A Tribute to RoundAbout

As any boat owner will tell you, it is more than just a boat. It is part of you, a member of your family, and for those of us who live aboard, your home. It still hurts to think of the state she is in. Sad, broken, and in need of great repair. There is hope though, so read on for an update on our home and what is in store for the crew of RoundAbout.

While we did lose our home and most everything on board, we were safe and sound when the storms hit. The positive besides safety, is that we were fully insured. Due to friends finding our vessel the day after Irma hit, the photos they sent allowed us to submit our claim rather quickly. In fact, we were the first claim our insurance received!

Once we learned Irma was heading our way, we prepped as best we could. We could not have run from the storm, as we had just purchased her, and moved aboard. We did not have the proper "out at sea" equipment, we didn't even have a dingy! As an ex-charter boat, she was equipped for cruising around the islands, not the open blue. We had to do what was best to keep our family safe, and so we tied RoundAbout in a spiderweb of thick dock-lines, took down all sails to reduce windage, surrounded her with fenders, hired our friend Travis to manage her, and hoped for the best.

We evacuated out the day before Irma hit and despite our best efforts, we could only sit by and wait to hear of RoundAbout's fate after Maria came barreling through a week later. Jared made it as far as Puerto Rico, but could not secure transport to Tortola and so returned stateside just before the storm. We did make contact with a crane company the day before Maria, but they only said they "would do their best to secure her". It never happened.

She was mostly in the same spot on the sea wall, resting on her rudders. A floating dock scraped the starboard hull, creating about a 12" crack. This allowed water to enter the starboard cabins. We received reports of water activating the bilge pumps. The pumps were successfully keeping the water at bay. However, after a week, the batteries ran dead and the pumps stopped working. I couldn't help imagining what it must have looked like, as the water crept into our home. Our sons' cabins were on this side and all of their belongings. Their clothing, toys, books, and little mementos from friends were now becoming submerged. As the water level rose, RoundAbout's starboard side began to slowly sink under the weight of it all. The water came up to the steps leading down from the saloon. You can imagine the state of this water, not being clear, but murky instead, filled with diesel, debris, and all sorts of things leaking from submerged vessels; not what you'd want inside your home.

To add salt to our wounds, someone stole ALL of our fenders, new dock-lines, and broke into our boat. Our go-pro and all related equipment (which was my birthday gift from Jared and had hundreds of family photos) was taken, along with our VHF handhelds, the kids' walkie-talkies, and other items.

For additional photos and drone footage, you can check them out on our blog's facebook page.

We then received news that our insurance did NOT want the vessel, so it would be our responsibility to handle the salvage and disposal. On October 6th, we received a frantic call from Clive stating that there was only ONE spot on the barge and if we wanted our boat on it, it had to be NOW. What choice did we have? We had to take that spot, or risk causing further damage. After speaking with the salvage company, we learned it was going to be $8k to lift RoundAbout from where she rested and placed onto land in the boat graveyard. We just received an invoice for $12k. What?! We know of others that were only charged $8k, and some of those were completely sunk and had to be brought up from the bottom of the marina. For those of you waiting to have your boat lifted, check around to see what others are being charged, before you agree with the salvage company.

On top of this cost, we would also face storage fees from the marina. We had to figure out something or this was going to add up quick. As if in answer to our prayers, we began receiving emails from blog followers asking us if we would consider selling RoundAbout, despite her damaged state. Apparently, there are a lot of people out there who buy damaged boats at a great discount and then restore them to either sell or keep for themselves. All were very respectful in asking and we appreciate it. Thank you.

Jared flew back to the island to sort this all out. The port side was completely dry, as was the majority of the saloon! Our starboard cabins and engine room was submerged, and so work began to "pickle" the engine to prevent damage. The engine can remain this way for months and still be good to go! Jared also had the task of removing our belongings off the boat. There was a lot that just went into the trash due to the condition. However, he did manage to save a few things. For example, Zach's stuffed fox was up on the top shelf and was perfectly fine! He ran into a dock neighbor and they helped each other rescue things off each other's boats and tossed it all into a barrel of disinfectant. After soaking in this, they ran them through the wash. He said a final farewell to RoundAbout and left the island.

