Sea Dog

The pleasure was all mine Francis. Yes we were rocking and rolling last night. I enjoyed it. Today should be interesting.

Here is that video of Captain Tom

I sent a email to Captain Tom and Chillout Charters thanking him for everything he did for us. I can’t highly recommend Chillout Charters for chartering. Please consider them for your next visit. We had seven hours with them. I asked him more about his background and he told me a little about himself. Here is the email. He was fantastic. Hi Greg, My pleasure. I’m glad you got to tick that off your bucket list. I arrived in the BVI when I was 2 1/2 years old and my parents start to the day sale business and run that for 20 years. I have worked on many different boats and sailed many different boats to many different places throughout the years, I have lived in various places For brief moments in time, but I always come back to the BVI. The company I work for now is owned by a friend of mine. I am just one of his for captains that rotate on the different boats in the fleet. You can also follow me on my different Instagram pages. @captainbvi @tortolatom @skyfocusbvi The company” vineyard vines” did a piece on me a couple years ago, which you might find helpful. I will send you a link to the YouTube video they made. Loving the Water with Tom Pinfold youtu.be All the best . Regards Tom

Ok I found a workaround for my YouTube videos to get uploaded until they verify my account. Here is a teaser shot of some of the great footage that Captain Tom shot with his DJI drone that I will be using in some production exits I will do for this review after I get home so please checking out my review even after I get back. Didn’t I say White Bay on Jost Van Dyke is amazing.

Here was dinner in the MDR Crispy Parmesan Arancini. Very good Lasagna was not bad at all but I make one better from my wife’s Italian cousin. Mushroon Risotto. Very tasty. Stopped by Schooner bar to continue to drink all the new drinks on the menu. I’m way behind. Not sure I’m getting a good value from the drink package. Southern Belle

Arrrrrgggg! This Pirate Dog is not happy Apparently YouTube/Google thinks I’m uploading too much to YouTube so my identity has to be verified. They asked for a screen shot of my drivers license. Not so sure how I feel about that but did it anyway. May take a day to verify so I apologize if I can’t post as much video. I’ll try and upload directly from the phone but I don’t like that some with non Apple phones may have trouble viewing. https://gopro.com/v/9mrWDB5zMXMKL Tortola Sail Away

Let’s Get Caught Up A few more things from yesterday. Captain Jaret came into the Diamond Lounge and talking to us. He showed me a nice app that he uses on his phone to track weather and seas. He told us the ship would be rocking and rolling last night and boy did it. Luckily I don’t get sea sick but I bet some other passengers did. The app is called “Windy.” The Captain and the Dog

Nirvana Part 6 One final round of Painkillers and then it was time to pack up and leave. There was others from the ship that came but came via taxi in Tortola to a ferry then ferry over and then go in reverse back to the ship. They had to leave a full two hours before us to make it back in time. We had a luxury excursion with over 4.5 hours in White Bay a perfect amount. The ride back was even more of a thrill ride. It was thrilling and exhilarating, the wind blowing through our hairs…well maybe not Larry and I but it was still exhilarating to say the least. We made our way back to ship, turned in towels and took a nap. What fantastic trip of a lifetime. Soggy lived up to the hype and it was even better than I could have dreamed of . If you ever get a chance to visit White Bay at Jost Van Dyke and get a Painkiller from Glen at the Soggy Dollar tell him Sea Dog sent you. He will know exactly who you are talking about. Editors Note: Stay tuned after I get back for more videos as I have a ton and will edit some cool videos for you to see.

