Just Liming......

Francis Bay, St John looking west at St Thomas

One day melts into another here on St. John, USVI.  Life is an easy blend of lobstering, beaching, hiking, lunches ashore, minor boat projects and socializing with other cruisers. As this is the dry season, everyday is nearly the same with bright blue skies and puffy white clouds; with the obligatory afternoon spritz. The climate here during the winter months is ideal....daytime highs in the low 80s and night time temps is the low 70s.  (In contrast, the temps at night in Grenada don't drop below the mid 80s !)  If it were any easier here, I would be comatose !!  As Paul Simon sings, "we get all the news we need from the weather report".   As winds and sea swells change, boats are moved from the west side of the island to the southern anchorages and then back again.  As St John is a territory of the US, the postal service and rates are the same as in the continental US; making ordering supplies simple and inexpensive.  This respite in US waters has afforded me the opportunity to restock Persephone's inventory of spare pieces and parts. In addition, ATT provides cell phone service at the same rates as the US; including free nights and weekends. Being back in civilization is terrific...at least in the short term ! 

Simply, it is seductive to be on an upscale island with all the amenities of the US. It is going to be VERY difficult to peel away from this "Velcro Island" and return to the southern Caribbean; perhaps not returning to the VIs for 2+ years.  'Persephone' plans on remaining in the USVIs for about a month before starting the 500 mile trek south for hurricane season.... But, before heading south, the bottom paint must be renewed....more on that in the next posting.

Yup, plenty of cold beer aboard, looks like its going to be another great day !

Dave Goes Down with Mike......

The lobster in this story is the one
on top weighing 3 lbs 12 oz

So, there I am, Diver Dave, cruising along at 60 feet below the surface with my dive buddy, Mike. (Mike is a guest aboard s/v ‘Chimayo’). The lobster hunt wasn’t going very well on this dive….not a crustation was spotted (pun intended). We were both getting low on air, and our bottom time was limited. I was slightly ahead and below Mike when he poked me with his snare. I whirled around knowing that he must have seen something. Yup, it was a nice spiny lobster hanging out in his hidy-hole…unfortunately for him, he forgot to tuck in his antenna. Mike tried to get his snare into the hole and around the lobster’s tail. No luck, the hole was just too small and the lobster was firmly wedged in. So, in a macho move Mike grabbed the lobster’s antenna next to its head. The lobster went nuts !! A steel cage death match ensued ….mano-a-mano….it’s tail flapping wildly (the lobster’s that is), sharp spines slashing at exposed flesh, face to face, NO, eyeball to eyeball the brawl continued. Neither man nor beast blinked….then again, lobsters can’t blink… (just go with it, I’m on a roll here)… The lobster wriggled as far back into its hole as it could with Mike still holding it’s antenna. Mike was literally up to his shoulder in the hole. I was slightly above Mike and blinded by the bubbles from Mike’s SCUBA gear as the death match continued. Which one was going to emerge from the hole victorious ? At this moment it was dead even; or perhaps the lobster was slightly ahead on points. Finally, Mike is able to drag the agitated animal far enough from it’s hole for me grab it from behind. In the open, the lobster had more room to flail its tail in a last ditch effort to escape; Mike holding dinner from the front and me from behind. The lobster’s spines penetrated my gloves as the lobster drew first blood. Although it was two against one, the lobster was beginning to wiggle free. Instantly, Mike jumped him and wrapped himself in the fetal position around the pissed lobster. Picture a football player falling on the ball after a fumble in a protective curl…that was Mike. Immediately, I opened the catch bag and we stuffed the still battling bug inside. DONE !!

     With the few hundred pounds of air in our tanks, the three of us slowly made our way to the surface. Thankfully, the dinghy was only a few hundred feet away. Later, back on ‘Chimayo’, beer and bugs were served for dinner with friends. What could be better?!…

     “Excuse me, could you pass the drawn butter”….”another coldie, Dave” ? You bet !

NOTE:

((Geoff on "Beach House" asked if SCUBA gear is legal for catching lobsters in the USVI.  The answer is yes, as long as you are using snares and not spears.  Lobsters are plentiful here, so the restrictions are limited, even in the National Park.  Mike is in the US Coast Guard and was assigned to the station in St. Thomas; so we were careful to comply with all regulations.   So com' on up to America's paradise and snare yourself dinner !!  Geoff, we'll even let Canadians in !!))