After Jared sent me the videos and photos, I created the advertisement for RoundAbout and posted it online. Our broker could not believe the number of emails he received; so many that the server shut down! We were also overwhelmed with messages on facebook and our email inbox. All this interest made me hopeful that RoundAbout would actually sail again someday! A few days later, she was sold. I know that RoundAbout will be lovingly restored and perhaps we will see her out sailing around the islands in the future. To RoundAbout and her new owner: we truly loved our home, as she was the perfect vessel for us. Wishing all the best with her restoration and we look forward to seeing her out on the water again someday.

So, now what? Well, shortly after the insurance declared CTL (constructive total loss) on our boat, we began our search for another floating home. We knew we wanted another Leopard 46, as after all, ours survived TWO Cat 5 hurricanes (it was the floating dock that did her in)! That is a testament to the build quality, right there. I'll admit we briefly entertained the idea of other boats, but after comparing them to the features of the Leopard, we just knew it wouldn't be a good decision for us.

 After we began our search, we learned the inventory was very, very low. So low, that the only ones available were in the South Pacific or Europe (there were four total). Then, a couple of listings popped up in the US and Caribbean. The prices had been increased dramatically, as if the sellers realized their opportunity at this newly created 'sellers market'. One evening, I was looking over the listings and just felt good about one of them. I kept going back to it for some reason, despite the boat being in Turkey. We then found a listing in Belize, but it had gone under contract the day before we put in our offer. So, perhaps, this one in the Mediterranean was meant to be, after all. We put in our offer and it was accepted less than  hours later! We received the news as we were having lunch with the kids. Jared looked up with tears in his eyes and held up the email on his phone. We were overjoyed! We had a home!

After this sunk in, the reality of figuring out the logistics to get to the boat took over. I immediately began researching flights, hotels, and 'all things Turkey'. We visited the Annapolis boat show and replaced some of our gear. We were making progress towards resuming our life afloat!

I had just purchased our flight and submitted applications for our e-visas, when Jared looked up from his computer and said "We won't be going to Turkey. They have stopped all visas". After a quick Google search, I read the news on the political situation involving the US and Turkey. Back to square one, with the main question being how would we take delivery of a boat when we couldn't get to it?

We posed this question to our broker and the seller (a charter company). After many emails and phone calls, we came to the idea of having the boat delivered to the neighboring country of Greece. We also asked for the seller to deliver it under their insurance (we didn't want to lose out on our investment if something went wrong while underway). This past week, we received news that our request had been granted; as they received special permission to deliver the boat to Athens. We would be able to close escrow and take ownership there. Things are finally falling into place.

Stay tuned for the details on RoundAbout 2.0!

And yes, we are keeping the name RoundAbout. While we submitted paperwork to rename her from Laura Ann to RoundAbout, we didn't have time for the official renaming ceremony. This means, we can still use the it. I don't think there could be a more perfect name, with all that we've been through. We will continue this sailing adventure; just in a round-about way! 

Boat Shopping in Europe

Why Europe? Well, that's where we'd like to start off on this adventure of ours. Boats are also less expensive over there, largely due to the charter industry. Thus, it makes a world of sense to us to head in this direction.

Now, google "boat shopping in Europe" and lots of posts come up in sailing forums. There aren't too many blogs on this topic, that we've been able to find (if you happen to know of any, please leave the link in the comments). 

We are hoping that by writing about our own experience, it can help someone else down the road. 

The Search

The usual websites, such as yachtworld, yachtmarket, apolloduck, and so forth all tend to have the same boats listed, give or take a few. Most boats are listed by brokers and charter companies who are phasing out older boats. In addition, there are some charter companies and broker agencies who list boats for sale on their own websites. Some of these are in other languages, so using google translate has been a helpful tool. 

Exercising caution: We tend to be wary of boats that list stock photos instead of actual photos of the boat listed for sale. We've also found different boats that all use the same photos. Either the poster is lazy or it could be a scam. Again, we are practicing due diligence in this matter.

We are working with a broker (who by the way is the most awesome guy) to help us out, especially with buying overseas. He is experienced and has a fantastic reputation with both buyers and sellers. Yep, we did our research on brokers as well, after our first one turned out to be a dud. 

