The Buccaneer's Bible
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THE BUCCANEER’S BIBLE AHOY, MATEY! YOU ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON AN EXCITING ADVENTURE ABOARD THE SAILING VESSEL ______________(Boat Name), A ___ FOOT (CATAMARAN) (MOTOR YACHT) (MONOHULL). (Pick one). THIS WILL BE YOUR FLOATING CONDO DURING YOUR BRITISH VIRGIN ISLAND VACATION. LIFE AT SEA CAN GET COZY, SO IN ORDER FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY THEMSELVES, READ THIS BIBLE OR RISK WALKING THE PLANK!!! SHIPBOARD RULES GENERAL RULES 1). The Captain is the boss aboard ship. 2). The First Mate is the “next” boss aboard ship. 3). No whining, crying (unless you really stub your toe on a cleat), tattle telling, fighting, or the worse offense: “I’m bored.” VIOLATION OF #3 WILL CAUSE YOU TO BE SEWN UP IN THE MAINSHEET AND TOSSED OVERBOARD! 4) You must have fun!!!!!!!!! SPECIFIC RULES A. CABINS 1) Cabin assignments will be as follows: Port Side (on the left) Cabin #1:_________________ Cabin #2:_________________ Starboard Side (on the right) Cabin #3:_________________ Cabin #4:_________________ 2) All items in your cabin must be neatly stowed at all times because being clobbered by falling undies is no fun. You are each responsible for your own space, including bed making. B. HEAD (also known as the potty) 1) Make sure you get a potty lesson from the Captain or First Mate prior to your first use. 2) Do not use a lot of toilet paper at one time before flushing or you will cause a huge clog. Use a couple of squares, flush, wipe again if necessary. 3) If you have a “Joe Nathan”, a “log” or whatever else you choose to call the “BIG NUMBER TWO”, use this technique. Pull out the shower head from the faucet and spray some warm water into the head to melt or break apart the “poo.” Then try flushing again. If you have trouble, in order to avoid a huge clog, ask either the Captain or First Mate for help. (Do not worry – it is part of their job!). 4) Before flushing in an anchorage, make sure none of your party is in the water because, “FLOATERS ARE NASTY!” C. SHOWERS 5) You can only carry a certain amount of water, so no long showers like at home. 6) Proper Technique: a) Get in. b) Get wet and turn off the water. c) Lather/shampoo up. d) Rinse off quickly and turn the water off. 7) Alternate Technique – “The Joy Shower”: a) Jump into the ocean. b) After swimming, get on the ladder or sit on the back of the boat deck. c) Lather up with Joy dishwashing liquid. d) Jump back into the ocean to remove the soap. e) Rinse off with fresh water shower on deck. • Special Note: Considering that you will be in the water every day, it is technically possible to go your whole vacation without actually having to take a shower. Any and all parties are free to tell the other mateys they stink and need a good, hot shower. No offense will be taken. D. TEETH BRUSHING a) Must be done at least once a day. b) Wet brush. c) Turn off the water. d) Brush teeth. e) Rinse. E. GALLEY 8) The refrigerator only stays cold as long as the ice lasts. Therefore, please do not stand with the refrig hatch open – know what you want ahead of time. Always ask if anyone else wants something before you open up. You will probably have a cooler for everyday drinks in the cockpit. 9) Drinking water (in bottles) all has to be carried aboard. Therefore, if you start a bottle, it cannot be wasted. Before opening another bottle, finish the bottle you started – even if it is warm. 10) If meals are prepared on board, remember everyone is supposed to be on vacation – even the cook. Offer to help. All dishes need to be washed and put away before you leave an anchorage. 11) For meals on shore, the food may be different than you have had before, but do not be afraid of new things. Try it – you might just like it!! F. COMMON AREAS AND CABINS No wet clothes or towels left on cushions, decks or floors. Wet towels can be hung up on the life lines to dry, just make sure they are clothes-pinned on so they do not blow away. Wet or sandy shoes need to remain in the cockpit, not the cabins, or you will have sand in your bed. G. ANCHORAGES Other sailors are here to enjoy the quiet! Please be considerate of others and watch the noise level, especially when diving off the back of the boat. Other sailors may “hang out” nude, especially when showering. Try not to be obvious about pointing, try not to laugh too loud, and most important of all- share the binoculars!!! CHORES EVERYONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN SNORKEL GEAR – CARRYING, RINSING OFF AND STOWING