Houston, we have a problem (Great Cruz Bay 7.28.09)

By the time I had driven the laundry back to shore in the dinghy, the plan was devised to take all the willing passengers (actually, all those who could fit in the car) up to the house where Jodie and gang were staying (you’ll hear more about this place in the next blog). Those who ended back on the boat were Andy, Mandy, Lloyd, me, and Harrison. We encountered a problem when the wind shifted and we found ourselves no longer on the west side, rather, right in the middle of the only channel to enter Great Cruz Bay!

When we tried to move, we found that we were hung up on something and in the process of trying to free ourselves, the anchor chain fused itself to the bow roller. Good thing we had an engineer on board, because Andy and Lloyd took apart the anchor windlass, and FINALLY after working for about 2 hours, we were up and running again. We ended up dropping anchor in the middle of the bay after realizing that there are no private mooring balls in Great Cruz. Can you find us? We’re the only catamaran out there.

St. John, USVI (7.28.09)

We arrived with plenty of time to clear US Customs in St. John and motor around to Great Cruz Bay to meet our friend Jodie and her girls, McKinley and Riley (who were missing husband and Dad, Patrick and son and brother, Mitchell). We anchored on the west side of The Westin and motored in for lunch. Jodie had a spread waiting on us. Fun, fun!

Iguanas were walking around the resort and Harrison and I were able to feed one a French fry (my apologies to all of you wildlife rescue experts). This little guy seemed to like our culinary choice… he asked for seconds.







Jen, Mandy, Jodie and I took the kids to the pool, while GB and Andy took naps in the shade. Lloyd took the dinghy back to the boat for his nap (avoiding the crowds is his hobby), which complicated things when I wanted to grab a load of laundry for washing at the hotel. I had to swim back to the boat, which was not enjoyable in this marina! I could barely see my hand in front of my face, much less what was swimming around me. Where’s the water at White Bay when you need it?

Peter Island (7.27.09-7.28.09)

Great Harbour on Peter Island is one of our favorite anchorages. (But, then again, almost every place in the BVI holds special significance, and that’s why we can't be kept away!) In comparison to the other shallow and very turquoise waters, this particular spot is fairly deep. There is a beach to the south with some fun water equipment, and the kids jumped on a water trampoline for about 2 minutes (although they charged us for the hour). Instead, they spent most of their time building a stone barricade at the waters edge.

The next morning, our plan was to head out early to meet some friends in St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands). But a fishing pole went missing (sorry Mandy!) which prompted both Lloyd and Andy to jump in after it. There’s nothing like early morning snorkeling. What followed is hard to explain, but, went something like this….

Uncle Andy: “Shark!”
The rest of us: “Shark?”
Uncle Andy: “Shark!”
The rest of us: “Grab your masks!”….Splash!

Even the kids had to take part in this sight-seeing adventure. We didn’t see the shark again, but we saw a spotted stingray, schools of electric blue fish, and vast varieties of little guys. The morning sun shining down on the reef was spectacular. We were going to be a little late to meet our friends.

Hangin' Out (7.27.09)

After our cave exploring adventure, we took a lazy sail down the Sir Frances Drake Channel. Geographically, starting at the tip of Virgin Gorda (The Baths), we passed Fallen Jerusalem, Ginger Island, Cooper Island, and Salt Island all the way down to Peter Island. On the way, everyone did their own thing to relax. I gave Lloyd a break and took a turn at the helm. Ari and Harrison engineered some pirate weapons. Jennifer read her book, and GB played his ukulele. Mandy smiled as Andy reeled in a Bonito fish (beautiful, but, not so tasty according to the Captain, so we had to let him go). Overall, I think we all inspired Iain and Grayson to just hang out.

The Baths (7.27.09)

Found on the southern tip of Virgin Gorda, The Baths are the only formation of large granite boulders in the BVI. The sea washes between the rocks, and creates large pools of water where the kids (and some adults) like to play. There is a trail that leads from the white sandy beach through the Caves and around to Devil’s Bay, a beautiful open natural marina with excellent snorkeling. It was second nature for the kids to lead us through the maze- each taking turns of following the leader stopping only to climb the occasional small cliff (check out Iain, Mandy, and Andy).











Once reaching the end, some swam, some took shelter in the shade, and others snorkeled to explore what lies beneath. An angel fish tried to feed off of Harrison's feet in Devil's Bay!










Grayson and Ari were the first to jump off a 10 foot cliff right into the clear waters below. Even Jennifer took pride in this death defying feat (once you climb up, there’s really no other way down)!

