Home...

We are currently in DC, and we are freezing! It is about 50 degrees (+/-) but it feels like the arctic. We have had a lot of fun seeing everyone, taking long showers, and sleeping in a big bed. Anyway, we fly back to St. Thomas on Thursday after the last of the doctors appointments, tax appointments and other chores are done.

We also were fortunate enough to go downtown and see the beautiful cherry blossoms. It was a perfect day - during the week so not too crowded, sunny, breezy, and warm.

Mancala, Blues, Rain, and Sharks.....

Andrea left this morning after a week aboard the Mary Elizabeth. We had a great time, but it was a strange week.

First, the weather was awful. Before Andrea got here I told her not to even bother to bring a sweatshirt since the weather is always warm, always sunny. Not true. We had only one nice day of weather the whole week she was here....

Andrea arrived late Tuesday night. We had reservations at the marina until Thursday morning and an itinerary full of different islands, beaches, and snorkeling planned. Wednesday Andrea and I did some errands and hung out at the marina pool. We soon realized we probably weren't going anywhere soon though.

(Pic: Andrea and Lauren at the Eco Camps, Maho Bay)

The main headline in the Wednesday edition of the Daily News (the local newspaper) was"Big Waves to Pound Islands". The paper reported "meteorologists called it one of the largest swells to hit the region since 1991, the year of the 'Perfect Storm' of blockbuster movie fame." There was a gale warning in effect and a small craft advisory. So... we decided to try to stay in the marina for at least another day before leaving. We were lucky - the marina was completely booked but someone never showed so we got their slip for the night. Everything was crowded because it was Easter week and everyone felt the same way we did about being at sea - no way!

We ended up leaving Yacht Haven Grande on Friday morning. We saw some big swells - residual waves from the storm - and ended up going to Maho Bay, St. John since it was fairly close and protected.

We had a nice couple of days on the mooring. Andrea introduced Bill and me to Mancala - which has since become the new board game of choice these days...

On Saturday night we took a taxi to the other side of the island and went to the St. John Blues Festival which was fun.

Sunday we hung around and Andrea and I tried snorkeling but the visibility was just awful.

(Pic: Yacht Haven Grande)

On Monday we moved the boat to Watermelon Cay, St. John. The three of us snorkeled the Cay, and Andrea, who had never snorkeled before, enjoyed herself. She was OK with snorkeling because I assured her that there are no sharks (big sharks anyway) in the Caribbean. Well, about half way through our snorkel, Bill and I saw a huge (6 feet!!!!!!!!) nurse shark right there in the reef. Thankfully Andrea didn't see it and we didn't say anything until we were back on the boat so she wouldn't freak out. I actually wasn't sure it was a shark until Bill confirmed (he swam after it to get a better look.) Either way, it was scary to see something, anything in the water that is that big......

(Pic: Bill and Andrea during the sail back to St. Thomas in the rain)

Tuesday we sailed back to Yacht Haven in the pouring rain...We watched the replay of the Sox win in Japan and had drinks with friends. She left early (5:30 am!) this morning. And of course, today it is sunny, warm and beautiful weather.

We really enjoyed having Andrea here - despite the bad weather. It was nice to hang out and enjoy the boat. And since we didn't get to show her all that we wanted, she'll just have to come back for another visit.

Tomorrow Bill and I fly to DC for a week to take care of a few things so we'll be in phone range. Talk to everyone soon.


(Pic: Andrea and Bill playing Mancala)

(pic: Bill, Jason, Keith, Andrea at the Fat Turtle, St. Thomas)

We finally took a hike.....

(view of the anchorage from Guys Trail)

Well, we decided to stick around the Bitter End / Saba Rock until Saturday (and changed our reservation in St. Thomas from Friday to Sunday). Bill actually was supposed to do another two tank dive on Friday, but the other guy who signed up never showed and they won't take out the boat unless there is a minimum of two people.

Since we were up early anyway (7:15!) and already ashore, we decided to do "Guys Hike" - which is a (quite vertical) trail that goes from the Bitter End Yacht Club to Biras Creek. The views were fabulous and it was a good workout to boot.

(cool cactus. view of Saba Rock from Guys Trail)

Bill did end up going on the afternoon dive and went to Great Dog Island and dove Great Chimney - which was an underwater canyon. I stayed behind at Bitter End and read and watched the Hobie cats.

We also met up with Carina and Todd from LA who were at Bitter End on their honeymoon. The four of us had drinks and dinner at Saba Rock and then more drinks at the pub at Bitter End. It was another fun night with the happy newlyweds.

Needless to say, it was hard to get moving this morning....We finally left Gorda Sound and headed to Cane Garden Bay (Tortola). But - there was NO wind. I mean less than 8 knots. So, even though the wind has been really great lately, and we were going down wind, we had to motor (or else get to Cane Garden after dark...)


The other funny thing that happened is it finally rained. After eight days of wanting a downpour (it is the only way to wash the corrosive salt off the boat) it rained really hard last night - the one night we didn't close the hatches because there was no wind and it gets hot down below. Thankfully Bill woke up and closed everything up before it got too wet.


So now we are at Cane Garden Bay and surprisingly have a good wi fi connection. We did a little food shopping and it is just about backgammon time (although we are playing with a quarter because I dropped one of the white stones down the scupper). We are going to do dinner and a movie on board tonight. We'll leave for Soper's Hole (to take care of Customs/Immigration) in the morning and then its back to St. Thomas.



We will have (regular and cheap) phone service starting tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon, so we'll give everyone a call.

