Saturday, April 23, 2016

British Virgin Islands

We will always remember St Martin as one of those unsuspecting corners of the world that we wouldn't have been able to pick out on a map but find yourself there and think back about it as a sort of home.  It's where the boat life began for us and had we not chosen that particular boat in that particular peculiar island I don't know if we'd still be at it.  The people we met helped us through the struggles of trying to do something crazy and unknown in a totally crazy and unkown place and overall, life around St Martin has been pretty cheap and easy.  We reflect back on it with a definite sense of familiar security.

But we've left St Martin behind, for now, deciding that it was time to move on.  We finished the repairs we needed to make to the boat, met up with some old friends, made some new ones, and got unknowingly wrapped up in a party or two on our way out the door.

The sailing to the Virgin Islands was pretty horrible, but the sailing in the Virgin Islands has been horribly pleasant.  The ring of islands that make up the area gives a lot of shelter from big waves, the anchorages tend to be well protected making for good night's sleep, and everything is closely spaced together making the sailing overall less committing than elsewhere in the Caribbean.

We've been introduced to a thriving charter industry here, and along with it, a lot of very awesome young people who work as captains, chefs, and stewardesses on some pretty awesomely plush boats.   They've been gracious enough to share their leftover libations and delicatessens from past week-long trips that they've done with high paying clientele.  We've never ate and drank so good, and also, they have hot showers on their boats, which really has been the guiltiest pleasure of all!  Our eyes have been opened and we now realize that we've been doing it all wrong all along.

But the Virgin Islands have been a very social place for us in a cruising culture that has been mostly well-to-do retirees and this young group's generosity and camaraderie have been a welcome change.

Our month long visas are almost up for the British Virgin Islands already and so we will scoot over to the US Virgin Islands where the Carnival festival is about to get underway.  From there it's a short hop over to the Puerto Rican "Virgin Islands" of Culebra, Culebrita, and Vieques, and then on to the Puerto Rican mainland where our cruising season may have to come to an end.

We will try to put up more photos as we go.

Kick'n it with the Captain and Crew of Lady Katlo: Matt, Hillary, and Chef Richie.  Courtney also came to visit!
Taking the dinghy out to explore a nearby Ship Wreck with Courtney

On Tarka with Captain and Chef/First Mate Adam and Kelly of "La Manguita"
A 'sun downer' spot atop St Peter's Island.  Had a great hike and picnic with Adam and Kelly here!
Enjoying sunset on La Manguita.  Great Bay, St Peter
Drifting wood chill'n on Little Jost Van Dyke island
Hiking the North Sound with Saba Rock below in the distance
Living large at the fancy bars, 'nursing' a $5 happy hour beer so they don't kick us out.

Tarpon feeding at Saba Rock, North Sound, Virgin Gorda

Deserted Chest Set, Oil Nut Bay, Virgin Gorda


Practicing some survival skills...


Doing a little beach bouldering at The Baths, Virgin Gorda
Bikini Bouldering.  Mind the road rash.
The top half of one of our favorites we found.

Raku style pottery at the Full Moon Festival, Trellis Bay, Beef Island
Sculpture fire pit for the Full Moon Party.