We started out with a list of potential boats and sent them to our broker. He set up the viewings for us, and so we took a quick trip to Florida to set foot on all of the candidates. Walking around on all of these boats, opening cabinets, measuring storage spaces, exploring lockers, checking the size of the engine rooms, sitting at the helm station, etc., all helped us to narrow down the list and get an actual feel of the boat. It's one thing to look at photos and a totally different experience actually being ON the boat. After narrowing it down to one make and model, we were able to then focus in on our search. 

Making an Offer

We are just about to this point. Once we get the house listed on the market, (and hopefully it will sell quickly), we can start making offers on our future home. 

The first steps would be to have an initial survey done on the boat(s) we like. This costs a few hundred dollars and would give us an idea on the condition, tons of photos and other details. If we like what we see, we can then move forward with making an offer. If the offer is accepted, we would put down a deposit and then travel to see the boat in person for the full survey, sea trial, and haul-out. 

Purchasing Process

From there, the purchasing process can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks, depending upon how quickly the repairs (if needed to be done before the sale goes through) and paperwork are completed. 

Timeline

If we buy the boat in April or May, we would haul it out to get any work done that was needed. After school ends, we'd fly out the first or second week of June to move on board and begin adding the additional cruising equipment, settling in, etc. 

We will spend the next 6 months cruising around the Med and preparing for our Atlantic crossing in November. 

Fortunately, we have friends in Croatia who can help us out with logistics and they've even offered to go look at any boats we are interested in and send us their reviews. Being avid sailors, they know what to look for and can help eliminate any that would be a waste of time.

So, here's to the next few months, which will be a whirlwind of selling off our stuff, our house, and tying up loose ends before we set sail on this new adventure! 

Disclaimer: It isn't all sunshine and rainbows over here. We are totally stressed with all we still need to do, but know it will be SO worth it once we get on board! 

Finding our Boat!

We had a whirlwind trip to Florida recently and are happy to report that we found our boat (exact model)!

Kids went to visit their grandparents again, so Jared and I could concentrate on finding our boat (and celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary). We flew out around noon on Thursday (plane was delayed due to crew not showing up) and were expected to land around 8pm that evening. Didn't land until around 11pm, due to our flight being diverted for a medical emergency.

On the runway in Salt Lake City, Utah. Waiting to resume our trip and watching the snow fall.

After landing in Fort Lauderdale, we grabbed our bags and proceeded to locate the shuttle to the rental car station. That line was LONG! No way were we going to spend another hour in line, so we decided to walk to the rental car facility instead. It was not that far, probably around a 7 minute walk. Ha! We were the only ones there! Turns out we beat the shuttles and crowds of people. It was a super fast check-out, like 2 minutes tops and we were in our car and on the way to the hotel.

After checking in to the hotel, we realized that we still hadn't had dinner, so feeling a bit like college students, we set out around midnight in search of food. The hotel clerk recommended a pizza place (what else would be open at midnight?), so  back to the car we went. Yep, our anniversary dinner was pizza, but hey, next year we'll celebrate on our boat, so it's ok. =)

Hours later, we were back up, checked out of the hotel, and heading out to meet Andy, the broker we were scheduled to meet (Clive, our broker, had set everything up in advance). We were in an area known as the Isles of Venice, and it was just beautiful! Save for the birds dropping seeds on our heads. You'll see their "artwork" in our video (next post).

 
 Andy is a super cool guy and showed us A LOT of boats! After checking out the ones in 'Venice', we headed over to his main office at the Fort Lauderdale Marine Center and saw even more (after stopping for coffee on the way).

It was awesome to have this opportunity and walk through so many different catamarans. We made notes on the storage and ventilation, layout and overall feel. We thought we would like the Lagoon 420, but for our family, it would be a tight fit. We walked on L440s, L450s, and even a L52 which was huge! Andy took us over to the boat yard and we saw a couple other cats that were on the hard, which was cool because we could check out the bottoms, as well.

Saw a few other different types of cats, but we fell in love with Lagoon and the homey-like feel it gave us. After walking all over and through these boats, it was time for lunch and to review our notes.