R.M.S. Rhone

Yesterday Bill did a two tank dive of the RMS Rhone off of Salt Island. I actually went along and snorkeled the wreck. It was really cool to snorkel because I followed Bill and the other divers. Also, it was the deepest water I had ever snorkeled (about 30-40 feet) so it was a a different perspective.

The ship went down in 1867 when it hit Black Rock (see picture below) during a hurricane. It is amazing to think that most of her is still visible and parts are recognizable. We saw the propeller, and Bill was able to see actual portholes and even a spoon that is now encrusted in coral.

Of the wreck of the RMS Rhone, the Dive BVI website says..... Certainly the most popular and well known of all BVI dive sites, the Royal Mail Steamer "Rhone" was the setting for the hit movie "The Deep", starring Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bissett. The wreck itself is fascinating to explore with parts of her still in tact. The Rhone foundered during a hurricane and is lying in depths from 20 to 80 feet. She is colourfully decorated by a wide variety of corals and is home to several resident barracuda, sea turtles, stingrays, angelfish, yellowtail snappers and many other varieties of fish life visit the Rhone. This is a "must see" for all levels of scuba divers!


We have been having fun at the Bitter End. We have actually been here a week - longer than anywhere else we have been so far. We had a great dinner last night at Saba Rock (we finally made it!) and hosted dinner (and a scrabble tournament) for our friend Keith on Mary Elizabeth the night before that. We have met a lot of nice people at the resort restaurant and bar.

And of course we have been reading a ton. We both just finished Islands in the Stream by Hemingway on loan from Cindy - and loved it. I am now reading Motherless Brooklyn and Bill is going to start Gone Baby Gone. Mary Elizabeth is almost bookless, but we will be getting a 'new supply' when Andrea comes next week.


One day we took the dinghy and explored nearby Biras Creek. There is not too much there except a really exclusive resort, but there are plenty of mangrove trees, which absolutely amaze me.

Let's see... wind was really, really strong all week and then it died to practically nothing yesterday. It is back up to maybe 10-12 knots in the mooring field now, which is good because we do rely on the wind generator to help keep the batteries charged.

We are not sure what our immediate plans are at the moment. We have reservations back in St. Thomas for Friday, but we are thinking of staying in the BVI (here? Cane Garden Bay? Trellis?) until at least Sunday to keep out of the marina and stay on the water a few more days. Andrea comes in on Wednesday night - which we CAN'T WAIT for!!!!!

Hope everyone is doing well.

BEYC

Here are some more pictures from the Bitter End Yacht Club in Gorda Sound.









View from one of the walkways













Kite surfer












View of the cottages











Relaxing in the hammock












Go Red Sox!

Gorda Sound

Well we finally made it to Gorda Sound yesterday. What an incredible place. We are moored off of the Bitter End Yacht Club , and for our mooring fee, we get to enjoy all of the perks of the resort (including Wi Fi!) Yesterday we took the dinghy to shore and did a little exploring. We found a TV that was showing the Red Sox, so of course we sat and watched a few innings. And we had a really nice dinner last night.

Today we explored and walked the whole resort. There are several beaches, a pool, restaurant, pub, and a few stores for provisions. We spent a few hours watching kite surfers enjoy the strong winds that we have been having. Bill just might try it before we leave.

The views are incredible. The Bitter End is the "last stop" before open ocean, and it really is breathtaking. We are right next to Saba Rock, which we also hope to visit before we leave.

Bill is thinking about diving the wreck of the Rhone. The next dive tour from Bitter End is scheduled for Wednesday, so we will most likely spend a few days here before heading back to St. Thomas. We won't make it to St. Croix before Andrea arrives, but we will get there eventually.















Thanks for all of your emails. It is really nice to hear from everyone. Keep them coming!

Trellis Bay, Tortola

Well, we are on our third day at Trellis -- we'll eventually make it to Gorda Sound! We ran into Rick who did the 1500 and who runs his chartering business out of Trellis Bay. We went to dinner at the Last Resort on Monday night, and last night we went over to Marina Cay, which is just across the way from Trellis. We went for happy hour at the resort to see the Michael Bean show. It was actually a lot of fun. Bill and I had seen the show before in Annapolis during the boat show but somehow it was much more fun / more engaging overlooking the beautiful water from a table at Pusser's at the top of a hill in the BVI. Bill even participated in a conch blowing contest. He didn't win, but it was a lot of fun to watch!

We also stuck around because Rick helped us troubleshoot a problem we were having with the freezer (not getting cold enough but sucking up a lot of power in the meantime.) It is nice to run into people you know because everyone is so willing to help out with anything and everything.

So, tomorrow we do really plan on leaving Trellis and going to Gorda Sound. More later....

Leinster Bay

We left Yacht Haven on Friday morning and motored to Leinster Bay, St. John. We really only intended on staying for one night, but we ended up staying three. Friday we hung out, read, got some sun. On Saturday we snorkeled Watermelon Cay - which was again fabulous. On Sunday we actually got off the boat and hiked up to the ruins of a sugarcane mill. Here are pictures of some "friends" we met along the way, the view from the top of the hill, one of the three beautiful sunsets we saw, and part of the ruins.

We enjoyed more games of backgammon and good meals on the grill. There are no restaurants, stores, or anything else at Leinster Bay, but we came prepared. Today, Monday, we left and are now in Trellis Bay. First we had to go to Soper's Hole to clear immigration and customs since Trellis is near Beef Island, BVI. Tomorrow we will leave to go to Virgin Gorda Sound, which neither of us has been to before, so we are looking forward to it.