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- - - 2016 Hurricane Season - - -
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- Those Were the Daze!
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2016 19:15:02 -0500
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I
remember my first time at Foxy's New year's Eve party, um a few decades ago
(mermaids are ageless). Those were some wild days and the BVI, at that
time, was comfortably disorganized about the whole affair which made for
an even more bizarre event. Anything goes, or it did in that day and time. By
midnight, the beach was crowded with dinghies tied to palm trees, tied to each
other and anchored in shallow water.
Some
brave sorts had sailed over on small catamarans, like 10-14 foot Hobies, and
dragged them up on shore. A few people hired a plane and sky dived into the
event, landing smartly on the beach, just before sunset. Others brought in tents
and set up in the yards of local friends and still others were in the coveted
hammocks, or lounge chairs or a chair at all. Large rocks were strategically
placed up and down the beach, serving as nature's stools.
Tired
folks could be found sleeping on the beach, some in a dinghy or on the
trampoline of their Hobie Cat, others in the sand, some had spread a
sarong or towel out to sleep. A few drunks were making love in the dark bushes,
oblivious to the crowds wandering around them. And all this plus more was
going on all before 10pm.
After
midnight, things roared to life again, as nappers found a 2nd wind, and everyone
huggy kissy over the New years and so on. Still others passed out on the beach,
in the bushes, in a strangers bed or bunk and so on. Many small bars had
already been forced to close due to lack of inventory and the food ran out long
before. This was back time, and Jost didn't even have electricity at the
time.
Foxys
old diesel genset was grinding away, the band had another generator to
keep them powered up. You had to pee in the swamp out back, or for ladies only
there was a lone shack down a path, thrown up with sticks and woven palm
fronds, with a door on uncertain hinges made of rope. The roof was open to the
sky, and you could go inside (one at a time) and squat over a wooden bench
with a large hole dug below it, outhouse style. The line for this was very long
indeed, so most opted for the swamp. Other ladies used the bush behind the
outhouse while the line of women waiting, kept cover for them.
Down
the beach, it was palm tree to coconut tree full of people dressed in Tuxedos,
expensive evening gowns, sarongs, suits, bikinis, tattered shirts, faded
shorts, yuppie tourist stuff and even a man in a diaper as the New Year Baby. He
was 50-ish but had a big round baby face, a massive pot belly and custom made
large diaper. Someone had written in glitter on his bare front and back
"New Year's Baby" and he wore a decorated Top hat that wasn't cheap. A few
other assorted costumes were sported, so everyone assumed my costume was a
mermaid and never realized I was for real.
I
traversed the beach meeting friends, dancing with strangers, groped by the
lascivious, pursued by the island boyz and thoroughly enjoying people watching.
I remember some women arriving in expensive evening gowns, stiletto heels,
perfectly applied makeup and not-a-hair-out-of-place coiffures. Their jewelry
was worth more than the cost of my first home, I can tell you that. Their
escorts were in Tuxedos and they all looked a tad bewildered as they came off
the ramshackle wooden dock (was that the year it collapsed from too many people
on it at once?) and they stood there in the sand, looking around,
like:
Um,
did we take a wrong turn somewhere off Broadway?
Back
in those days, there wasn't much publicity about Foxy's except that his New
year's Eve party was made world famous when Time magazine had it listed as
the top three places to be worldwide, on Old Year's Night. So now a whole
new well heeled trendy crowd flocked to the islands, to attend this
must-be-seen-at world famous party.
I
followed the evening gown dressed women around, in the shadows, it was so
crowded and they were fun to watch. I had seen one of them in a movie
before, but in those days and times, I hadn't seen a TV in over 10-15 years, but
sometimes caught an odd movie, so all of them could have been movie stars, for
all I knew.
I
think their dresses were probably worth well over 5 figures and the hottest
thing off 5th Avenue and one-offs no doubt. Now that is something I rarely get
to see here, is the latest high fashion.
Oh
yes, we have lots of high fashion in the islands, but it's a very different kind
of high fashion. Many folks here make their own clothes or
hire a seamstress or tailor to make them custom outfits. Then others
simply buy the most outrageous colors or styles and make up their own sense of
style, not to be seen anywhere else. Then we have cultural dressing with
cultures from around the world represented. Some culturally dress from
cultures they aren't from, but because they like the style and this is the
islands where different is expected, eccentric the norm and few strive to follow
a set clique.
These
gorgeous ladies and their stilettos were sinking into the sand, making it nearly
impossible to walk. The lovely long sequined and feathered gowns
were starting to drag on the beach and the winds were whipping their
hairdos into hair-undones. A quick sudden 2 minute downpour, transformed
their faces and in less than a half hour, the sand, the winds, the slight
shower, and now they barely resembled their original selves when they had
arrived all glamorous.
