughing and the rasta man said he would hand pick my perfect quenepa. So he picked up the bushel and chose my new one. I bit into it and the old rasta man said "IT'S TWINS!!!" I said "What?!" and sure enough, there were two seeds in the pod. He said that means if I get preggo I will have twins. Great. I said "I better be careful then!!!" They all had a good laugh with me today. My Dad is a twin and my Mom always said that I would have twins because it skips a generation. I told the rasta that and he said "da fruit nevah lie!"

Well, tomorrow I work a double, hopefully I will make some money. Sunday I am going to Jost Van Dyke and the Willy T with my friends from work. It's gonna be awesome! I will post pics when I get back.

That's the Willy T. The floating bar/restaurant.

And this is the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. They call it that because there is no dock here, you have to swim from your boat to the beach... hence the soggy dollars.

VIDEO OF THE DAY!!!

Holy crap. I love this song. You wanna see a Virgin Islands night club erupt into a frenzy??? Ask the DJ to play this song. It was amazing. I can't wait to go out and do it all over again. This is a great video too! Proud of Mr. Sean Kingston from Jamaica. :) Only in the Caribbean are whistles and air horns considered instruments... I love this place. p.s. 13 days till Lilly gets here!

Move over Thelma and Louise...

Jolea and Lilly have taken over.

Lilly will be here on the 19th!!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! My partner in crime is actually moving down! I am so happy! She gets here at 3:30pm in two weeks! It's great timing because we are losing a waitress on the 20th. Lilly can just take her place. That and Meg's charter boat company just got two new boats and they need crew so we can pick up shifts there too.

Work is going great! I really like it. I have to work at 6 tonight and tomorrow night, then I am off Thursday and Friday and I work a double on Saturday. Woo HOOOO!

I have been eating vegetarian for a few days now. I don't know what kind of animals they grow at Morningstar Farms but damn they are tasty.... My favorites are the Spicy Black Bean burger and the Buffalo "Chicken" nuggets.

Well I gotta go! See ya later!

Farmer's Market day at Yacht Haven Grande!

Awesome morning! Jill and I went to the farmer's market at the marina this morning! It's so nice to support local farmers and visit with the people of the island. There were fresh baked breads, produce, and crafts from all corners of St. Thomas. We ran into tons of people we knew and I bought a cucumber and some local honey. Jill bought some lettuce, sprouts, passion fruit and some homemade blue cheese dressing. So we had a delicious healthy lunch! Now I am off to Hook Line and Sinker, a local cafe on the water, to meet up with my friend Wes for bloody mary's. Love my life.

HELLO FROM ST. THOMAS!!!

I have really been slacking on the blogging but I am going to try to keep you up to speed from now on!

I am back in Frenchtown, living at Villa Olga! It's HOT HOT HOT and I love it. All my old friends are still in town and it's been awesome catching up with them!

I got a great job at a very well known long standing restaurant here in Frenchtown called Bella Blu.
I will be working there 5 days a week or more which is awesome!

The food is great and it's the oldest restaurant on the island! 32 years. Their specialties are Shnitzel and pastas. It's sooooo good! I am trying to stay away from the pasta for fear of getting faaaaaat! I am so lucky I got this job! The people who work there have worked there for a long time, the girl I am replacing has been working there for 2 and a half years.

I am living at the guest house right now with Jill and Doug but pretty soon I will be moving into the house that Jill and Doug bought over the last year when I was gone. The house is right here in Frenchtown, it's a two bedroom place and I would have a roomate who is already living there. Jill says he is really nice and laid back, he's a surfer. Sounds like someone I could get along with. Jill actually took me over to the house the other day and showed me around. The house is beautiful! HUGE kitchen, a real living room! HUGE bedrooms! I can't wait. It's so nice to have work so close, it takes me less than 5 minutes to walk to work. It's a huge difference from when I lived here before. I used to have to get up at 5:30am to walk to the safari stop to catch it by 6am, in order to make it all the way across the island to work by 7am just to work all day on the boat, drag tourists through the Baths at Virgin Gorda, fix them lunch, put away the lunch, take them snorkeling, save their lives, take them back to St. Thomas, clean the boat in the heat of the day all to get back on the safari at 6pm to be home at 7pm, completely, thoughrouly exhausted. I don't want to do that 6 days a week again. At Bella Blu, I wake up at 9:30am, take a swim in the pool, take a shower, get dressed, walk up the street, work from 11am-4:30pm, walk home, take a swim in the pool, have a cocktail, watch a movie, go to sleep. Oh boy. On a day where I work the night shift it's even better! Wake up at whatever the hell time I want, lounge by the pool, or go into town for lunch with Meg and the crew of the Schooner Doubloon, or go to the beach, then come home by 3pm, shower, get dressed, walk to work by 4:30, work till 10pm, come home, watch some tv, go to bed. Oh boy. YAAAAAAAY! And sometimes I will work a double but thats all good too because it's mas dinero! Oh and we are closed on Sundays so I never have to worry about missing out on SUNDAY FUNDAY!!!!

