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Month: September 2014

Cruising BVI: Surprises at Sopers Hole

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Soper’s Hole is a quaint little Marina tucked inside the West End of Tortola. It is also a regular ferry stop between USVI and BVI. We brought Mom and Bean to the ferry dock where they caught a ride back to the airport on St. Thomas during the first week of June.

It was a sad day filled with many tears. I didn’t want them to leave, and they didn’t want to go home. We are all grateful, however, that we had the opportunity to spend so much time together in paradise and it will be a trip remembered forever.

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We pulled into the marina shortly after the ferry left to make some minor repairs, fill up our water and fuel tanks, and get a little rest. It amazes me more and more how lucky we are to be living this lifestyle. There’s nowhere we need to be at any particular time. We can stay up late watching movies on the laptop and sleep in as long as we want. There is always work to be done, but its on our schedule.

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One morning Peter noticed a younger guy arriving at shore in his dinghy with a surfboard. He asked where he had just come from and we learned that just around the point is a surf spot called Apple Bay. It just so happened to be 3-5′ that day so Peter quickly grabbed the foam board off the deck and we hopped in our dinghy to go check it out.

Nothing spectacular, but Peter sure had fun checking out the local point break. He’s been itching for some big waves ever since we left San Diego. The conditions haven’t been right to break out one of his SIX epoxy boards in any of the places we’ve been so far. We’re hoping to find some good surf in Tobago or maybe even Barbados in the next few months!

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Our next surprise was finding out that our slip was right next to some of the coolest guys we’ve met on our whole trip!

Tied up next to us was Indigo, a 61′ Fishing Charter boat owned and operated by Ocean Surfari out of USVI. The charter business is top notch and the crew members were incredibly friendly. Despite their busy preparations, we made fast friends with the crew talking about all-things-fishing into the late hours of the evening.

After all chores were done several days later, we had checked out of the Marina and prepared the boat for leaving. We had only intended on staying in Soper’s Hole for about a week but when we tried to leave, Peter discovered a major problem. We turned on the engine and Peter did a quick inspection in the engine room only to discover that our muffler had a significant leak. This was very discouraging since we thought our exhaust hose woes were behind us.

Realizing we were stuck, we let the Marina office know we would be there for at least a few more days. We picked up more shower tokens and a new WIFI password.

The Co-Founder of Ocean Surfari, Curt Richardson, happened to be visiting BVI with his family at the same time we were visiting Soper’s Hole Marina. His two sons, JC and Josh, arrived to stay aboard Indigo for a week and invited us out fishing with them several times. What a magnificent boat! Such a different feel to be out on the water on a boat like that after so many months of sailing around on our little boat that can only go 6 knots. Josh and JC are some of the kindest, most genuine, respectful, generous and fun people we have ever met. Despite the fact that we were stuck at the marina, we made some incredible memories that week!

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Josh even hooked a 300lb shark on one of the fishing trips!

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The enormous engines on Indigo made it easy for them to buzz over to the USVI to go lobster hunting. The guys returned with a monster catch…

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We spent hours watching the bait fish swim by the bright Indigo-colored lights. Dozens of huge tarpon would circle around pushing the bait back and forth under the docks.

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Mr. Richardson is also the Founder and Chairman of Otterbox. JC and Josh introduced us to one of their newest products – The Preserver. When Otterbox bought out Lifeproof, the technology was combined to create an unbelievably waterproof design.  After sharing our Lifeproof success story and subsequent failures, we were thrilled to be able to sample these new cases that were so generously donated to our cause! The new Preserver case has allowed us to take some pretty great underwater pictures with our last remaining iPhone. We are looking forward to putting more Otterbox products to the test as we continue our adventures in the harsh marine environment.

During our stay in Soper’s Hole we took several trips over to St. John to experience some of the exceptional snorkeling on the North Coast. Watermelon Cay was one of our favorite spots and proved to be a great place to take some underwater photos with our new Otterbox iPhone cases!

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Tarpon lurking in the distance…

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After a bit of research, a new muffler was on order from Parts and Power on Tortola. When it arrived, Peter had to saw off the old exhaust hose to get the old muffler out. The old hose was completely disintegrated from the inside out. Apparently this is what 35 year old exhaust hose looks like… YUK!

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Within an hour, we were back up and running good as new. We prepared the boat for leaving the dock and set off for Peter Island just in time for Fathers Day :)

 

Stay tuned for more adventures in the BVI’s! We are currently enjoying Island Time in Grenada while we wait out the rest of Hurricane Season. Leave us a comment, we would love to hear from you!!

Waterproof iPods: Extreme Toys For Extreme Adventures

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The most extreme adventures are often hosted by the most extreme conditions. In our case, the majority of those adventures involve water – whether on the beach, underwater, on the water, or in the snow. Electronics are ever-evolving and continuously growing tougher but most of our devices still require waterproof cases and the utmost care to prevent damage from the environment. Now that we live on a boat we are also learning that pretty much everything we own must be ‘marine-grade’ to withstand the harsh salty air and salt water.