I
couldn't believe they weren't willing to take their shoes off and go barefoot.
I could have made money selling flip-plops outta my backpack. After
awhile, realizing that THIS WAS IT, the crowd of Tuxedos and Gowns headed for
the bar, traipsing through the sand to fetch drinks. The men's Italian shoes
were dusted in sand, the women walked as if severely handicapped as their
stilettos sunk with every step.
Finally
one lady, having enough of this ridiculousness, slipped her shoes off and passed
them to her escort. So this Tuxedoed man is trying to juggle his drink, pull out
his wallet to pay and hold his lady's three thousand dollar shoes by the straps
with his pinkie finger. His happy date, now roamed freely, barefoot, the
long gown hiding the bare feet and no longer cared she was leaving a trail of
sequins down the beach as the hem of her gown began giving way.
Her
hair was already blown out of place, the sudden rain had rearranged her makeup
and THIS WAS IT.
THE
PARTY to be at.
On
a beach, on a tiny island, in the middle of nowhere, tragically stuck without a
lighted makeup mirror within five miles.
A
few drinks later, a thousand yards down the beach, I ran into the same couple
again and the man was still carrying her shoes on his pinkie by the straps. From
the look of his and her faces they were getting quite smashed. I tried
not to laugh but maybe he saw the smirk on my face of one who is about to burst
out laughing for the sheer helluvit.
Someone
was flirting with his date and he looked at me, in my casual silk sarong,
dripping with every piece of gold jewelry I owned (probably all together
worth about the same as one of his fine Italian shoes). He studied my
swishy mermaid tail, glanced at the seashells woven in my hair,
while I smiled at him, trying not to laugh as he stood there in this
lavish Tuxedo, holding these exquisite stiletto heeled shoes in his
hands.
He
looked at them, back at me and burst out laughing. While his date was
turned the other way, he drew his arm back pitcher style and flung those
stilettos so far and high, that we actually thought we heard a splash as they
landed in the swamp out back. Then he carefully made a beehive down the beach
and didn't stop for about 500 feet.
This
left his date looking around for him and the place was so crowded, it took her
hours to find him again. I ran into him down the beach and he asked me to
dance. Since he wasn't sporting a wedding ring, I had quite a few dances
and drinks with him. Meanwhile, he removed the jacket and hung it on a seagrape
tree, then the bow tie, and now the ruffled shirt was loosened up, but he kept
on his shoes, and top hat, saying they would make a fun souvenir. The sand was
grinding into the polish and leather and by morning, those shoes would look well
worn as if found and worn for years on end by a street urchin, not by a movie
star on New Year's Eve.
I
saw an islander go by, study the sea grape tree, then he pulled off his faded
T-shirt, grabbed the tux and tails jacket and bow tie, put them on, then
sported it down the beach, dancing side to side excessively, barefoot and
complimented by a pair of long tattered faded jeans. I said nothing to my
dancing partner. If he could afford to throw his date's shoes into the swamp,
without a care, then what the heck if some skinny island boy danced away with
his jacket.
Later,
when he saw the islander coming back down the beach, dancing away shirtless in
his lavish tailed coat and bow tie, having the time of his life, my new friend
merely laughed heartily and bought the guy a drink. Thousands of people
came and went up and down the beach, drinking, dancing, walking, flirting,
partying. The harbor was packed to the outer limits with boats and yachts
represented from around the world. Bands played all night long. Dinghies seemed
to make endless trips back and forth. Many people had altered their
outfits by now, or added to them with silly hats. Inappropriate shoes were
abandoned, all over the docks, in the dinghies, in the bushes, in the swamp.
People made love in the bushes, and on the beach while others snored loudly
nearby them.
I
danced to maybe 40-50 tunes with many partners, sweating out the drinks, smiling
and laughing, ringing in the New Year.
It
was a fun time and I had an absolute blast. Glad I did it when I did it and
don't regret it one bit. I've been back since, but this story, was just
memories from my first ever trip there.
You've
just got to dance barefoot, on the sand, by the ocean's edge, under the stars,
on a faraway island at least ONCE in your lifetime, even if only just to
savor the memory that life is good.
And
if you've made this far in life and never done that, I truly feel so sorry for
you.
Life is for the Living and Live it Up you
should!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Dear Miss Mermaid
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- Ho ho ho!
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2016 15:10:24 -0500
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Seasons Greetings from Dear Miss Mermaid!