Nirvana Part 5 The next several hours were bliss hanging out with my cruise critic brothers and sisters. I can’t get over the water, crystal clear and bath water temperature. This was by far the best beach I had ever been to. After a few painkillers I started to feel the effect. My knee didn’t hurt, my laughed more. I talked to complete strangers. Shouldn’t all of life be this way? I’ve been told The Soggy Dollar has good food but if you want even better food go next door to Heidi’s Hideaway. So off as a group we went. When our server saw that I was drinking the Soggy Painkiller she asked me if I wanted to try the true original Painkiller. I said yes and she brought me over their version. The difference is this. The original used Pusser’s Dark Rum. Soggy uses their own brand. Now theirs is good but the Painkiller with Pusser’s brings it to a newer level. This cocktail was deeper and more complex. The Soggy Painkiller was lighter. Something you could drink all day. The Hideaway Painkiller had depth and was stronger in ABV. After getting a good buzz it was time for food. I ordered the Mahi Tacos which were amazing. The only problem was there wasn’t a salsa sauce just a hot sauce. It felt man enough so I gave it a few healthy squirts to which after my first bite my mouth blew up. WOW ! That hot sauce was like dragon's breath, leaving a fiery trail that even volcanoes would envy. 🌶🔥 My eyes started to tear up, I started to cough. I tried to make it better by taking a napkin and wiping some of it away. Then I learned a very valuable lesson. Do not and I mean do not after getting maybe a little of that sauce on your fingers, rub your eyes. “Yeeeeowwww!” Then go to the bathroom to pee. OMG, now my family jewels were on fire. Does Jost Van Dyke have a fire department??? Thankfully the pain subsided and i finished my incredible Mahi Tacos.

Nirvana Part 4 Then it was time to get that Caribbean Tiki Elixir of life, the painkiller. Glen the expert bartender showed me what makes a painkiller so pain free. It was a perfect blend of sweet and tart, with a hint of coconut that reminded me of the tropical paradise surrounding me. As I sipped on my cocktail, I chatted with other patrons, who were friendly and welcoming. It was Andi’s Birthday so we all cheered for her. I drank with everyone. Some were locals, while others were tourists like me, all enjoying the laid-back island vibe. My impression????

Nirvana Part 3 Soggy was not very crowded at 8:45am. We scored some beach chairs and then I was off for my first mission. I know what you are thinking….. get a painkiller….nope…. It’s go to the gift shop and buy everything I can get my hands on. They had everything , shirts, hoodies, caps, mugs you name it. I did good by not maxing out the credit card and only came away with two hats, two tee shirts, and a long sleeve UV swim shirt.

Nirvana Part Two Our 30 minute trip took us around Tortola which was very smooth and then into the less tame Caribbean. It was like a thrill ride. Up and down we went but as choppy as the water was this boat cut through it like a hot knife through butter. Once we arrived Captain Tom backed in close to shore and threw out some grappling anchors to keep us in place. I navigated the swim ladder with my knee well and made my way soggy dollars in tow to the beach. I was going good until that all too familiar sand shelf that makes up most beaches. I thought I would do Linda a favor and carry her beach bag. So carrying two bags and a go pro, had I not have a bum knee I might have done better…. well you get the idea, let’s roll the video tape.

Nirvana! And No Not The Band!! Part One: Nirvana: All Indian religions assert it to be a state of perfect quietude, freedom, highest happiness as well as the liberation from attachment and worldly suffering and I was there. Some might call it heaven but I know it as White Bay, Jost Van Dyke and the Soggy Dollar Bar. When I last left you in the middle of night with insomnia I explained how my dream escape to the Soggy Dollar almost ended up being a nightmare. To the rescue was Chillout Charters who swooped down and carried us away to our paradise. Our Soggy group of Deb @Momof3gurlz, and Andy, Jenifer @jmh2006 and Dave, Larry @Husky1987 and Andi and of course yours truly and wife Linda met in the Diamond (soon to be Crown) for an early morning breakfast and espresso. We then made our way to the gangway at 7:35. After a 10 minute walk to Village Cay Marina we met our Captain, Tom. He lead us down to the dock to a beautiful 39 foot Yellow Fin (Kenny Chesney has the same) with seating for 12 and 3 mercury outboards that can get the boat up to 70mph which is fast on the water. Stay tuned for more!

Finally I met Francis @mo&fran. So honored to meet this great pinnacle. He looks great and is getting better every day after his bout with throat cancer. I love my CC family.

Half mine half Linda’s.

YEP!!!

I Have No Words!!!! Give me moment to sober up and thoughtfully express the proper verbiage. Proof of life!

No I did not. Nailed it. Video later. Winner winner chicken dinner. Thank you we couldn’t get everybody on the same page when to do it. I was going to pull up the webcam on my phone and screenshot us, but I had trouble connecting.

