Need versus Want is a well debated topic when living on a boat – a relatively small space with incredibly limited storage. So far I have resisted most urges, but a few things were deemed by me as ESSENTIAL. First, a day trip over to St. John resulted in the following: 
How does one say no to a mango vendor who has whole nutmeg with the mace veins still around it??? And if one has whole nutmeg, surely now one NEEDS a nutmeg grinder??? And a tiny juicy pineapple? Who doesn’t NEED that? And you can’t make sun tea without those tiny bags of tropical scented teas. 
And then today, this just happened: 
I clearly NEED the book because we can’t count on Google and the wifi here to answer our every question. Suntan lotion? NEED. Wash cloths = body hygiene. Definitely a NEED.
Actually, there are two things “cruisers” truly NEED, and must wait for: Weather Windows and Parts. The trouble however arrives when the latter trumps the former. Such is our case now. We have been sitting here in Red Hook waiting for a vast array of essential items that have been supposed to arrive by now, and sadly, their arrival (or lack thereof) is starting to infringe on our weather window::::
1. New Garmin unit which is responsible for everything from depth-finding to the autopilot. Essential. NEED.
2. New membrane for the watermaker, which converts salt water to potable water whenever we run the engine. Essential. NEED.
3. Repaired mainsail. Moves the boat. Essential. NEED.
4. Lower unit gears for the dinghy’s outboard motor. Essential. NEED.
5. Underwater camera screen needed repairs. Nonessential. WANT.
We have decided that we will not wait for the camera, and will instead have it shipped to Montserrrat or another marina further south. This saddens us both a bit because my ever-expanding Snorkel Courage has me in the water several times a day. And I am seeing things I’ve only ever dreamed of in water that is as clear as new bath water. Just yesterday a trio of Remoras came to the surface to play. 
I cannot impress upon you enough how cute and animated these fish are, but sadly, all I could pull off was a picture taken from the deck.
Similarly, the sea floor here is littered with enormous whelks and helmet shells, but again, all I could pull off was a picture from the deck: 
Deep below though, and along the rocky shorelines, the water is teeming with a magical, colorful population of fish: butterflyfish with their “fake” eyes, giant skyblue queen angelfish, and parrotfish varieties I’ve never seen before. There are giant pufferfish, and filefish, and trumpetfish. There are spiney black sea urchins, tiny eels that rise from holes in the sandy bottom shaped like dark blue candy canes, and a menagerie of tiny fishes that are vibrant oranges, blues, yellows, and purples…… And I don’t have a single picture of them to post…..
Maybe the underwater camera just changed its status: from a WANT to a NEED. 🙂
Catch ya tomorrow my friends….