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- Dirty Secrets
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2016 15:05:45 -0500
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Finally we have a laundromat at Trellis Bay, for us cruisers
this is one of things that this cute community was missing. Four washers and
four dryers. Normally we would either have to walk with laundry slung on
our backs to East End near Penn's Landing to the laundromat taking cover under
what ever tree we could race to when I started to rain, or take a taxi. The bus
service here is sketchy at best!! This addition is wonderful!
Earlier this week the weather guessers guessed that our weather was
suppose to turn very wet and quite gusty on Wednesday but that weather missed us
and so Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were quite beautiful with Thursday spotty
showers barely missing the boat.
Cheers to laundry!
The Mermaid
Gardener
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- Trellis Bay Fun
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2016 00:09:56 -0500
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Good afternoon!
Just another day in Paradise...true but
there is still work to be done on the sailboat. Our no wind days of last
week have been pushed out by a strong front, our stationary front is no
more. We now have gusty winds 20-25knots out of the NE with scattered
overnight showers. We moved this morning to a little bit more sheltered
mooring ball in Trellis, one that allows us to sleep better and work more
effectively rather than holding on due to the ferry traffic in and out of
Trellis which is constant.
With lighter ferry waves hitting us
right on the beam of the boat I was able to do a 20 minute defrost on the
freezer. We also were able to complete part of the catchment system that
we have on board, still have to make the silicone dam for it before we can
actually catch water in the aft tank.
So switching gears I decided it was
a great time to make a very nice lunch before we head into the Loose Mongoose
for College football.
Lunch consisted of BBQ coffee rubbed boneless pork
slices with "Dreamland" BBQ sauce, pan brazed corn on the Cobb, modified Waldorf
salad and doctored up baked beans! A feast!! Sometimes it even surprises me what
I can come up with for lunch or dinner living out of a very small
galley!
Happy
Saturday in breezy Paradise!
The Mermaid Gardener
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shopping for Christmas for those hard to buy for friends?
Try!
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- hurricane Otto?
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2016 20:14:36 -0500
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Dear Miss Mermaid is running amok... hiding from
hurricanes!
Hurricane Otto on the prowl around Central America, not likely
to bother the Virgin islands, but still we're worried for our friends there.
Do they have enough rum?
And that mermaid gardener, she is reporting from Nanny
Cay:
Weather synopsis:
Nanny Cay, our weather this morning was a peek a boo sunny start
which has now turned into full out pouring rain. They had predicted .05 to
1.5 inches. I'd say we made that and then some. Has pretty much poured for 2
hours with a continuation forecasted all day. Here we thought it would be
a great day to wash down the boat with boat zoap...😀 mother nature only gave us
time to do the port half! Starboard side is now a dancing in the rain with the
boat brush and soap! The other option is a nice fresh water
bath!
Stay dry out there sailors!
The Mermaid
Gardener
Good afternoon!
An intermittent rainy start of the day allowed us to
cut loose from the dock at Nanny Cay, had a good passage over to Trellis Bay
seas were not sharp, rather sloppy but not large, going up the Sir Frances Drake
Channel with light winds. Arrived at Trellis Bay at 3pm with still a fair amount
mooring balls (the charter season is just beginning) a few Salty Dawgs sailors
are here as well! Continued squally weather with sprinkles enough to tell us
that tomorrow will be dinghy day, she's still on the deck from being on the hard
for hurricane season.
Tonight we will sit back, have a sundowner and let
the rocking of the boat put us to sleep.
Cheers!
The Mermaid
Gardener
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Warm
and Wet Regards,
Dear Miss Mermaid
Author of:
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- Hurricane Matthew and the next one?
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2016 08:24:00 -0400
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Thick cloud cover from edges of hurricane Matthew in the BVI
today.
This math equation below could get pretty messy. Better run
out and stock up on rum and candles. That innocent X could be named later today
or tomorrow.
Ut OH!
Thick cloud cover is in evidence.
After Hurricane Matthew the names are :
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tobias
Virginie
Walter
And in case you need a ready made shopping list to prepare for
the hurricane, here's a copy of mine I kept around:
Rum
Batteries
Rum
Canned
Goods
Rum
Candles
Rum
Bottle
Water
Rum
Matches
Rum
CD
Rum
Big Heavy Duty Garbage
Bags
Rum
Chocolate
Rum
Ganja
Rum
Gasoline
Rum
What?
A CD? Yes, everyone needs at least ONE CD on hand. It's great for
signaling after the hurricane. If the sun catches the CD while you are twisting
it around, it makes a really bright signaling device, better than a
mirror.
