Crossroads Book Review

Below we will list some of our favorite books we read on our journey. We read hundreds of murder mysteries and adventure novels most of which where sufficiently entertaining but not necessarily notable.

“Life Expectancy”- Dean Koontz – what a ride. This book has a most interesting premise that keeps the reader dieing to know what’s going to happen next – then not believing what does happen. Very creative and fun
to read.

“The Hope” and “The Glory”- Herman Wouk- he also wrote "Don’t Stop The Carnival”, which gives an excellent glimpse into life in the Caribbean. “The Hope” a historical novel that tells the first twenty years of Israel’s existence, with the history of the Six-Day War and gripping accounts of romance and love. “The Glory” rejoins the story of Israel’s journey with the history of the Yom Kippur War and Camp David. He continues the life struggles of the characters introduced in “The Hope”.

“White Hot” – Sandra Brown- A murder mystery set in Louisiana, with as many twists and turns as a game of twister.

“The Lord is my Shepherd”- Harold Kushner- The Twenty-Third Psalm has always been a scripture that gives me hope. Kushner gives his insight on each verse.

“Embarrassment of Mangoes”- Ann Vanderhoof- Ann’s story of her travels through the Caribbean with her husband on their boat Recita is the closest we have found to paralleling our trip. She weaves in lots of great recipes and funny incidents. When we met them in St Maarten she was working on a second book with more great food.

“Caribbean” – James Michener- Big book, small print. It is a series of historical fiction stories that flow together to give the reader a feel for the history of the Caribbean. Michener takes you right up to present day to help understand the current situation here and appreciate the accomplishments and failures of the past.


“Spring Moon”- Bette Bao Lord- This historical novel spans the Chinese history with many rich love stories and insights on the culture of China.

“The Namesake”- Jhumpa Lahiri- This novel follows a family recently moved to the United States from Calcutta. It gives a great account of the immigrant story with the first generation wanting to have a better life for their family, the second generation wanting to lose the identity of India and become more “American”.

“The King Is Dead” - Sarah Shankman - Very funny book that weaves in barbeque, Elvis impersonators and murder in a “Crazy In Alabama” kinda way.

Still in Boqueron, PR

The weather has changed yet again preventing us from sailing to the Dominican Republic. We could have left today, but didn't know about the weather change until 9am and then we found out u.s. customs was closed and we need clearance from here to enter the Dominican Republic. So here we sit. Boqueron is a beautiful beach harbor, however we are really ready to get to the DR. So, we will clear out Monday and head west on Tuesday or Wednesday or so. Things are much more lively here on the weekend than during the week. Boqueron is a weekend get away spot for the people of this end of PR. During the week most of the shops and restaurants are closed, but now things are jumping. The beach is full of people, the water is full of jet-skis(yuck) and the streets are lined with food and beverage vendors. It feels like a small tourist town in Florida. We will make the best of it and perhaps rent a car on Monday with the crew of Exit Strategy and see some stuff near here.

Guest blog from Randy and Hayes

Working out a visit on the Crossroads seemed to be a lost cause for the McPherson’s. Different Spring Breaks, me an overworked, underpaid educator trying to carve out time for the trip, a reluctant wife (she really didn’t want to pump her poop…(you have to have been on the Crossroads to fully appreciate that one) and a voyage that was fast coming to an end was working against us. But earlier this year things fell into place. My 19 year old planned a trip to Malibu with his girlfriend, Karen (my spousal unit) decided to sacrifice and work things out for Hayes (11) and me to make the trip. I took vacation and he skipped school and we finalized the plans. They say to fully appreciate the good you have to experience the bad. Our trip down was the bad…no it was a trip from hell.

