Archive for the ‘Where in the world is Denzil’ Category

A very good friend of mine by the name of Denzil Baynes, endured many a cold winter here in London… until one day he came up with a bit of a bright spark idea… he wanted to be a yachtie… and to cut a long story short, thats just what he did. For some time now he's been cruising the Caribbean and the Med… living the dream in every sense of the word… he also likes to keep us updated with his adventures, so from time to time Denzil gives us a little update on where his ridiculously awesome life takes him…. a little inside look at life as a yachtie… Check out the rest of Denzil's posts here

St Thomas, USVI (United States Virgin Islands)…

March 16th, I arrived at Crown Bay marina around 1400. After clearing customs I grabbed a day worker and washed the boat down from mast to hull. We had done 3 hour watches between the 4 of us which consisted of 3 hours on and 3 hours off so by the end of a 28 hour run our energy tanks were empty! The only positive light at the end of the tunnel was the thought of kicking back on the flybridge with a beer after a gruelling 36 hours of work.

That evening we headed over to the Fat Turtle in Yacht Haven Grande, St Thomas. We used a local Gypsy taxi as transport to get there which entails hopping on the back of a truck with fabricated "church pew style" seating with no doors. It almost looks as though people are being taken off to a cattle Market. It's the cheapest mode of transport around the Islands as well as being the most interesting.

The following day we headed over to the other side of St Thomas, a place called Red Hook. We had 4 days off here in Red Hook starting with our first night out falling on St Patricks Day! This location was carefully chosen for the crew time off as it had 6 bars within stone throwing distance of each other, just as many restaurants if not more and a ferry port with the ability to Island hop. We did 3 out of 3 main attractions which included: the Irish Bar for St Patricks, the Caribbean Bar and restaurant for food and the ferry trip from St Thomas over to St John’s. Once we docked in St John’s we caught a Gypsy taxi up and over the hilly Island to a little Bay called "Trunk". Well known for its snorkelling it had crystal clear water and a snow white beach. We spent the whole afternoon wading in the calm cool water in between baking on the warm soft sand.

A little before sunset, the three of us caught another Gypsy taxi back to the ferry port and visited the famous "Woodys Seafood Saloon" for happy hour. Too many "happies" down we decided that food was next on the agenda and so fell through the door of a Spanish Tapas restaurant. Once propped up at the bar counter we ordered everything on the Tapas menu including a 1989 bottle of red.

On the Monday, March 22nd, we moved the boat from Red Hook Bay on the East side of St Thomas to Charlotte Amalie on the South side of the Island. The owners were arriving the following afternoon so we needed the day to tie up, wash down and detail the boat for their arrival. The day after they arrived I was asked to join them on their day’s activities.

We took a Gypsy from the Yacht Haven Grande marina to the centre of town, Charlotte Amalie. We walked the quaint stone alley ways and streets. The main street caters for all the cruise liners of which 3 visit on a daily basis. All the Gold, Diamonds, various other jewellery pieces and Liquor are sold at Duty Free prices. My owners picked up a beautiful Baccarat crystal vase which as part of the service got delivered to the boat. Since our hands were still free we then caught another Gypsy taxi over to the Sky lift. This is a cable car that travels at a 70 degree angle to a viewing platform, Bar, Restaurant and shops overlooking Charlotte Amalie, the Marina, Town and the Caribbean Sea. It’s possible to see for miles up there!

Once we returned to the boat I was invited to join the Island Tour. A private hire van with tour guide drove us around the island of St Thomas with a verbal introduction to all the interesting places and sights that St Thomas has to offer. The tour guide drove us into the Ritz-Carlton for a viewing and we enjoyed a complimentary drink on the balcony overlooking the magnificent hotel pool which compliments as well as competes against the turquoise, emerald and as it shallows, crystal clear water of the ocean.

As we drove along Skyline Drive, we stopped at a viewing point to overlook Magens Bay. This Bay has been rated in the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world by National Geographic. I can't tell you at what number but I can definitely agree that it should be right up there!

Puerto Rico…

We left the dock in St Thomas at 10am and had very pleasant seas to Puerto Rico arriving on the dock at 2pm. The Marina was huge and we had the very last dock at the very end. The only way to and from the main gate or dock masters office was by Golf cart.

I was very lucky again to have been invited the following day with the boat owners to join them on the Islands Rainforest tour. We were picked up by Manny, a local who moved to Puerto Rico when he was only just a young boy from the "Big Apple", New York City. He was incredibly intelligent, knew so many facts about the Island and filled our heads with interesting Puerto Rican knowledge on our 45 minute drive up to (Rainforest)***

St Croix, USVI…

The next morning we departed for St Croix around 10am. There are 3 major Islands that make up the United States Virgin Islands. These are St Thomas, St John and St Croix. My personal favourite of these 3 is St John. The beaches are beautiful, the town of Cruz Bay is quaint, festive and friendly, the Island is not too big and everything is easily accessible. St Thomas is the main Island, it has an airport and is generally the major stop for cruisliners. I was not particularly impressed with St Croix. It appears to be the Industrial Island of the 3. Its home to the Cruzan Rum distillery and a Venezuelan Oil refinery.

