Birthday at Sea

Sunrise over St. Maarten the Dutch side

Happy Birthday Grandpa and Adam

The things that wake you up at night are different on a boat. Once we have chosen a place to stay we put out an anchor. Seems like a pretty easy scenario. . . . However, when the wind starts blowing we become concerned that the anchor will not hold well and the boat will go floating  a) into other boats  b) onto the rocks or reef or c) we float out to sea. So every little noise seems to wake us up. It could be a rope hitting the mast or deck. It could be a wave slapping against the hull. Might even be a “coke” can rolling side to side in the cupboard. Either way, sleeping takes a little getting used to. 

Adam turned 9 years old in the middle (well not quite) of the ocean. Last night we crossed from the BVI to St. Maarten. This means a sail of 90 miles through the night across the Agenda passage. The wind, waves and current are typically against you when going the direction we needed to go. This caused a little apprehension in the captain and crew. (The noises out there at night could mean several other things). Many of our fears were alleviated as we took on captain Kim. CK is a very experienced off shore sailor and was willing to go with us. We all wore off-shore life vests and harnesses. It would be difficult to find someone at night in the ocean if they fell off the boat. We made it. The sail was beautiful under a sky filled with stars and a full moon. The lights from the cruise ship were very bright and looked like a small island. Do not want to land on that island. From here we will continue south visiting several small island countries along the way.   BK