Comments on the Blog

S/V Christa
Anchored Rodney Bay Lagoon
St Lucia Island
Caribbean Sea
14’05.1N/60'57.6W


I like them. I've noticed that I get fewer comments on this new blogspot compared to the sailblogs. I surmise this has to do with my current inability to to figure out how to get comments to display below the blog entry. Folks simply don't take the time to click on the comments button and have another window come up. I don't blame them. But when people see one comment, others are spurred to deliver there two cents. I've been working the issue with a bit of success. It still is a pain.

An option when reading each blog entry is to click on the title, then only that blog entry comes up with all the comments posted below the entry, old school style.

If anyone has the solution to fix this full on, please let me know. I have spent considerable time in google groups skulking around looking for the solutions to no avail.

Anyway, the picture was taken likely in 1993 timeframe aboard CGC Washington (WPB 1331) homeported in Honolulu. I spent four years aboard that ship. I still have the sword from that fish. Hence the term "marlin spike." Rope work, slicing and such is an art that originated in the old days of sail. A spike is an essential tool, even today aboard ship today that has so many applications. Today we use metal spikes, but back in the day the spike was cut off the Marlin. After we sawed the spike off the pictured fish, I spent many hours with 400 grit sandpaper and honing oil sanding it to a smooth finish. Anyway the picture was sent to me by Pat Hood, the big gorilla looking dude on the left. It was a great time in my life and likely the best tour I ever did in the Coast Guard. Things just seemed to get more complicated after my time in Hawaii Coast Guard wise.

So Marlin Spike Seamanship should create an avalanche of comments!

Capt Chris

Sandpiper Has Departed for St Croix

Sadly this morning I awoke, peered out the hatch to see an empty patch of water off my port bow. Tom & Amy aboard Sandpiper departed yesterday just after noontime bound for St Croix and eventually Charleston SC.


These are the tough times, not just for singlehanders, but for anyone who have to say adios to dear friends. Tom and Amy made the bid for me to come with them back to Charleston. We could have buddy boated back through the Virgins and Bahamas. Very very temping, that herding instinct kicking right in. I wrote a bit about the herding instinct in my article in "Windblown" magazine. You can get to that article by click here.


It is tough to say goodbye always. I have known Tom and Amy for a longtime and as many of you know Tom and I were stationed together on the Morgenthau where we shared a stateroom. This was after we had lived in the same marina, The Presidio Yacht Club for a number of years. Pure happenstance that we ended up on the same ship together. Now fast forward another set of years and we end up spending a delightful two weeks here in El Carib together. If the USCG would have let me retire early, I surely would have buddy boated around the planet with Sandpiper. Wasn't in the cards.

So that is that. Back on my own. I really like it here in Rodney Bay St Lucia. As is my habit, I could sink into this place for quite sometime. But I plan on moving further south sometime this week. I have been asked to post what my future plans and intentions are. As soon as I figure it out myself I'll write about it. Or maybe I'll just write about my options and in that cathardic way, the correct path will emerge. How Zen is that?


Capt Chris

Christa's New Anchorage/Sandpiper Departure

Sandpiper and Christa made a short move early this morning. If you click on the Goggle Earth image it will expand and then you can see the new anchoring spot. We are in the inner harbor of the Rodney Bay complex.

Sandpiper and I are heading to breakfast the last time for who now's how long?

More late

Capt Chris