BVI's

Ok so I have been a bit lax about posting. So this will be a catch up week. We are now in St. Martin having had a great week with my parents in St. Thomas. The grandkids/grandparents got along famously allowing Rae and I several nights of couple hood - so we slept alot.

Prior to my parents visit we spent 2 weeks in the BVI's. Visiting all but Aneganda, and enjoying each island for its differences, from the endless beach bars, great snorkeling, artist colonies and fabulous sailing. Yes you do share the BVI's with many charter boats, but we found that they were friendly (as most boaters anywhere are) and there to have a good time which is always a bit infectious, especially at a bar like Willie T's (I can say no more given Rae will read this and she was boat bound with a flu ridden Isabelle). Rae Ann made it a personal mission to not pick up a mooring while in the BVI's. As these are everywhere filling nearly every anchorage, made it no small feat. We succeeded, sometimes by being on the outside looking in with a rolly swell and others, we got a front row seat, tucking right up in front of everyone next to the beach. Our favorites were Jost Van Dyke for the snorkeling, North Sound for its calm anchorage, and Normans for Willie T's. The only downside, cost, clearly the market is made by the one week charter guest, pricing long term cruisers out of the market.

The sailing, given all the protection and short distances, was outstanding and real treat after so much motor sailing to windward over the previous couple of months. Though we did get a bit of retribution as we slogged down to St. Martin nose on the wind and seas again. We will be making fast tracks through the leewards and windwards on our way to Grenada for hurricane season, though we plan on coming back up island nest season we will spend our time as the islands deserve.

A Dinghy circle of life. The replacement dinghy we acquired in the Bahamas was sold to another cruiser when we got our new one in Puerto Rico, who with the similar designs used it temporarily and has since resold it. Well we have been carrying our old 5hp outboard engine looking for a buyer... and behold the buyer was no other than the same person who now owns the old Bahamas dinghy. I had the pleasure of reuniting the engine and dinghy last week. Really quite funny given the probabilities....

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