The Caves (7.30.09)

Norman Island is said to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel, "Treasure Island". Historical accounts confirm past treasures uncovered, and rumors persist of more pirate gold to be found on this island.




The island’s three caves (two large and one small) are a favorite location for hunting pirates’ bounty for our group (this is our second year to do so). GB was the first to make it in (can you see him?). We snorkeled from the boat (20-30 feet of water) right up to the mouth of the cave of our choice (3-4 feet deep). We saw a humongous spotted sting ray on our way in and various varieties of fish (some as large as our youngest crew). Mandy, Andy and Lloyd fell a little behind because of a detour they took with a sea turtle.

Once inside, we used our flashlights to explore and found a skull that according to legend was most likely Captain Sherill (a pirate that hid his treasure, a very rare and distinctly beautiful ruby with him). When the Captain was discovered the various reactions from the kids were as unique as the ruby, found under his eyepatch. Harrison exclaimed that he’d never touch it, Ari questioned its authenticity (was this made in China?), Iain watched in wonder, and Grayson was the only one to take courage and pick it up. I think her exact words (after looking at the boys) were “Oh alright, fine. I’ll do it.” That’s my girl!

"And thereupon we are entered the cave. It was a large, airy place, with a little spring and a pool of clear water, overhung with ferns. The floor was sand." (Robert Louis Stevenson "Treasure Island")

Treasure Island (7.29.09)

We didn’t exactly want to spend the night in Soper’s Hole (just in case the Customs and Immigration officers changed their minds), so we quickly got out of West End, Tortola. The seas were at 3 feet this afternoon, and Captain Lloyd would accentuate this by steering right into a big wave, causing the whole front end of the trampoline to be significantly splashed with salt water. The kids would squeal becoming more ecstatic and wet as this “wild ride” continued.

Our destination was Norman Island (Treasure Island as referred to by the locals), which would strategically place us for our next morning adventure. Located in The Bight is a floating restaurant, called the William Thornton, which incidentally is named for the architect of the U.S. Capital Building. When arriving, in need of some major stress relief, we cruised around the schooner twice, each time threatening to board. As you can imagine, the kids were very scary to the patrons of the Willy T., and they joined in our fun by yelling surrender phrases to us pirates.

Once we picked up a ball, Uncle Andy dove off the roof and Aunt Mandy got thrown in by Lloyd (nothing like swimming with your dress on)!




After discovering twice that a swift current existed here (just ask GB who went snorkeling much farther than we anticipated AND when Grayson and Harrison decided to jump in to swim to Lloyd without their lifejackets!!!), we tucked in for the night. No more adventure until morning.

If We Had Only Known (Soper’s Hole, West End Tortola BVI 7.29.09)

It could have happened to anyone, right? I mean, this being our first time to sail to the USVI, and we are U.S. citizens, for crying out loud. We even bothered to clear Customs when we went to St. John. Why in the world would we be in BIG trouble coming back to our beloved BVI? Even though I did my research beforehand, no one is perfect. I failed to understand and thus tell our Captain that protocol is to clear the BVI before leaving. How that tiny detail could land us in so much trouble is beyond me, but, we knew there must be something up when several officers started pacing in an out of the Customs and Immigration building in Soper’s Hole (when Lloyd and GB happened to be inside). We would have been liable for a $5000 fine and perhaps some jail time had they not believed GB and Lloyd when they delivered their “deer in the headlights” apology. “Had we only known, we wouldn’t have done this, sir.” I won’t tell you how thankful we were to have escaped with paying a mere $70 departure tax. And, I’m very thankful to have my husband out of handcuffs.

Cinnamon Bay (St. John, USVI 7.29.09)

While GB, Lloyd, and Andy fed all 6 kids pancakes and pineapple smoothies (yum, yum) for breakfast, Jodie and Jerry took Jen, Mandy and me to the market for some light provisioning. U.S. markets are much cheaper than BVI markets, and not surprisingly have better produce (there’s no place like home). These supplies would last us through the end of our trip. When we returned to the boat, Riley was taking a nap. It’s no wonder as she didn’t sleep well the night before (I alone can attest to this fact!).

We managed to sail this morning without major calamity… but, poor Jodie. I feel her sea sickness pain! As a result, she and McKinley got their first taste of a Ting (nothing better to take the edge off motion-induced illness). But, we’ve got to hand it to her. She gave sailing her best shot and proved to be a good mate before we called it quits and moored in Cinnamon Bay. Too bad there were no doctors around.

After the kids fed the seagulls some of our lunch, we made our way into land. The wind was incredibly gusty here, creating an unusual nuisance for us on the beach. It did not seem to bother the kids too terribly much, although it brought a consistent sandstorm like effect. We played until we could stay no longer (we had a long sail to clear Customs going back into the BVI). As a farewell, we had icecream and hugged our friends making plans for the next time we’d all be down here in paradise together!

Gypsies in a Palace (St. John 7.28.09)

If you’ve ever experienced finding yourself in a location where you just can’t believe that that you are worthy enough to be in that particular place (I’ve had several of these surreal moments on this trip), then you’ll understand our evening on St. John. Patrick’s brother Craig and his friend Jerry own a house named Kalorama on top of Bordeaux mountain overlooking Great Cruz Bay. The house is available for rent and, if you’re interested, here’s more information:
http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/kalorama/index.html

Craig and Jerry were patient and gracious hosts to our loud and boisterous crew. The kids (all 6 of them: McKinley and Riley plus our 4) swam in the pool for hours while we wandered around the fabulous 3-story home (see picture from Houston, we have a problem! blog entry to see the view of our boat from their house). Indoor/outdoor showers in every bedroom, amazing views, waterfalls… we all got used to this place very quickly.

We had dinner and played music together as the evening wound down. What would we have done without Jerry’s internet access to find all the words to all the old songs? Thanks guys for such a wonderful time. You have an amazing home. We reluctantly said goodbye before taking the Gilmore girls back with us to the boat for a sleepover.

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?