I marooned the sailswomen, Faye and Jen, on a white sand beach with numerous chaise lounge chairs and a bar less than twenty feet away. I think they might enjoy their punishment for subversive behavior too much. We hope to see them again soon for the next adventure, but am sure they needed the break from us.
We then ducked around the corner into Sopers Hole Marina for some needed laundry, cleaning (boat and body) and minor maintenance(just boat). Our boat liaison, David George, has been incredibly responsive and helpful with our minor equipment needs. He graciously brought his wife to do a boat cleaning while K and I ran to do laundry and provisioning.
Before we knew it, we needed to pick up Rita and Judy at the ferry. They seemed to have had a painless trip, and all the additional goodies and toys they brought were nice to have. Seems my clothes have been getting a bit big and loose. Hurray for clean living and drinking most meals. So, nice to have some things I haven’t fit into in some time.
We spent the night in the marina, getting a bit shafted on the last night of high season rates, but it made the transition smoother. Rita and Judy settled in easily, and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Lime and Fish in Westend.
We departed midday for a nice sail to Norman Island. The ladies had a refreshing snorkel at the caves, and we had sundowners at the Willy T. Got to witness an idiot try to vault himself over the rail from the third deck into the water, only to get caught up, flip over, split his head open on the metal deck, and fall into the water 25′ below. Luckily he wasn’t more seriously injured, but VISAR was called out to transport him back to Tortola for medical treatment. I bet his wife was pissed off to cut the trip short. Lesson for the day: don’t become a sixty year old with a beer belly and an alcohol induced sense of invincibility. GoPro has made everyone think they are Travis Pastrana.
Today, we slipped the mooring ball under sail, quietly vacating The Bight. Then, K and I dove the Rhone wreck site while the ladies snorkeled and floated around the boat. K liked the dive claiming it was enough of a wreck to be interesting and enough reef life to keep your attention moving. She chased a turtle or two and stuck her head up in the hull to see schools of grunts and glassy sweepers. Here is a link to a short Rhone dive video. Anchored off Cooper for the night.
Sorry this post is very travelogue-ish. Harder to be introspective with all of the logistics of the last 36 hours. I do understand however, why serious cruisers bypass, or quickly pass through the BVI, on their way south. Everything is 3-4 times more expensive than it needs to be and the crowds of bareboat amateurs are everywhere. It is nice seeing people experience sailing and the beauty of the tropics, but it has become a bit Disney-esque tourist trap. I realized it has been 17 years since my first trip here with a crew of USCGA cadets. Man, time flies…and somethings never change. We will head down island as soon as we can and hopefully our budget survives BVI.
Missing Utila in some ways. Glad we shanghaied a bit of the island to be our crew for a bit longer. Still not missing Reno, would like to have the pets with us; but the sun, salt and sea agree with my body and help my temperament immensely. No firm ideas about final plans…stay tuned.