SJ log for Feb 17 - Sunshine School Auction & Tim's last day in SVG this trip

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Today is Tim’s last day in SVG, and unfortunately we’ll be spending most of it apart. He will remain at TMM to work with the crew on maintenance issues for SJ, and I am headed back to Bequia to work the Sunshine School’s annual auction.


Winston and Tim have removed the old water heate which has exposed the rotting fiberglass floor underneath. Not only do we need to replace the water heater, but we also need to bring in the fiberglass guy to repair the floor (working with fiberglass is a special skill and requires special tools).

Tim and the TMM crew will be particularly digging into our water system now that we can better investigate that in detail at the docks (and with people who work with boats everyday and know much more about this than we do). We have discovered that our hot water tank is not only bad (it’s almost 14 years old), but that the slow leak has rotted the floorboards and compartment around the water heater, so the water heater will need to be replaced and a fiberglass person will need to repair the floor. The new tank is not available in SVG, so we’ll need to order that from St. Martin further north up the chain (near BVI), and given that will cost about $1000, we’ve decided to hold off on ordering that and therefore spread out the cost of our needed maintenance repairs. That means the boat will be without hot water for the duration of this trip, however one of the office ladies mentioned they use one of those camping bags that you hang outside for the water to heat the sun, and then use that water below. And the best news is they only cost about $12-15 US. Sounds like a good idea to me.

The old broken water heater waits in the cockpit to be taken ashore. Even though a new one is expensive, this one lasted 14 years so we can't really complain.

Other projects that Tim plans to spearhead today include: Investigate the smoke coming from our engine, unfurling the jib and removing it from the forestay and cleaning the mildew that has accumulated on the sail, topping our freshwater tanks (we can use TMM hoses to fill our tanks for free but we need to buy water elsewhere), and all those other “before we head out again” items.

Tim will also be taking the lead on meeting with the TMM base manager to adjust our bill for the damaged items in our locker and to discuss a modified management agreement that might be more tenable for us now that SJ is not earning her keep any longer.

TMM/Sunsail base in St. Vincent. The upstairs is an open air restaurant and down below is the office (behind the dinghies) and to the right is the bathrooms and showers for boat guests.

Owning a charter boat is not really a money-making venture, unless perhaps you have the resources to pay cash for the boat, and catamarans are typically the better money-maker because they hold more people and therefore rent for more income (but they also cost a lot more to buy). We went the charter boat route however because we had decided to purchase a sailboat that we might someday live aboard, and turning it into a business made it possible to do that by using the income from our renters to offset boat payments. It’s a way for “regular people” like Tim and I to afford a basic and seaworthy boat. Now that she’s out of the charter program however, we are continually evaluating what to do next, because of course the boat needs an anchorage of residence, someone to watch it and someone to maintain it when we are not able to be there – and all that costs money. We’re investigating a number of options for how to turn SJ back into an income producer, but for now we just need to ride out the months (or perhaps even 1-2 years) in between. There are lots of options we’re investigating – everything from selling her outright, to booking charters on SJ on our own, to putting her on the hard somewhere to wait out the unused months in storage. But then, those are details for a later log eh?

While Tim is working on boat issues, my mission for today is to get myself over to Bequia for the Sunshine School fundraising auction and back again before the last Sunday ferry. I left TMM’s base early for Kingstown because I knew on a Sunday there wouldn’t be many mini-buses running, and I wanted to avoid the expense of a taxi if I could. I wanted to catch the 8:30 ferry to Bequia, so about 7:15 am Tim walked up the steep, curving driveway with me to ensure I got on a bus okay, and fortunately we waited only about 15 minutes before one came along.

Stern of car and passenger ferry between St. Vincent and Bequia

Unfortunately I have not taken a photo of one of the minibuses but perhaps I can do that for a later entry. I mentioned the mini-buses in an earlier log (Feb 7), but as I look around the mini-bus today, I realize I miscounted when I estimated how many people they manage to squeeze into the bus. Today’s peak was about 18-20 people (the little van is probably advertised to hold 9 passengers). I also noticed that there are typically 2 people who operate the bus – one driver and another person in back whom I’ll call the “usher.” Obviously the driver’s primary job is to drive and watch for people along the road who are waiting for the bus, and I’d describe the usher’s job as: finding everyone a seat somehow (it’s quite an art form to watch), collecting the fares and making change, and letting the driver know when someone wants to stop.