Friday, March 09, 2007. Day 1

We first were delayed in Memphis for an hour because they broke the pilots seat. I kid you not. In Miami we kept getting delay announcements. They had lost the crew that was to take us on to San Juan. This is American Airlines and they can’t find a pilot! After bringing in a group from Orlando we thought we were getting underway but noooooo! After going through all the checks they made an another announcement that we had unbalanced fuel. I guess that is important because we sat in the plane for another hour. At this point we had lost three and one half hours.
Logistics, I discovered, are more complicated when you are meeting someone on a sailboat. Michele had found us a contact that would drive us from San Juan to Fajardo where we would catch a ferry to Culebra where Glenn and Michele would meet us for a short hike and then a dinghy ride to Crossroads. We found our ride, Henri, easily at the airport. On a good day it is about an hour’s drive to Fajardo and we had less. Henri was game to try (what choice did we have) so off into the night we went. The last ferry of the day, Culebra II, was sitting at the gate when we arrived. Henri ran to the ticket window to get our tickets but he was told the ferry was gone. We tried to argue with them. We even showed them the ferry, the very large boat sitting in the water by the dock could hardly be missed. The ticket agent disagreed in spite of our pleas and soon he was correct. The ferry left us with our bags, nowhere to stay the night and no way to contact Glenn and Michele. Henri tried to find us a nice place to stay. Then Henri tried to find us a decent place to stay. Then Henri found us The Guest House. We had officially entered the Twilight Zone or a B grade movie, take your pick. Padro was the non-English speaking proprietor who told Henri the price for a bed for one night was $45. That was at least twice what it was worth but having no other choices we laid the cash down, Pedro held up two fingers and tossed us a key while pointing upstairs. Henri waived good bye and our last connection to our impressions of the real world drove away. I had remained calm, cool and collected for Hayes (one of my better acting jobs). I kept telling him everything would be OK and think what a great story this would be in 30 years. Then we saw the room. I’ll spare you a description other than to say it would never be mistaken for the Ritz. The TV had two fuzzy stations and Hayes watched a monster movie made in Japan and dubbed in Spanish for a while before falling to sleep from exhaustion. It was only 9 pm by then but our day had started in Memphis at 4:30am. The night was filled with the sounds of barking dogs, strange birds I could not identify, and what Hayes is convinced was the music from an ice cream truck that seemed to come around every hour or so all night long.

Day 2

Not wanting to miss the ferry. We rose at 6am reorganized the luggage for our walk (sorry no taxis would come into that neighborhood). The streets were narrow and it was hard to avoid the periodic homeless lying asleep in the bushes or the dogs and chickens that wondered by as we made our way to the docks while dragging our luggage behind. Arriving nearly two hours early we found a few hundred locals and a few tourist waiting in line to board the Culebra II. As we approached the last leg to the window we heard a cheer! It was the group who got the last tickets on the ferry. I tried pleading with whomever spoke or did not speak a word of English. Finally, I convinced them to let 50 more people on the ferry which should have gotten us on. A last minute bum rush by some locals left us at the gate once more. Luckily, I had befriended some locals who gave us info on Flamenco Airways, a charter that would fly us to Culebra for $25 a head. Two guys from California, Gary and Fernando, joined us along with our locals. The ride over in the 10 passenger Islander was very bumpy but also gave us our first view of the islands that almost made me forget the past 24 hours. The 15 minute flight gave us a picturesque view of a natural harbor that we would soon enjoy.
Landing brought a cheer from everyone in the plane but also our next disappointment. We had no way of contacting Glenn and Michele and there were no taxis available. Luckily Michele found someone to loan her a cell phone and we finally made contact. She met us at the airport and after a short walk to the dinghy, we finally got our first look at Crossroads.
Over the next few days we spent time in Dewey harbor (named after Admiral Dewey), ate at Momacita’s and the Dingy Dock restaurants, spent some time sailing, visited Culebrita with the old light house and one of the most gorgeous areas I’ve ever seen called the Jacuzzis, and spent time conking and kayaking on and around Conk Island in (what was the name of that harbor)? Hayes received lessons in navigation, piloted both dinghy and Crossroads like a natural.
Heineken sponsors a series of races throughout the Islands and we hit on one of their weekends. There were lots of boats of all shapes and sizes and a concert in Dewey that brought out tourist and locals for music and libations.

