Magen's Bay

We decided to stay at Yacht Haven for a few extra days. On Friday we rented a car so we could do a lot of errands without having to walk and carry a bunch of stuff. So we used the car to pick up our laundry, go to KMart, and go to Cost-U-Less (which is like a BJs or Costco or Sam's Club). We had a little jeep and it was full of food and stuff for the boat. Cost-U-Less actually had the best fruits and vegetables that we have found on St. Thomas so far. We found places to stow all of the food and everything.

On Saturday we decided to explore the island. It sounds funny since we have spent so much time on St. Thomas, but we have never really been very far from the marina each time we are here. Thankfully Bill said he would drive because they drive on the left side of the road here. It sounds like it would be easy, but it is really strange. Plus there are crazy taxis and lots of traffic. So... we decided to drive, not really knowing where we were going, and explore. Pretty quickly we found Magen's Bay, which has been named one of the top ten beaches in the world by National Geographic Magazine. We spent a few hours hanging out, walking the beach, and swimming. It was a really beautiful day and we enjoyed ourselves.

After we left the beach, we continued driving and exploring. We went to the more secluded West End, the East End, saw the University of the Virgin Islands, went by the airport, etc. The roads are very, very hilly and narrow.

Sunday we did some more errands and chores. Bill returned the car and cleaned the cockpit cushions. We attempted to finally clean the grill (it hadn't been cleaned in a LONG time) but Bill accidentally dropped a piece of the grill in the water so.... we ended up having to get a new one.

Today we are leaving St. Thomas. Our plans are to do the BVI for a few days and end up in Village Cay Marina, Road Town on the 30th. We decided that we are going to bring the boat back to the states for the summer.

Here's why.... Venezuela, our original plan, is out of the question after talking to several other boaters. Our other options are Trinidad, the southern part of Grenada, or Aruba. Everything else in the Caribbean is too far north and is in the hurricane belt. We are getting a late start to go south, and we are worried that six months in one place that we don't know all that much about (and is far away!) might not be the best idea. We had the idea of doing Puerto Rico, DR, Bahamas, Florida - but the insurance quote we received was out of this world expensive (almost 8 times what we are paying now!) and cruising in the hurricane region isn't the greatest idea anyway.

So... Bill, Cindy, and Al are going to do the Atlantic Cup which will go from Tortola to Bermuda and leaves May 3rd. From Bermuda, they are going to take Mary Elizabeth to Newport, RI. We'll stay in Newport for a few days, and then make our way to the Cape for Al's retirement party then on to Boston for our party on the 14th!

I am not going to do the passage. I will go to St. Croix to visit Kerry for a few days, fly to DC to take care of a few things, and then fly to Boston. Andrea and I will drive to Newport to meet up with the boat the second week of May.

We are very excited with our decision. We will be close to family and friends, stay out of the hurricane belt, and get to explore the East Coast (we will go north to Maine and then make our way south).

So, we'll be out of email range for about a week. Until then....