We left St Croix on Sunday March 28th and have anchored in Magens Bay over night. Today is March 29th and we're headed over to Red Hook before planning a trip to the next Island. Most likely to be in the BVI's.

- Marky Mark

A very good friend of mine by the name of Denzil Baynes, endured many a cold winter here in London… until one day he came up with a bit of a bright spark idea… he wanted to be a yachtie… and to cut a long story short, thats just what he did. For some time now he's been cruising the Caribbean and the Med… living the dream in every sense of the word… he also likes to keep us updated with his adventures, so from time to time Denzil gives us a little update on where his ridiculously awesome life takes him…. a little inside look at life as a yachtie… Check out the rest of Denzil's posts here

 I managed to sneak in 5 days downtime after the Yacht owners left the boat in Atlantis on the 6th March. The Captain and I hopped on a plane from Nassau to Fort Lauderdale to see our ladies. Lucy was still up in West Palm Beach so she booked me into a hotel close to Rybovich marina, unfortunately she still had to work every day. I used the time to chill and cruise West Palm on my "Hawg". The Hawg is a 50cc Scooter which Lucy and I bought back in 2008 when we were job hunting in Fort Lauderdale. It was a blessing of a purchase as it saved us big cash when needing to get to and from marinas whilst dock walking. If anyone is thinking about joining the Yachting industry I strongly advise splashing out around $600 for a Scooter! I've since handed the Hawg down to my brother Matt who is getting loads of use from it.

On my way to Fort Lauderdale however, my backpack was lost by the airline. I landed in Fort Lauderdale with intensions of catching a ride North with my Captain and having a shorter Tri-Rail trip. This certainly was not the case! I was kept waiting for a half hour before someone gave me a missing baggage reference. I was told that it may still be in Nassau and when it arrives it'll be delivered to Lucy’s boat in WP. I left the airport for the Tri-Rail, had to wait 40 mins for the shuttle and then an hour on the platform…with no bag and just a T-shirt and baggies. It was about 10 degrees that night as a cold front had hit the day before!

Eventually I arrived in West Palm to be greeted by my gorgeous little blonde and two of her crew members, Kevin and Nicole. Kev was kind enough to lend me some warm clothes and then we headed over to City Place for dinner…and lots of drinks!

I had bought a return flight back to the Bahamas but decided to sail back aboard Lucy’s yacht called Prediction. Her Captain and 1st Mate are friends with my Captain so they made the arrangements and before I knew it I was aboard her boat tucked up nicely in the starboard forward guest room! I did however do my part and helped out with the watch schedule and lent a hand when docking in Atlantis. My boat was due to leave the very next day so I got everything secured, checked fuel levels, singled lines and lifted the tender for an early departure the next morning. That evening with everything ready to go I felt relaxed and went out with Lucy’s crew to a little known spot by Yachties called "Hurricane Hole".

The next morning we were off the dock at 7am and bound for Staniel Cay which is an island that makes up part of the Exumas. Approaching the dock with the wind howling and fenders wrapped around the boat we eventually tied up, rinsed down and hit the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for supper. We were due to be off the dock at 8am the following morning but the wind was pushing through at 30 knots so we played it safe and decided another night wouldn't hurt. This place was amazing! The water was as clear as an Olympic swimming pool with coral heads scattered like freckles on the nose of a 6 year old and it was swarming with Nurse Sharks and Stingrays. The Sharks would swim right up to the boat almost in arms length which at first terrified us until we learnt that they were as harmless as crickets. This still however didn't make me want to stick my arm in and pet one like a puppy. My crew and I sat on the swim platform of the boat sipping ice cold beers whilst watching them and various other sea life such a needle nose fish enjoying our underwater lights.

With the intensions of spending another night we woke up early and decided to take a relaxed walk around the island followed by lunch and a few beers at the Yacht Club. Dan the Chef and I were well into our 5th beer when the captain came running towards us. He began telling us that we were getting kicked off the dock due to high winds and that the dock master won't allow us to tie up. We left out beers spinning on the table and headed back to the boat. Radios on, fenders ready, everyone on standby we started the engines and dropped lines. The problem now was that a half hour to sunset we didn't have much place to drop anchor as everyone else had the same idea! The only option left was to run the next leg of our journey…an 18 hour passage to Turks & Caicos!!

We had to expect nothing less than 6 foot seas rising almost double in deeper waters. We knew we now had 18 hours of punishment ahead of us. Captain and Renny, our Stewardess, took the first 4 hour watch with Dan and me doing the next 4 and so the schedule would be 4 hours on and 4 hours to sleep. It's tough when the boat is travelling far distances with only 4 crew members to make up a watch schedule.

