12 Days, 11 Nights, 9 Ferries--Part Two
Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 1:56 pm
Sunday, January 31
Marc and Liz were enjoying the splendor of waking up to White Bay (in a rain-soaked tent) and Janie and I had this beautiful house to ourselves. We decided to just enjoy the house today---besides, yesterday had been a bit of a marathon so we needed a break in the action. I got in touch with my softer side by picking bougainvillea and putting flower arrangements around the house. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1u ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3bsj ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X4 ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3bs1 ... ></a>After heading to Starfish and Pine Peace, spent most of the day cooking and preparing for our "Love City Dinner Dance" that evening. It was a pretty simple dinner really--these olive and red pepper toasts, N.Y. strips, greek salad, some au gratin potatoes---but it always seems to take longer in an unfamiliar kitchen. Also made some rum drinks and hung out by the pool:<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sA ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S4VHW ... pg"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kU ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3bsw ... 5.JPG"></a>
Dinner was a big hit---it was a beautiful evening to eat outside overlooking Klein Bay. It had been a full moon the night before so we still had a beautiful moonlit sky. I will spare you the dancing photos. We spent some time looking for the Southern Cross, after listening to that song a few times. After a leisurely day at home Janie and I were ready to party so we headed into town about 10. We stopped at Woody's and as I was about to order, I realized I had neglected to bring an important item---my wallet or any money. Janie talked to either Todd (or Chad)--he told us it was no problem and said to order whatever we wanted. Thanks guys.
Monday, February 1
Marc and Liz were still enjoying their return to civilization after the Ivan's foray so we stuck close to home this morning. We made the short drive down the hill to to Klein Bay. I assured everyone it would be the best snorkeling of the trip. After all, if you have to do the whole awkward thing with putting on your fins on the rocky shoreline, then carefully stepping over sea urchins to enter the water, there must be a big payoff. Surprisingly, we didn't see much except a whole lot of sea grass. I have seen turtles here before so I'm sure it was just bad luck or not knowing where to look. This afternoon we headed to Trunk Bay. I was a bit reluctant. Seeing the crowds at the overlook didn't help---looked like a very busy ant colony down there. Yes, it was crowded when we arrived, and yes, we were seated not terribly far from a noisy cruise ship group, but being seated next to us might not be a picnic either. Fortunately, we had gotten our usual late start and the crowds thinned considerably as the afternoon progressed. By 3:30 or so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves. I had poo-pooed the snorkeling here, but honestly it was pretty good. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_c ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S52i8 ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SW ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3btF ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2I ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S52iv ... 4.JPG"></a>
We stopped at Woody's on the way home to enjoy some cheap beer, to offer to pay my tab from the night before and to consume a nice variety of deep-fried food.The deep-fried shrimp may not make the cover of Bon Appetit anytime soon but it did hit the spot after a day at the beach.
Dinner was at Rhumb Lines---probably my favorite restaurant on STJ. Seared pepper crusted tuna and various pu-pu (cilantro lime corn-crusted shrimp, lemongrass beef skewers, peanut sate chicken skewers) were all delicious. After dinner service closed, Rhumb Lines was hosting a party with Toussaint the Liberator---his final night on the island. Loved this band again. I'm pretty sure we were the oldest ones there---it was mostly a younger crowd working at the various restaurants, boats and elsewhere.
Tuesday, February 2
Up early to pack the cooler---we were heading out on a boat today with Nancy B. and Ron from the Forum as well as Chitownchick and Alan. We had rented a 28 foot boat from Ocean Runners.
It was a beautiful day, but a bit rough. I had hyped up the Willie T, but our good captain, Pogan, thought Norman Island would be a bad idea today due to the waves. We headed to Soper's Hole, Smuggler's Cove, then Sandy Spit for a walk around the island. Lunch was at Taboo. We placed our orders at the bar and headed to the Bubbly Pool, which was great fun. Unlike some of the beach bars, the food at Taboo is great, and I was pretty excited about my shish kebab in a pita--one of the many things I now wish I had photographed---let this be a lesson.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rD ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3btg ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C6 ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3c4q ... 7.JPG"></a>
Late afternoon was at White Bay---and it was brilliant sunshine. Pogan swam in Janie's hat since she never goes anywhere without it. We saw Captain John Brandi at White Bay---fortified by painkillers and rum punch, Nancy B. and I introduced ourselves--- Captain John could not have been any more friendly and he made a short video of us on the beach--what a nice guy.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fz ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3c5W ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8O ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3c5n ... 6.JPG"></a>
Nancy B. and Ron joined us for a drink at Leeward---they really love the island and we had a great time chatting about STJ. Dinner was at Cafe Roma. Honestly, though, this was a bad idea after boat day on Jost ---I hit the wall during dinner and I'm a little surprised my head didn't fall into my chicken parm. There was a couple next to us having a marital disagreement and they started yelling at each other during dinner and then walked out---I guess not everyone is happy in Love City. We could have had some good entries for "Heard Last Night" if you've ever seen that website.
