April 04, 2014

Catch All

April 04, 2014/ Nettle Bay/ Erik Orton

So I haven’t been writing too much lately, because the fact is, things feel like they’ve been happening so fast. I fear people have gotten the impression that things are somehow dicey on the good ship Fezywig. (Thanks for all the offers of care packages!) The truth is, writers tend to write when things are bad. It’s an outlet, a way of making sense of things. So I guess the fact that I haven’t been writing/posting as much is a sign that things are going well. So well, in fact, that there’s really too much to share. A shame, isn’t it?

March 30, 2014

Barefoot

March 30, 2014/ Îlet Pinel/ Erik Orton

One of my new favorite things is walking barefoot on these beautiful islands. Big surprise. But not just the beaches, further inland as well. We recently went to let Pinel, a small island just off the northeast end of St. Martin. We spent a coule days there. One evening, I went on a hike by myself.

March 24, 2014

Food

March 24, 2014/ Emily Orton

Mealtimes are favorite times on Fezywig. Despite our daily proximity there is nothing like food to bring us face to face and heart to heart. The sun rises before we do, so we breakfast inside to avoid squinting at each other. Lunch is a little more scattered between school and errands. Erik proposed dinners at sunset so we can enjoy the shade, the breeze, and the view. That easily makes it the best meal of the day. Fortunately, everything tastes better after a day in the sun because there have definitely been some culinary adjustments.

March 16, 2014

Why is it Dross?

March 16, 2014/ Simpson Bay Lagoon/ Alison Orton

Sailing in the Caribbean sounds so dreamy. So I’m going to do the thoughtful thing and tell you everything gross that has happened to us or that we have done so that you guys don’t get TOO jealous. Really, I’m just trying to help you guys out. But if you’ve just eaten you might want to wait a few hours before you read this post.

March 13, 2014

Student Driver

March 13, 2014/ Simpson Bay Lagoon/ Emily Orton

Facing my fears, I drove the dinghy with moderate success. As in life, the transitions are the most difficult part and my landings are still awkward. Fortunately, Erik was standing by with calm steady instructions. We made it shore and back without tipping over. However, the wind kicked up and made our straight shot across the bay feel like an amusement park log ride. We were just as drenched as if we had tipped. The constant spray of warm saltwater in my face mixed with sunscreen and dripped into my eyes. I could barely see through my squint as we approached the causeway bridge. I shouted to Erik, “I need help! I need help!” His stuck to his seat and offered this versatile piece of advice, “Slow down. When in doubt, you can always just slow down.” I rotated the handle towards the symbol of a turtle, and regained control. Oh, right. Mastery first…then speed. Got it. Thanks, Love!

March 12, 2014

Soldering

March 12, 2014/ Simpson Bay Lagoon/ Erik Orton

Simple things just get trickier on the boat. We’re getting more and more acclimated everyday, but this was a steep learning curve moment for me: installing our WiFi antennae. We bought it used from a lovely gentleman named Brian on a beautiful traditional boat called Pyxis. The aesthetic was too modern for his boat, but just fine for ours. The trick about all things nautical is that they don’t just come with a plug. They come with a red and black wire that gladly accept 12V electricity, and blithe instructions that say, “connect to a 12V power source…” Uh, yeah. Right.

March 10, 2014

Together

March 10, 2014/ Erik Orton

I’ve never been to a regatta. And I’ve never had a Heineken. So attending the Heineken Regatta was full of firsts. We decided to participate in the festivities by going to the famous Maho Beach and watch the boats sail out of Simpson Bay. And the strongest drink I had all day was a lemonade with a little too much Country Time powder.

March 09, 2014

Crisis Management

March 09, 2014/ Emily Orton

Ahhh….Finally a couple of days where every single thing doesn’t feel new, unknown in crisis or super expensive. I have felt like the underdog for weeks and it’s nice to get a handle on a few things. We have plenty of food and we’ve made some time for play.

March 06, 2014

The Spirit of Fezywig

March 06, 2014/ Simpson Bay Lagoonn/ Erik Orton

We had the Sala’s over for dinner. The Sala's are an amazing family that have helped us from Day 1 with everything from a ride to Cost U Less (St. Martin's version of Costco), a loaner cell phone, inviting *us* for dinner and a swim in their pool. I could go on... They're generous, generous, generous.

It was Tuesday, so we ordered Two-For-Tuesday from Dominoes. I’m not sure how, but four large pizzas came to surprisingly modest sum by island standards. Claire picked them up, even though I’d left cash to pay for the pizzas AND tip the driver (again, generous). Monty, Clare and their two supercute kids came out to our boat. I dare say they liked the dinghy ride. Seeing the lagoon from 'sea level' is always fun, and especially at that speed. (I've recently learned that engines like RPM's, so I'm trying my best to oblige : )