Carribean Sailing diary

Monday Nov 22, 2004

6:30 Poke head through hatch + photograph the sunrise. Write in here ~ current, etc. Read 2002 ~ Monkey Pt + Can Garden. Read Chap 8 of Spirituality. Breakfast + pills.

9:30 Start Ch 9.

10:00 AM Go to dock for gas + water. Buy soda pop + beer too. Motor between Camanoes (Grant and Little) to Guano + Monkey Point. Swim into snorkle, but I freak out and have to stop twice on a sailboat + a catamaran. Since this was unpleasant, I ask John to dinghy me back later. Great snorkeling esp with the school of 100 6" blue fish. Also see a dozen 15" whiteish fish. John takes me in dinghy back. Garrett has made sandwiches.

1:15 Lunch. Leave for Cane Garden Bay. Take photos. 2:15 T/O with Mike 2:30 Arrive at CGB. Photos. 3:00 Go ashore.

Buy alum can insulators (2). Walk on beach to West End. Photo with tire under plam. Garrett + John came to meet Benson with new sail. Buy tank top + necklace. Happy Hour at Paradise Club with shrimp kabobs. Rum punch. Dinghy back to sailboat.

6pm Continue drinking: Rum + Diet Coke. Sit on front of boat alone, sippling slowly + enjoying the night view of lights reflecting on the water, the nautical sounds, the smell of other boats cooking, and the Caribbean music we're playing. What a DELIGHT. Help with the grill. Another rum + Coke, and I'm taking no precautions to measure or control the rum.

Wonderful dinner: pork chop with mushrooms + broccoli made by John + Garrett. Chat with others while. Drink a little more, and Mike tells me I need to stop. Talk with John after others go to bed.

[side note] Pussers + Coke is better than Myers Rum + Coke. [/side note]

9:30 Go to bed.

I wake up and realize things. 1) Stay away from drinks that have juice like the rum punch and "painkillers" we had at Happy Hour because those are so glycemic and make me tired + hungry soon after. They're also fattening. I could've had light beer.

2) I should avoid Diet Coke during the day cuz its caffeine creates an edge that I need to remove with alcohol later. That can become addictive too!

Try to create a habit of a) Diet lemon-lime or sparkling water during the day b) One 50mg No Doz at lunch with my other pills to keep competitive in the afternoon. Put it in pill dispenser. c) Beer + wine for Happy Hour + dinner. No more sublingual to avoid "ritual" of addiction

3) I won't be so inclined to drink while I read philanthropy because I now realize that I am sharing this burden with other donors in the pyramid of giving 4) Beside the juice + its sugar, I recall wanting to avoid rum drinks because their tastiness is tough to stop drinking after your guard has been lowered, unlike beer + wine. 5) Don't forget to buy a cap from Bitter End for Paul Yock and Cynthia too. 6) Think about the details of how to setup a challenge to get more $50-250k donors at GLAAD (or Lambda next FY). 7) Get a bottle of Pusser's Rum for my collection of bottles.

Tuesday Nov 23, 2004

6:45 Cuddle with Mike + talk. Write up last two pgs (after 6PM). Shave. 8:15 Breakfast. Sun tan lotion, etc. 9:30 Grocery store for soda + beer and turkey slices + tuna fish. Notice 5 truckloads of 20 tourists each arriving in Cane Garden Bay, like from cruise ship. Store wouldn't let me in without shirt, so John had to do shopping. 10:30 Prep to snorkle, but good area is too far from where we anchor and it's not sunny, so I chill in the dinghy 20 minutes or so. I see 2-foot fish jump 15 feet! 11:45 Back at sailboat. Shower. Lunch - sandwiches + light beer. Photos in red swimsuit (me) + green (Mike). More Spirit Ch 9 12:30 Leave CGB. I sail to JVD. Terry + Mike sail around Jost Van Dyck. Good wind. Counter clockwise. Finish Spirit Ch 9. Start Spirit Ch 10. 4:14 Arrive at Channel between Jost VD + Little Jost VD islands near Foxy's Taboo Restaurant. Help set two anchors. Finish Spirit Ch 10 (and Part Two) 5:45 Chat with the group - no drinks for me 6:15 Dinghy to Foxy's Taboo. Shop for Tshirt + tank - top 6:30 Reservation for dinner.

I drink just 1/6th bottle of wine and 2 small bottles of Perrier. Flank steak + Bearnaise sause 9:30 Back at boat. Read Intro to Part Three again of Spirituality of Imperf'n. Sleep

Last full day on sailboat Wednesday Nov 24, 2004

7:15 Mike says he didn't sleep awhile cuz he's worrying about him + money + me, and we discuss my strength with money and his strength with relationships and how we mis that together. Jerk off Mike - fun to watch.

8:15 Breakfast. Shower by wetting with sea water, lathering, rinsing with sea water, and finally rinsing with fresh. Shave.

9:15 Read ~ JVC + St John in 2002

9:30 Read Spirituality Ch 11, and think, while Mike, Garrett + John snorkle. Take some photos. We decided to stay here another day rather than go to St. John

11:15 Scrabble + lunch. I lose 91, Garrett wins 163, Mike 124 +John 128

1pm Prep to go ashore + hike. Hike out to Bubbly Bool.