We rented a car for the first time in months, and headed out to see a bit more of the island. This was done less as tourism, and more out of necessity. The cupboards were starting to get pretty bare, and grocery stores on the island, not surprisingly, aren’t located right on the waterfront. So, we tried to mix in one or two fun things along with trips to the grocery and K-Mart (the biggest store on island).
One stop was to see the famous beer drinking pigs. Long story. Nowadays you can purchase a couple of non-alcoholic beers, say hello to the eager pigs, shake up the beer really good, and then stick it in their mouth. It looked every bit like a college frat party. The pigs look happy and healthy, so I imagine they are getting fed a lot of leftover restaurant slop in addition to guzzling beers. It was good for a laugh.
Unloading a small fraction of the day’s shopping haul.
Early the next morning we took off to see Point Udall, the easternmost spot in the U.S. (and territories). The short drive reminded us of the California coast.
We still haven’t perfected the family pictures.
This is a big turtle nesting beach. You can see the holes in the sand from up here.
I contemplated just converting this to a drop toilet and leaving it here.
If you can’t tell, this toilet rebuild became a bit of a running family joke. It probably won’t come as a big surprise that once installed, there was one seal that leaked, and of course we had no more spares. While we wait for not one, but four extras, to be delivered, we have to keep a little cup underneath and remember to empty it now and then. Fortunately, it’s just salt water. Unfortunately, the humor in our family toilet joke has also dripped away.
11 Comments on “St. Croix Drive”
I’m really curious about internet connectivity while cruising and since you work while on the boat I’d love to get your thoughts. How good is the call quality with Sat phones? Is it out of the question for Zoom calls?
Internet is hit and miss. Like being on land, it depends on how many people live near where you are. Populated areas mean good signals. Isolated areas can be nothing at all. Most cruisers use cell phones for data.
Sat phones are stupid expensive!!! Not good for any big data and always mediocre voice quality with a delay. Not to worry, Elon Musk is going to fix it.
Hope this helps.
Yes, Starlink is going to be a game changer.
Hi Alex, We have Google Fi and T-Mobile that has worked both in Puerto Rico and the USVIs. We set them up as hotspots and it seems to do alright for our needs right now. We don’t download too much, and do stream a few shows now then. Pat and I work online, and the kids do a class via zoom. It is working for now – but we definitely keep an eye on download sizes.
I lost you for a while, but I found you again. I love how Lowe is just reaching over the transom to fiddle with the water scooters, oblivious to everything around him. He appears to be constantly in his own world.
Hey Ron! Lowe is always busy doing something but always paying attention too. Pat and I joke that we think we are just having a stupid conversation about something but Lowe always chimes in with his take. His imagination is really stellar.
There were some days in my life when someone referred to me as a beer-drinking pig. Also a long story 🙂
Very curious if St. Croix still has that god-awful smelling grassy seaweed in the bay off Christiansted. We couldn’t even run the water maker because the ocean water had the same smell. Pulling the anchor up was enough to knock a person over. Other than that, a beautiful island.
I’m sure it would be a good story. 🙂
We didn’t notice anything but also didn’t anchor right in the bay, only the outer anchorage. We did get growth on our chain and both dinghies needed a good bottom scrubbing.
LIFE IS GOING BY TO QUICK! It just seems like it was a few years ago when you guys sailed around the world in your little catamaran and your van. I was there when your kids were born and another sailboat, travel trailer, and on and on—what a wonderful life for you and your kids.#BEST PARENTS EVER. You have inspired and motivated me over the last 17 or so years. THANK YOU for sharing your life’s with all of us. Tim Rainey
You aren’t kidding, Tim. Keeping up this blog all these years really puts it all into perspective how quickly it goes.
And thank you for the kind words.
“We still haven’t perfected the family pictures.”
At least everyone is facing the camera!