I also noticed today that when people want to stop they do something similar to what I do on the bus in South Portland when I pull the cord before we pass the next designated bus stop where I want to get off --- they simply say “bus stop” to the usher who’s usually in the first row of the back so he can hear them better (evidently another part of his job description). And when the bus stops, here’s how it typically goes: The usher is usually at the sliding door on the left side (they drive on the left here so you get out on the left away from traffic). When the bus stops, the usher gets out, and then depending on where the person who wants to get off is sitting – everyone who would be in the way of that person being able to get out gets out too. So we file out of the bus one at a time after the usher – sort of the way cars move off the highway to leave room for an approaching ambulance- and then the person exiting the bus gets out, and then we all climb back in again – including any new passengers that were at the stop to join us. Each time the bus stops the usher also gets in and out himself and he handles opening and closing the door, and he also puts the “jump seats” down when needed – those are the seats which fold down into what would be the aisle when no one is in the seat; and these are used when the van has already filled the “standard” seats (part of the reason for the in-and-out). Once everyone is safely seated inside the van, the usher taps his hand on the outside of the van (the windows are typically down to catch the breeze and probably most vans don’t have air conditioners anyway), and that seems to signal to the driver that it’s safe to move ahead. Personally, I’m pretty impressed with their system – it’s efficient and cost effective for everyone – not to mention is saves gas and nasty carbon emissions for our environment, so how cool is that?

I happened to be in one of the jump seats along the way, so at the first 5-6 stops I climbed in and out with everyone else who was “on the outside” nearest the door to let people farther inside the van get off. I was the only non-native on the bus, which is my usual experience with this because apparently most visitors aren’t fond of the minibuses and take cabs instead. To each his own, but if the locals are generous enough to share their method of transportation with me, then my personal preference (remember, I’m cheap guys) is to spend $1.5 EC (about 55 cents US) on the trip to Kingstown as opposed to $35-45 (about $12-15 US) – because I am prone to squeeze every cent out of every dollar to make it go as far as possible. But then, that also means that I can take what I saved by skipping the more convenient taxi and use that savings at the local produce market buying fruits and vegetables, or perhaps at a local store to buy something locally made as a gift for someone back in the states. Perhaps it's not what everyone one do and that's cool, but it works for me. However, I realize the taxi drivers need to make a living too, so as I mentioned earlier when I’m carrying a lot of provisions or other packages it makes sense to use a taxi then, because of course getting in and out with all those bags is not only inconvenient to me, but also to those sitting around me.

The ushers tend to be young and wiry men (all that in and out must keep them in shape), and today was no exception. He was also quite nice and considerate, because after he saw me step out of the van onto the muddy street for about the 4th or 5th time in my long white skirt that I’d worn for the auction, he actually apologized for all the “in and out.” How nice is that? My response was a sincere “no worries”, because I was very glad that method of transportation was there and I considered the in-and-out to be some good daily exercise. Besides, after the first few stops, I eventually worked my way to more inside the van, and as tends to happen I eventually was far enough inside that I no longer needed to get out until we reached the van’s final destination of downtown Kingstown. So if we all take our turn at the “less convenient part”, then it all works out even in the end for everyone.

Main street in Kingstown where minibuses pick up and drop off passengers.

Everything in life is all in how we look at it eh? As I get older, I find out more and more that it’s really our “attitude” about things and our willingness to cooperate with others that has everything to do with whether things go well or not so well for everyone involved. I’ve also noticed that all it takes is one patient and considerate person to inspire others to be that way and make things go well for everyone, and all it takes is one impatient and “it’s all about me" person to create chaos and turn the day into something not so great for everyone. I guess it's up to each of us as to which one of those "kinds of people" we want to be eh? I am a strong believer that we reap what we sow in this world, and we get back from the world the same kind of karma we put out there. Okay, I'll step down from my soapbox now.

As we neared downtown Kingstown I noticed the other people still on the bus starting to hand the usher their money and he was making change, so I followed their lead and did the same. I wasn’t sure if tipping was customary for the buses or not, so I handed him 3EC for my 1.5 fare, and he shook his head and tried to hand me 1 ½ EC back. There are honest people out there everywhere. He could have easily just pocketed the difference and said nothing.

