Coming Full Circle: Return to the BVIs and USVIs

This was a bit of an emotional time for us. As we lost our first boat to #irmaria in Nanny Cay back in 2017, seeing the BVI and USVI post hurricanes was an experience to say the least.

Sunny loves her beach time!

Approaching Virgin Gorda, BVI

A flock of flamingos fly over Virgin Gorda. 

After checking in at Spanish town, we headed straight for The Baths, one of our top favorite spots. The kids wasted no time jumping off the boat and swimming ashore to play among the passageways in and out of the gigantic boulders.

Huge tarpon visited each night. 

Captured this remora with the GoPro. It hung around our boat for most of the day!

We stopped by all of our favorite spots, explored new places, and reunited with old friends. We spent a few days in Nanny Cay, just for memories and to sort of close out that chapter. We also checked some boat jobs off the list.

Installing a brand new cone clutch.

Exploring old hangouts.

The well-loved playground

It was so great to see all of the progress since the storms. The islanders are resilient people with strong hearts. Stef took an opportunity to teach a robotics class to a group of local children.

Teaching a class on robotics and coding, using Ozobots.

A few of the places we stopped as we sailed around the islands:

Stern-tied ashore at Benure's Bay.

Cow Wreck Beach, Anegada

Anchored off a sand spit off Jost Van Dyke Island, BVI

A racing pigeon visited us off Anegada. We looked up his tags online and sure enough, he was involved in a race. We learned they won't leave until they get fed and watered. After a little refreshment, he coo-cooed at us and flew on his way!

It followed us everywhere and peered into the hatches at night, as if asking to come inside! Sure did leave a mess behind though...

Us as we sail away from Tortola.

After checking out the BVI, we hung out in St. Thomas for a few days to stock up on provisions and wait for a good weather window for passage to the Bahamas. Check in was simple using the ROAM app. No need to visit customs or immigration until time to clear out and get a zarpe for the next country.

We toured the local marine science institute, which was right near our anchorage.

Marine research institute

Mural on the institute campus

Sundowners and lots of great fun with friends every day!

Fun times with friends! Brewer's Bay, St. Thomas USVI

Boat kids playing in Brewer's Bay, St. Thomas

Early on the morning of our departure, we heard someone shout to call 911. We saw a dinghy heading towards shore. I pulled out our medical kit, called 911 and Jared headed to shore in our dinghy. A nearby cruiser, who happened to be a local nurse was en route, as well as our friends on Dragonfly.
Jared took the CPR kit ashore with him and assisted with efforts to revive the man.
A lot took place that frustrated the entire anchorage of cruisers, but basically, the man died as a result of poor emergency responders. The ambulance was about a mile away and took 45 minutes to arrive. The responder would not assist, so it was the cruisers who pulled the victim up out of the dinghy and placed him on to the stretcher.

The cruising nurse mentioned to us that she was teaching a CPR course later on that afternoon and offered to include our family at no charge. We took her up on that opportunity, especially as Matthew had gone ashore with Jared. Matt pulled the dinghy ashore all on his own, as Jared had leapt out to assist with the situation. We felt it was worth delaying our passage for a few hours to take advantage of this opportunity.

After spending a couple of weeks here, it was time to move up to the Bahamas, where family and friends were flying in. Bahamas, here we come!

Hermit crab peeking out to say hello. Brewer's Bay, St. Thomas USVI

We meet the Saints...St. Bart's, Ille de Forchue, and St. Martin

Picking up a national park buoy at Ille Forchue.

What a passage! We caught 4 fish (2 tuna and 2 barracuda), but tossed them back into the sea, as they were too small to keep.

We anchored off the main port in St. Bart's, Gustavia. Check in was completed online (so easy) and after a short visit to the Port Captain to confirm our arrival (and departure as we were not staying long), we settled in for  sundowners and a good sleep.