Speaking of Sunday Funday, The 25th annual Texas Society Chili Cook-Off is being held at Brewers Bay here in St. Thomas on August 16th, a Sunday!!! I was here for it last year and it was one of the best days ever! This is my landlord Doug at last year's event...


And this pirate ship on the right is the Schooner Bones, where me and all my friends took breaks from the heat and the chili on the beach while the coast guard dropped frog men out of helicopters! We hope to bring the boat around again this year and do the same. Swinging from the crosstrees while intoxicated probably isn't the safest thing to do but hey, at least we all landed in the water.

Chili cook off madness.

I am looking into the captain's courses because the one I wanted to take isn't till November. I hope to find one in August so Lilly can take it with me. She wants to come down for a while but she wants to be productive as well. Smart. If she can't take her class while she is here then she is just going to go back to Key West and take it because she can live with her family. I hope we can find one sooner. Well, I think that about updates everyone on everything. I will write more later!

BYEEEEEE!

At this point...

I can imagine you are all quite tired of my behavior. I have managed to quit yet another well paying job in search of something that excites me. The yacht wasn't my scene. Not gonna say anything more than that, if you want the whole story you can email me. I quit in Newport after the offshore passage. I loved being out there in the middle of the ocean for 6 days. It was so quiet. But after that I was happy to be back in the land of people. Newport was fun, got to see some old friends. Then I went up to Boston for the Liberty Clipper crew reunion! It was awesome!!! Saw all my old sailing friends and had a great time with Lilly and Sean. I am currently in Provincetown, Mass, staying with my friend Will that I worked on the Schooner Jolly 2 Rover with this year in Key West. He is living here for the summer. This is a beautiful place. Cape Cod is so green and lush!

After careful consideration of my life's direction I have decided to move back to St. Thomas and pursue my 100 Ton Captain's license. I want to take it where I took my STCW license course because I like the way the guy teaches. Not to mention, I really miss that water and the sand and sun and the life down there. I have amazing friends. Can I just say that right now? I called up Jill and Doug who were like my surrogate parents in STT, and when Jill answered the phone the first thing she said to me was, "when are you coming home?" I said, how's Saturday? She said "perfect, call me when you get here you are staying with us."

I have a few jobs in the works there too. I think I would like to bartend a few nights and work on a boat a few days to keep it interesting. I was working myself to death doing all day trips on Limnos. When I get my capt license I will see about maybe running little 6pac boats to Jost Van Dyke or something like that. Who knows, that is a ways off.

I just got to thinking, obviously I am going to work on boats for a living. Thats what I do right? Ok, well, its time to move onward and upward. Can't just keep on being a deckhand forever now can I? Besides, I think I would be an awesome captain.

Sorry for being a total mess. I haven't been blogging because I have kinda been dissappointed in myself. So, here I go again on my own.

I'm really gonna try harder to make you proud of me instead of just shaking your heads saying "what the hell has she got herself into this time?"

Well, I leave P-Town on Wednesday, headed to Boston to visit Lilly and Sean again before I fly to St. Thomas on Saturday.

Catch ya on the flipside. Island time.

One day.... we will leave the dock....

Hello everyone! Happy Saturday! Things are around here are calming down a bit. We have most of our projects done and we will be leaving here on Tuedsay evening. Our generator will be done on Monday but we have to wait for a shipment on Tuesday before we leave. Monday I have to go aloft and wax the mast from top to bottom. 100 feet up! Hope they don't drop me! :) I have had a nice time here in Ft. Lauderdale but I really really really want to get out on the ocean, and get to a new town where I have never been and see some things I have never seen.