The next stop was the main stop in Kingstown, so the bus emptied out there and carried on its way. A young woman who had been on the bus with me spoke to me and said hello as we both headed in the same direction toward the wharf. She asked me if I was on the island alone and after I explained that I was on my way to Bequia for the day while my husband was working on our older boat, we continued to chat and I found out she was on her way to work for her mother, and although I didn’t pick up everything she said in the local dialect (I’m still learning), I gathered that it had something to do with cleaning something.

We parted near the wharf just as a light drizzle began, where I turned into the entrance for the Bequia Express Ferry, and since I hadn’t done this before I again sort of followed the people in front of me and did what they did. I noticed as they approached the window they handed the lady what looked like a 1EC coin and then she handed them back a piece of paper. I did the same and when I asked about the fare, she mentioned that they would collect my fare on the ferry. As I left the window and headed toward the door into the boarding area, the rain squall that had been approaching over the hills arrived, the sky opened up, and it started to rain in earnest.

We all waited briefly in the ferry terminal before someone came to the door and motioned us out onto the wharf and the boarding ramp. I walked across the concrete wharf where the large red and white two-story ferry waited, its steel boarding ramp for cars and equipment was down and they were loading on a large tanker truck that appeared to be a fuel truck. I had forgotten that in the islands the ferry passengers load at the same time and on the same ramp as the equipment and vehicles, and you are just simply expected to watch what you’re doing and walk around vehicles being driven on the same ramp, timing your step onto the ramp with the surge which on a rough day sends the ramp sliding two or three feet in either direction. Obviously this is very different from the way things are handled in countries like the US where everything seems to be dictated by the risk of being sued. I’ve heard ex-pats sound shocked and dismayed about things like that – perhaps because we’ve all gotten so used to being protected from our own carelessness that we forget we are capable of doing that for ourselves. Personally I find it refreshing to visit somewhere where they expect me to pay attention to what I’m doing and use the brain that I was given to watch out from myself and others. I find that kind of “non protectionism” inspires me to think for myself, and it also promotes sort of an empowered feeling that builds self confidence that I can negotiate all kinds of situations if I just pay attention and learn. What a concept eh?

View of Kingstown under the clouds from the ferry toward Bequia

Since the tanker took up most of the ramp, we all just waited a few minutes until it was loaded near the bow of the ferry which freed up the boarding ramp, and then we walked onto the lower deck and waited near the metal steps leading up to the seating area where someone collected fares and handed out tickets. After paying the young man collecting fares I hitched my white peasant skirt close around my legs so I didn’t trip over it and climbed up the two flights of steep Army green steps leading to the passenger area, treading carefully in my soft rubber flops.

The upstairs area consisted of a closed-in area with tables and chairs and a larger open area with plain white benches. I always prefer to feel the wind in my face, so I stayed outside. As I sat there waiting for departure time, I enjoyed a lovely view of the mountainous terrain that envelopes Kingstown, surrounding it like sentinels keeping watch over an ancient city. The hillsides closest in were clustered with the simple concrete and colorful homes that is traditional for this part of the world, each nestled in its own lush field of green vegetation of palm trees, almond trees and hundreds of other plant life that I couldn’t begin to name. Nearer to the wharf I can see the mostly one and two-story buildings that make up the shops and offices in the busy commercial area, and on the docks themselves I could see dozens of large containers waiting to be loaded onto a container ship to take them to perhaps other places just as exotic and different on the other side of the world. This was a working harbor, much like our own in Portland, Maine.

The one-hour crossing over to Bequia was calm and non-eventful. The ferry was rocked and pushed from side to side by the winds and waves which create a typical list in each direction of almost 20 degrees. Fortunately I’ve always had a good stomach and today most everyone seemed to as well, although I’ve been on this crossing before when it can get much rougher and many passengers stomachs don’t fair quite too well. One of the reasons the outside is strictly painted metal, wood and plastic in the seating areas is because it can all be simply hosed down when needed. We had departed about 20 minutes late from St. Vincent so when I stepped off the ramp in Bequia I hurried along through town and up the hill toward the Sunshine School to catch up. The people there today were board members and volunteers and I had not met any of them yet, so when I arrived I simply introduced myself and indicated I had spoken with Camille Jacobs (head teacher) about helping out today.

