Heading to Nanny Cay....

A few months ago we lost a dinghy oar. We were unable to find a replacement down here, so a trip to West Marine was on our "to do" list last week. Fortunately, Bill was able to order a replacement oar and have it rush shipped to VA so we could bring it back with us. The oar didn't come in until the day that we left, and since our bags were already packed (and full) Bill simply strapped it to his backpack (it comes apart into two pieces) and thought nothing of it. Well apparently an oar is on the "things that are banned from carry on luggage" list. Supposedly an oar is considered a dangerous weapon and Bill was quickly stopped by security. Thankfully we had plenty of time and were able to return to the ticket counter to have the oar checked as luggage. The airline staff very generously helped us construct a container out of cardboard and lots of tape. And it worked. Everything arrived in one piece. Who would have thought?

Besides the oar mini drama, the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. Both of our flights were on time, which was nice.

And we have enjoyed the past few days in St. Thomas seeing everyone and basically saying goodbye. It is the time of year when everyone either heads south or north to avoid the hurricane season which starts June 1st. We are still not entirely positive which direction we will be going.... but we'll of course keep everyone posted.

On Friday we left Yacht Haven with our friends Patrick and Ariel, who took us to the other end of St. Thomas to some of their local hangouts. Here's a picture of Bill, Patrick, Ariel, and their friends playing pool.

We spent Saturday just hanging around. Bill put the "collapsible" exercise bike together, and we realized that it isn't as collapsible as we thought. It'll work though. It will be a nice way to keep up with some exercise while we are on the boat....

This morning we met our friends Juan and Amy for breakfast at the Buddha, our favorite coffee place. They head to Puerto Rico tomorrow as they begin making their way to Ft. Lauderdale for the summer.

So, that's about it. In a few minutes we will be leaving Yacht Haven (hopefully for the last time) and heading to Nanny Cay. The boat will be hauled out of the water tomorrow so the bottom can be painted and other work can be done. We'll actually be staying on the boat tonight, but we'll be in a hotel for the rest of the week.

Cheers.