Sailing
14 August 2019
The clouds are covering the sunrise this morning. By the time we leave at 8:30 the sky is clear. It is going to be a beautiful day! We arrived at the Ritz Carlton to meet S/V Jammin' at 9 am. Captain Brent and Erin are bringing her from St. John. Heather picks up beach towels and lunch for the guests from the hotel kitchen. We are waiting on the beach when they arrive at 9:30. The captain pulls Jammin', a 63 foot Gold Coast catamaran built in St. Croix, right up on the beach so guests can walk up the ladder that lowers to the water. Boarding is at 10:30 and there are 29 guests today. I am happy that they have room to add me. The max is 45, so it won't be crowded. The wind is blowing 15-20 kts. As soon as we can turn into the wind, Erin and Heather raise the main sail and unfurl the jib. The music is good and " we be Jammin". It is a nice group of people from all over the world. I sat at the helm with Brent for a while. Great view from up there! Our first stop is Lovango Cay, St. John. A small, self -sufficient, eco-friendly island with just a few residents. We pick up a mooring here and spend an hour or so snorkeling the reef. Heather spotted a group of six squid. They look so graceful swimming over the reef. Our next stop is Honeymoon Beach on St. John. It is a National park. We can see what is left of Kenny Chesney's house at the top of the hill. Unfortunately, it was totally destroyed in Irma/Maria. We pick up a mooring and spot a turtle immediately. Everyone is excited to get back in the water. Some swim to the beach. Heather takes people back and forth in the dinghy. She started driving a dinghy when she was 11 years old! The bar is open and lunch is served. This was a nice long relaxing stop. I sat in one of the bean bag chairs on the bow with my Painkiller (signature rum drink of the islands). Time to head back to St. Thomas. There are a few kite boards out as we approach the beach at the Ritz. It has been a wonderful cruise! My trip would not be complete without a sail.