Leaving Anegada (7.26.09)

We all were sad to say goodbye to one of our favorite places on earth. But when the afternoon had come, and we had to head south. With the help of some westerly winds, we reached 8 knots heading for the North Sound, Virgin Gorda (named by Columbus, the “Fat Virgin”). This is home to the Bitter End Yacht Club, a regular stop on our sailing trips. It was a time to provision the boat at the Emporium (crackers cost almost $7! And 1 gallon of water was $5), although because of Christmas in July (a Puerto Rican holiday), much of the stock was depleted (all those PR guests can eat!). Instead, the kids took a dip in the pool, and some of the adults had freshwater showers. You have to love this place.

Once in a Century (Anegada)

I was introduced to the Century Plant many sailing trips ago, which is easy to spot by its enormous aloe-like leaves and large yellow blooms that shoot taller than most surrounding trees. I was told that the plant blooms once every 100 years, hence the name. Fascinated, I had to confirm this factoid. While it is true that Century Plants bloom only once in their lifespan, it actually lives only an average of 25 years (shouldn’t it be called a Quarter-of-a-century plant, then?) Apparently, the flower spike can grow at the incredible rate of 5–6 inches per day. Because the blooming process is so quick, it depletes the plant of all its other resources, and it dies after this one-time bloom. No wonder this plant is in the agave family. The plant lives up to its name. (Greek origin: agavos, meaning noble or admirable)

The Mystic (Anegada 7.26.09)

Legend has it that there once was a pirate (they called him The Mystic) who was terribly feared by his crew--not because of his great wealth or his courage, but, because of the great magic it was rumored he possessed. He had spent his life sailing among the Pacific and Carib Indians and had learned many wonderful things through them. His crew, however, became increasingly fearful of his great power and marooned him on the island of Anegada. There he was left without food or water to die, keeping his great treasure a secret that has never been found. Until….













(Thank you Mr. Talley!)

Flash of Beauty (Loblolly Bay, Anegada 7.26.09)

Mitch, our faithful open air taxi driver was ready for us at 8:30 on this morning to take us to the other side of the island. You never know exactly what you'll see when tooling around this island. It's a habitat for Caribbean flamingos, and an endangered species of very large iguanas. Of course there's almost always sheep. (Goats up, Sheep down! If you don't understand, ask me later....)

Loblolly is probably the island's best snorkeling location, and there are a couple of places in this large bay to rest your weary bones. We decided on Flash of Beauty, the east side of Loblolly Bay. Since we were probably the only ones awake on the island at this time of day, we had no trouble finding a spot to call our own. Exclusively our own.

The kids immediately took off to find treasure. My favorite part about Anegada is that you always find something cool along the beach. Iain summed it up best by saying "You won't believe your eyes, Momma! You won't believe your eyes!" Look at this stuff! Isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete?

Twilight (Anegada 7.25.09)

One of the many pastimes that the girls shared was reading Stephenie Meyer’s books Twilight and New Moon on the trip. Jen and I couldn’t put the books down (Mandy had already read the entire series)! Check out this new moon shot during twilight while moored in Anegada.

Family Photo (Anegada 7.25.09)

When planning a sailing trip, it is very important that you plan your guest list carefully. In close quarters, for even a day (much less 12 days) temperaments can differ and before you know it, company can become quite unwelcome. But, when you mesh well, the kids adjust to having extra parents, and the adults become in sync with each other very soon. By the end of the trip you really become a family (in the true sense of the word). Although I don't have a picture of all 10 of us together, here are some shots of members of our family grouped together by last name.

Things You Don't See Everyday (Cow Wreck Beach, Anegada 7.25.09)

Like any good businessman, Mitch's open air taxi was ready and waiting for us at the dinghy dock when we stepped off. (From the looks of things, he had been waiting for quite some time.) When he told us that all the other tourists on the island on this day had gone to Loblolly Bay, we promptly asked him to take us to Cow Wreck Beach.

This beach offers the sailor pristine waters, spectacular snorkeling, and quite frankly, things you don't see everyday. Check out the reason they call this place Cow Wreck Beach (things like this don't happen in Florida, kids --and yes a cattle ship wrecked here a long time ago!) as well as the tiniest sand crab in the world. And, the shells you buy at Pottery Barn don't have conch eyes peering out at you, either!



Since CWB is deserted and has little shade, it's always a good idea to have some cold drinks to enjoy. Ting is our favorite Caribbean drink.


We spent some time talking with Alex, the local who keeps the bar/restaurant at CWB. He told us that we just missed Richard Branson ((British business tycoon/Virgin enterprises) and his son by one week. Branson's Necker Island is off limits to average sailors like us, yet, it is surreal to know that even the rich folks enjoy this beach as much as we do. Nature's little secrets, indeed!