AWAY AT THE END OF EACH TRIP. IF GEAR IS LEFT OUT, IT IS LIKELY TO GO OVERBOARD –OOPS! IF THE CAPTAIN OR FIRST MATE GIVES YOU CHORES, LIST THEM HERE: HISTORY OF THE ISLANDS Arawak Indians settled the Virgin Islands around 100 BC, sailing from South American in dugout canoes. The Arawaks lived in the Islands for many years and even now we still use some of their words: tobacco, barbecue, potato, hurricane, and cannibal. The Arawaks were a peace-loving tribe, but they were chased (or eaten) by the meaner Carib Indians, cannibals who arrived from South America in the 1400s. In 1493, Columbus “discovered” the Virgin Islands on his way to finding America. He must have missed having his female friends along, because he named the islands, Las Virgines. The Spanish did not think much of these islands (they must have been crazy), so they stopped here only long enough to mine copper sometime in the 1600s. The Europeans who tried to move here were harassed by the Caribs and pirates, who attached ships carrying treasure back to Spain. As Spain began to lose their power, ownership of the Islands shifted back and forth between different countries until the Dutch established a permanent settlement on Tortola in 1648. Eventually, the English threw the Dutch out of Tortola in 1672. The new rulers introduced two features of the colonial era in the Caribbean – sugar cane and slaves. Between the mid 1700s and the early 1800s, the English got very rich producing sugar, cotton, rum and spices on the Virgin Islands. Finally, slave unrest brought an end to slave auctions in 1803, and by the 1830s, all the slaves had been freed. In 1917, the United States bought three of the islands still controlled by the Dutch. These were St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Nothing remains of the Virgin Islands original Indian population. That is a good thing, because cannibals could really ruin your vacation. Today, the locals are mostly descended from slaves or slave owners. People from the islands have their own language – a combination of English, Spanish, Dutch, French, African and maybe even some leftover Arawak. What words or phrases have you heard that you like or make you laugh? (Write them here) ENVIRONMENT Hilly and dry, the British Virgin Islands lay about 50 miles east of Puerto Rico and 1,100 miles southeast of Miami, Florida. Taken together, they are a little smaller than Washington, D.C. Thick semi-tropical forests cover most of the islands, but there are also dry stretches of cactus, scrub brush, palms and mangroves. Mango, papaya, coconut and breadfruit trees are also found almost everywhere. Common animals you might see are lizards, iguanas, donkeys, free- range chickens, goats and mongoose. The mongoose eats snakes, so you will not find any snakes on these islands. In the water, besides tons of fish and coral, watch for dolphins, sting rays, sea horses, and sea turtles. What was your first impression when you first saw the islands? Describe your experience riding in a taxi, especially if your airplane landed in St. Thomas and you had to go over the mountains to the ferry dock? If you took the ferry from St. Thomas to Tortola, write about it here? Was it fun? Were you scared? What did you think about going through customs? THE REAL PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Imagine yourself resting in the cockpit after a long day of snorkeling. As the sun begins to set towards the horizon, a small ship sails into the anchorage you thought you had all to yourself. An anchor splashes overboard, and before you know it, a group of noisy, unshaven pirates row across the water to your boat, swarm the deck, empty your wallet, steal all your treasure and food, and run off with all the ladies onboard. Although piracy is no longer a popular pastime in the Virgin Islands, it is really not that long since it was the cool thing to do throughout the Caribbean. In the early 1700s, a sympathetic governor in St. Thomas was still selling goods for pirates like Blackbeard. Pirating was basically government approved. The King or Queen of England encouraged raids on ships of their enemies, especially the Spanish. Privately owned ships or ships sailed by sailors that were not in the navy, were given “letters of marques” which made them assistants to the Royal British Navy. Actually, these letters were like permission slips to be dirty rotten pirates. To get these permission slips, the pirates had to give the King or Queen 10% of any treasure they stole. The pirates attacked merchant ships of other countries, especially during war time.