Chinook Arch

We have been anchored off Prickly Pear Island in North Sound, Virgin Gorda for just over 1 week. We are within a short dinghy ride to Saba Rock Resort, Bitter End Resort and Biras Creek Resort. Also we are close to a picture perfect beach and bar on Prickly Pear called the Sandbox. We have used the time here to chill out and to get some work done on Chinook Arch. The wood work on deck and in the cockpit needed work and we had a small list of minor repairs to attend to. The work is not too demanding so we have had time to go for hikes on the trails in and around Bitter End and Biras Creek. We also like to spend time in the hammock at the Bitter End and of course there is always happy hour at Saba Rock ($2.50 for your choice of rum punch, painkillers or a Heineken). The days just seem to melt away here.

Our friends Lorne and Maria are joining us on January 29 so we will pick them up at Trellis Bay at Beef Island (just a short walk from the dinghy dock to the airport). They will be aboard for 5 days. We are hoping that the weather is better for them than it has been lately. Not that we are complaining but we have had some good blows and more rain than normal. It is always nice when we can promise postcard picture quality sunny days for our guests but alas ... it is not always so. No matter, there is much to do and see regardless.

We have been anchored near a very stately motor yacht named Blue Guitar (home port London and flying a British flag). She was flying a burgee with a blue guitar on it but suddenly the burgee was lowered. I speculated to Dawn that it may be owned by Eric Clapton and Dawn remarked that if so, they probably flew the burgee when he was aboard. I looked it up on line and there are as many comments that it does in fact belong to Clapton as denials that it does not. Whatever! We neither saw him nor heard him play his guitar so what does it matter?

We will be leaving this spot for Marina Cay on Thursday. I am having problems uploading photos due to our poor WIFI reception here. Maybe next post I will have something for you.

Gerry

You don't know how lucky you are, Boy. Back in the BVI!

A new sailing season has begun. We arrived in the BVI on Jan9 after attending my cousin's wedding in Vero Beach, FL. We had a super time with relatives in Florida and met some new friends. I even had my first experience firing a .45 cal pistol at a firing range. Once we arrived in Virgin Gorda there was much work to do getting Chinook Arch ready to sail. The boat and dinghy were a mess from being on the hard for 8 months in a dusty boat yard. The batteries were all dead flat but I was able to revive the 3 house batteries but the start battery unfortunately has seen its last start. I also had to paint the antifouling on the hull bottom. All this took 3 days of hard work before we finally splashed on the 12th.

Here is a photo of me doing the finishing touches on the bottom paint while Chinook Arch is in the Travelift slings waiting for her splash.

We then spent 3 days on the dock in the marina at Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour in Spanish Town. More work getting the inside of the boat clean as well as washing down decks, bending on sails and re-fitting all the items removed for the last hurricane season. On Sunday we headed east to North Sound, Virgin Gorda where we have been at anchor since (just off Prickly Pear Island). This is a beautiful spot and we have done as little as possible in the past 3 days, trying to rest from our previous days of hard work. We met up with Kerry and Hillary (fellow Calgarian sailors aboard their newly re-named yacht YOHO) and managed to get in a couple of sundowner celebrations at the bar at Saba Rock Resort ($2.50 rum painkillers or rum punches).

We had a real blow last night (up to 27 kt winds) but the anchor held and all is well. Sorry that we don't have many pictures to share yet but I promise that they will be forthcoming.

PS. For those of you who are not aware, during the months of January through April the subject matter of this blog shifts exclusively to our sailing adventures. During the rest of the year I tend to write about economics or any subject that interests me at the time.

I encourage you to read this short article.

http://blogs.fin24.com/Motley.Fool/reality-vs-illusion

Gerry

Who is to blame for the global financial crisis which began in late 2007 ... the world's profligate governments or the evil speculators? Watch this BBC interview with Kyle Bass then you decide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&...

Gerry

Avast maties! The good ship Life-As-We-Know-It is sinking. Time for preparations is short. Man the lifeboats and send out the Mayday. Rig the storm jib and have the ditch bag at the ready!

The Great Financial Crisis is in its infancy. We have a long and turbulent experience ahead of us. This will not be an easy experience for anyone since our world currencies are all in grave peril. Gold may be the ultimate lifeboat in which to survive the storm but even this will be a rough ride. There will be many great waves where we will soar to great heights only to surf down steep backsides where we will face even larger series of waves. Only those of great fortitude will survive the storm. Just remember to never abandon your lifeboat no matter how deep the waves plunge.

What the heck am I talking about? Read the keynote speech given by Alf Fields at the Sydney Gold Symposium on November 14, 2011. The speech can be found at the following link:

http://www.jsmineset.com/2011/11/14/keynote-speech-at-syd...

Gerry