The helm of the boat is up high on the starboard (or right) side. The steering wheel is big, there’s GPS map screen and other smaller screens with associated buttons on them. There’s a compass and throttle sticks.
The boat can be put into autopilot. You tell the boat which direction you want to head and it keeps that course heading as best it can. Because boats travel on water and are subject to wind and water conditions, the autopilot corrects as needed to reach the desired destination.
And this means you can do an interesting thing. Well, I’m certain there are gobs of interesting things you can do on this boat, this is just one Richard explained to me. He had autopilot turned on. He took the wheel and turned it counterclockwise. The boat started to turn. we turned about an eighth of a turn. When Richard let go and stopped turning, autopilot eased the boat back onto track. That means if you need to steer around an obstacle, you could do so with ease. And that, I find cool.
That ship's wheel doesn’t function like I expected it too. You can steer the boat by turning clockwise or counterclockwise, but its easier to look at the screens, see what direction you’re heading in degrees and then press buttons indicating how much you want to change your course. If you’re sailing at 24° and you want to change to 34° you’d press the +10° button and the boat steers itself to meet the new heading. The ship’s wheel isn’t even needed most of the time, it’s all buttons and screens.
My husband has become much more of a sailor than I have. He knows what to do for raising, lowering and he knows the various procedures for mooring, anchoring or connecting to a buoy. He’s been helping and learning since we boarded. I’ve done some, but he’s really taken to it. I don’t know if we’ll ever have an opportunity to go on a trip like this again, but it’s something new and different for all of us. It’s definitely been an adventure we wouldn’t have had without Richard and Alice inviting us.
Last night we went to our one dinner out while on the boat. The restaurant had a lovely atmosphere with seating all open towards the beach. Everyone enjoyed their food. It was getting there and back that was the challenge. We anchored for the night near the restaurant. We had two short trips in the dinghy to get us there. The only way we could approach the restaurant was at the rocky small beach at the rear of the building. I put everyone’s shoes in my bag and we all jumped in when we got close enough. Our feet were a mess of dirt and sand by the time we made it to the side of the restaurant. Fortunately there was a hose we could wash our feet of on.
After the rest of us arrived in the Dinghy and we all had our feet washed with shoes back on, we were seated and all ate too much. Getting back to the boat turned out to be messy. It was dark and the beacon light at the top of the boat wasn’t visible until we got closer. The wind had kicked up causing the dinghy to be more like a waterpark ride for people who want to get splashed. Back on the boat, everyone showered and fell asleep full. We return to St. John tomorrow.
The Big Boy Update: My son is having a hard time. That’s not to say he isn’t having a great vacation, it’s just that he’s in a repeating cycle of getting in trouble and then directing his frustration by taking it out on his sister or pushing boundaries hard with my husband and me. Underneath it all, he wants to be liked and understood. I’ve explained a bit to Andrew and Julia who are much older. I’ve talked to my husband and we’re going to see if we can stop with the negative feedback from us. The more “in trouble” he gets—which is constantly—the more he needs someone to be his friend and accept him. That, alone, will calm him down. I was his buddy at dinner last night. He was great.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: We’re heading to the marina now that has the very social and socialized iguanas. My daughter was petting one the other day and then got nipped by it. We all explained to her it wasn’t trying to hurt her. I’m hoping the iguanas are there this morning and we can go back and pet them again. They have a different feel than other animals and feeling is what it’s all about for my daughter.
sdfsd
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