We ended up eating along the beach and walked along for awhile. It was super windy, but a few people were out in the water. Fun to see a guy kite surfing! Definitely want to try that someday. We checked in to a different hotel (figured we might as well stay in different areas while we were here) that was along the ICW (intercoastal waterway). Man, let me just say that the mega-yachts were all in town and some were bigger than our house! I am not joking! The Miami Boat Show is in a few weeks, so I guess they were all coming in for that. They are HUGE! We got a room with a pool view and ICW view. This would provide for some interesting entertainment later that evening.

 I had this feeling about one particular L440, so we called Andy and headed back to that boat later that evening. Again, thanks to Andy for taking the time to meet us back there. His phone was constantly going off, but he ignored it in order to answer our questions. After taking more video and photos, we headed back to the hotel and find someplace for dinner.

We ended up eating along the waterfront and then walking for awhile afterwards. Still could not believe the size of these yachts! Some were in excess of 60 feet up from the water! As we got ready for bed, we noticed a lot of noise coming up from the pool area. Turns out the guys we had seen at dinner getting plastered, were still at it and now had decided that jumping into the pool fully clothed would be fun. Grabbing other people and tossing them in, even more so. Then, they proceeded to dance for the dinner guests down there and put on quite a show. They'll probably end up on YouTube and regretting their decisions after recovering from major hangovers.

The next morning, we got a quick breakfast (bagels and coffee because we slept in), and met Mark, another broker Clive had set us up with. He showed us a FP Lipari and a FP Helia 44. We were not impressed with the Lipari. The layout was not conducive to our family at all. It definitely did not have that open feel that he Lagoons have, so we passed on this boat and headed to Lighthouse Point, to check-out the Helia.

The Helia was located on a private dock area next to a very colorful house, rainbow dock, and just rainbow everything, down to the hammock. The artist had gone to town on their property! Beautiful artwork though. Check out this dog and pony show:

The Helia is a gorgeous boat, but there are some qualities missing for us. While it definitely felt open and spacious, the sharp corners and lack of 4 cabins was a 'no' for us. Sharp corners at sea is NOT a good idea, especially for kids. The front was totally open, no lifelines at all (yes, we are going to install the kid-webbing around the entire boat, but still). The large bap between the helm and the winches/lines was a negative. We also needed 4 cabins, and while there is a tiny little berth beyond the shower, that would not work for a kid room at all (the broker was trying to convince us of putting Cadence in that tiny space). Nope.

Pretty boat, though.

We called Andy again, because we wanted to see a L440 one last time. After seeing so many boats, we had to go back and solidify our decision. Jared was already sold, but I really wanted to sit and picture where everything would go. We measured, lifted up all floor boards (counting the storage spaces we could use), inspected the engine rooms, and discussed plans for modifications. After another hour or so it was final: the Lagoon 440 is our next home!

We emailed Clive with the news and will be talking to him in a couple of days. Now, we just have to find the EXACT Lagoon 440 we are buying. We would love to start our adventure over in Europe, but inspecting boats over there would incur more cost. We've also heard the boats are not in the greatest condition, so we'd have to really hunt around. It can be done though, so we are hopeful (boats are less expensive there). Buying in the U.S. or Caribbean would be easier, but also change our route plans. However, no matter where we end up buying our boat, it will be awesome! We will finally be starting our dream of sailing around the world with our family!

Boat Shopping in Florida

Yep, we are once again hopping on a plane and heading out to view as many boats as possible. This time, our destination is Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. There just aren't many catamarans on the West Coast. None, actually at the moment. So, off to the East Coast it is. Our broker, Clive, is amazing and is compiling a list of boats to view. We are specifically looking at Lagoons and Leopards in the 40-45 foot range.

This timing also happens to fall on our 15th wedding anniversary, so what better way to celebrate? The kids are heading back to their grandparents for the duration of our trip. J and I will have a visit and then head on out. While we know they'd have fun on the plane and for parts of the trip, we just know after the 4th or 5th boat, they would tire of it and be bored. Plus, we are on a mission! To find the exact model of cat that will best fit our family. 

We've rented a car to be prepared to drive around as needed and of course, do a little exploring along the way. Any sightseeing suggestions? Send them our way! =)

Boat Shopping in the B.V.I. Part Three: How a broken fridge led us to our new boat broker!

