The Adventures of Capt. Cluck

June 12, 2008



A week ago, we returned to Whisper only to find that our lucky mascot "Captain Cluck"--a squeeking pirate rubber chicken--had been kidnapped! Based on their near total lack of integrity, we immediately suspected that we would find the culprits on S/V Someday Came. (For their version of the story check their blog linked on the sidebar.) We approached the youngest and most gullible member of the New Jersey crime family: Violet--age 2, a tough blonde with a killer smile that has fooled even the most skeptical detective. But after a brief interrogation she quickly spilled the beans: Captain Cluck was indeed on board!




Later in the day, Caroline, the 11 year old crime boss in training, delivered this ransom note:

"Who is this Pablito?" we asked ourselves. "And what does he want?"


It turned out that Pablito, (aka. Shannon, aka. Captain Morgan, aka Mr. Sexy Time, aka. Tillman Crime Boss) wanted two coconuts in exchange for Captain Cluck. There were several inappropriate threats issued over the radio suggesting that Capt. Cluck might be turned into Chicken Nuggets, Chicken a la King, Chicken Picata and BBQ chicken.

Undaunted we refused to negotiate with these kidnappers. When the Tillman Crime Syndicate next joined us in Salt Whistle Bay, we were ready. Tillman crime wife, Kathy, tried to appease us with yummy spaghetti and meatball dinner, but to no avail. Revenge was imminent. Unbeknownst to the crew sleeping on Someday Came we snuck up to their boat at 0300 in the morning and filled their dinghy to the brim with coconuts.


Ha! Victory at last!

The next morning we were given more ransom demands, which were ignored, and lo and behold Capt. Cluck was returned to Whisper before noon that day. He did, however, exhibit clear signs of physical and emotional abuse that he suffered at the hands of the Tillman Crime Syndicate: he now has a hole in his left leg, and he refuses to squeek as normal. We hope that a period of rest and recuperation will restore Capt. Cluck to his former glory. Meanwhile, the Tillman Crime Syndicate is retreating through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific Ocean to avoid the wrath of Whisper.

In the Grenadines

June 12, 2008

The last two weeks have been the reward for all the windward sailing we've been doing since we left Maryland in the fall of 2006. The Grenadines are as beautiful as everyone says: clear water, white sand beaches, palm trees, fantastic snorkeling, easy sailing and great friends to explore with. We had a tearful farewell this morning to Uliad and Someday Came, two boats we've been sailing with for the past month. They are headed to Panama, through the canal and around the world. We had to resist their multiple arguments for Whisper joining in their wakes, literally, since we'd be sailing at half their speed. Meeting friends while cruising is definitely bittersweet: it's wonderful to make such great friends, but at the same time, very hard to say goodbye. The friendships you make on the water solidify very quickly, more so than we've found on land. So we know we'll see each other again, but when? and where?!

From here we sail to Grenada and then Trinidad. Whisper gets hauled out on June 20 and we fly out to Sweden on June 23.


A vegetable stand at Mustique.

Kristen tries to emulate the rich and famous on the beach at Mustique.



One of the nicest anchorages we've found yet: Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau. We were anchored in 8 feet of water and could swim to the beach in minutes.

We met up with a Brazilian boat, Paje, who helped us out with kite-surfing. It turns out we're not incompetent: our kite (or the lines) are not set up properly and therefore refuses to launch. A project to fix next season. This is Hans using Paula's kite.


We went for a sail on Someday Came. Wow! There is quite a difference between a 27' boat and a 54' boat!
Later in the day, Caroline from Someday Came joined us on Whisper for the 3 mile sail to the Tobago Cays. She was a great skipper. We tried to negotiate keeping her on board as our autopilot, but when we found out she doesn't do dishes we decided to keep looking.

Hans found "the ultimate hammock location" in the Tobago Cays. Doesn't his life look hard?

The Tobago Cays.

Kathleen and Steve hanging out on Someday Came.
Shannon, Kathy and Hans enjoy our farewell dinner last night on Someday Came.