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.
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| Sunny loves her beach time! |
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| Approaching Virgin Gorda, BVI |
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| 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.
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| Huge tarpon visited each night. |
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| 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.
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| Installing a brand new cone clutch. |
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| Exploring old hangouts. |
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| 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.
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| Teaching a class on robotics and coding, using Ozobots. |
A few of the places we stopped as we sailed around the islands:
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| Stern-tied ashore at Benure's Bay. |
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Cow Wreck Beach, Anegada
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| 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!
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| It followed us everywhere and peered into the hatches at night, as if asking to come inside! Sure did leave a mess behind though... |
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| 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.
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| Marine research institute |
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| Mural on the institute campus |
Sundowners and lots of great fun with friends every day!
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| Fun times with friends! Brewer's Bay, St. Thomas USVI |
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| 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!
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| Hermit crab peeking out to say hello. Brewer's Bay, St. Thomas USVI |
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