job hunting by Capt'n Bob Bell

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Saturday, July 25th, 2009; 5:00am, cloudy sky, the sun is struggling to rise between two big clouds covering the hills of Saga Haven Marine.
It is so quiet. The water is still, just the noise of the fish jumping from the water once in a while.
This is what you call Paradise!
Oh no...here it comes.."One life, one love..." Bob Marley's sound blasting from some happy Caribbean driver's car coming back from the late (or early) happy hours or trying to start his day with this famous uplifting tune that will never let you feel down. Good way to start my day.
Captain Bob a.k.a. Bildge Monkey Bob is still sleeping. Tired after a long day of hunting for a job in Red Hook and Charlotte Amelie. How tired is he? I'll come to that later.
Anyway, it's funny how we take turns when we go to bed. I never know where Bob ends up sleeping or where my spot is or will be to take a good night sleep (or at least try to). Most of the time we start on the bridge stretching on the two seats up front; after that we loose track where the other is. I would wake up in the middle of the night (too many bugs or it's too hot) going down to the cabin to find Bob laying on the seat next to the table. An hour later he's on the bed in the front cabin, or snoring on the couch as all guys do (no, not us women"we never snore!). In the morning he's back on the bridge. Figure it out ?? At least I didn't find him sleeping on the deck in the dinghy yet. Gary G you do remember that? After all night adventures to find the right spot and get a good night sleep we meet in the morning for a good cup of coffee to discuss our "to do list" for the day. Oh yes, I did find my self getting a shower in the pouring rain sleeping on the bridge quite few times. What a great surprise in the middle of the night!
Well, it is two weeks in Paradise, exactly today. It is a dream come true for everybody who wants to experience the beauty of these islands, the beauty of the most glorious sunsets, the peaceful feeling of laying on the sandy beach after that long dip in the azure, clear water of the Virgin Islands. The peaceful sky at night covered by a million diamonds, the stars that shine so bright and they appear so close to you that you feel like touching them and holding them in your hands. I felt as I was hugged by this universe and it felt absolutely breathtaking. The power of the universe was so strong and so close to me it felt almost like I'm diving into this sky taken by some warm and kind hand. Experience of total freedom, moment of total freedom, no worries,no yesterday and no tomorrow.I don't know how to explain this feeling but I know after an experience like this you know you belong to this universe , you are so strong and you don't fear anything. It might be that I really touch the sky.
And than strikes me: Gina stop dreaming , you're not on vacation. Get your little Croatian



a.. up and look for a job!!! Blahh.. what a disappointment.
So, I did look for a job as any other hardworking, enthusiastic, motivated , promising,well educated-but-jobless citizen of this Country.There is nothing different here in Virgin Islands than in any other place in USA. Oh yes, it is: instead of taking the subway in New York or the T in Boston you have to take Safari taxi (or what they call it here"one dollar taxi ") that goes only in one direction around the Island. If you're going in a different direction you have to make the whole circle before you get to your destination. In other words you have to go left before you get to the right.
Traffic here is on the left side of the street. By the way Gary G did great job driving his little "eggbeater"on the left side of the road in Turks and Caicos .Just a reminder:" Gary, you are back in Boston , you don't need to drive in circles to your left any more!!" Friends in Marina Bay" stay off the road when you see Gary G driving( just in case..) We can't afford to buy a car yet so we walk or go around the Island in "the circle" by our friendly "one dollar taxi ". Not so bad, except you sweat so much. Well I'm from New York so after years of experience and sweating in the NY subway this is not bad at all.
So far I didn't get a job yet. I guess I had higher expectations of finding a job here than I would in some big American metropolis but it hasn't happened. Same sh .....different place.
Now back to Bob and his "job hunting".
As you all know we all have different techniques of doing things as well as hunting for jobs.
We need to be creative?!! (I guess I wasn't creative enough in last two weeks...I didn't get a job yet).
Bob on the other hand took all this differently. As creative as Bob can be- well you all know him better than I do- there are still some hidden talents of his character that we all don't know.
After Gary G left the boat ,Bilge Monkey Bob QUIT !!. I'm not going to the bilge anymore. Well, sh... happened and he had to go back to the bilge to fix the sh......
Then he QUIT again! As lucky as he is , not for long. The new charger he installed few weeks ago on the water coming to DR died, no power..."Fungoo!!! ( this is Bob's famous word for f...).
"I have to go in to the bilge again?" "Why did Gary G ever leave?!" Oh Gary G, this will tell you how much he looooves and misses you !! We took a ride "to the left" and got the 10amp charger from K-mart in Tutu Park Mall. Problem solved, Bob is out of the bilge again (for how long?)Since there was not ( and so far there wasn't one day on this boat that something didn't go wrong) some other problems came along, Bilge Monkey Bob can relax so far but Captain Bob is back in action. A cat-sailboat docked next to us few days ago so Ken the dock master plugged him into the power post that we used and switch us to different power post.
Woow!!, all the fuses blew out...freezer dead, stereo dead, refrigerator dead..what else?
"Fungoo ! again goes Captain Bob. So, there we go on the road again," to the left"searching for the fuses at Tutu Park Mall. Problem solved again.
Captain Bob is giving up his boating career and goes hunting for the "real job on the land".
Now this is the part that you all didn't know about our Captain Bob Bell. His creativity and talent at job hunting will just strike you. Here it is, by Bob Bell:
How to look for the job ( if you really,really want to get one )":
First step : I'm so talented I don't need to look for a job it will come to me, just wait and see..

I'm waiting and waiting , I'm here.......
...... still waiting ......






but, still no job....





Second step: Well, I know I'm talented but people don't know me here so let's go and socialize, what better place to socialize than at the bar with people that share the same problem( joblessness).


Again, how nobody is here?
I guess I'm the only one "jobless"?
who can afford the glass of wine.
Oh,no this is my bottle of red wine!!
Anyway, I met a great man that day, a great
gentlemen and a great boat mechanic in any way..

but still no job....



Third step:I met some very interesting people at the bar, why not invite the most impressive
person for dinner on the boat and discuss our next actions:

We had a great time. Tommy is an amazing, intelligent guy who left his home in
Illinois years ago with his bike and truck,
moved to Key West ,Fl lived there for 20 years,sold everything and moved to a VI few years ago. Great,meticulous engine specialist ,has his own business and works on some famous boats including "Red Hookers"that used to belong to a famous country singer Kenny ...

but, still no job.....


Fourth step:I don't think this is working out so well.Why not to take a ride "to the left" into
the Virgin Islands Metropolis, Charlotte Amalee's and see what's going on there....





I'm here for you.I have so much to offer ,you would not believe.....





P.S.: Gary S." Bob is not waiting for the bus....!!!



but, still no job....


I tried but what the hell nobody wants to pick me up ! I don't' know why?I can do it all, in the house,in the bathrooms,in the bedrooms,I can do the floors, the ceilings, in the garage,even in the back yard, I have so much experience... I'm a carpenter !!

Fifth step:They don't want me on the land; who cares,they don't know what they're missing. After all I'm a boater,I need to smell the salty water , I need to stay on the water.
"Fungoo, I'm not giving up...


Hi darling, I'm going to see what's going on in the marinas around here, I might get hired today..










Hi darling , look who I met, George from Dorchester.


George S. comes from Dorchester.What a small
world. He lives on his sailboat for twelve years now, works on his own in the marina and visits his family in Dorchester every year. Great personality, awesome guy.

But, still no job...





Where do we go from here Bob, no job yet????
Wait darling I have one more option...












to be continued.......