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Virgin Voyage Trip Report - Part 2
Virgin Voyage Trip Report - Part 2
Day 4 – April 15:
Another day, another adventure! We had reserved a dinghy from Calypso so after a quick breakfast we met in front of Margarita Phil’s for our boat orientation.
Our plan was to head straight to Waterlemon, then slowly make our way back to Cruz Bay throughout the day. But this was the most overcast morning of our entire trip and the sky looked pretty wicked in that direction. Instead our first stop was Cinnamon Bay where we put on our snorkel gear. We found the wreckage of the small Piper airplane just off Little Cinnamon beach thanks to our copy of “Feet, Fins & 4WD.” (Don’t expect much wreckage, and look carefully because it’s not easy to find).
By this time it had started raining in every direction. We bit the bullet and had a soggy ride to Waterlemon. Since we were already wet, why not snorkel…
The rain stopped in time for a snack…
And the rain started again. But the water was very calm so we had a quick trip back to the North Shore beaches. We stopped at Trunk Bay, tied up to a mooring, and swam up to shore before all hell broke loose. Those of us waiting out the storm in the water looked much happier than the people shivering on the beach.
We ended our dinghy day at Caneel Bay. Of course we had to try their Painkillers while wandering around the resort. What a beautiful place!
That evening we went back to Margarita Phil’s for dinner and an early night.
Day 5 – April 16:
I was ready to do some hiking after our previous day on the water, so we chose the Reef Bay Trail. But it was the kickoff to Easter week and we couldn’t find a jeep, so we had to find a creative way to get to the trailhead. We improvised by renting a scooter for the day. What a blast!
Our first stop was the petroglyphs.
I guess we got lucky with the rain on the previous day because the waterfall was flowing and they showed up really well.
Next, we explored the old sugar mill. It’s easy to see how the jungle could overtake these buildings.
And lots of bats and dead crabs everywhere.
After our long hike, we had a picnic lunch of elk sausage and cheese sandwiches on Reef Bay beach. We were pretty disappointed with the snorkeling at Reef Bay until we saw the “squid day care” – a semicircle of baby squid being watched over by another semicircle of larger squid. All eyes were on us as we swam through this extended family. Too bad we didn’t have the underwater camera…
We dried off and set out to find the old Reef Bay Estate House. This was the former home of Anna Marsh, who was murdered there in the 1950s. The NPS must have plans work on the property because we saw some scaffolding in one of the rooms. But nothing has been done lately and it looked pretty run down and a bit spooky.
The hike back to the top was tough and we were happy to get back on the scooter and fly back down to Cruz Bay.
Dinner that evening was at the Lime Inn. We could tell that the town was picking up and most restaurants were busy. We ended the night at the Quiet Mon pub – a great Irish bar in the middle of the Caribbean!
Another day, another adventure! We had reserved a dinghy from Calypso so after a quick breakfast we met in front of Margarita Phil’s for our boat orientation.
Our plan was to head straight to Waterlemon, then slowly make our way back to Cruz Bay throughout the day. But this was the most overcast morning of our entire trip and the sky looked pretty wicked in that direction. Instead our first stop was Cinnamon Bay where we put on our snorkel gear. We found the wreckage of the small Piper airplane just off Little Cinnamon beach thanks to our copy of “Feet, Fins & 4WD.” (Don’t expect much wreckage, and look carefully because it’s not easy to find).
By this time it had started raining in every direction. We bit the bullet and had a soggy ride to Waterlemon. Since we were already wet, why not snorkel…
The rain stopped in time for a snack…
And the rain started again. But the water was very calm so we had a quick trip back to the North Shore beaches. We stopped at Trunk Bay, tied up to a mooring, and swam up to shore before all hell broke loose. Those of us waiting out the storm in the water looked much happier than the people shivering on the beach.
We ended our dinghy day at Caneel Bay. Of course we had to try their Painkillers while wandering around the resort. What a beautiful place!
That evening we went back to Margarita Phil’s for dinner and an early night.
Day 5 – April 16:
I was ready to do some hiking after our previous day on the water, so we chose the Reef Bay Trail. But it was the kickoff to Easter week and we couldn’t find a jeep, so we had to find a creative way to get to the trailhead. We improvised by renting a scooter for the day. What a blast!
Our first stop was the petroglyphs.
I guess we got lucky with the rain on the previous day because the waterfall was flowing and they showed up really well.
Next, we explored the old sugar mill. It’s easy to see how the jungle could overtake these buildings.
And lots of bats and dead crabs everywhere.
After our long hike, we had a picnic lunch of elk sausage and cheese sandwiches on Reef Bay beach. We were pretty disappointed with the snorkeling at Reef Bay until we saw the “squid day care” – a semicircle of baby squid being watched over by another semicircle of larger squid. All eyes were on us as we swam through this extended family. Too bad we didn’t have the underwater camera…
We dried off and set out to find the old Reef Bay Estate House. This was the former home of Anna Marsh, who was murdered there in the 1950s. The NPS must have plans work on the property because we saw some scaffolding in one of the rooms. But nothing has been done lately and it looked pretty run down and a bit spooky.
The hike back to the top was tough and we were happy to get back on the scooter and fly back down to Cruz Bay.
Dinner that evening was at the Lime Inn. We could tell that the town was picking up and most restaurants were busy. We ended the night at the Quiet Mon pub – a great Irish bar in the middle of the Caribbean!
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msgcolleen
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Woo Hoo! Dinghy Day and the Reef Bay hike is on our list of "to do's" on our next trip! Sounds like you had fun and never heard of renting scooters! Might have to try that too! Thanks for sharing your adventures~~ 
I've got 2 tickets to paradise~Pack your bags we'll leave tonight!
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Heather-in-MA
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EagleRayLover
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