The USVI and BVI with friends

Well here we are back in Charlotte Amalie for a few days to say goodbye to Herman, Anna and Bones as well as meeting Brian and Denise who are flying in for a week with Pete and Dee on s/v Wind Lass. As Emily Morgan came over Devin was updating the last few weeks of blog so Liz decided to take a walk with them on Hassel Island. They walked the back trail between the old forts for a view of the cemetery and the fort we had missed before. They had the company of a dog for most of the day but never did find out who he belonged too?

Bones and Anna on Hassell island walk

Another fort on Hassell Island

We had Dinner out with Anna & Bones to celebrate their successful cruise with their guests from the USA. It was a lovely meal at Hook Line and Sinker and was great to catch them before they have to leave for their next charter in Antigua. They did some quick maintenance jobs and had life rafts serviced before heading out for the BVI.

Emily Morgan keep clear of air traffic

Emily Morgan leaving Charlotte Amalie harbor

We had a a day of chores with taking laundry in for the morning and getting a few more provisions in. A huge win was discovering the local supermarket had our favorite Moosetracks ice cream in so we had to get a tub. Fortunately it doesn’t fit in the freezer so we have to eat it in one go, great planning the captain says!

A rare find and a happy captain!

No we didn't name our boat after this, but easily could have!

We planned a trip to the far side of St Thomas with Pete and Dee to see the resort at Sapphire Beach and to visit the restaurant recommended by our friends on Lenny and Gina, called Off the Grid which does a fabulous BBQ with pork, brisket and chicken so we went for the all you can eat for $15 each. What a great lunch and a huge amount of meat!

Sapphire Beach

Off the Grid

salivating while waiting in line

Well Brian and Denise arrive safe and sound with goodies for everyone from stateside. We are all eager to get out of Charlotte Amalie and get underway for St John and Caneel bay. It is a lovely anchorage and we snorkel the reef and take a walk into Cruz Bay for lunch.

National Park office at Cruz bay

Beach at Cruz bay

Lunch at Cruz bay with Dee,Denise, Pete, Brian and Liz

On the second morning we awake to find a familiar boat s/v Ventana in our mooring field, it’s the new owners Ian and Lorilee who bought her from our friends Rob and Dee a few years ago. We get to say hello just as they are raising anchor and hope to catch them soon in the BVI.

Ventana

After a couple of great nights we head off to the BVI and leave Wind Lass to tour St John with Brian & Denise. Our port of entry is Great Harbour in Jost Van Dyke. It’s also home to Foxy’s world famous pub and restaurant so we have to stop off for a lunch time beverage. It’s a little slow today but that’s the same as our last visit 12 years ago and we don’t mind missing the crowds at all.

Arriving in the BVI

Foxy's bar

The captain enjoying a few cold ones at Foxy's

 Well our first stop is Sandy Spit to relax and chill and meet up with Ian and Lorilee. We agree a trip to the Bubbling Pool is a must so we all get our swimwear on and take off for the pool. It’s a short 20-30 minute walk in and the pool looks incredibly inviting after the hot sun walk. It’s a small opening in the rocks where the north swell gushes in and creates a great natural Jacuzzi effect. Its amazing how so many adults can instantly return to childhood play with such a simple inducement!

The Bubbling Pool

Here it comes!

Yes Devin acting like a kid again!

 Afterwards we stopped at Foxy's Taboo restaurant for a cold beer with Lorilee and Ian.

Foxy's Taboo with Ian and Lorilee

 Our friends Jeff & Janet are nearby in Monkey Point, Guana Island and according to face book post they are off to Anagada so we decide we would like to go with them. The following morning we hail them on the radio as we approach Monkey Point and they haven’t left, so we alter plans to join them there. It was a very rocky anchorage and after 3 attempts to set the hook including diving in and placing it is sand, we can’t get anchored. So with a large private yacht crowding behind as well we decide to take a mooring ball. As often happens all the good spots are taken by the mooring field so anchoring here will always be a problem now. At $30/night (they are twice the price of the USVI) we try to avoid staying on one every night as that soon adds up, anyway this is our first paid ball in the BVI so we feel OK about it. We have a lovely day snorkeling with Jeff and Janet and love the evening spent with them as Janet recalls how Liz salivated over some of the larger fish on the reef but didn’t feel the same way about the nurse shark.

The next day we move around to Cane Garden bay to meet up again with s/v Ventana, it turns out they cruised last year with Jeff and Janet and are good friends, so shows it’s a small cruising community really. We all love the bay as there is no swell running and its really calm inside with good wifi and some stores for fresh bread and produce. Janet and Jeff tell us of the hike to the summit of Tortola and the stunning views so we all agree to do it the following day. We catch a local taxi driver and negotiate a rate for the return trip and he drops us off at the trail head store to pay our entrance fee and agrees to meet us 2.5 hours later. The trails are well marked and mostly in covered rain forest so not too hot for a mid day hike, the last 20 feet though were very slippery but no one fell.

Can Garden Bay

Hiking the trail in the rain forest

Our whole group at the Fig tree

The fig tree

 On returning to Cane garden Bay we asked to be dropped off at the distillery to see it too. It turns out to be the smallest distillery we have ever been to and Jeff compares it to Depaz in St Pierre which was very well done for tourists. This place had some tasters for a $1 so we had some. Devin and Ian like the The horny rum / Panty Dropper and can’t resist a bottle each, who knows why?

The distillery at cane Garden bay

Buying horny rum

Inside the distillery

Well we find ourselves in the usaul predicament of a group of cruisers, we love each others company but we all have different goals so we go our separate ways. Ian and Lorilee have family arriving soon and Jeff and Janet are headed back to Canada so need to limit their time in the BVI. So we say farewells as Moosetracks is still intent on going to Anagada as its one of our must see places.

Local fisherman cleaning his catch in Cane Garden Bay

We hope your winter is not too harsh, we see the storms in the US and are glad we are here and not freezing somewhere.