As we mentioned in the previous post, Granddaughters Kristen (18) and Abigail (9) arrived on Feb 12.  They almost didn’t come, because in the days before their departure, Kristen developed a sore throat.  Several trips to several doctors later, the initial diagnosis of strep had been eliminated and replaced by tonsillitis and mononucleosis.  At least three different antibiotics had been tried.  At the last minute, a final doctor’s visit led to the conclusion that she could come but should avoid strenuous activities.  (Scratch the planned lengthy hikes on St. John.)

Since it was blowing stink when they arrived, we decided to give them on their first night a relatively non-rocking boat, so we delayed departure from Crown Bay Marina until about noon on the 13^th.  We then moved the short distance to Charlotte Amalie, where we did some last-minute shopping, including purchasing a pair of fins for the Abby, and a trip to a doctor for Kristen, who had developed an alarming rash.  Turned out one of the idiot doctors back home had prescribed amoxicillin.  The doctor at Charlotte Amalie was horrified; amoxicillin is well known to cause a rash in patients with mono.   (The prednisone he prescribed has subsequently worked wonders.)

Next morning, Valentines Day, since the wind was still howling, we decided to put the dinghy up on the deck for the trip over to Christmas Cove.  Oh-oh.  The powered davit would not work.  First just a click or two, and then nothing.  So I cranked the dinghy up by hand, using the hand winch that we had installed in Grenada way back in 2007 for just such an eventuality. Very slow process, since we only installed one winch.  Both the height of the end of the boom and the length of the line down to the dinghy must be alternately adjusted several times to get the dinghy up over the deck rail and then down into the proper position to the dinghy stand on the deck.  The problem is that the boom arm must be relatively low to reach out over the rail, but must be raised very high in order to position the dinghy over its stands.  Raising the boom raises the dinghy up so high that it cannot be controlled, so the dinghy must be periodically lowered some before the boom can be additionally raised.  Unforgettable memories of the first time in ’07 we tried that process:  removing the boom-raising line (say) from the winch so that the dinghy-lifting/lowering line could be wrapped around the winch.  And vice versa.  Many scary moments, and lots of peeled skin, pinched fingers and cursing.  Our next trip to the chandlery was to purchase line clutches for the two lines!

So by the time this latest crises raised its head, we had the routine down pat, albeit a very tedious and slow process it is. But with the admiral and the grandkids helping to stabilize the dinghy, we eventually got it onto its stands. When we arrived at Christmas Cove I dug out the spare solenoids and installed same, although that short phrase doesn’t do justice to the inevitable complications that arose due to frozen and/or inaccessible nuts.   While I struggled with the repair, Hunter (Arctic Tern) and Barb took Abigail ashore for her very first snorkel experience, during which she very reluctantly and briefly put her head into the water.  Hunter made a game for her to find things under the water and she eventually got more comfortable. Kristen stayed on board, for at that point she was still very much under the weather.

The Terns joined us for dinner that night, and we all (even Kristen) enjoyed a rousing game of Mexican Train.

Next day (Feb 15) we all (the Terns and Takks and both girls) snorkeled at the point between Maho and Francis beach.  By the end of her second training session with Hunter, Abigail had become an enthusiastic snorkeler, well on the way to becoming an obsessive one.  Thanks to Hunter for his invaluable help.

On Feb 16 Barb’s son Jeff flew in to Charlotte Amalie, where he took a taxi to Red Hook where he took a ferry to Cruz Bay, St John, where he took another taxi to Maho Beach, where Barb and the girls were snorkeling. I got a call on the cell phone and took the dinghy in to get them all. While awaiting that call, I attempted to solve the problem of the generator not starting.  I replaced the glow plugs, since the symptoms seemed to indicate that one or more was faulty.  No joy.  Next day we stopped in at Waterlemon Cay so everyone (else) could snorkel while I poured over the generator manual.  Rather than swap out the injectors, I decided to seek professional help.  When the gang arrived back at the boat, Abigail was ecstatic.  They had all snorkeled all the way around Waterlemon Island, and Abigail had seen a sting ray and a spotted eagle ray.  Tremendous progress in just a few days!  We decided to move on over to Christmas Cove, with the thought in mind of snorkeling there as well.  But when we got settled in to our spot, we all felt too comfortable to reenter the water. Shortly after we arrived, friends we had met and spent time with in Grenada and Trinidad, Roger and Pat (Iriana), pulled up beside us in their Nordhavn.

Next day we moved back to Charlotte Amalie, where Barb would take the girls to the airport while I put in a call to Tracy at All Points Marine.  We attempted to solve the problem by telephone, but after a few calls and tests had pointed to the problem being electrical, he decided he had better come to the boat.  After several blind alleys he finally tested the stop-solenoid.  Bingo!  I had a spare; we installed same and soon had the genset generating like a good generator should.

We had a great time with the girls and hope they will join us again next year as “Chuck and Barb go cruising”.