Waking up to the cool morning air and the gentle lapping of the water on the shore was glorious. I was getting ready to pour my mug of coffee and go sit on deck to enjoy that cool air (because that doesn't last long in the Caribbean), when Jared asks "Hon, do you think the creamer is ok"? Wait, what?
Turns out, the fridge was not cold at all, meaning that we had lost all of our perishable provisions. Not the best thing to wake up to, especially when one is looking forward to that coffee! Jared can drink it black, but not this girl. I need my creamer.

We pulled everything out of the fridge and tossed it into a garbage bag to dispose of once we made it to Nanny Cay. Let's just say that the odor of spoiled fish stuck with that fridge for the remainder of the trip. It was foul!

The charter company said we would need to run our engine for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening to keep the fridge working. We did more than that and it still didn't work. I think it was dying anyway, so no matter how much the batteries were charged, it just couldn't keep up with the heat.

We pulled anchor shortly after a quick breakfast and pointed to bow towards Tortola and Nanny Cay. Yes, the fenders were out because I like to get everything ready before we enter the channel. That's just the teacher in me I guess, always planning ahead.

 An hour or so later, we radioed the marina and received our slip assignment, B6. Once Amethyst was secure and hooked up to shore power (yay for AC), we checked in at the marina office and then headed over to BVI Yacht Sales to meet with a broker who would show us one of the boats on our list.

We liked this guy immediately. Clive knew exactly what we were looking for, has helped other families find their cruising vessel, and despite our current broker not confirming anything with him, he said he would work with us and get us on at least one boat while we were here (we have since decided to work with Clive instead of the original guy, who by the way we STILL have not heard from since before our trip). 

As we were chatting, it started to rain pretty hard. Jared and I had become used to these small squalls and knew they'd pass over in a few minutes. We decided to head out into the boatyard anyway, because you tend to dry off pretty fast in this heat, and the rain wouldn't last too long.

We wound our way though boats up on the hard (stored for hurricane season) and came upon our first boat, a 2009 Leopard 40 catamaran. Leaving our shoes on the wet grass, we climbed up the ladder into the cockpit. It was in ok shape, but turns out, it was an owner's version. Owner's versions only have 3 cabins, and we need 4 (these are called Charter versions). At any rate, it was still fun to tour the boat and get a feel for the size, see how much storage there was, etc. By the time we were climbing down off the boat, the rain shower had turned into quite a downpour. The broker took us over to another boat to stand underneath, but since we were wet anyway, we thanked him for his time and headed to re-stock our provisions and get some ice. We also wanted to check out Island Roots, where we heard was the absolute BEST place to get coffee on the island. Well, who wouldn't want to check that out?

The grocery store is tucked amongst a few small shops near the marina, and we tried to shake off as much water before walking inside. Fortunately, they are used to cruisers coming and going, so we didn't look too strange. We loaded up our packs and headed out to grab a coffee on our way back to the boat. Once we put everything away (we avoided the fridge), into the ice-filled cooler, we headed out with coffees in hand to explore a little more and hopefully find something to bring home to the kids.

We ended up going back to Island Roots. Not for a second coffee, but to purchase these adorable handmade necklaces for the kids. They were little turtles made out of a tree nut, woven string, and beads. Super cute and we always prefer to support the local economy when possible.

It was sprinkling as we walked back to the boat. After checking out of the marina, we untied the dock lines and set sail for the island of Virgin Gorda. Our destination: The Baths. This was our view as we left Nanny Cay. We sailed a route to skirt around the rainstorm and into some sunlight on the other side of the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

En route to Virgin Gorda (leaving the storm behind us) Yes, it seriously was this dramatic of a difference:

The water was like glass...

Approaching The Baths was a different story. Once we were out of the lee of the islands, the swell from the open Caribbean Sea was quite large and we definitely felt a change in the waters. The forecast was large swells for the next few days. As we approached, we noticed the huge surf crashing upon the shore. Guess we wouldn't be snorkeling into the baths from the boat after all...

Note: there was only one other boat moored here. They tried to dingy over to the mooring closest to the entrance, but ended up turning around due to the rough surf.

Jared and I decided to head to Spanish Town and take a slip for the night at the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor. It was really rolly out on this mooring and we didn't want to spend the night like that. Of course, we were about to have the scare of our sailing lives entering that harbor...