The first watch with Dan and I went well, however, the second watch was a nightmare. I had been sleeping down in my cabin with no air-conditioning so woke up drenched and thrown straight into a state of vertigo. I couldn't see, my head went instantly hot, my stomach turned and I knew I had dived head first into a whirlpool of sea sickness! I managed to get myself up to the wheelhouse, grabbed the wicker waste paper basket and prepare for the worst!

I heard my Captain bellow "Noooooo!" followed by a high pitched "that’s not gonna work!" I then got myself out the companion way door and onto the flybridge where I promptly collapsed and passed out. I have never experienced a case of sea sickness like that before and hope to never again. The following morning while discussing the situation it became clear to me that 5 beers, 2 bowls of Rennys Chilli and 10 foot seas are a very bad combination! Note to self.

After 18 hours we eventually sailed into port at Turtle Cove marina in the Turk & Caicos Islands. We had to have a pilot direct us through the narrowest channel whilst dodging coral heads. Once tied up on the dock, shore power hooked up and boat rinsed down it was playtime! We were all exhausted so we decided a cocktail at the 7 Stars Resort beach bar during sunset would be the best way to preserve energy for our following day off.

Well, I guess there was no energy preserved on my behalf as I woke up the next day at 1pm. I've got a memory foam mattress on my bed and no matter how wide awake I am I simply just cannot stay awake long enough to finish watching a movie or read a chapter of a book or anything. I guess I needed that 13 hour solid sleep! That evening after a chilled day onboard playing with iTunes etc we all went out for a crew dinner at the Marina restaurant on the hill.

Monday, March 15th we left the dock at 7am to fuel and depart at 9am for our 28 hour passage from Turks & Caicos to St Thomas…

Nice one Den

Denzil sent us some pics… these make me sick!… with ENVY!

[Show as slideshow]

- Marky Mark

A very good friend of mine by the name of Denzil Baynes, endured many a cold winter here in London… until one day he came up with a bit of a bright spark idea… he wanted to be a yachtie… and to cut a long story short, thats just what he did. For some time now he's been cruising the Caribbean and the Med… living the dream in every sense of the word… he also likes to keep us updated with his adventures, so from time to time Denzil is gonna give us a little update on where his ridiculously awesome life takes him…. a little inside look at life as a yachtie… prepare for part Uno… Enjoy

Currently I'm on a Caribbean charter which started in Naples, Florida… but first I'll tell you how this whole trip came about.

I left my last boat, Lady Kathryn IV, a 164ft (50 metre) Westport in Monaco in October of last year. My sights were set on progressing up the crew ladder as fast as I could to fulfil my ambition of becoming a Captain of a Superyacht. I spent 3 months in South Africa studying for my 200 ton ticket and endured many hours with my nose buried in books while sitting in the back Cottage at my parents home in Scottburgh, Kwa Zulu-Natal.
After what seemed like an incredibly fast 3 month stint I managed to enjoy a couple weeks relaxing with my girlfriend Lucy after hearing I had passed all my exams.

It was time to head back to America, Fort Lauderdale in Florida. A bit of background knowledge for those who don't know, Fort Lauderdale is the hub for all Yachties to visit Crew agencies, network and wait for the perfect job to roll in. I have family there so it eliminates the crew housing factor which is a huge expense saver when unemployed.
It didn't take long at all for Lucy to find a job, closely followed by myself. Matt, my brother, landed a month of daywork and is still currently employed on a short term contract with another yacht.

I was seeking a Bosun position, now a Bosun is typically the lead deckhand aboard a vessel, then there's 1st mate and at the top of the command chain is of course Captain. I had been getting calls all week from agents telling me they've put me forward to various B0sun positions etc etc, when out of the blue late one evening I received a voicemail from a Captain who'd seen my CV and was looking for a 1st mate. I thought immediately that it was a position a little out if my league however out of courtesy I called the Captain and he still wanted to interview me for the position. I accepted, met him the following day and within a week I was living aboard a 112ft Westport having skipped from Deckhand straight to 1st Mate!

I have just finished a 3 week charter in the Bahamas with the yacht owners, their friends and family. We left Naples, Florida, on the 16th of February with first destination being a members club called Ocean Reef which is based on the South East coast of Florida called the Florida Keys, near Key Largo.

We spent a full week here before heading 50 miles offshore to an island called Bimini where we were to stay 3 extra days. This was an unexpected duration of time due to 35 knot winds keeping us tied to our dock with 10 to 12 foot swell beyond the breakwater.

On the 26th of February we sailed into Nassau, the Atlantis mariner based in Paradise Island which is a smaller island connected by a large bridge to the Bahamian island of New Providence….you got that?
We stayed here in Atlantis from the 26th of Feb to the 6th March which completed the first leg of our charter until the owners return again at the end of March. In the interim we will be sailing the "Ha-Sea II" down South to begin the next chapter… the Caribbean season.

Here's a little something to make you shed a tear or two

[Show as slideshow]

- Marky Mark