Those big heavy duty garbage bags are for bagging up your
valuables before the storm and before all the leaks in your house or boat spring
open. The wind is so fierce, that water pours inside from everywhere, even
from the tiny earthquake cracks, and around all your doors and windows, it's
like the whole place sweats rains. Ditto for your boat. You think you own a nice
dry boat. Ha! Let it sit through one hurricane and you will have leaks
where you never dreamed of them. Also, your rigging takes a beating. Many are
dismasted shortly after hurricanes, due to rigging failure. Check your rigging
thoroughly before you set sail. You might be surprised what you find. Also the
hurricane will sometimes knock your rig out of tune (and it sings off
key.)
One of my most memorable hurricanes, I was at Nanny Cay and
all the boats in the marina and the yard, were singing. It sounded like a
thousand flutes playing off-key. It was an eerie sound that only another
hurricane can duplicate.
Do NOT stay on your boat during a
hurricane. Stay ashore in a solid building with friends (better hurricane
parties that way too!)
I've never been through a hurricane where
there wasn't a great party and copious amounts of libations, herbs and food
being passed around, typically by candlelight.
Anyhow, now is the
time to get ready and stock up for a hurricane. If everyone in the islands is
PREPARED, then the hurricanes won't come. Proven fact.
From
dat
Dear Miss Mermaid
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Warm
and Wet Regards,
Dear Miss Mermaid
Author of:
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- Hurricane Season Still Going Strong
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2016 07:50:17 -0400
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Powerful hurricane Matthew is southwest of the BVI but east of
the BVI is a tropical disturbance that needs to be watched. Plenty of time to
stock up on rum and provisions, but of course, 90% will wait until the 11th hour
to do so. 
Life in da eye-lons...
In the picture above, hurricane Matthew is kind of shaped like
Australia with red monster eyes. Tee hee hee *hiccup*.
Stay safe and work on your tan before all the rain
hits!
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- Powerful Hurricane Matthew
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2016 23:18:12 -0400
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So far the Virgin Islands have skipped hurricane damages but
now Hurricane Matthew threatens parts of the Caribbean though it looks like once
again, the Virgin Islands will be spared.
Hurricane Matthew has already been upgraded to a category 4
which is downright powerful.
Stock up on rum in case Matthews stumbles and wobbles!
Hurricane Matthew is so BIG, that the islands will definitely feel the outer
bands.
And then Hurricane Matthew may head for the USA where Dear
Miss Mermaid is currently visiting. Yikes!
Warm
and Wet Regards,
Dear Miss Mermaid
Author of:
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- Bowling Balls
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:57:42 -0400
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Here come the bowling balls rolling off Africa...
Time flies when you're having rum!
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- 90% chance of Hurricane Bonnie forming
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Fri, 27 May 2016 12:17:31 -0400
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I guess there was too much rum involved and I forgot all about
hurricane Alex came and went ages ago.
Hurricane Alex was in January 2016 being only the 2nd
hurricane in recorded history to appear in January. The last one was in 1938.
So if this mess in the Atlantic forms into a hurricane, she
will be Bonnie. It's still 4 more days before the official hurricane season
opens and we may be up to Colin by then.
Amazing.
Bonnie is not a threat to the Virgin Islands, but she is
chasing Dear Miss Mermaid, because I am swimming around the Sea Islands off the
coast of South Carolina where Bonnie might be headed.
I guess I better look at swimming up a river inland somewhere.
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- Premature Alex
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- By DearMissMermaid at aol.com
- Date: Thu, 26 May 2016 21:49:51 -0400
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June 1st is around the corner when hurricane season officially
starts. 
2016 Tropical Storm & 2016 Hurricane Names
Alex
Bonnie
Colin
Danielle
Earl
Fiona
Gaston
Hermine
Igor
Julia
Karl
Lisa
Matthew
Nicole
Otto
Paula
Richard
Shary
Tomas
Virginie
Walter
Followed by the greek alphabet, if needed. We pray we need
that! Lawdy mercy.
Actually we could skip a year of no hurricanes. However... X
marks the spot!
Someone tell Mother Nature she's trying to open hurricane
season a wee bit too early!
Shower activity associated with the low pressure area located
between Bermuda and the Bahamas has become somewhat better organized
since yesterday, and the circulation of the low has become a little
better defined. Environmental conditions are expected to be
generally conducive for a tropical or subtropical cyclone to form on
Friday or Saturday while this system moves west-northwestward or
northwestward toward the southeastern United States coast. All interests along the southeast coast from Georgia through North
Carolina should monitor the progress of this low. A Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the
low on Friday afternoon.
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