Richard Merwin and Sheila Week

04-02-09 Friday came with a whirl...as I might have told you... Sheery’s daughter, married to a Navy Seal in Norfolk is having a baby and Sherry needed to get home to help the new Mama for a week....totally unplanned.....well Sherry left on Friday Morning and we had blue tape on the rails ready to varnish and Rich and Sheila were showing up at 5PM......
Springing into action by 9 am I was ready to varnish the rails and by noon I had pulled the tape and started to get the boat provisioned for Rich and Sheila...originally meeting them in West End, I had to change the plan and get Geporge to bring them to Nanny Cay with Sherry leaving the Captain to manage his last group of friends before the return to Erie.

Rich and Sheila arrived about 6PM after being two hours late out of Philadelphia to the BVI Regatta going on in Nanny Cay.....We went over to the activities and had a great meal from one of the local restaurants that was set up out on the beach to serve the crews. About 80 boats were going to sail for the three days.....good looking event....I would recommend it over the Heineken.....all sailors...few charter boats.....everyone having fun!

Saturday by 10:30 Rich, Sheila and I got Nyanza off the dock and we departed for Jost Van Dyke arriving around 3PM. We hoped into the Dinky and motored over to White beach and a beer at the One Last Chance bar on the beach.......returning we took a fast siesta and then into Foxy’s for a barbecue and beer and watched the final four........Check out the pictures...Sheila met the monkey at Foxy’s!!!!!!

Sunday was beautiful......breakfast on the boat followed by a ride into the beach to check it out...it was very quiet (Palm Sunday and the island was at Church).....then off to Virgin Gorda and the Bitter End........Wind on the nose at 15 knots......motored for 4 hours with the autopilot working finally.....hooray......knock on wood!

Arrived at the Bitter End around 4:30PM...got a dock amongst the big Hatterass etc.... Puerto Rican fishing boats with extended families and way to many kids.....Rich and Sheila found their room and I gave the boat a quick rinse......a little dinner at the Bitter End and we were all whipped from a long day.......

The weather has been fantastic......little rain...clear skies and temps in the low 80’s during the day and into the 70’s at night....wind at 15-18 knots every day....swells down.....who could ask for more?

Today was a rest day all around.....I cleaned the boat and started installing a new pump for the holding tank.....fun job.....Sheila and Rich enjoyed the day........this evening we went to Saba Rock with the Gregory’s who had just returned with Rick and Gretchen
( Steve Alcock’s sister) . Sheila tried the Anegada Lobster which she said was wonderful.....Rich and I had the Swordfish and steak shish Kabob....it was so so.
...then back to watch NC soundly defeat Michigan State in the NCAA finals.......

Check out the pictures of Rich and Sheila and our dinner at Saba......oh..also a few pictures of Yeoman out of the water getting cleaned for the regatta and Sheila at Foxy’s.

Received a few emails from Captain Dave Block who arrives next Wednesday to take over NYANZA for her return to Erie......starting to get preped for the trip...I am sure he will be happy to get down here after seeing that it is snowing in Dunkirk today!

Nyanza leaves for Norman Island tomorrow.....her last ride this year down the Sir Francis Drake Channel, then on Thursday we end up in Great Cruz Bay at the Westin.
My good friends Creighton and Janice Murch have a house while we are there and I plan to have Rich and Sheila meet them for dinner...Until then.
Cap Jim