The shake-down and a Few Extra Days in St. Croix

The day finally arrived when we had to bid a fond farewell to our amazing villa on the hill. Gabe Lucy, President of Trilogy, found hands down the best house on St. Croix to put up the crew. We knew the days of sunsets in the infinity pool and family dinners at the outside table weren’t going to last forever, but thanks to Tropical Storm Dorian (which became a hurricane about 20 miles after passing right over us), we got a few extra days. No one complained.

Once the beds were built, and supplies were loaded, it was time for a quick hop up the coast to the fuel dock to take on an impressive amount of diesel fuel and fresh water. With the boat sitting much lower in the water, it was off to St. John. We had a fairly uneventful crossing, with only a few minor adjustments, and ideal conditions. T5 seemed ready to leave Salt River in her wake and stretch her legs. What’s that saying? Boats are safe sitting in a harbor, but that’s not what boats are made for. Something like like anyway. We got secured to our mooring off St. John with just enough time for a post-sunset swim. With a sky full of stars and Milky Way overhead, most of us elected to take our beds outside, opting to sleep on nets-I inflated my said mattress and made myself a home on the cabin top.

As the sky began to light up, coffee was made and an early morning hull inspection (a great excuse for a sunrise swim), was followed by breakfast, expertly prepared by sous chef Jenny. After a run down on how to do the underway boat checks from Whipple (all the things to check before starting your watch to make sure any issues or problems are caught quickly and don’t escalate), we are off to Panama!
-Capt. Emily

A Stow Away and Fresh Guacamole

Many have written about how one's sense of time changes at sea. This is all the more true thanks to the iPhone era we live in. Our days at sea en route to Maui feel longer than average, defined by watch, meals, and rest. The following seas have been pleasant enough but have also made for hot enough conditions that resisting a long nap midday is near impossible. We've become crepuscular creatures aboard Trilogy V, most lively during the twilight hours of dawn and dusk.

Our first day departing St. John was uneventful. We took in views of the British Virgin Islands as we passed them in the morning, we received instructions from Captain Jim on how watch was conducted, and we tested all the stern benches to find our favorite, most comfortable, shady spots on the boat. Gabriel set lines at the stern.

By day two, everyone was further invested in their books. We played scrabble near lunch. Before we'd left St. Croix, Pedro, our friend from Gold Coast Yachts, had gifted us a large box full of avocados from his yard. Gabriel delighted the crew by making a massive portion of fresh guacamole. That evening, we feasted on shrimp sweet potato wraps (with guac, of course!) and had a visitor. A small bird circled the boat. Slowly he approached, trying out perches near the stern, before eventually settling in on the counter in the galley for several hours. He looked exhausted. We named him Howie.

Day three found the crew mostly adjusted to the new pace of life, which consisted of a lot of napping, lounging, and reading. Near midday, Capt. Jim gave a lesson on the sextant, the afternoon involved a game of Yahtzee, and at sunset we were visited by half a dozen dolphins. Emily sighted the small, spotted species (possibly pan-tropical spotted?), right off our starboard side. They swam alongside and played in the wake for a few minutes before disappearing.

Today is day four and we've seen an increase of boat traffic as we approach Panama. The weather has also changed, becoming cloudy, the sky full of lightning. Soon enough, we'll adapt to a new pace in Panama.

A hui hou,

Captain Jenny

CONTRIBUTORS: EMILY JOHNSON & JENNY ERIKSON

EDITED BY BRITTANY FRISKICS