It looks like it will take us 6 or 7 days to get from here to Newport, RI. We will be there till the 14th of July then we will head to Martha's Vinyard.

I commemerated my Key West spring with a new tattoo.... yep...

YAY! MIKE IS ON THE BLOGGER!!!

Yall check out my good friend from High School's new blog. Mike is a storm chaser and photog and is freakin awesome!!! Go welcome him to our world!!!

DAMAGE PATH!

MOM! Make these...

http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2009/05/hasselback-potatoes.html

they look YUMMMMMM!

MOM! Make these...

http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2009/05/hasselback-potatoes.html

they look YUMMMMMM!

LOL

Our charter site...

http://www.oysteryachtcharter.com/oceana.html

Got a haircut and re-squeezed the spinnaker...

Productive day at the dock here at Harbour Towne Marina in Dania Beach, Fl.

This morning started out with our computer tech from New Orleans coming to the boat to sort our our interwebs problems... needless to say I am up and running on my mac! I feel relaxed and at home now that I have my own bunk and my computer attached to the web. Ahhhh....

Then I pulled everything out of the lazarette so we could get the giant spinnaker out of there, when I say giant.... I mean GINORMOUS!!! This thing weighs like 500 pounds. no joke. That's it, the colorful one in the pic. Well we had to raise it in its squeezer thingy that keeps it all together and re-pack it because it was all messed up so that was a sweaty job. Then we put it back in the laz and I packed all the dive gear and lines and fishing gear on top of it. whew!

Then, we did some laundry and the guys came to disassemble the generator that decieded to eat itself last week. Dirty job. Then I cleaned the interior and tried out the new vacume we bought. It's VERY quiet and light.

Then we took the bimini down and gave it to the cleaning dudes to get the stains removed before we leave next week.

Then we wrapped things up and headed into town. Lee needed to go to Best Buy to get a new flat screen and blu ray player so he dropped me and Amy off at the hairdressers because we both were in desperate need of a hair cut. I haven't had mine cut since D.D. cut it last year... no joke... So the lady started cutting, and cutting... and cutting... she cut about 4 inches off. I needed it. Feels good! Now it's time to color it and get on the big blue watery road. North bound and down, rollin up and truckin'!!!

Amy is cooking traditional english "Toad in a hole" and no Mom... It's got nothing to do with eggs in toast...

Sausages laid in the bottom of a baking dish, covered with a mixture of eggs, milk and flour, baked in the oven till the whole thing rises like a big biskit!

p.s. that pic was taken before our hair cuts in Miami Beach.

TA DAAAAAA!

Sitting still for another week or so...

Well, one of our generators bit the dust on friday so we are headed back to ft. lauderdale tomorrow for another week or so while we wait on our gen to be fixed... sucks because it puts a damper on our fun plans up north. We are still going to NYC but we may have to shorten or postpone the Boston area visit... blah. Oh well. The owner already said that we could take our time heading back south after the big new england summer trip. we will be here in the yard for 6 weeks starting in October. So we may stop in the Boston area on the way back down and also in Charleston or Savannah. I would love to go to either spot! I really miss Savannah! Mom sent me a lil care package and I asked her to send my book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil because that book is awesome and takes place in Savannah... I read this morning for about 30 mins before I had to put it down and get to work. It's just so freakin good! It's a true story so if you ever get a chance to read it I highly reccomend you do so. j

I fell in the marina on Saturday night. My cell phone and ID and credit card are at the bottom of the marina. Good thing I postponed getting that iPhone! As soon as I find a bank of america I can get a new card and get back on line. I'm so excited!

Our owners trip on Saturday went really well! Everyone had fun and they invited us to go bowling at Lucky Strikes lanes here in south beach yesterday so we did, it was so fun! We bowled and drank and ate and had a blast! I taught the owner of my boat the top gun hi-five, you know when Goose and Maverick are playing volleyball and they do the hi-five then bring it all the way around and do the low five... classic. We were on the same team so that was our deal... they are probably wondering where the hell they found me... lol!