Word on the street was Oprah was staying aboard one of the Mega yachts, which just so happened to be anchored near us. We didn't see her, but waved and wished her a happy birthday.

The next morning, we explored St. Bart's a little, hit up the bakery, and then sailed over to the Ille de Forchue. This island is privately owned, but is part of the marine sanctuary. We tied up to one of the free mooring balls and dove into snorkel the surrounding reefs. We saw lots of fish, swam with sea turtles, and sharks!

The kids swam back and forth between our buddy boats; we love when we are close enough to do this! The kids get to play all day and the adults can have a break. ;)

After lunch, we all decided to head for St. Martin. We hoisted the sails and set off for Grand Case Bay, on the French side.

Life is too short to sink. Love this quote!

T. Hilfiger's crew checked in just after us.

French bridge from Marigot Bay into the lagoon

French side

Street art in Grande Case, St. Martin.

Grande Case bay, St. Martin

Lots of sea turtles in Grand Case bay!

Beach games ashore, Grande Case bay

When you tire of your yacht, just take the helicopter. Dutch side, St. Martin

Sad to see all of the wrecks in the lagoon

Maho bay, watching the planes land

Waving hello to the planes

Yes, we are rushing this part, as we need to get to the BVIs soon. We usually don't like to be on a schedule, but we have friends to visit!

Island Hopping: Isles deSaintes, Guadeloupe, Antigua/Barbuda

Stef leading a science class on the beach. Cocoa Point, Barbuda

We hopped up the islands from the Saintes, Guadeloupe, to Antigua/Barbuda. The Saintes are full of mooring balls, so we sailed by and headed on up to Pigeon island, off of Guadeloupe. This is one of Jacque Cousteau's underwater parks. The snorkeling area is better in deeper water, as any shallow areas were destroyed in the hurricanes.
We met up with some friends in Deshaies for a fun night out exploring the town and stocking up on a few fresh provisions. Next morning found us setting sail for Antigua.

Antigua

Approaching Antigua treats the eyes to beautiful shades of blue water. We entered Jolly Harbor and dropped the hook in about 2 meters. It's a bright shade of turquoise, but murky.

Kids playing in the water, Jolly Harbor.

Keep in mind there are A LOT of boats in this harbor, but the check in/out is easiest here. There is a large grocery store that has a pretty good selection. Shop like a local to avoid a huge bill. Chicken was the cheapest we've seen since the states.

Grocery shopping in Antigua (Jolly Harbor)

Check in was a simple process. The first part is completed online via Sailclear, and then the rest in person at the customs office. We spent about a week sailing around Antigua and moved on to Barbuda. This island, by far, was our favorite!

At anchor of Barbuda.

The anchorage at Cocoa Point is protected, lovely, and not crowded at all! Wild horses and donkeys roam the beach. The sand is pinkish and so soft! It's quite a long stretch of sand, so there's plenty of room for the kids to run and play. We had sundowners on the beach with friends each night. One afternoon, Stef lead a science class on the beach and later on that evening, we had a BBQ. The kids also built their own little fire to make s'mores.

Beach BBQ with our buddy boats.

The area is now under development, with multi-million dollar lots up for sale. We were glad we got to see it before this construction begins. Such a shame that future generations will not get to enjoy the wild beauty that Barbuda offers.

Roundabout at anchor, with Hermes (our trusty dinghy) anchored off the beach.

We moved to the other end of the island near the town for a night, just to check it out and explore a new place. There's a cool sand spit you can walk out on, adjacent to the lagoon. Lots of conch shells, hermit crabs, and turtles hang out here.

Morning walk along the beach on the coast of Barbuda.

Checking out of Antigua (Barbuda does not have a customs office yet, as they are still in recovery after the hurricanes): you need to clear out online and then visit customs. Any crew under the age of 12 has to pay 75EC (this was unexpected). After customs, visit immigration and then back to customs.


We hoisted the sails and set our course for St. Bart's.