Where has the time gone ?? We arrived in the BVIs on December 20th, 2009 and now are planning our last few days in this fantastic sailing paradise. After extending our one-month visa, we are now set to depart the BVIs on February 17th. Although these islands are a little overcommercialized, I could stay here for another month at least. Such easy sailing and I never tire of the nature you witness here as well as enjoy the warm hospitality.

Unfortunately, we are backtracking slightly to Puerto Rico for a generator repair (which we didnt have time to complete prior to this leg of the trip) and it looks as though John may have to fly back to Boston for 2 weeks to take care of a few personal items. Then, after the repair and John's return, as well as checking out the Spanish Virgin Islands, we will head further down the island chain (St Maarten etc). We are still in a quandry about what to do regarding our broken centerboard. Our boat does not sail as well without it but we are hesitant to try and get it repaired down here, concerned about the repair cost as well as quality (alas, this repair will not be covered under our insurance).

Since our last update on February 3rd from Sandy Spit, it has been a non-stop, fun-filled adventure here in the BVIs. Ok, that is a little tongue in cheek as between our lovely outings, I have found myself cleaning out moldy, exploded, rusty tin cans of veggies from under our settee, sanding the heck out of our toerail (and then finally applying a first coat of varnish to the port side) and cursing as I attempt to make homeade french bread (only one success so far).

Yet, on the upside, a few highlights of our week:

John and I finally made it to the "real" Bubbling Pool on Little Jost Van Dyke. Our first visit to what we thought was the "Bubbling Pool" occured while we were chartering down here in 2007 - and after reading about it/speaking to sailors about it, we couldnt understand why were being tossed around so much and battered amongst the rocks in this oasis. The answer: we were in the wrong place and our visit this time to the "Bubbling Pool" was glorious - it was truly like being in a natural jaccuzzi.

We also put John's new PADI certification to work and dove (with Blue Water Divers) "The Wreck of the Rhone", outside Salt Island. It was quite amazing, between swmming through the bow and the stern, looking at the preserved floor tiles and rubbing "the lucky porthole" (the only porthole where the one surviving passenger escaped). We then followed this up with a dive off the reef near Cooper Island - spotting hundreds of fish, a live conch, a manta ray and a school of barracuda. By the way, the barracuda really seem to love our boat. When in Norman and Cooper Islands, there is always one huge, lone barracuda that swims under our boat, just circling it. Although barracuda are known to be curious fish, and not harmful, when they stare eye to eye with you and bare their teeth, it is disconcerting. (This cut our dive under the boat to scrape the bottom/propellor shaft short).

We have seen the most amazing natural sights here - but the best to date was our sighting of 3 enormous humpback whales this week off Cooper Island (right outside the Manchineel Bay mooring field) ! John, while reading Patrick O'Brian, heard the first "Pfffttt" and then looked up to see the whales blowing their spouts. I scrambled up the stairs just in time to see the last spout and their great tails flicking in the air before they dove deep into the water. Unfortunately, after a nearby sailboat called in a "Securite" to alert the bay of their presence, a whole host of boats chased after the 3 whales so they natually swum north. (When we have better internet, we will post our short video of our sighting....)

With the return of this lovely Northern Swell - the boat is rocking madly back and forth on our mooring ball as I write this - we are parked at Leverick Bay once again for 2 days and then plan for one final trip to the glorious Anegada, and catch up on the sights we couldnt see on our first visit there.