Flamenco Beach is a top 10 rated beach that features a mile long stretch of pristine fine, white sand. Vieques and Culebra were used by the US Navy for “live bomb” target practice for 50 years until 2003. The Navy turned the majority of both Islands over to the US Fish and Wildlife Service so there is no commercial development on the beaches. As you walk down the beach, you sudden upon a few odd sights. US Army tanks, slowly rusting away but that have been lovingly painted but local artist in the native style. Just beyond the fence that sections off some of the many Mangrove trees, we are told that live ordinance still lies buried just deep enough to discourage any entrepreneurs from turning the park into a tourist trap.

The weather was perfect. Temps in the low 80’s and a constant breeze kept the days warm and the nights perfect for sleeping. No week on a sailboat would be complete without a squall so Glenn ordered up a small one just so we could see a little rain and feel the boat rock in the wind. Our days were filled exploring the sun-drenched islands and the evenings spent watching the sun set, tasting the latest concoction whipped up by Glenn and Michele and battling through a card game before retiring to bed. Each night we fell asleep gazing at the stars through our hatch and woke to the sun peeking over the gently rolling ocean.

It is easy to see how people fall in love with the stretch of ocean beyond Florida southward. Life is casual and relaxed. The scenery comes straight out of an episode of Travels of the Rich and Famous, and there is just enough adventure to remind you of the tall ships that sailed the waters centuries ago. I regret it took me so long to see it and feel blessed to have shared it with Hayes, Glenn and Michele. Thanks for putting up with us.
Randy

Culebra to Boqueron –

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We had an eventful 24-hour passage from Culebra. We started off making great time, six to seven knots, and we really thought we might have to slow down so that we would not arrive in Boqueron in the dark. Ha! Famous last words! We sailed fast from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm. We were even making really good time during the windward leg. Then, we turned to parallel the south coast of Puerto Rico and the wind died. The wind had been blowing from the South, so the island was not blocking the wind - it just went away. Theoretically, we should have had nice trade winds but nooooooooo it dropped to 5 to 10 knots with rolly seas. The sails were flapping which annoys me as much as a rollly anchorage. When our speed dropped to 2. 8 knots Glenn said, let’s fire up Carl (our engine) and motor sail for a while. We dropped the forward sail and plugged along at 5 knots with rolly beam seas. Needless to say we did not get a lot of sleep while motoring all night on this passage.

We did however catch 3 fish. Of course, the first two were Barracuda, which were carefully removed (watch those teeth) and tossed back but the third was a Wahoo. Once we were anchored, Glenn made a delicious dinner baking the yummy fish with fresh vegetables. It was a great way to end a tiring passage.

Visit with Hayes and Randy… Spanish Virgin Islands…. Culebra..

We had a wonderful visit with my nephew Hayes and my brother-in-law Randy. I was proud of both of them but I will brag a little now about Hayes (11years old). They had a rough start with delayed airlines and missed ferries, but they took it in stride. I gave Hayes a quick lesson in dinghy driving. He picked it up like a pro from pulling the starter cord to steering and maneuvering it.

We started the exploring out by going to Flamingo beach on the north side of Culebra. Hayes ordered a banana smoothie where he got his first Spanish lesson for the trip. The lady making the drink said agua o leche (water or milk) Hayes looked up with this clueless expression. Then we ordered a pollo (chicken on a stick). I think this was Hayes favorite meal of the trip.

Hayes was interested in our navigation equipment perhaps because it looks like a big computer game. Glenn gave him a quick lesson in buoy’s and aides to navigation, which he absorbed faster than I did. He was amazing at remembering nautical terms. He was eager to stand behind the wheel and actually sail Crossroads. Once again, with a quick lesson he was making 6 knots with the sail tell-tails flying perfectly. We sailed from Culebra to Culebrita on a beam reach with 15 knots of wind. Once in Culebrita we gave Hayes his first lesson in snorkeling. While the reefs were not the best we had seen he did get to see some pretty fish.

Conch lesson 101- Hayes was very interested in learning how to clean conch. Glenn took him to what we renamed as Conch Island with tools in hand to remove, trim, skin, and beat. Hayes helped by using a hammer and chisel to knock a slit in the shell to get the critter out and with beating the conch meat to tenderize it. Then aboard Crossroads we finished the process by boiling, dicing, mixing with batter and frying into yummy conch fritters.

