Category: adventures

August 5, 2015

Celebrating Island-Style

This past December, Stacy got to celebrate her birthday Island Style! We did a quick tour of the British Virgin Islands and Norman Island is where we took her for a nice birthday dinner.

If you’ve been on a boat in BVI but have never visited The Pirate’s Bight restaurant, you’re missing out. It’s a bit pricey but not more than any other local restaurant in the popular anchorages and well worth the splurge. I wish I took more photos of this place but we were to busy enjoying the scenery.

The food is incredible, the atmosphere is beachy and ever-s0-charming, and they even had a Christmas tree decorated in the lobby! Even the dinghy dock is impressive. The white sandy beach is clean and inviting and far enough away from the craziness over at Willy-T’s. We definitely prefer the relaxed beachy feel ;)

Family Photo!

Before leaving Norman Island we took Dad and Stacy to The Caves and did a bit of snorkeling nearby. Gunner and Betsy even got to share nap-time with Grandpa! ;)

It was a fun stop on the whirlwind tour but little did they know, Dad and Stacy still had some pretty amazing places to see before we sailed back to St. Thomas.

Stay tuned for some gorgeous photos of Dad and Stacy’s adventures in Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke! (I’m currently catching up on old posts from the anchorage here inTyrell Bay, Carriacou. We leave for Grenada in the morning!

August 4, 2015

Adventures With Dad & Stacy

When Dad and Stacy came to visit last December they had a blast learning to use the hookah dive system, playing with the underwater metal detector that they brought for us, fishing and hunting for lobster. They had a pretty cool vacation in the Caribbean if you ask me ;)

Take a look at some of the underwater fun we had…

We’re currently in Carriacou, making our way down to Mt. Hartman Bay in Grenada this week. We’ll be catching up on publishing a LOT of photos over the next two months… stay tuned for more!!

June 17, 2015

Dad Comes To Visit

In December, Dad and Stacy finally came down to visit us! Although they had never seen the boat in person, they were so excited to take a vacation and come visit us that they booked a whole three weeks!

Stacy was able to use timeshare credits for a smokin’ deal at The Elysian Hotel which is directly across from where our boat was in Christmas Cove. They spent the first three days of their trip with a view from shore. Palm trees, a sandy beach, good food, and iguanas! What more could you ask for?

They spent a bit of time exploring on land after making friends with our favorite taxi driver, Yisrael, who moonlights as a jumbie dancer at Iggie’s.

Eventually it came time for them to move aboard and join us in Christmas Cove.

We spent a day or two enjoying the clear blue water and took them on some snorkeling expeditions. Check out this tiny little fish that lives inside a hole in the coral… can you see him?

Peter and I shared the beauty and peacefulness of the evenings with Dad and Stacy. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but photos still just don’t do this lifestyle justice. You’ve got to see it in person to really take it all in.

It was just the beginning of their trip but they had already seen so many beautiful moments. I can only hope this helps them understand a bit more about why I’m down here in the Caribbean instead of back in rainy Seattle where they came from.

We sailed away from Christmas Cove toward the South side of St. John.

“Sure doesn’t look like the daily commute you’re used to, does it Dad?”

In the quiet little anchorage we settled in, we spotted deer swimming across the bay! They scattered up over the rocky shore and up into the hillside.

We spent the next couple of days enjoying the solitude of the South side and Dad was quick to pick up the nearest power tool to help Peter with a few urgent boat projects. Together they reengineered the brackets for our two new 155-watt Kyocera solar panels which would replace the two 80-watt panels that were on either side of our lifelines. The 80’s got moved up to the bow and rewired in series to add a little boost to our solar array, though they aren’t as efficient as they used to be.

The reason for the urgency to add more solar panels is because our two 105-watt Aurinco panels had both just failed. They are still both under warranty but the manufacturer is refusing to honor the 2-year 100% warranty and it has turned into a huge mess. We depend on solar power to run our systems on a daily basis and to have our two strongest panels both simultaneously fail after less than a years time, we couldn’t waste any time in replacing them with panels we could trust. It got to a point where we couldn’t run our 12-volt watermaker without having the generator on. Disappointing to say the least. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on all the details of this nasty mess and why we strongly discourage anyone from purchasing semi-flexible Aurinco Solar Panels.

