9/25/83 (Sunday)
True to his word, Fritz arrived quite early to bring over an autographed copy of his book for Florence. He bid us farewell and we made preparations to head across Drake Channel to the Baths. We anchored offshore of the Baths and a lovely sandy beach, and everyone anxiously loaded into the dink for a visit ashore. After walking through the Baths and swimming for a short while, Captain Bill and Arch took the dink back to pick up snorkel gear. The girls all enjoyed a Prell bath, shampoo and much needed leg shaves. Finally, the snorkel gear arrived. The area was sparsely populated with limited varieties of fish, but still, everyone enjoyed. Lunch was next on the agenda, and then guess what??? The ladies read while the guys meditated.
The weather began to worsen somewhat, so Captain Bill decided we should head for safe harbor. Carrie valiantly volunteered to be set afloat in the dink with the stern anchor line while the rest of us freed the bow anchor. WE all solemnly promised to return to pick her up. All went well, and Carrie was again safe on board.
Our next stop for the night was Spanish Town at Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor. The marina is quite big, but the individual slips look quite small. However, that proved to be no problem for Old Salt (Captain Bill, of course). First attempt was perfect (APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE). We walked up the highway to Fischer’s Cove for drinks and a dinner of grouper for Arch and lobster tails for everyone else. Upon returning, unable to wait any longer, Arch and Sharon headed for the showers. A nice hot shower was just what the doctor ordered. Having had a full day of sun and fun, all retired for the evening---again witnessing the rise of a somewhat waning moon.
9/26/83 (Monday)
Everyone enjoyed using the very nice facilities at the Marina. Captain Bill, always very ingenious, prepared “gromet” pancakes for breakfast with somewhat (more) fermented pineapple and rum, along with sausage.
Afterward, we all took a Taxi-Bus into Spanish Town and little Dix Bay, the Rockefeller-owned resort. The resort is beautifully landscaped and has very open, spacious architecture. We took some pictures and bought postcards in the shop there.
After returning to the Marina, Captain Bill gave a brief orientation on who would do what during our sailing expedition which would take us to The Bitter End. Everyone had an assigned task and all went well. However, the ladies wore a somewhat somber, if not grim, expression throughout the voyage.
We radioed in and decided to tie-on to a buoy. We took the dink in, explored the resort complex and had a wonderful pina colada at the bar. After learning that the $10 mooring fee covered only mooring and garbage pick-up (use of shower facilities cost $2.50/person), the Captain made an executive decision---we wouldn’t use their buoy, we would drop anchor. Dinner was simple, we decided the Chef needed a break. Florence and Sharon cooked hamburgers. MMmmm GOOD! Everyone retired early to read before going to sleep. A Monday of sailing beats a Monday of working anytime!
