A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 3/19/2023 – 3/26/2023

Good morning! You can watch our latest YouTube video here!

On Monday morning, we checked out of our Airbnb and lugged our stuff back aboard Sabado. Over the weekend, contractors had finished resurfacing our teak, and by the looks of it, they also hosed down the entire boat! It was hard to take photos with all the shadows, but here is a before and after of the teak:

You can see the discoloration from stains/general wear and tear in the first photo, but it looks brand new now!

We went into the office to sort out our splash time and swapped stories with the manager about wildlife encounters at sea. I guess my phone overheard us chatting about swimming with whales (my dream!!) because while we were grabbing coffee later that morning, I had a “suggested post” about a fellow sailor who hit a whale while crossing the Pacific, sinking his boat in under 15 minutes. It’s a remarkable story; if you’re interested in reading about it, here is an article, but what I find more interesting is this first-hand account from the Captain. My biggest takeaway was to never skimp on safety equipment and to discuss your emergency plan with your crew thoroughly (and frequently). My heart goes out to S/V Raindancer and her crew! That is one hell of a story, and I’m glad everyone is safe. 

Anyway, we had breakfast at local boater hotspot Lagoonies, where we had our favorite ham and cheese croissants and met a couple of people who watch our YouTube videos (thanks for saying hi!!), then went back to the boat to meet the rigger who inspected Sabado. Recently we’ve heard a few concerning reports regarding Lagoon standing rigging, so we hired a professional to make sure Sabado was good to go. She complimented Sabado’s condition and said she did not find anything problematic. If you’re looking for a rigger in St. Maarten, we used fkg. 

We splashed later that morning and made sure the bilges were dry before leaving the slip. 

We anchored in Simpson Bay and spent a couple of days putting Sabado back together because when we left the yard, she was a disaster: 

Unfortunately, the anchorage was rough. We scoured our charts for another option but couldn’t find anything we were interested in with good holding and adequate protection. We had planned on staying in St. Maarten for at least another week, but after being tossed around for a few days, we decided to check out on Thursday afternoon instead. We pulled our anchor, hoisted the sails, and had a peaceful overnight trip back to the USVI. We were thrilled to be moving again!

We had favorable wind the entire way, and with our new bottom job, we were flying! Despite going against 1kn of current and having our main reefed, our SOG was above 7kn the entire way! 

I still haven’t figured out how to take photos of the stars, so you’ll have to trust me- they were magnificent…

We dropped anchor in St. Thomas at sunrise on Friday. We picked up our mail, got rid of trash, provisioned, then headed to Frenchman’s Cove for the weekend. 

We’ve sort of been “based” in St. Thomas this season, which is out of character for us, but it has been incredibly convenient given the work we’ve been having done on Sabado and the guests we’ve had visit. We have one more day’s worth of contracted work to do here and some friends visiting in a month, then we’ll move on. For now, though, we aren’t upset to call the USVI “home.”

Frenchman’s Cove is one of our go-to anchorages in St. Thomas for some serenity. There’s only enough room for a few boats, the water is clear, and there’s nothing on shore but a lovely beach. Typically, a couple of charter boats will come in for the afternoon, but we usually have it all to ourselves otherwise. So, we spent the day relaxing. I did lots of swimming, and Ray experimented with our monitoring system. 

I found a sea cucumber nearby, which I have since learned is good to eat? They’re a delicacy in many Asian cultures and are incredibly nutritious. However, only certain species are good to eat, and I didn’t trust my identification skills in the moment… Ray said harvesting red sea cucumbers was a big industry when he was growing up in Alaska. He tried some a long time ago and remembered sautéing it in butter. They’re supposedly pretty gross to grab though, because they excrete a portion of their guts to scare off predators. If I had to guess, I’d say this one was Astichopus multifidus. 

Anyway, we made some water, did a load of laundry, had an easy sheet pan dinner made in our electric oven, and watched a beautiful sunset. Life is good! 

Today I’m hoping to get back into my usual cleaning routine (it really never ends on a boat!) and maybe finish the book I’m reading. What are you up to? ❤️