REWIND…… I forgot to review our dinner at Chops last night. First if I made a mistake. I ate a pizza for lunch and then appetizers in the Diamond Lounge. Don’t do that if you are going to Chops in the evening. I had heard mixed reviews about Chops on Adventure but this experience did not disappoint . Chops feels like a New York Steakhouse so I had to have a Manhattan made with Templeton Rye. Appetizer was the Crab Cake served nice and hot Best salad on a Royal Caribbean ship. The crispy fried Goat Cheese Salad. Goat cheese was hot and I love the dressing. Ordered the 9 oz. Filet and it was perfectly cooked to my liking medium rare. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish it all because it was too big and I needed to leave room for dessert. The only downside to Chops are their lackluster sides. We had asparagus, mashed potatoes and their cheese tater tots. They were all ok just nothing to write home about even though I am writing about them here. Mashed potatoes need to be garlic mashed. The Gruyère Tots just didn’t seem to do it for me. Maybe needed a different cheese. Warm molten Chocolate cake. Next to “The World” in Wonderland, “Hazelnut Chocolate Cake” second in Giovanni’s, this third place finish is still really good. All in all a great meal I just wish I did not full so fast. I was tired, stuffed and ready to go to bed after a long day. I knew Soggy Day would be an early one. I finished a few edits and off to sleep I went or tried as you read above.

History of the Painkiller it's not just that it's de' best ... but there's only one place to get the original Painkiller! Here's the real talk: the Painkiller was invented at the Soggy Dollar's Sandcastle Hotel in 1970 by George and Marie Myrick (founded and built Sandcastle on Jost Van Dyke). Read the excerpt from George's book: "By some delightful experimenting Marie and I came up with a very tasty rum drink. Our mix consisted of orange juice, pineapple juice and coconut cream. We added the coconut cream slowly until we said, “Wow, this is it!” We sloshed it over some measured ounces of rum - Mount Gay or Cruzan Gold - dealer’s choice. Last, but not least, ground nutmeg was sprinkled on top. This, we decided, was a terrific house drink. Marie named the drink the Painkiller after a local bush growing near the Gusset House (a noni plant). Today, I’m told, you’re hard-pressed to find a bar in the Virgin Islands not offering some version of the Painkiller. But it originated in the early seventies at Sandcastle by Marie." From the “Incredible Virgin Island Adventure” A True Story, by George F. Myrick Page 129 More coming up.

Getting closer!

The pizza was excellent. Alfredo sauce with shrimp and crab meat. My 3 favorite things. I felt bad I couldn’t finish the whole thing.

It’s 2am, I can’t sleep. Again like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa I am consumed with anxious anticipation. Today is Soggy Day. But first a Soggy backstory Remember in my first post where I mentioned the only reason we booked this cruise was to go to Tortola and take an excursion to Jost Van Dyke and the famous Soggy Dollar Bar? I stated that it took an unexpected turn. Well imagine my horror, disbelief, anger etc…etc…etc… when you get an email like this. Can you imagine my horror and disbelief? What do I do???? Do I cancel the whole cruise? Find an alternative excursion? We had our Cruise Critic friends joining us on this excursion. I reached out to them with a question. Would you be willing to charter a boat on our own to take us to JVD and Soggy? They all responded with an enthusiastic “Yes.” I knew that this would be the only way we could do it as chartering a boat is not cheap. I started researching charter companies and reached out to them. I received an email from Chillout Charters. They said they would be happy to accommodate us. It would be $1850 for a 7.5 hour excursion and that we could even go to numerous stops. The price included your friendly captain, snorkeling gear, a selection of beverages, Cruising Permits, and National Park Fees. We did have a little issue. The ship was to be in port from 7am-3pm. Not a lot of time. Chillout suggested a 6 hour charter for $1650 and we could still go to multiple locations but after checking with the group they were fine with just JVD and not feeling rushed. Bam!!! Booked. I cannot tell you how relieved I was. I had to do my happy dance. Now if you noticed my title it said Sea Dog Gets wet, Why??? Well when you visit the Soggy Dollar at Jost Van Dyke there is no dock at White Bay. Literally the boats pull up close to shore and you jump in and swim to the beach. Hence the name “Soggy Dollar Bar.” I have come prepared with my dry/wet bag for crisp dry currency. Stay tuned more later.

Here is today’s highlights, Sea Dog’s Soggy Adventure Day 4 enjoy!!!!!

@DeerJod Here you go. They have the Jack Daniels Single Malt for a price of $100.99. I said laughing,”Really….Does Jack Daniels really need that extra 99 cents?”