The very best way to garner "local knowledge" upon arriving in a new port is to listen in on the VHF radio, channel 16. This is the universal hailing channel for seamen and from here conversations scatter to other channels as chosen by the chatters. If a topic sounds especially interesting, we follow along and eavesdrop. It is the 21st century party line!
In Sapodilla Bay, on the southern shore of Provo, we quickly learned that most of the chats involved Simon, harbour master of the nearby South Side Marina. Arriving vessels hail him to see if dock space is available for overnight, or sometimes just for fueling, and for the all important directions into the shallow harbor. This is where Simon excels. His deep, British-tinted voice comes over the radio time and time again with very explicit instructions. Simon says, "It is imperative to follow the waypoints that I give you to enter the marina. You will see dark patches of coral below you, but if you follow the waypoints, you will be fine. There will be plenty of water!" Time and time again, doubting sailors call back to Simon, "We touched bottom, we saw coral, we turned too soon!" Simon should not be doubted.
Mornings at 0730 hours, Simon also prevails. He has his very own "Cruiser's Net" and it's great! First, he takes roll, asking for boats in the marina to check in if they are awake. Dutifully, they do. "Mojo here, good morning, Simon." "Eos on." "Adante here, Simon." Etc. When the marina occupants are accounted for he moves on to the neighboring bays, asking for new arrivals and old friends. If he thinks you're there and just being lazy, he inquires. "Nepenthe? Are you there, Alex?" He does not tolerate slackers in his realm. Even Captain Bill, usually reticent to reveal our whereabouts, chimes in and we are welcomed to the fold. Then Simon relates the upcoming weather -- tides, winds, seas -- for the next five or six days. "Come now," says Simon, if there are any questions. None being heard, he signs off for the day.
We have a week or so before son Paul arrives in Provo, so we decide to head in to the South Side Marina and Simon's world for a few days. After many radio discussions, the Captain feels confident that we can navigate the shallow channel on a high tide and we creep in, with Simon urging us onward on the radio. "Yes, that's it Let's Dance. You're right on the line, slowly now." Making the last tight turn, we are greeted by Simon in person, waving at us to lead us to our slip. Whew! It was a little tense, but we followed Simon's instructions and, in fact, there was plenty of water. Actually, make that about 6 inches of extra water. Welcome to South Side!
As marinas go, South Side is a tropical treasure. It is not the spiffiest, nor the newest, but it has floating docks (a personal favorite of mine), adequate WiFi, a boat load of interesting transient characters and, best of all...Simon and Charlyn.
Between them, they can accomplish anything, anything at all. You need a rental car? It's yours. Ride to the grocery store? Of course. Recommendations on restaurants? Not a problem. Soon after docking, Charlyn approached, introduced herself and asked if we'd like to tag along with the group going to the market. Yes indeed, our stores were a little low. The shoppers gather at the marina's truck. Most pile into the truck bed in the back, but, because we're new, I get to ride up front. Perhaps a blessing, perhaps not. There is no A/C, radio or handle for lowering the window on my side. It is a trifle warm. Those in the back, however, must contend with the chalky dust (remember the lack of paved roads?) and the directly overhead sun. We jostle along for a mile or so before hitting a paved road, and from there it's just a short hop to the IGA. With fresh veggies, limes and milk (and a much smaller wad of cash), we truck back to the marina.
Since it's Thursday, Simon says, "It's barbeque night at the marina! Bring something to grill and a side to share and your drinks. We will provide the grill, plates and silverware and ice cream sundaes for dessert." We sigh. Ice cream! Count us in! About twenty assorted sailors of all ages gather for a pitch-in feast....stories abound of past and future ports of call, fish tales, stormy weather, calm seas, broken parts, whale sightings....shared histories and new friends. A group of five travelers from the Czech Republic are staying on a sailboat in the slip next to us. Very curious. They never leave the marina, stay mainly to themselves, and at least a few of them appear to sleep on the dock every night. Their luggage and some bedding stays on the dock full time (even during the afternoon rains) and the oldest of the group spends a lot of daylight hours working on his tan. It is not a pretty sight!
On Saturday, Simon says, "Let's all go to Da Conch Shack for lunch!" A head count is taken and the party is underway. We are fifteen and Simon orders rum punch and conch fritters for the table. I can usually do without conch, but really, at Da Conch Shack? How could you not? Islanders sell conch shells on the beach and I have to have one so I can blow it when the green flash is sighted. (I didn't make this up -- they do it all over the islands.) Learning how to make a decent noise, however, is really hard and I still don't have the knack. While bargaining with the seller, we witness a double baptism in the nearby shallows of the ocean. A touching experience.
With several days to explore Provo we rent a car and attempt to accomplish all the errands we've accumulated over the past weeks. We find a marine store and come away with some new anchor line, a nautical sewing needle, and a batch of frozen ballyhoo for bait. At the Five Cays Electronics store we score about ten new videos. They have binders full of ads for movies and you just write down the number and they pull a copy for you. Pirated, of course, but we were desperate for new media, and got all the recent releases. $4 each.
At the Wine Cellar we replenished the rum supply and restocked the wine cellar. We even drove over to Grace Bay on the other side of the island.....home to the other half. Beautiful, swanky hotels, restaurants and shops abound on long, white sand beaches. Wow! This is a gorgeous island for those looking for an upscale retreat. We, however, are fine and comfortable with our new friends at South Side Marina.
After a few days ashore It's time for us to motor on and Simon says, "Come see us again and safe travels!" We will come again, with thanks for some special memories.
Let's Dance......Carol and Bill
