Team Hejira landed in St. Croix early on the morning of Friday, April 29. We sailed for 17 hours from St. Kitts to reach the northeastern side of the largest US Virgin Island, greeted by humpback whales as we entered the harbor at Gallows Bay. It was an ideal passage from the Leewards to the Virgins--mostly on a beam or reaching, following seas, slight cloud cover and virtually no precipitation. The next day was a downpour in St Croix--our intended day to cross originally--so we felt fortunate to have run ahead of schedule.

Lindsey and Randall headed back to CA from St. Croix after a few days of exploration. Don and Angela are readying Hejira for the next leg of the journey to St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Turks & Caicos. Team Hejira will be remade with two new sailors in St. Thomas: our friends Jonathan and Amy join us from Taylorsville, CA. We have long days of sailing ahead to make the Turks & Caicos by mid-May, but we are excited for the challenge and the conditions look favorable.

Pictured is Hejira on a mooring in Gallows Bay. Don and Angela are happy to be at a resort without salt and sway for a few days.

Sargassum seaweed has been a constant as we work our way from the Windwards to the Leewards. Randall captured this patch of Sargassum in the channel between St Vincent and St Lucia. An annoying algae made beautiful in this shot.

Lindsey took this shot as Hejira neared Prince Rupert Sound in Domenica. We were escorted by several porpoises playing in Hejira's bow spray. Stunning to be so close to these magnificent creatures.

Since casting off in Grenada 10 days ago, Team Hejira has sailed out of the Windward Island Chain into the Leewards. We have traveled through six countries, covering 375 miles. Conditions have morphed from challenging (20 knot breeze on the nose) to supportive (10 knots on a beam with following seas). Today, April 26, we are ashore in DesHaies, Guadeloupe enjoying sun, clouds, and a pleasant 80 degrees.

Our plan is to sail 100+ nautical miles to St. Croix at the end of this week (Friday-Saturday). Conditions seem favorable for the crossing to the US Virgins. Updates to come when we land.

Don took this photo on the beach at dinner last night in Guadeloupe. Stunning place.

Today is the day. As soon as our new batteries are charged and tested, we set sail for the leeward side of Grenada and begin our northern passage to the US. Weather is perfect: 84 degrees, 10-15 knot breeze mostly from the south. Hejira is headed home after two years of exile in the Caribbean.

Hejira has been out of the water for two years and is showing the signs: cracked and faded everything, electrical and mechanical problems. But after 10 days of work by captain and crew, she is starting to look like herself again. The photos are Hejira on the dock at Clark’s Court Marina in southern Grenada.

We will miss Grenada--its beautiful citizens and beaches--and the international cruising scene. But we are ready to have Hejira back in the US. Of course we have COVID protocols and a fast-approaching hurricane season to cope with between now and early June, when we hope to land in Charleston.

Hejira is being sailed by Don, Angela, Lindsey, and Randall on the first leg of the trip from Grenada to St. Croix. We head to Carriacou later today and check out of Grenada to head toward St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We will work our way through the Windwards, Leewards, and then cross to the Virgins. More on the itinerary as it unfolds.

We arrived in the Outer Banks of North Carolina several days ahead of schedule. The last stretch of the Intercoastal Waterway from Norfolk to Morehead City offered everything: high winds, heavy current, sunshine, rain, beautiful and alien landscapes. We finally got the breeze we had been looking for as we left the Albermarle Sound and entered the Alligator River in NC and we traveled from the Chesapeake Bay to Morehead City in 3 days.

As gratifying as the last few days on the ICW were, this ever-changing canal through Virginia and North Carolina had come to stand for "I Can't Wait" more than "Intercoastal Waterway": "I can't wait to sleep in a bed that doesn't roll." Or "I can't wait to take a hot shower in a familiar bathroom." Or "I can't wait to eat whatever I want and not the snacks I thought I wanted when we were last on land."

It took 34 days to travel through 9 states and we are still processing the experience. We plan to spend the next week sailing the coast of North Carolina with family and friends, and then we will haul the boat out of the water and leave it in trusted hands until we are ready to sail again.

The next phase of this odyssey will likely begin in spring 2018 when we put Hejira back in the water and begin moving toward the Caribbean. Between now and then we will develop our navigation tools, spiff up the upholstery, and remember a magnificent summer on the water.