We took plenty of time to play around in the water and show Dad and Stacy how we like to spend our afternoons :)

Gunner and Betsy got to go to shore and run around!

Gunner usually needs a little convincing before he will swim around.

And of course, Peter and Dad went fishing every chance they could :) I don’t think I’ve met anyone that loves to fish more than these two.

Stay tuned for more adventures from when Dad and Stacy visited back in December!

We’re currently back in Christmas Cove where I am working at Pizza Pi. We are preparing to head back down island to Grenada in just a few weeks. My oh my how the time flies…

June 1, 2015

Feels Like Home in the USVI

After our 3 and a half-day passage North from Grenada to the US Virgin Islands, we spent a few days relaxing in Christmas Cove before sailing off again for more adventures.

Peter and I had both heard that St. Thomas wasn’t going to be terribly exciting to see, though there were a couple places we shouldn’t miss. Honeymoon Bay off Water Island was one of those places. It’s an idyllic little cove with umbrellas and bright colored chairs strewn across the palm tree lined beach. We also heard there is a movie night held on Mondays where they project against canvas tied up between the palm trees. Though we never made it to shore, the view from the anchorage was perfect.

After a couple nights, the swell direction changed and it wasn’t just ferry wakes rocking us ragged. The constant swell wrapping around the point was enough for us to move.

We couldn’t leave, however, without taking a long dinghy ride out to some snorkeling spots to hunt for lobster. Much of the US Virgin Islands are protected either by National Park or Marine Preserve where there are restrictions on fishing and lobstering. It’s tricky to find places that aren’t protected, though there are a few. Leave it to the Lobbie Whisperer to find them…

We set up our hookah dive compressor, The Air Line, and jumped in.

Just under the surface we saw a little nurse shark. They’re fun to see because in the day they are usually resting. I’d much rather see one of these little guys than a bull shark or huge Caribbean reef shark!

Within minutes, Peter spotted a hole with four or five lobsters poking their antennae out, almost as if to say, “Pick me! Pick me!”

For those of you wondering what Peter is holding, it’s a snare. In the USVI you are not allowed to spear lobster with a gun or a pole spear, you can only catch them by hand or with a snare. This ensures that if you pull out a female with eggs or one that is too small, you can safely let it go. With a spear, you often don’t find out there are eggs until its too late.

Hunting lobster is truly an art and Peter has mastered it beautifully.

Another successful hunt followed by a gorgeous sunset.

“I think I could get used to this life,”

Of all the islands we’ve visited, the USVI feels most like home. I think we’ll stay for awhile.

What place feels like home to YOU?

May 26, 2015

Remembering Mary Christine

May 25, 2015 marked three years since the ruthless disease of Breast Cancer stole Christine away from us.

Mary Christine Pieschel 10/11/1954 ~ 05/25/2012

She would have loved to be on this adventure with us, and it is especially in her honor Peter and I are out here now while we are still young. We know she is watching over us and she continues to inspire us every day to keep doing what makes us happy.

She fought as long as she could and wore the biggest smile you had ever seen until the very end. She touched many lives and will forever be remembered for the amazing woman, mother, sister, aunt, daughter and friend that she was.

After hearing countless memories remembered and retold by loved ones, there is no doubt in my mind that Peter gets his adventurous spirit from his mother, Christine, and his father, Pete. They were both taken from this world far too soon yet both live on through their only son as he follows his dreams and his heart. They would both be so very proud.

Life is short, enjoy the time you have to the very fullest and do whatever it is that makes you happy.

Below is a very special photo that Peter had never seen until just a few months ago. Shown from left to right are the most influential people that helped raise him to be the man he is today: Lucile (Peter’s aunt and Christine’s twin sister), Christine (mother), Pete (father), and Wiley (Pete’s best friend and Godfather/step-father to Peter).

Christine passed away with her longtime partner Dave by her side. He meant the world to her and has always been an amazing father-figure to Peter.

WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!!!

Christine’s twin sister Lucile has been participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk in San Diego (60 miles in three days) for the last four years and has rallied a team of over 100 people walking in honor of Christine. She walks because she told her sister she would never stop…