We live in a generation where electronic devices like computers, radios and phones are much more than just toys. They are communication devices that help us increase efficiency. Just like some athletes like to stay ‘in the zone’ with portable music players, we like to bring our tunes with us when we go to the beach, paddleboard, surf, snorkel and go spearfishing. Unfortunately, regular MP3 players or iPods don’t hold up for these kind of activities.

Before we set sail almost a year ago, AudioFlood introduced us to a product we didn’t even know existed: A waterproof iPod! They promptly shipped us two of these handy devices and we’ve spent the last 6 months putting them to the test.

Keep reading to see the pro’s and con’s we’ve experienced with this device as well as seeing proof in the pictures of Peter rocking out while enjoying some underwater activities in our travels through the Caribbean. Music puts us in a meditative state and keeps us in the zone. It’s amazing how music can increase his attention, especially while hunting lobster :)

AudioFlood uses a unique waterproofing process that fills the entire inside of a genuine Apple iPod Shuffle with a continuous layer of soft yet highly corrosion resistant sealant. Also, unlike other waterproofing processes, AudioFlood never exposes their devices to temperatures above room temperature to prevent damage to the battery. For more information about the waterproofing process or to learn where to buy one, please visit AudioFlood’s website.

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PROS:

-Great for those that are supposed to wear earplugs in the water

-Depth rated for over 250 feet (although we believe it is not safe to use earplugs while diving to depths where you need to clear your ears)

-Impervious to salt water or pool chlorine

-The ear piece is soft rubber so it doesn’t irritate our ears

-The buttons on the iPod are not inhibited by the waterproofing process like a waterproof case does to the buttons on a phone

-Several available colors for personalization

-Fast syncing

-In the gym, these earphones won’t slip out like Apple’s do after getting sweaty

-Comes with a USB charging cable for easy use with a 12volt adaptor

-Great sound quality (as expected by Apple products) and unaffected by waterproofing

-Amazing technology that would be helpful for all electronics in harsh marine environments

-The technology protects from the inside-out so it doesn’t break down or fail as easily as a waterproof case

-Using an iPod is less cumbersome than carrying a smartphone or radio on Extreme Adventures

-Can be used for solo activities like surfing, diving, swimming, paddleboarding and snowboarding where most other electronics cannot be used

-Provides a function to play music that can be relaxing, meditative, focusing or mood enhancing

-Includes a short cord to prevent tangling

-Incredibly durable

CONS:

-For guys not wearing a shirt, the iPod must be clipped to a hat instead and the earbuds are then upside down and easily fall out

-Loss of hearing: the ear pieces are airtight and inhibit any nearby sounds (This can be dangerous if you need to be able to hear things like a continuously running water pump, alarms, horns, nearby boats approaching while underwater, or any other audible danger)

-The devices are only sold in 2 gb sizes, which really doesn’t allow for much song storage

-Not recommended for fishing due to loss of sound (can’t hear birds working, boils reels zinging or engine of the boat)

-Water did get into the hollow part of the ear piece and it was difficult to blow out

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**DISCLAIMER: Extreme care must be taken if using products like this under water. Please consult a professional before using this product while diving or freediving. Where The Coconuts Grow does not guarantee similar results to the experiences we have shared here and makes no claim on the safety of using this product during any type of activity. We shall not be held liable for any damage incurred while using this product.

 

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING… We are PROUD to share these awesome products and services with our readers. There are so many different solutions out there for everything we could possibly need, but these are the solutions that work for us.

This post may contain information about a product sponsorship. We gladly accept discounts or samples when a company feels generous enough to support our cause. In return we support the manufacturer or local service by sharing their links and writing about our experience with them. We only seek out sponsorship and affiliate programs from products and services we actually WANT to use and likewise only accept offers for products or services that we WILL use. We are not paid for any reviews we write or feedback we provide. We simply like to spread the word and share great experiences we have had that could also bring joy to others.

Can’t get enough of Jost Van Dyke

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After departing the gorgeous Guana Island, our hearts drew us back to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. With just a few days left of Mom and Bean’s vacation, we all agreed it would be best spent on Jost.

We picked up the last available mooring ball in front of Ivan’s and just us girls swam to shore. To access the beach on the other side of the bay we headed toward the rocks and followed the trail over the hill.

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Undoubtedly a trail traveled by many, these steps must hold countless memories. We climbed up the beachy colored steps and discovered a beautiful view of the bay down below. Our little home looked happy way down there, as happy as we were to be in this paradise. JVD2-16

At the bottom of the stairs on the other side, Mom tells us this is where we leave our flip-flops. “We wont need them anymore,” she says. Everyone leaves their shoes here and retrieves them on the way home at the end of the day.

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We mosey-ed our way past all the new little beach bars and snack shacks lining the water’s edge. Well suited for the charter industry, this is the place to be to kick back and enjoy the islands.

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A trip to JVD would be incomplete without visiting the famous Soggy Dollar Bar where the patrons swim in and hang their soggy dollars up to dry behind the bar when it’s time to pay.

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Even Bean tried a Painkiller while floating around in the cool blue water!

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After visiting the gift shop and enjoying the afternoon, we headed back over the hill. What a fun day!

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Stay tuned to see our next adventure in the BVI’s!!  We’re currently relaxing in Grenada for the rest of Hurricane Season taking care of boat projects and enjoying Island Time :) Leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you!!