My old chef Justin from the Seattle yacht is in ft lauderdale now too! His generator broke as well so I will be seeing them soon. I just saw them in key west a couple of weeks ago but I can't get enough of Justin and the scoot!

It's hot as hell here. South Beach Miami!!!! I am ready to get out of here though. Ready to head north where you need a blanket at night. My focsle doesnt have a/c yet so it's freakin hot in there right now. good thing mosquitos don't like me because I have been sleeping with my hatch open.

SHIT! I FORGOT TO WATCH THE SEASON OPENER OF TRUE BLOOD!!!! DAMN!!! It was last night. I will have to watch it online...

Gotta go. Back to work!

Sailing.... take me away....

Hello! I know, I know, I haven't been updating my blog but my computer wont connect to our internet for some reason and I have no time to take it to the mac Dr. so I have to use the boat computer whenever I can...

So, here we go.

The boat is great! Crew is fun, we get alog really well. I made some new friends while we have been in the yard here at Powell Bros. Marine in Ft. Lauderdale. The crew of the megayacht Double Haven have been entertaining. Danny and Ian... thanks for entertaining me! Ian took me to a badass concert on Tuesday night, the artist was Bon Iver and it was freakin' sweet!!!

It's been a busy week because we are putting the boat back together as it has been torn apart for a month, dust everywhere, the deck is covered in soot from the damn generator for the yact next to us so that is a big job. 82 feet of teak. Not to mention waxing the hull and the white parts on deck... all my job.

Tomorrow we head to Key Largo where we will anchor out for the night just the crew, then we will have guests on board Sat. morning and will sail north to Miami Beach where they will get off. We will be staying in Miami till Monday or Tuesday and then we will head to New York City! We are headed straight there, no stops, head out into the gulf stream and ride it up more than likely. Capt. says it should only take us 5 days.

They dropped the iPhone down to 99 bucks so I think I am going to buy one on Sat. when we get to Miami. My phone is acting up. I think I finally dropped it too many times. I will post some pictures when I can, we have a camera on board so don't worry we will be documenting our adventures!

Boy... I'm hungry.

OH my, so I have gained like 10 pounds since I got on this boat. Amy cooks all this great food and I just can't not eat it! I am stopping today though... I went from eating maybe half of what I have been now and riding 10 miles a day on my bike and walking all over the island all evening to eating 2 full meals a day and never leaving the boat. Makes a big difference.

Well, that's the news... Not too exciting yet! But it will be... :)

FINALLY!!!

OK. Now I can tell you guys what's going on....

I got a job on a Sailing Yacht!!! http://www.oysteryachtcharter.com/oceana.html click there to see it!

I am the deckhand/stewardess and the other crew are husband and wife Capt and Chef team. I am loving it so far. I am in Ft. Lauderdale now but will be leaving on the 13th to head to NEW YORK CITY. The owners are awesome and so are the crew.

My plans are as follows, this is what the owners told us yesterday...

June 13th - crew only- sailing to NYC for a few days for fun

Then to Marion. Mass for a week or so because the Capt and Chef have buddies there and they want to see them. Marion is 30 mins south of Boston so someone will come pick me up and I will go visit Lilly and the Clipper crew for a few days.

Then we sail to Newport where we pick up the owners.

Then on to Provincetown Mass (P-town) where we will stay for a few days and where I will get to visit Will!

Then on to Martha's Vinyard

Then up the coast of Maine almost all the way to Camden... ;)

Then back to Newport

Then up to Nova Scotia

Then we aren't sure if we are going up and around Nova Scotia into Halifax but if not we will head back down and do some more cruising around the Maine coast in August then we will drop the owners off and make our way back down here to Ft. Lauderdale for another yard period for the month of October.

I will be living in Miami in a condo for the month of October.... :)

Then we head to the Caribbean for the winter.

Make our way all the way down island.

Through the Panama canal

To the Galapagos Islands....

Onward to the South Pacific!

From there I just don't know....


BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHHAHAHAHAHA SDK S JDKFDJASKNAKVNSKDHGOWIERWRQEHWGD;XKFRHDGFG;A;SDK!

OMG!

Whew...

I gotta get a camera!

I feel a change in the wind... again...

Hope it's not an accidental jibe.