Saturday, April 1, 2017

V.I.CATION CRUISE 2017


Carroll Family climbing the rocks at Salt Pond Island, BVI

We are always delighted to have folks on board and are especially tickled when our son's or daughter's family sails with us because they bring the grandkids and, of course,  OUR GRANDKIDS ROCK!  So it was with great pleasure that we had the opportunity to take a nine day V.I.CATION CRUISE with Becky's family in mid March. Their vacation requests were simple.  They wanted to SNORKEL and SWIM, ROCK CLIMB, EXPLORE the BATHS, see a WRECK, HIKE, and RELAX!



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Maya really got into free diving! She kept speeding up to "catch" fish
 and we had to stop her from accosting barracudas and sting rays.
         


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French Grunt hiding beneath Elk Horn Coral near Black Urchin
Becky, Jeff, Maya (9), and Genna (almost 7) flew into St. Thomas, USVI and took the ferry to St. John where we welcomed them aboard Exit Strategy.  This was Maya's 6th and Genna's 5th sail with us, so they quickly made themselves at home in their usual bunks. We spent the first day moored off of lovely Honeymoon Beach in Caneel Bay, St. John where they enjoyed the sandy shore and also got reacquainted with snorkeling.  Both girls are strong swimmers, but chose to wear life vests while snorkeling the first day. But soon Maya began diving and she left the vest behind to be able to view sea life closer. In the morning, we hiked the picturesque trail to Cruz Bay and visited the National Park Center, as much of the island is part of the National Park of the USVI.
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We ride the rail in hopes of a big splash!


The second day we moved on to Leinster Bay, St. John-USVI that also lies on the island's northern coast.  There we took time to snorkel Waterlemon Cay twice, as it is a favorite snorkel spot where you can often see larger fish on the channel side of the cay.  We also hiked to the Annaberg Plantation Ruins and learned a bit about the site's history from one of the volunteer guides.  Later on, the girls used hand lines to fish that Uncle Marty sent, with no result.
The following afternoon, we traveled the short distance across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to the BVI's West End (aka Sopers Hole) where we dutifully cleared into the BVI.  (Well, Captain Grandpa cleared us in and we browsed the local shops.)  We stayed the night and ate a leisurely dinner ashore at Pusser's Pub.



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Surprised to find a Geocache
         
Those are salt crystals along the shore.

In the morning, Exit Strategy headed toward Salt Island, BVI and took an NPS mooring.  We dinghied ashore to wander the uninhabited island taking a worn path that passed a simple graveyard and then  Becky stumbled upon a Geocache site.  After climbing part of the rocky shoreline, we trekked back and found an intriguing salt pond. Years ago, when it was in production, the  Governor collected one bag of salt per year for its tax.  Finally, we donned our snorkel gear to survey the Wreck of the Rhone, a British mail ship that sank during a hurricane in 1867.  Snorkeling a wreck was Genna's special vacation request, but prior to going there she was worried about seeing skeletons of the 123 passengers who died. Of course, there were no skeletons left- just piles of rubble and a huge propeller.
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Hallovers Bay climb
       
Later that afternoon, we motored the short distance to Cooper Island, BVI for the night.  This island is a busy, touristy place, but we generally avoid the main anchorage and drop the hook nearby at quiet Hallovers Bay. The huge, ragged boulders lining the shore here beckoned the girls, and their urge to do yet another climb was satisfied the next morning.  Genna is an avid rock climber and accompanied Becky up to some incredible heights.




The "Welcoming Committee at the Dogs: File Fish and Yellowtail Snappers
Soon after their soirée ashore, we set a course in a northwesterly direction towards The Dogs, BVI, another good snorkel and dive spot.  We were the only vessel moored in the area and found the "tamed" fish eager to welcome us when we jumped in the water.

From there we went to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, BVI to anchor for the night.  We dingied in to find some ice cream treat.  However, a uniformed man, complete with clip board, met us at the dock and informed us of a $2 per person charge to come ashore.  As much as we all wanted ice cream, THAT was RIDICULOUS. To benefit Maya and Genna, a short lesson in economics ensued and we sadly returned to the boat, where I tried to whip up a sort of coconut pudding that turned out to be too sweet to eat! (Imagine that...)


The Baths are located just east of Spanish Town along the leeward shore of Virgin Gorda. They are the top tourist destination of the BVI, but they truly are a "must see" site that affords a memorable hike through gigantic smooth boulders. We moored the boat off of Spring Bay and hiked the trail backwards.  Genna and Maya acted as scouts to find open passages that adults could squeeze through.  They did a fine job considering the largest in our group was their 6 foot 5 inch dad, Jeff.  Luckily, we made it through pretty far before meeting up with a tourist group of 100 (!) being lead through in the opposite direction.  
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Maya leads the way
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Genna cannon balling at the Baths
























We over-nighted at anchor in Road Town, Tortola, BVI where they recently renovated their cruise ship dock.  Dinner was had ashore that evening at Maria's By the Sea where we had ICE CREAM for dessert. Genna and Maya took in the sites and sounds of the busy harbor while relaxing in the hammock.  In the morning, Captain Grandpa cleared us out of the BVI while we girls made a quick stop at the local grocer.


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Hawknest Bay, another pristine anchorage within the boundaries of the National Park of St. John-USVI was our next destination.  The crew of Exit Strategy had not been here in years and were pleased to find the beaches still beautiful, the shoreline still relatively undeveloped, and more NPS moorings.  Snorkeling here netted multiple sightings of small sting rays and Hawksbill turtles, for which the bay is so named.  On the beach, the girls also found a treasure map and dug up some booty!
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Christmas tree worms on coral
       
On many evenings during the cruise, we played a variety of games including Dominoes, SPOONS/MONKEY, Skip-bo, and Uno. However, that evening in Hawknest Bay, we relished a bit of Face Time with our son Bob's family in St. Croix.  The four cousins (including Lyla and Aslan) shared secret hiding places to use on board Exit Strategy while playing Hide-and-Seek.
 




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The next morning we made our way back to Cruz Bay, St. John to officially clear into the USVI. An ice cream shop was conveniently located near Customs and Immigration, so a few of us succumbed one last time. 


Our final night with Becky's family was spent in Christmas Cove, St. James, USVI.  Upon arriving there, we jumped  in for a swim and snorkel and were rewarded with seeing sea stars, more rays, and an octopus on the hunt. The girls tried fishing again and Becky caught a small yellowtail snapper.


At rest, an octopus resembles a clump of dead coral.
  I happened to spot this one when it finally moved.

On the final morning of our V.I.CATION CRUISE 2017, Captain Grandpa maneuvered Exit Strategy to Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, USVI.  Brewers Bay has a nice, sandy stretch of beach and is located adjacent to the airport's runway.  However, "you can't get there from here", as there is no close dinghy dock to access the airport.  So after taking some time  to swim and play on the beach, Becky's family packed up their things, said good-bye, and taxied to the airport.  Although we are always sad to say "Good-bye" we know
                            THEY'LL BE BACK...


1 comment:

Cheetah II said...

How fun it is to have family on board and share the life we live with them. Grandchildren are a blessing and a joy.