Jan 20 - 27
As a special treat we decided to stay at a really nice marina to greet Larry and Laurel when they came in. Nice for us and nice for them to arrive in a place on a dock. After meeting them at the airport we hustled back to the ferry dock to take the Scrub Island Ferry over to the marina. We spent the afternoon enjoying the pool and decided to have dinner at the restaurant which had a ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ Buffet that we enjoyed.

Saturday, Jan 21
We headed over to Monkey Point for our first snorkel of the trip and while the coral was beautiful, the Jacks we were hoping to see were nowhere to be found. Afterwards, we headed across the channel and anchored at Spanish Town. We found good holding up behind the private moorings, and well inside of the channel (incase the fuel freighter comes in every Sunday) and settled in for the night.

Sunday, Jan 22nd
Today we did something we had never done before. We took the dingy into shore and took a taxi over to The Baths, which is all of a 10 minute drive away. We hiked down the trail and thru the water trail, then snorkeled in and around Devils Bay…while the water was crystal clear and gorgeous as ever, the fish were almost non-existent. We enjoyed the beach for a while then headed back thru The Baths and took a freshwater rinse off at the shower room. $1.50 token gets you 90 seconds of fresh water…not a lot, but it does the trick, well unless you soap up during the first 90 seconds! Well that’s OK, the kind attendant was happy to sell us another token. At the parking lot we checked out the restaurant and decided we would have lunch there sometime, but as Darius, or Taxi driver was waiting for us, we decided it could wait for another day. Another testament to the kindness of the people here is our driver. As he drops us off for the hike down we ask how much, and he says – no worries, we’ll take care of it on the return. We have set a return time with him, and there he is waiting for us when we get back - imagine that happening back in the states. When we got back to Spanish Town, we decided to stay and have lunch overlooking the marina. Then, we head back to the boat, and the fun begins. There are no public mooring cans at Spanish Town now, but their used to be, however there are a few private moorings. So many charterers come here thinking they can get a can, and find out they need to anchor. The anchorage is OK, but not great, and there is a wide channel for the ferries to come in. After watching several boats anchor, and a few way too close to the private moorings. It’s like a watching a dance, where only ½ the dancers know the moves. After dark, we decide it is Popcorn and Movie night since we had such a late lunch and enjoy the ‘Star Trek’ movie and big bowls of popcorn…Yum.

By morning things are even crazier as the tide and current have spun the boats every which way. One unfortunate anchorer finds himself fouled with the mooring of another boat and takes quite a lot of assistance to get everything untwisted. Several boats look like they are going to meet stern to stern, and the boat behind us swings around as well. They are cruisers, like us, and stop by to check in with us from their dingy. As it turns out they are heading to customs to check out before heading to St. Martin…and we can tell they are secretly wondering if we know what we are doing. We assure them we do, and are getting ready to haul anchor now anyway, they leave more confident, I’m sure, that their boat won’t be damaged while they are ashore.

Monday, Jan 23rd
We intend to head north today, up to Leverick Bay, but as we make our way out we find the channel to be as rough as we have ever seen it and the winds gusty and directly on the nose…Change of plans, and we turn south to head down to The Bight (have I mentioned this is our favorite Anchorage?) The ride is a little bumpy, but better as we are going with the swells. On the way, we pick up radio traffic detailing a snorkeler who was recovered from the Indians who apparently had a heart attack and had people doing CPR in a dingy while they attempted to contact the Coast Guard in St. John. The radio operator was amazing, calm and detailed, during what was surely an intense time. After a while we saw the Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR) boat from Road Town speed out, then shortly speed back. We hope for the best outcome for the unfortunate person.
Upon our arrival in The Bight, the water was calm and gorgeous and the boys headed off to snorkel. The light was perfect and they found great snorkeling, as usual, near the edge of the bay. Still full of energy when they got back, they dropped the dingy and headed ashore for a hike. When they returned and I asked how it was Larry informed me it was ‘UP’… I knew that!

Tuesday, Jan 24th (Happy Birthday Cathy!)
Today we head out early to the Indians for a snorkel. The winds are still up, and the North side of the Indians is very swelly, so we stay on the deep south side and enjoy the coral here. From there, we head over to the Caves and are back in the water again. We hit a perfect time here, and there was NOONE in the caves when we were snorkeling thru. The middle one, we discovered is over 35 feet deep into the hillside, and I can completely believe that Pirates would find it and use it as a secret place for their treasure hoard. Certainly glad for the underwater flashlight! While leaving one cave we spot a small octopus, about 8 inches across..crawling down the wall. Well, his breed was octopus, but he looked more like a sextopus to us as two of his arms were considerable shorter than the others. I’d like to think we will see our friend ‘Six’ when we get back there again.
Back to the Bight for one more snorkel at the wall, and a relaxing evening after a busy, busy day.

Wednesday, Jan 25th
SAIL!
The winds have (somewhat) abated, and we decide to sail up the channel to Leverick. Of course the winds are out of the North East, so we put up a reefed main and the full Jib and Beat our way up the channel. With Larry at the helm and max speed reading 11.2 knts…oh boy, what a day!
We drop the sails and head into the North Sound to pick up a mooring at Leverick Bay…Later in the afternoon we head to shore to enjoy the pool and showers and take in the Michael Bean Show. Michael is as entertaining as ever, and we all really enjoy joining in with the show. Larry gave the Conch blowing contest a run, but while his tone was perfect….they were after a quantity, not quality….and the winner blew for 24 seconds. Still in all a great time!

After a lazy morning Thursday we head back down to Trellis bay in preparation as tomorrow, they need to head out mid morning. We have a great last day on the boat, watching people lose boat hooks, speed thru the anchorage and run aground on the reef…an exhausting day!

Friday, Jan 27th

After advising our boat neighbor that their main halyard had broken free and was loose in the breeze, then watching them fix it, it was time to head to shore for the airport. Pile everything in the dingy, and try to keep it all dry from the sea spray. The winds are still up, and we find the dingy dock to be iffy at best for leaving the dink, so Jim waves goodbye while the three of us walk up to the airport. I say a sad good bye to our friends and wander back to jump in the dink and head back to the boat. On the way we discover turtle hatchlings, less than 3 inches long, just one or two, but a sweet thing to see in the sea, and encouraging as they have a very challenging life ahead of them, even after they manage to survive to hatch.