We landed in Anguilla well ahead of a scheduled visit at the end of February with Teddy, Caramia and Benny because there is a saying in sailing, "I can meet you at a place or a date but not both". The ocean's climate has continued to be quite challenging for us with it's many storms. We don't really relish sailing in huge waves and strong winds, so we try to move between islands when things briefly calm down and carefully position ourselves for visitors.

Certainly a news flashed from the weather service of a tsunami advisory in the Caribbean one evening was something we'd never anticipated when we set off on this adventure. Although we determined we were out of the "cone of concern", the cone was only 80 miles away and where good friends on Sea Rose happened to be anchored. Anxious texts were relayed, comparing information. Sea Rose was able to hear US Coast Guard advice via VHF and moved to deeper water, letting out plenty of chain, while we relied on tsunami.gov for accurate, updated info, as news organizations only had general updates. We could not so easily move to deeper water because of extremely high winds and waves and the protection we'd lose if we were forced to do that in the dark of night. We were all relieved when by 10 PM the advisory was lifted.

Anguilla has stunning beaches but only one permitted anchorage unless you are willing to pay a steep price. We learned in the customs office that we'd have to pay $290 to anchor at any other beach for just 12 hours, and an overnight stay would double the cost. For one day. So Sandy ground, Road Bay, as the one allowed anchorage is called, offers great holding and has become our home for 2 1/2 weeks. It's protected from big waves but not from constant swell, and smaller wind generated waves accelerating down the hills, so we bounce and rock and roll all day and night but the anchor is secure.

Immediately upon clearing in we were able to rent a car and looked forward to some land time. We first vacationed in Anguilla in 2012, and it is wonderful to know where to find groceries, eat the most reasonably priced delicious food, swim at our favorite beach, and where to buy baked goods. We headed straight to Meads Bay, and the Beach Shack, for a long overdue meal after our night sail and business of clearing into the country. The Beach Shack would become our home away from the boat, with chairs and umbrellas renting for $5 a day, great meals and drinks, on our favorite beach where we could take long walks and our towels and backpacks would be safe. Of course, there is a system to scoring a beach chair, so we have made sure to show up early. We've now gone so often that the window staff know my name!

During the week we stopped at the Carimar Beach Club, the only place we have stayed in Anguilla, to say our hellos and share our joint amazement that this time we had sailed here; how last year this trip was still just a vision and the ladies were a bit worried for us. They even kindly offered to set up chairs and umbrellas for us.

Being able to spend some time in a community, learn it's pace, to have people know your name is really a treat. Small things come into focus you might not otherwise notice: radio controlled sailboat races, groups joyfully playing mexican train dominos, tourist boats prepping for their day's work, chickens everywhere, local veggie stands, the best barbecue stand, cargo ship captains waving at us as we dinghy by, the variety of music coming from the beach. We take the time to chat with people on the beach. Today we gave a local who flagged us down, a ride back from his moored boat to the dock. We met a cheerful group of 5 women from NYC, spending a day trip to the Beach Shack beach having come over on the ferry from Sint Maarten to celebrate a birthday. With a variety of careers and experiences, our discussions wove from one subject to the next, connections made, and their friendship a reminder to spend time with people we care about.

We have spent a wonderful week relaxing on the beach, reading, walking, swimming and working through the varied menu at the Beach Shack. It's been nice having an extended break from cooking. It did take us a while to get "used" to leaving the boat all day, though, as the winds and swell have remained fairly high. We've never just left the boat swinging at anchor for more than an hour maybe two at most, especially when we can't look out to see her. (Leaving the boat tied to a dock is completely different).

But at the start of this second week, the sea and wind grew too wild, with gusts to 30 here at the boat and very large waves bringing in increased swell to the anchorage. Strong squall after squall has filled the sky. As a result, we've stayed on the boat, too worried about her to leave. It's been so bouncy inside at times that I have to hang on walking around. And it's loud, with that constant loud roar of the wind, the rigging humming into the boat, the bimini shaking so violently it sounds as if it will pull off the deck. We catch up on paperwork, boat chores and news from home.

A few days before Teddy, Caramia and Benny arrive we will sail over to Sint Maarten, a short distance away. We have a marina reservation during their stay, and a car rented, in case stormy weather barrels back, as it often has! We cannot wait to see them!