BVI - Perspective

Well are we wrong. Last week we wrote how the weather was not cooperating, feeling sorry for ourselves with all the rain and feeling sorry for all the charterers who happened to pick the past week. Tonight we sat in our cockpit with couples from two other boats, both long-term cruisers, when a dinghy approached eyeing our Canadian flag.
"Where you from?" they called. They were from New Brunswick and on a charter for 10 days.
"Too bad the weather has been bad", says I.
"What do you mean?" they say "it has been great!"
We all turned to each other in surprise. "Did they say it was good?" we asked, mouths open. On reflection, how soon we forget. After a normal Canadian winter, to escape to a land where warm breezes caress your face, where you shed multiple layers of cloths for only a bathing suit, where the water is not hard enough to stand on, and where you swim in an aquarium, what is there not to like. Who cares about a few showers? What is a little wind? You are here and the air is warm and the water is warm and the beaches are golden and the rum is cheap. So there you go.

They also exclaimed before leaving, "Wow, you look like real cruisiers. I bet you have been out a long time." Now how did they know that? Was it the boat, our appearance, our clothing. our hair cuts or some other hidden-to-us sign? And we thought that by having people over and laughing and carrying on, we would fit right into the charter crowd.

In case you are wondering where we are, we are still at Leverick Bay. We were going to leave today but we had to get water. We have closed down our watermaker and now carry jugs ashore to purchase water. But first we wanted to give a boat near us -Hello World - the weather forecast. While at Hello World, it started to rain, as in squall, so they invited us aboard. We had a wonderful visit with David and Kate who also are friends with our friends on Reverie. So by the time we made it to the dock for water, picked up the water and poured it into Vagus' water tanks, it was time for lunch. Well you cannot leave after lunch. We decided to have Hello World and Always Saturday over for Happy Hour. Off we went in the dinghy to invite both boats and then into the store for supplies. We got back at 2:00 and I turned on the computer to check e-mails. Up pops a Skype call from Laurie in North Vancouver. We had a great chat for about 30 minutes from BVI to North Vancouver, complete with video of Laurie (we do not have a web cam), for zero cost. Technology is amazing.

Then I called Port Credit Marina, where we are getting our boat fixed at Bristol Marine, to arrange delivery, again via Skype. Imagine my surprise when my carefully and painfully planned house of cards was knocked down when the woman in the office at Port Credit Marina said "You can't bring your boat here." She was more than a little abrupt and I was shaking when I got off the phone. Now where was Vagus to be delivered? Where was she going to be fixed? I thought I had it all arranged!!! I called Bristol Marine and asked them how they were supposed to fix my boat when I couldn't get it into the yard. They were super and also more than a little upset. They assured me they would work it out and, also importantly, I would not have to talk to that woman again. What kind of boat yard turns away business like that?

I finished all my calls on a positive note as I next I managed to get on a Google chat line with our eldest son, Alex, and determine that all was well in his life.

By now it was 4:00 and, as we now have lots of water, Karen had promised the other cruisers, who were due at 5:00, that we would shower before they came. Time was getting near and Karen was making noises that they would be here soon. Off went the computer and into the shower I went. So it was a busy day. We now plan to leave tomorrow but then again ... Have a good week.