Boat Shopping in the B.V.I. Part 1

We continued our search for our floating home this past week, traveling all the way to the British Virgin Islands! We left the kids in the care of their awesome grandparents while we headed off for a long overdue vacation. Well, it was sort of a working vacation, as we had boats to see and things to research. Still, a vacation none the less! =)

Our school district has a fall break in October, so we decided to take advantage of this time off. We had been in contact with our broker and he was setting up a list of boats to view. Hours were spent on the internet locating other boats to see, along with preparing for the trip. We had decided to charter a boat rather than stay in a hotel, so that we could easily move about the islands and take in as much scenery as possible. Plus, these were unsailed waters for us, so we were happy for the new experience.

After spending the night at the grandparents', we kissed the kids as they slept and slipped out the door. At 4am. Yep, we had a 2 hour drive to San Francisco to catch our 8am flight. Lots of coffee was involved. 

After checking in and getting through security, which didn't take that long, thankfully, we made our way to the gate. We boarded fairly quickly and settled in for the long flight to Miami, our first stop on this journey. We had only about 30 minutes to get to our connecting flight to St. Thomas, so we were hoping that this plane didn't get delayed.

The plane we were on had this cool interactive screen in front of each seat. I loved playing around with the map, which provided all sorts of info such as length to destination, airspeed, etc. You could also watch a variety of movies (free), or play games. Future note: this will make flying with kids a lot easier.

We landed in Miami with just enough time to get to our next gate, which was already boarding.  Noticed that not all of the planes have the upgraded tech we experienced on the first flight. Oh well, it was only 3 more hours. By now, it was dark, so there wasn't much to see out the window. This plane had overhead screens every few seats and played the new Star Trek movie. However, they did not provide sound, and our headphones were in our backpacks overhead. Didn't really feel like getting them out anyway, as we were tired by this point. Amazing how traveling can wipe a person out.

We landed in St. Thomas around 9:30 pm and exited the airplane outside. The heat hit us in a huge wave. Wow, what a difference from our cold weather on the California coast. After picking up our luggage (just one bag, that held stuff for the boat), we walked out into a flurry of activity. Taxi driving in the islands is a popular career and there were no less than 20 different taxis outside of this tiny airport. We hopped into one of the vans and sped off to our hotel for the night, Emerald Bay Resort.

What a beautiful place! Right on the beach (Lindbergh Bay) and the people are great! We put our stuff in the room, called the kids to check in and say goodnight,  and headed out to check out the beach. We were given a welcome drink upon arrival, so we took that to the beach and enjoyed the view. The water was warm, again a stark contrast to our 50 degree waters back home. After spending about an hour relaxing, we decided to grab some sleep before continuing on our journey the next day. The time difference of 3 hours did not affect us as much as I thought. It was surprisingly easy to get up at 7am to find breakfast, despite it being 4am back home. We ate at Caribbean Fusion, which was on the hotel property, a lovely beach front restaurant. We sat at a table closest to the water and had our coffee. While we waited for our breakfast, it began to rain, so we moved inside. The food and staff were wonderful.

Around 8:30 am, we were checking out, when a couple offered to share their taxi with us to the ferry terminal. After chatting a bit, the woman mentioned her dad lived around the corner from us! What a small world! They left at the Charlotte Amalie terminal, but we had a boat to see in Red Hook, so David took us all the way to the other end of the island, "no problem".

David, our driver, was a cool guy. He talked about his visit to California and his hope to buy property there someday, how he grew up in Florida and moved to St. Thomas as a teenager and met his wife, how he splits his time working as a taxi driver and a construction worker, etc. He had all sorts of fun facts about the island and by the end of the short trip, we had a nice friendship going. He gave us his card, so that when we needed a ride back on St. Thomas, to give him a call. 

We arrived in Red Hook and the terminal happened to be right next to the marina, where the boat we hoped to see was berthed. This is where we began to learn that our broker was not really doing his job. In fact, he hadn't confirmed anything with the owner's broker at all. Needless to say, we only saw the boat from the dock. The owner's broker said that they could possibly arrange for another viewing on our return trip to St. Thomas on Thursday, so we set that up and went on our way to secure tickets for the ferry ride to West End, Tortola.