Wednesday, February 3
Got up early to head to St. John Car Rental. I'd had a minor run-in with the stone wall in our driveway when I was trying to turn the car around in a narrow spot that wasn't really designed for this maneuver. In the middle of the night I had started thinking about how expensive everything was in STJ and started imagiung the repair bill might be in the thousands---yikes. While I was waiting for the engineer to look the car over, I walked down to STJ Spice to pick up some grill rub and other provisions and to say hello to Ruth. Went back to STJ Car Rental to get their assessment and the damage was pretty minor---under $500. Cynthia at STJ Car Rental told me not to worry so much and to enjoy the rest of my vacation---so I did.
One personal fact I have not confessed on the Forum is that I have never been to Maho. After hanging out at the pool in the morning, I suggested we head to Maho as our beach of the day. We drove along Centerline and paused to get the classic down-island shot at Chateau Bordeaux.
Maho was jammed with cars on both sides of the road. We got out briefly but it was busy and the beach is pretty narrow anyway. We decided to move on to Cinnamon, which we had also discussed. Cinnamon was ungodly beautiful that day---you'll have to take my word for it---I left my camera in the Jeep and never went back to get it. Stopped by Starfish and PPine Peace:<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/j7 ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3NkO ... >Cocktails at the house that night, shrimp on the grill, some tasty bars and tarts from Deli Grotto, some staring at the southern sky, some dancing, and the trip was over for Marc and Liz.
Thursday, February 4
Marc and Liz were off to the airport this morning and Janie and I were off to wait for another ferry. Some other good friends of ours from Des Moines were heading to Virgin Gorda for a family trip and we decided to meet up in the BVI for a few days before the rest of their crew arrived. We settled on Peter Island, a place we had both wanted to stay ever since visiting it by boat several years ago. We took the ferry to West End, Tortola then caught a cab to Roadtown to catch the ferry to Peter Island. Our cab driver in Tortola was just incredibly upbeat and friendly---Forbes was his last name, though I can't recall his first name. Anyway, we started talking about Tortola and he was excited that we took a genuine interest in the island. He started asking me some BVI trivia and I was lucky enough to get most of the questions right, so he kept pausing to give me high-fives and handshakes (we told him we were in no hurry). He gave me a CD of island music his brother-in-law, identified on the CD as "Deh Dog Himself," had recorded. I later saw the CD at the Peter Island gift shop. We waited a bit at the ferry dock---they had a nice air-conditioned waiting area with complimentary soda and beer. It was a nice day, though, so I took my Carib and laid out on the concrete dock to soak up some sun.
I called our friend Glenn and asked him how Peter Island was, as they had gotten there the day before. Glenn replied "its like living in Heaven." Its a pretty idyllic island, very uncrowded, removed from the worries of everyday life, and the food is wonderful, so I quickly understood. After arriving on the ferry, and changing into our suits, we quickly headed to Deadman's Bay beach , and met our friends for a late lunch at the beach grill---conch fritters, grilled swordfish, key lime pie--not exactly good for my beach figure.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xt ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nrr ... 8.JPG"></a> We enjoyed the beautiful beach that afternoon and celebrated that night with a bottle of champagne on the back porch of our bungalow overlooking Tortola, followed by a great dinner.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xt ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nrr ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Vf ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3No7 ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JH ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3NpC ... 3.JPG"></a>
Friday, February 5
Coconut-crusted French Toast hit the spot for breakfast.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Hb ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nk8 ... 8.JPG"></a>
We headed to the beach and spent most of the day taking out a small hobie-cat and sailing around the bay. I took sailing lessons about a hundred years ago,as did our friend Debby, but we're both pretty rusty, so this small boat in sight of the water sports desk was the right speed for us.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pS ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nrh ... rectlink<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aA ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nsk ... 1.JPG"></a>
At sunset, you can go up to a point at the top of the island if you want, and they bring up wine, cheese and fruit to enjoy while you watch the BVI aglow in orange as the sun goes down.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Z6 ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3NnY ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8d ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nnz ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f4 ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nn6 ... 9.JPG"></a>
Another great dinner at the beach grill, a short walk around the harbor and early-to-bed....no late-night cocktails at Larry's Landing.
