It’s 6:30 am and we awaken in Red Hook harbor to a fuzzy gray veil hanging over St. John and Tortola in the distance. The humidity in the air is somewhere around 300%. The sun is trying with all its might to pierce through the clouds, with little areas on the water’s surface dappled in a bright white light. Sitting up in the cockpit of Segue, the only sound beyond an occaisional seagull cry is our little yellow dinghy slapping and sloshing on the water behind….. Ahhhhhhhh.
And then, much like the sound of a freight train crashing through your living room wall, here comes the first ferry of the morning. It blasts its way through the otherwise peaceful lazy island morning with a loud low rumble, pushing water so aggressively that every boat in the harbor begins to rock and roll. There are at least six or seven of this big beasts, and with names like Capt. Vic, Mister B, General 2, and Oriole, they will now grumble their way in and out of this harbor every 20 minutes until way past dark. They carry cars, people, and sea containers full of supplies to the other islands nearby with a complete disregard for the NO WAKE etiquette that is customary in most harbors.
These ferries are dingy and dirty; there is no island charm resonating from their hulls. They are work boats, and unlike us they are not here for the scenery, the snorkeling, or the sunsets. But I guess I should count my blessings ::::: at least they’re not Cruise Ships.
Catch ya tomorrow friends….
