As I write this blog we are quitely anchored in Great Harbour, Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands. It is quite different from when we were last here in December 2008 when the place was packed, the wind was blowing a hoolie and we dragged our anchor in the middle of the night. Luckily it is the only time we have dragged. We arrived after everyone else and did not realise we had anchored on the edge of a shelf, sadly we did not have our wonderful Rocna anchor in those days. It was pretty scarry with no moon, no room and my poor night vision. This visit however is wonderful, with only a few boats in the bay with us. The area is now a marine park with an abundance of fish, huge shoals to snorkel through, large tarpon to add a bit of excitement, and a barracuda under our boat for the last three days so I am reluctant to clean the hull. At dusk the birdsong is magical, with the feeding frenzy in and on the water adding to the entertainment. We could certainly spend a lot of time here.

Jamie and Frankie have just spent a week onboard and we had a fantastic time together. We left St. Martin at 0300 hours and had a beautiful sail arriving at Marina Cay, BVI at 1830 hours the day before they were due to arrive. Trellis Bay was packed because of the full moon festival so we headed out soon after they arrived. It is a great place to pick up guests as the airport is just across the road.

We visited Norman Island to snorkel and dive the Indians and the Caves before going onto Cooper Island and Salt Island to dive and snorkel the s/v Rhone. Jamie and Frankie said it was one of the best dives they have ever had on an old wreck, they were pumped and said they would have loved to have stayed longer. Early morning is the best time to visit the Rhone and from there we sailed to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. They are an unusual formation of huge granite rocks, and where the sea washes through them large pools have been created, with dramatic shafts of light playing on the water.

Bitter End was a requested destination and we organised to arrive there on the Tuesday so we could enjoy the buffet BBQ and music night. We anchored off Prickly Pear Island (where 6 years ago we spent New Year) and had a great evening ashore dancing the night away. The following day we were able to get out Big Red (our parasail) and had a lovely early downwind sail to Guana Island so we could spend the afternoon at Monkey Point which is another favorite snorkeling area of ours. A last night out at Marina Cay, gosh they do great painkillers (Rum cocktail) and terrific food before we had to pop Jamie and Frankie back on a plane home the next day. It was a wonderful holiday with terrific memories and we hope you enjoy some of the photos. I got a bit carried away with my new Lumix camera that takes pictures under water, but had to share them with you ☺

Our month is St. Martin was hard work. We were at it more or less 24/7 and it had lots of ups and downs, frustrations and joys, plus sadness. We had said a lot of goodbyes when we left Antigua, many boats we knew were heading across the Atlantic and still are. However, the lose of Cheeki Rafki and all her crew was horrendous news to all the cruising community, reinforcing how dangerous this lifestyle can sometimes be. We are constantly looking after Ta-b to make sure that she is in tip top shape. Russell has a vast amount of spares on board and we seem to always be working on a boat job (or two or three at once). St. Martin is a duty free haven and so we spent a lot of $$s investing in the future, plus getting work carried out. Having left there we realise we should have invested more, but our bank account is telling us to live off rice and water for a while.

St. Martin was quieter than we remember, but most people head south at the end of May because of the weather. However, we were able to catch up with lots of old friends who live there, made some new ones, enjoyed happy hour and open music nights at Lagoonies, plus treated ourselves to quite a few yummy dinners out in Marigot on the French side of the island. Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten is split between France and the Netherlands, which makes it the smallest place in the world divided into two countries. They speak different languages, but the border is just a line on a map and there are no frontier posts. However, each side is vastly different and we love the diversity of each country. We have many happy memories of St. Martin and would have liked to have cruised around the island, but ran out of time.

The BVIs are much busier than we were expecting, although this week seems a lot quieter than last. The Moorings Marina in Road Town has 450 boats and they say (even though they are giving 50% discount at the moment) that in three weeks time only a few boats will be out, and a lot of the bars and restaurants will be closed. We have hardly seen another liveaboard boat, but would recommend enjoying these waters at this time of the year. The weather is perfect, warm and sunny with only the occasional tropical downpour (they only last a few minutes) to keep us on our toes closing hatches. Also the wind for sailing is perfect.

We are not sure what our plans are. A package is arriving for us sometime soon from England (parts can be very difficult to locate and we would recommend 4 Star in the States and Ship2Ship in England, both great at getting stuff to us cheaply). We would like to revisit St. John in the US Virgins on our way to the Spanish Virgins, but everything will depend on the weather as we are approaching the hurricane season. When we have to we will head south to maybe Los Roques and then onto Bonaire for a while, it is already hot and humid down at 12 degrees Latitude (we are at 18 degrees) so we are in no hurry.

We will keep in touch and look forward to hearing from some of you. If you have any suggestions for this blog do let us know, we always enjoy your input.

Take care, Carpe Diem xo