It was now around 11 am, so we grabbed a cold drink (ice water and soda; which by the way, we probably drank more cold soda on this trip than we've had in the past year), filled out the customs forms, and waited for time to board the ferry. 11:45 am rolled around and it was time to go. We initially sat up top, as we wanted to take in the view of all the islands, but a rain shower and lightning put a stop to that plan.

We sat inside the air conditioned cabin and watched the islands and colorful water pass by. We docked around 12:45 pm where it was pouring. Thankfully, there were many taxi drivers waiting. One lady motioned for us to go to her van, where we escaped the showers. Another couple joined us, and turns out they were from Gilroy! Again, what a small world. We were treated to a scenic route of the island, going around Cane Garden Bay and eventually cutting down along the middle of the island towards Road Town. Port Purcell is where the boat we chartered was located. All in all, it was about an hour's drive.

We chartered Amethyst, a Beneteau 34, through BVI Yacht Charters (used VI Sailing initially and they set it up through BVIYC). By now, it was around 3pm, and if we wanted to leave port anytime soon, we had to get a move on. Sailing at night is not allowed.

Since we have our sailing certification, checking in was a breeze. We had a quick chart briefing (we also took a course online, so this made it even quicker), Tony took us through the boat and showed us all the systems, etc., and by 3:30pm, we had our empty packs on our backs and were walking to the nearest grocery store, Rightway.

It was about a 10 minute walk, (watch out though, because there aren't any crosswalks, and we had to remind ourselves to adjust to the fact that they drive on the opposite side of the road) and we thoroughly enjoyed the AC once inside the store. Provisioning in the islands is definitely more expensive than the mainland. I enjoyed comparing the prices though, when I could. Many of the items did not have a price on the shelf, so we were sort of guesstimating how much things cost. For the prices I did find, you can basically double the cost from the mainland. There were many brand names we recognized, although definitely not the big selection we are used to. One costly item was apples. It was $2 for ONE apple! One roll of toilet paper was $1.79 (yep, one ROLL, not a package).

We met another cruising couple while shopping and chatted up awhile. When we got to the butter, we both exclaimed how we couldn't possibly use up the double containers that they were sold in, so they said to meet them up front and they would give us one of the tubs. Cool! We checked out and all in all, it was about $170 for the week. We filled our packs and ended up having to buy a couple of plastic bags to carry it all. Our menu contained fish, sandwich makings, salad, bbq items, eggs, pancake mix, jam, coffee creamer (we brought our own coffee and pasta from home), pasta sauce, and light snacks. We didn't get ice, but since the boat had a fridge and freezer, we figured we didn't need any. We bought the nice couple their bags (to pay them back for the butter), and headed out. Next door, is a store called Cash and Carry, which sells bulk items (sort of like Costco). They had closed by the time we finished shopping, so I waited with our purchases while Jared went back into Riteway to get a case of water. We were advised NOT to drink the water on the boat. While reading online, I read about how you never know when the water tanks were last cleaned, so its best to use bottled water for drinking.

We made it back to the boat around 4:30pm and Tony said that since we knew what we were doing, he'd let us go ahead and leave port. He recommended sailing to The Bight on Norman Island, but we ended up going straight across to Peter Island and picked up a mooring ball in Great Harbour.

Turns out others had the same idea, because we had about 10 other boats in there with us. Not exactly the solitude we were looking for, and wow, did those people like to party. At one point, two catamarans had a music war going. A LOUD music war. One even upped the ante with a rainbow colored light show. It made fun entertainment for all of about 5 minutes, before we swore we would do everything possible to ensure we never anchored or moored with these people again.

We don't begrudge them party time, however, we were tired from traveling and trying to sleep with all that racket was difficult. It was also HOT. So darn hot, because we failed to notice the entire anchorage was sheltered by the island, and to add to that, the boat did not have much ventilation. A couple of tiny hatches and a few even smaller porthole windows. Even with the windscoop up and fans going in the cabin, we were sweating like crazy. Jumping in the water to cool off didn't really help either. So, we kept everything open, despite warnings of mosquitoes (which by the way, we only saw ONE the entire trip, thankfully). Jared tried sleeping up on deck, but that wasn't any better. We learned an important lesson that first night: find an anchorage where the island is lower and allows wind to pass through!

Torola off in the distance.