Thanks to Karen (my sister) to loaning us her husband and son for a wonderful week in the Spanish Virgin Islands.

Michele

Culebra, Spanish Virgin Islands

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We arrived in Culebra Saturday afternoon after an extremely boisterous sail from St. John. Thank goodness it was only 30 miles. We saw the wind indicator hit 40 knots. That was a first for Crossroads. We had 10 foot seas from the stern. We have much to share from our month in the Virgin Islands. We have had some difficulty with our blog lately. Please get a cup of coffee and take your time reading the next 5 entries. Thanks to Ken Hamric for taking care of the blog issue.

Michele and Glenn

Saying goodbye is never easy . . .

We knew the day would come when Crossroads would continue to sail north and Dragonfly would have to go south. I have had a wide range of emotions lately due to the realization that we are heading back to the U.S., but it really hit home when we had to say goodbye to our good friends Jeff and Una.

We first met Jeff and Una in January of ‘06 in Marathon, Florida. Glenn and I were in our dinghy going by their boat when we noticed they were from Nashville, TN. We stopped and I said hey, we are from Memphis. Since, that day we have shared a ton of great memories and been through a lot with them. They are staying out cruising longer, so they need to start heading back toward the southern islands.

Leaving good friends made me reflect on the wonderful memories we shared. It also made me realize that this journey we have been on is starting to come to an end. I have mixed emotions of goodbyes and new beginnings.

Last November, our friend John Heeren visited us; he said, “make every day count, live everyday to the fullest”. I think on our journey north I have tried to do that. Sometimes it’s difficult when you are in a rolly anchorage or in 10ft seas but every time I see a turtle I think wow, that is so cool and every time I see dolphins I think, well I won’t be seeing those this time next year. However, I am also excited about seeing and being with friends and family. Believe it or not we are really excited about spending Christmas with family this year and I can’t wait till I can call up my best friend Joyce on a regular basis again. Glenn is really excited about the opportunity to renovate a house in midtown and believe it or not I am excited about going back to work. Most of our cruising friends think I am crazy when I talk about being excited about going back to work, but as you know, my work with Facing History is much more than a job, it is also my passion. Today, we are just excited about being in the Spanish Virgin Islands. We have a week to check it out and find all the great snorkeling spots so that when Randy and Hayes come to visit this weekend we will be ready to share another great week in paradise.

Michele

St John, USVI

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It is hard to explain the beauty of St. John. So many people talked about the outstanding views from here that honestly, I was afraid I would be a little disappointed. How can an island live up to everything I had heard about it? Well it did. We have been here a week and I wish we could stay another month. It is really nice to be back in the good ole USA.
I have really come to appreciate the well laid out hiking trails and markers. After only being here a day Glenn and I hiked up to the top of the Bordeaux Mountain. We were one of only 3 boats in a beautiful harbor. This was really the perfect get away after the crowded but beautiful BVI. Later that week we sailed around to Coral Bay where we met up with Dragonfly. This was a way cool little harbor, a bit rolly but the restaurants were awesome. We listened to a band at a restaurant/bar called Skinny Legs with Dragonfly and two couples on a Charter Boat. One of the couples is a boat broker in Annapolis and the other is from Tupelo, MS. Wow! What a small world. We also ate at the Donkey Diner, “kick a** food” and yummy pizza.

Glenn and I went snorkeling for Conch. Yes, believe it or not, it is Conch season and you can catch two a day per person as long as they are 9 inches long. Boy, we had forgotten how hard it is to clean a conch. We spent the next two hours trying to clean the conch so that we could make conch fritters for Jeff and Una. The hard work paid off.






Recipe for Conch Fritters:
1 Cup and ½ of cooked conch meat, diced
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 tsp back pepper
2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp limejuice
1-cup milk
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Drop spoonfuls into hot oil. We served with a dipping sauce consisting of mayo, Worcestershire sauce and little hot sauce. Very tasty!

One last comment on St. John, Glenn and I were out in the kayak and a dolphin came up only 10 feet from us. Very Cool!

Michele