We truly want to move on from the BVIs b/c we'll be here for the month of April. However, our next stop is upwind to St. Marteen and St. Barts (about 90 miles away) and the wind is not cooperating to provide us a window to escape. Hopefully by RJ's 12th birthday on February 5th we'll be in a new country. Our current stop in the BVIs is Norman Island - the home of the caves in the story Treasure Island. As recent as 1910 a box of silver coins were found here. The boys were hopeful and thoroughly explored the caves for signs of treasure.
The European history the various caribbean islands seem to have similar stories, but different outcomes. Our friend Christopher came and explored in the 1400s giving the islands names and mapping them. The 1700 and 1800s brought super powers and pirates like the British, Dutch, Spanish, French all fighting for islands. They brought slaves to produce sugar, rum and tobacco. We saw one of the plantations it was horrifying to imagine what they went through. Wars, economics and rebellions shaped the islands of today, all of which are now quite unique. Wealth, infrastructure, politics and attitudes vary widely from island to island. For example, the BVIs are not that far from Haiti, but they are like night and day. The BVIs residents have a higher standard of living than the US. It is the boating capital of the world with cruise ships, mega yachts and every type of boat possible. The BVI geography of numerous islands close together helps make it a desirable destination for boaters from around the world. We are in a bit of a bubble w/out TV and very limited internet - hopefully the world is helping Haiti.
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Comments [3]
We're at the Bitter End Yacht Club (sailing resort) on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands (BVIs.) We (mostly Rodney) continue to "perfect" the boat in exotic places. It's pleasant to have a few down days after an engine filter experience that shut down one of our engines. Now we have discovered a leak in a water tank. It's always something....but good to know that it's not my showers causing the water shortage!
The bay we are in is spectacular. The resort has sailboats for rent so the boys are out sailing small boats right now. It looks like there are moored boats, ferries and other obstacles that could cause collisions, but RJ and Leo are capable and so far seem to avoid them.
Two of the neighboring islands are owned by Larry Ellison and Richard Branson. Perhaps if we take the laundry off the line one of them will invite us over for happy hour:)
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We chased dolphins today. I did it with my brother and my mom. We went out really far to get pictures of the dolphins. At first we saw them by our boat in St. John. We kayaked to where the dolphins were. I jumped in with the dolphins. It was fun taking a break from school!
- leo
Right in the middle of spelling class, I heard a gasp. About 150 feet away, we saw dolphins! Instantly, my mom, Leo and I put on our swimsuits, grabbed our masks and hopped in the kayak. We paddled out to where they were, but there was a small chance of swimming with them. The dolphins were outstanding; they were almost black with a strange looking hole on the top of their head. When we got about 3 feet away, I decided to take my chances with trying to swim with them. It was amazing! Two dolphins were right next to me, swimming together. It was unbelievable, but they swam away eventually. We followed them a little farther, but then turned back. After that, I came up with a good name for our kayak - Dolphin Chaser.
-rj
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St. Thomas. Just the name conjures up images of white sandy beaches, beautiful people and mega-yachts. Our experience was a bit different - we had rolly anchorages, crowded docks and broken toilets (our boat). Although we didn't sleep for 3 nights, we did manage to get some goodies. Others might be shopping for jewels and souvenirs, but our shiny purchase was 300 feet of new anchor chain. We also got another mode of transport , i.e. we acquired a comfortable two man kayak. Our friend Karen arrived in Red Hook St. Thomas just in time to help with chores, but she missed the 100 degree, sweaty laundrymat adventure. We were happy to leave St. Thomas and since then we've done a circumnavigation of St. John. In Salt Pond Bay we went diving and snorkeling at what we think is the best underwater spot in all of St. John. There was only room for six boats in the bay, so luckily there was a place for us. We saw turtles, rays, schools of fish and amazing fan coral. St. John is 75% national park with hiking trails everywhere. We scaled the rocky hill to the top of the Ram's Head- the southern tip of St. John. We're now back in Maho Bay where it feels comfortable and familiar. Karen is doing yoga on the beach while we are homeschooling. It is starting to rain, but it looks like she is choosing to remain on shore, rather than share in the joy of the boys education. Ommm.
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We've been in Maho Bay, St. John for several days. After school we've taken the boat out to dive and snorkel and then return to Maho Bay mooring for the evening. Kris has made us amazing dinners on the boat. With nine folks to feed the meals have been more like feasts that have included shrimp, scallops w/ pasta, steaks on the bbq, etc.. K&C went to a Costco like store in St. Thomas and bought a major amount of food so we are well stocked. There is a small store here but it only has some basic supplies. There is also a restaurant which we went to on Christmas and we'll be going again tonight. To get to shore we take the dinghy and have to ride the waves to land. We have to plan on getting wet b/c you need to jump out in "shallow" water and then pull the boat on shore. Rodney has added wheels to our dinghy to make it easier to pull up. We have to tie the boat to a tree so the waves don't take our "car" back out to sea. To do email, I carry my computer in a neoprene case and a dry bag and then put in it in my backpack. Then I have to climb the 138 stairs to the little screened in room that has internet access. This is done barefoot (but not though the snow.) A day in the life....
ps. more pictures have been added to the photo gallery - click on the gallery button on the right.
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We're moored off of St. John Island in Maho Bay. We completed a 36 hour overnight journey to get here for Christmas Eve. Along the way we caught a blue fin tuna, saw shooting stars and jumping dolphins. Fortunately the passage was unusually calm - we actually had to motor sail most of the way. Rodney and I had two hour shifts throughout the night. We saw a few large cruise ships during the evening that look like mini cities all lit up. We've met up with Chris & Kris and family here in Maho Bay. K&C have moved onto the boat for the rest of their vacation. We all had Christmas dinner here at the Maho camp which was tasty turkey/ham cafeteria style. Today is a very rainy day and everything feels damp. We took the boat out and a few of the crew went diving. I'm going to do a PADI check out dive w/ Chris tomorrow (it's been like 10 years!) so I can start diving too. We're trying to get back in the school mode which is somewhat challenging with the activity around us. Kris's grown sons Adrian and Austin have been teaching RJ and Leo the fine art of fishing. The boys are now catching fish off the of the boat and Leo scurries around every chance he gets to cast a line. Overall, we're in the mode of snorkeling, eating, playing games and dealing with the miscellaneous boat projects (e.g. water pump break, head rebuild, depth gauge replacement.) Right now, RJ is making quacamole and I'm getting ready to go to shore to post this. We hope all is well. Send us a note. We love those.
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