Time Will Tell’s First Outing
Okay, the truth is that Time Will Tell’s first outing was her Delivery from France to Tortola. This trip is her first since she got dressed up - and she looks good!
First thing you notice when you see her is the sail stack pack sporting her name, then the logo on the bows (parrots just look at home in paradise). For me, I then saw the dinghy - we didn’t have one for the crossing - then the cockpit cushions! She looks like a proper boat (as Andreas would say!), ready for guests!
Inside there were improvements all the way around. The fruit basket on the saloon table, the cute tea kettle and coffee brewer on the hob (stove), and Foxy’s welcoming face on the cruising guide all elevated what I thought of as a good looking boat when I left her only 6 1/2 short weeks ago.
Down in the hulls each stateroom got the royal treatment, complete with towel animals!
Honestly, I had never chartered with TMM before - they are a class act! And I know that my clients will get treated just as well!
The first night we just stayed on the boat - basically a sleepover the night before. This, to me, is an ideal situation. Got settled in, hit the little Rite Way next door to the marina, and got a good night’s sleep.
The next morning a hot shower and breakfast were the orders of the day. The checkout briefing came next (yes, even for me!). Included in our welcome packet was a set of taxi passes for 2 to the big Rite Way for a proper provisioning.
Then it was time for lunch! We could have left right after lunch - or before, since we had the food - but I was chatting with some of the people at the base, as well as some new owners who are waiting for their boat to be built (always good to have connections so when you’re ready for a flotilla, I can set it up!).
First stop, almost the easiest jump from Road Town - the inspiration for Treasure Island, Norman Island!
A nice relaxed trip headsail motorsailing, I did have a little concern that this was high season, and the Bight is a popular anchorage - as is Pirate’s Bight restaurant - would there be any mooring balls available? Turns out there were plenty of boats there, but LOTS of available mooring balls!
Pirate’s Bight restaurant was in full swing, with dinghies running in and out of the beach. A quick debate and it was decided eating aboard made sense, with yours truly cooking. The galley on board is small but quite well equipped. The only thing I forgot - likely not the only, but who’s keeping score? - was salt and pepper (plenty of other spices, but not those) and saltwater came to the rescue!
The morning was glorious, big puffy clouds, deep blue skies - perfect for sailing! Unfortunately not much wind, so another headsail motorsailing day, headed to the world famous White Bay, home of the Soggy Dollar Bar.
If you have never been, you have to go! It’s the home of the Painkiller, and I think they have the best. If you’re wondering about the name, it comes from the bay, really. You see, there is no place to dock your boat, so sailors anchored out, and swam in. This caused their money - and everything else - to get wet. People ordered drinks and paid for them with soggy dollars! There is even a line over the bar to clip bills to dry! Yes, they take credit cards, but it’s not the same!
It was lunchtime, so we got some chow in addition to the Painkillers - a plate of BBQ ribs, chicken, lobster Mac and cheese, corn on the cob and salad. It’s the Sunday special, and a few people asked us about it! Delicious!
After a rain shower moved thru (I didn’t order rain!!!), a quick swim back to the boat, detached from the mooring ball we used, and headed off to our destination for the night - Cane Garden Bay. If you’re a Buffett fan, you’ve heard of the place, and I had a few meals here at the end of the delivery. It was an easy trip motoring over (wind was right on the nose - bad for sailing, but good for how the bay lies for mooring). Caught a nice mooring ball, met the neighbors (the wind died down, and the boats floated toward each other, giving both crews a moment of action in all the relaxation).
Dragonfly - another charter boat I know - is here, but I don’t think the owners are aboard, though. It is always fun to see other owners when you’re out.
One of the beautiful things about bareboating around the BVI is that you decide your itenerary. Where do you want to go today? Or do I even want to go anywhere?? Today, the decision was to stay here in Cane Garden Bay!
Honestly, Cane Garden Bay is gorgeous - I know, there are a thousand fabulous inlets and bays, so maybe I won’t come back to this one next trip, so I’ll enjoy the heck out of it this trip. The morning had me taking the dinghy out for its first spin (yeah, the management team probably had it out and running when it was out on TWT, but let me believe I’m the first to drive it!). That went well - went around Time Will Tell a few times, then put her back on the davits.
Lunch was a take the dinghy to the dinghy dock, and walk down the beach to Pussers for a lazy lunch. Yes, a Painkiler was involved
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