David and I are sitting in the cockpit at Yacht Haven Grande Marina in St. Thomas, having just said goodbye to our crew, Holly. What a great week we've had!



Passage from Deshaies, Guadeloupe to Cruz Bay, St. John: 220 miles of very cooperative wind and sea-state, a quarter waxing moon lighting the clear sky for the first 1/3 of each night.
Highlights - David & Holly on watch noting a glow on the horizon where none should be. Checked on AIS and it was the 1100foot cruise liner Queen Mary 2, which ended up passing within 4 miles of us - I was asleep, but the report was "it was large!" Phosphorescence on breaking waves and our wake streaking the water. Only lights the moon, stars, and our tricolor mast light. Winds that remained astonishingly consistent. Holly shared half of each of our 3 hour watches so we had a chance to chat and then time to listen to our current Patrick O'Brien audiobook, Treason's Harbor.


We arrived early morning (love the increasing daylight) at Cruz Bay, St. John and were able to check into the country without a hitch, accompanied by a sigh of relief. This entrance required a QR code! Some culture shock arriving in US territory after 11 months of travel: people speak American English, the currency is the US dollar, our cell phones work "like usual", and we heard a leaf blower. There is an almost intangible sense of the familiar that has surprised us and is both comforting and bittersweet. But not too familiar, thank goodness. When we went to provision, we found this package in the grocery store:

We traveled to Waterlemon Bay, part of the National Park in St. John, and picked up a mooring ball - about 1/2 of the island is national park.


We snorkeled off of the boat over to Waterlemon Cay and then enjoyed a well-earned nap after the 2 day passage, waking up in time to walk a couple of miles across the island to Coral Bay and dinner at the "famous" Skinny Legs Bar & Restaurant.


A David Bessey hike would not be complete without a return trip light lit by headlamps.


The next day - a hike to the ruins of a sugar mill from the 1700's and a snorkel at our boat, rewarded by sightings of large hawksbill turtles, rays, and a barracuda. Our last day's sail was great - an upwind beat and then putting up the whisker pole for the downwind run. We hadn't done this since our Atlantic Crossing and were glad to review the setup. A wonderful day of sailing to end our 2 weeks with Holly, who fit in seamlessly and even adapted to our boat hair and deck shower lifestyle without recriminations. We will miss her.


At Yacht Haven Grande, our fellow boat neighbors seem to be of a different species of boat and we feel a little out of place. However, we have been warmly welcomed by crew from these boats and spent a fun couple of hours with the Skipper & Chef, Dan & Chutney, of Heavenly, a 62 foot Lagoon Catamaran. Chutney grew up in Coral Bay, St. John and we appreciated the local knowledge and docking suggestions from this professional sailing team.

After eleven months of travel, we are closer to home, family and friends, and also beginning to see the end of these travels. We plan to sail from St. Thomas to Bermuda at the end of April and then to NJ in early May. David and I have each been reflecting on our personal journeys over this eleven months. For me, I have a feeling of deep satisfaction that we have incrementally, mile by mile, learned, grown, played, connected with each other and a rich assortment of people. We have sampled new cultures and environments. We have sailed in new weather patterns and currents. We have broken bread with a host of local, international, and visiting family and friends.

We can count lessons learned, pictures taken, miles sailed, and are now trying to put into words some of the ways we are different from this experience. For a future blog post!