Auction guests previewing the wares before bidding begins

They were almost finished loading all the auction merchandise into various trucks, cars and taxis in order to head down to the waterfront and the L’Auberge des Grenadines Restaurant where the auction was to kick off at 2:00 that afternoon. Upon arriving at the Auberge, I met a few of the other board members including Marianne, Lisa (their newly elected president), Eileen who owns the Auberge with her husband, and Nicola who was to be today’s auctioneer. Our job ahead was to unload and sort the merchandise which had already been carefully listed and numbered in the “catalog” (which in our case was simple 8 ½ x 11 sheets of paper). I was impressed with their organization and it showed how much advance preparation work had been done, so our task today was simplified to mostly just organizing the merchandise on the tables in a way that presented it well.

Bar and refreshments during the auction were in the restaurant's gazebo right at the water's edge. What a great backdrop eh?

The assortment of merchandise that had been donated for the auction was a great mix of practical, artistic and just plain fun. There were inflatable water toys, board games and other small toys, handmade clothing, ceramic door knobs that looked antique to me, handmade wooden tables and cabinets and even a lovely rocking horse, along with artwork of every variety – much of it signed by the artist. There were also gift certificates from restaurants, shops, and spas, and a host of marine related equipment like dinghy pumps, diving suits and snorkels and masks. At more than 100 items in all it was quite an impressive spread, an opinion apparently shared by comments and obvious interest of the large number of people who showed up to “preview” the items an hour before bidding started at 2:00.

Auction volunteers figuring out the ins and outs. Auctioneer Nicola is on the right, pondering something profound perhaps. Nicola formerly worked at Christie's of New York. Mariann is in the center and has been a volunteer for the school for many years. Mariann is originally from Norway if memory serves and is known in Norway by many as Marianne of Bequia. She is also known locally as the "WhyKnot lady" because she makes wonderful creations from sailing knots and line. She also works tirelessly to assist animals in need on the island, including sponsoring a spaying and neutering program for dogs and cats. You can read more about her at http://www.caribbeancompass.com/christmas.htm

I’ve attended a few silent auctions but only one other live auction, but this was the first one I had ever worked; and I was delighted when they tagged me to be the “runner” for auctioneer Nicola. A runner’s job is to watch the bidding closely and try to keep up with who wins the bid before it closes (no small task as Nicola explained to me because things move very fast and often the bidder movements are so subtle that it’s hard to tell who is bidding). I understand the Nicola once worked for Christy’s in New York, so obviously she is familiar with running a crisp and fast-paced auction, and it was a joy to watch her work the crowd to get an extra few dollars for the school when bidding heated up. Once Nicola banged the gavel to close the bid for that item, my job was to take cards prepared in advance listing each item from Marianne who would write the winning price on the card, then hand it off to me and I’d run it to the winning bidder for their signature. The card then goes to the cashier when they pay for and collect their items. There were probably 150-200 people in attendance, some sitting in chairs in the small main dining area, others in the adjoining bar looking over the low pink concrete dividing wall, and still others spilled out onto the picnic tables and standing along the exterior low dividing walls separating the restaurant from the turquoise waters of the bay which was just a few feet away. What a spectacular backdrop for an auction.

New Sunshine School President Lisa (left) and another volunteer sort through and arrange the merchandise. It's amazing what talented and resourceful people serve on the school board. In addition to Mariann and Nicola noted above, Lisa is also quite the entrepreneur and operates Aqua on Bequia, a vacation reatreat overlooking Admiralty Bay (http://www.aquaonbequia.com/) and The Gym at Aqua.

“Runner” is an apt description because I was constantly on the move, and I worked up a pretty good sweat from the effort, but I was also having a great time. One of the coolest things to me was parents who came with their children and then oversaw while the kids did the actual bidding for some of their own things (with their parents okay and assistance of course). What a great learning experience and a great confidence builder that must be for them, not to mention a great tool to help them learn to speak up with decorum in public situations. I bid myself on a pair of used by working dinghy pumps and was thrilled to win both for only 60 EC (about $20) – I don’t think I could touch them for three times that for a new one (much less two) at marine stores in the states. After two and ½ hours we were coming near the end of the items but I had to leave before the end to catch my 4:30 ferry, the last one of the day for the company that brought me over. So at 4:20 I hiked the ¾ mile trip back down the beach and around the harbor for to the ferry docks and boarded the Bequia Express ferry home to St. Vincent. I was tired, but it was a good tired, and I looked forward to a breezy and rocking trip back across the channel.



Just one of our auction attendees. I think he did more scratching than bidding.

Cheers for today all! cy