November 23-December 8 St. Thomas/St. James/St. John/ and back

11/23  Red Hook/Christmas Cove

 

Steve and I picked up the turkey today at Red Hook, as well as most of our groceries for Thanksgiving dinner.  After we finished shopping, we came over to Christmas Cove to anchor for the night.  John, SOJOURN, met us there after he dropped a guest off at the airport.

 

The 3 of us went for an hour long snorkel in the afternoon – saw FIVE rays, 3 clown wrasse (very colorful), a channel flounder, and another spotted drum.   It was a very nice snorkel, indeed.  John came over for a dinner of beef and bean burritos with pork green chili, followed by a mango panna cotta for dessert, as well as several games of SEQUENCE.   Overall, it was a lovely, relaxing day before returning to the hustle and bustle of Charlotte Amalie and preparations for Thanksgiving.

 

11/24-12/3  Charlotte Amalie

 

I have baked two pies (bourbon pecan with lemon zest and traditional pumpkin), cooked the giblets/liver and neck for the gravy base, as well as completed the preliminary steps for the stuffing (baked the cornbread, sautéed the veggies for the dressing and combined them with the crumbs).  I have roasted and chopped the walnuts for the Cranberry-Apple Compote.  The turkey was still frozen, after a day in the frig…I hope it thaws in time for Thanksgiving dinner J.   

 

Just learned we are now having 11 people aboard.  One couple that was not going to come will be attending after all.  Don’t know where everyone will sit…but hey…it’s Thanksgiving  J   I think we should have enough food…but if we don’t…we’ll survive  J 

 

Dave and Michelle (DANIEL STOREY) brought a sweet potato soufflé, Benno and Marlene (DIESEL DUCK) brought a vegetable

mélange, John (SOJOURN) brought wine, and Terri and Britt (SEA OTTER) brought home-made dinner rolls and Dick and Jane (CHEETA II) brought sausage balls as an hors d’oeuvres, corn pudding, as well as rum balls as hostess gifts.  What a lovely day it turned out to be, blessed by the company of friends, new and old. 

 

Following Thanksgiving, Steve and I took the boat into the marina so we could replace the boat batteries.  What a chore!  Each battery weighs 125 pounds.  We had to use a halyard to lift the old batteries out of the forward locker, swing them off the boat to the dock, lift the new batteries onto the boat deck and then lower them into the forward locker.   It took us about 3 hours with poor Steve climbing in and out of the locker for each battery as we removed and replaced them one at a time.  After a hard day’s work, we met Benno and Marlene at 6:30 for drinks and dinner at Tickles. 

 

The next morning, we got our wifi straightened out.  As we were having trouble logging on to the new service we bought, even though it had a phenomenal signal, we finally bit-the-bullet and bought a modem for Internet.  Now we can get a signal no matter where we are…even traveling from anchorage to anchorage.  Now that’s what I call being spoiled!

 

12/3-6  Christmas Cove, St. James and Francis Bay, St. John

 

Snorkeling…relaxing…reading…lazing aboard…Friday night prime rib at Maho…life does not get any better than this.

 

12/7-8  St. Thomas

 

Today we returned to St. Thomas to anchor on the west side of Hassel Island in anticipation of the arrival of Oasis of the Seas December 8.

 

The morning of December 8, we watched her come into Crown Bay Cruise Ship Dock via the West Gregerie Channel.  As her bow emerged from Water Island, she did not appear so large…but the bow kept coming…and coming…until her mid-ship appeared.  By the time she cleared Water Island, Haypiece Hill seemed dwarfed and the Costa Americas, already at the dock, provided contrast, showing how big the OASIS truly was. 

 

The production was high-lighted by VHF radio traffic overheard between the pilot house, dock-master, Coast Guard and deck hands, providing an insiders view of the patient maneuvering of the boat into port…slowly coming forward, backing up, coming forward, stern thrusters pivoting the hulking mass, everyone attending to the location of yachts anchored nearby, as well as the approaching dock.  WHEW!  It was quite a spectacle!

 

Oasis of the Seas, measures 225,282 gross tons, almost half again as large as the runners-up, the vessels of the Freedom class, and 5 times larger than Titanic.  Its displacement – the actual weight of the vessel, estimated at approximately 100,000 tons, is about the same as that of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier. Currently the largest cruise liner in the world, it is too long, too wide and too tall to qualify for passage through the Panama Canal.

Onboard recreational, athletic, and entertainment activities are organized into seven "neighborhoods".   One of which is Central Park, home to the first at sea living park featuring 12,000 plants and 56 trees.  Another, the Pool and Sport Zone, hosts the first at sea sloped entry beach pool and two surf simulators.  The Boardwalk features the first at sea carousel, 2 rock-climbing walls, the 750 seat Aqua Theatre, as well as the ship’s largest fresh water pool.  For additional information and pictures of the ship, please visit http://www.royalcaribbeanoasisoftheseas.com