Saturday, February 6
Fresh fruit and eggs benedict overlooking the Sir Francis Drake Channel is an excellent way to start the day. Went to Deadman's Bay again to hone my meager sailing skills on the little hobie-cat. Glenn and Debby left late morning for Virgin Gorda---we soaked up some more sun at beautiful Deadman's Bay and took the 2:00 ferry to Tortola. As I was packing to check out, I couldn't find my wallet--Janie asked me when I last had it and I couldn't really remember. I found it in the shorts I had worn on the ferry to Peter Island two days earlier. Although I'm not a big AI person, it is nice to not worry about your wallet for a few days. I also didn't lock our door most of the time in Peter Island, though I'm not sure thats a recommended practice. One last look at Deadman's Bay:<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Gl ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3NrI ... 0.JPG"></a>
In Roadtown we took a cab to West End. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Oh ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Ns_ ... "></a>Then its ferry ride #7 to Red Hook (stopping in STJ for customs---we were tempted to bolt our customs line and head over to Cap's Place). We were spending Saturday night at Secret Harbour to get ready for a flight home at 9 the next morning. It was a gorgeous sunset at Secret Harbour. We booked the lowest room category at SH--the room itself was pretty dated, but it had a great view of the ocean.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wJ ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3QAZ ... 2.JPG"></a>
The logical thing would have been to have dinner at Blue Moon Cafe at Secret Harbour---an excellent restaurant I hear-- and go to bed early. Janie really wanted to wander around Cruz Bay one more time so we took the 7:00 ferry over to STJ. We were coming off of two plus days of gluttony on Peter Island so we didn't really need to eat.much. We had drinks at Woody's, split a burger, and wandered over to the Beach Bar and listened to a good bluegrass band from New Hampshire called Crunchy Western Boys. We ran into Nancy B. and Ron at the BB which was fun. Late night ferry under the stars back to STT (ferry #9) and the trip was essentially over:( (sorry for the emoticon, Lex).
Sunday, February 7
Its my birthday. Not good planning to head home on my birthday, but I needed to get back to work some time. Flights were uneventful but I really didn't want to head home. Our friends Liz and Marc picked us up at the airport and brought me a key lime cake for my birthday. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ks ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S52l- ... JPG"></a>I think I started planning for next year before I went to bed.
Marc and Liz were enjoying the splendor of waking up to White Bay (in a rain-soaked tent) and Janie and I had this beautiful house to ourselves. We decided to just enjoy the house today---besides, yesterday had been a bit of a marathon so we needed a break in the action. I got in touch with my softer side by picking bougainvillea and putting flower arrangements around the house. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1u ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3bsj ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X4 ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3bs1 ... ></a>After heading to Starfish and Pine Peace, spent most of the day cooking and preparing for our "Love City Dinner Dance" that evening. It was a pretty simple dinner really--these olive and red pepper toasts, N.Y. strips, greek salad, some au gratin potatoes---but it always seems to take longer in an unfamiliar kitchen. Also made some rum drinks and hung out by the pool:<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sA ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S4VHW ... pg"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kU ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3bsw ... 5.JPG"></a>
Dinner was a big hit---it was a beautiful evening to eat outside overlooking Klein Bay. It had been a full moon the night before so we still had a beautiful moonlit sky. I will spare you the dancing photos. We spent some time looking for the Southern Cross, after listening to that song a few times. After a leisurely day at home Janie and I were ready to party so we headed into town about 10. We stopped at Woody's and as I was about to order, I realized I had neglected to bring an important item---my wallet or any money. Janie talked to either Todd (or Chad)--he told us it was no problem and said to order whatever we wanted. Thanks guys.
Monday, February 1
Marc and Liz were still enjoying their return to civilization after the Ivan's foray so we stuck close to home this morning. We made the short drive down the hill to to Klein Bay. I assured everyone it would be the best snorkeling of the trip. After all, if you have to do the whole awkward thing with putting on your fins on the rocky shoreline, then carefully stepping over sea urchins to enter the water, there must be a big payoff. Surprisingly, we didn't see much except a whole lot of sea grass. I have seen turtles here before so I'm sure it was just bad luck or not knowing where to look. This afternoon we headed to Trunk Bay. I was a bit reluctant. Seeing the crowds at the overlook didn't help---looked like a very busy ant colony down there. Yes, it was crowded when we arrived, and yes, we were seated not terribly far from a noisy cruise ship group, but being seated next to us might not be a picnic either. Fortunately, we had gotten our usual late start and the crowds thinned considerably as the afternoon progressed. By 3:30 or so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves. I had poo-pooed the snorkeling here, but honestly it was pretty good. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_c ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S52i8 ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SW ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3btF ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2I ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S52iv ... 4.JPG"></a>
We stopped at Woody's on the way home to enjoy some cheap beer, to offer to pay my tab from the night before and to consume a nice variety of deep-fried food.The deep-fried shrimp may not make the cover of Bon Appetit anytime soon but it did hit the spot after a day at the beach.
Dinner was at Rhumb Lines---probably my favorite restaurant on STJ. Seared pepper crusted tuna and various pu-pu (cilantro lime corn-crusted shrimp, lemongrass beef skewers, peanut sate chicken skewers) were all delicious. After dinner service closed, Rhumb Lines was hosting a party with Toussaint the Liberator---his final night on the island. Loved this band again. I'm pretty sure we were the oldest ones there---it was mostly a younger crowd working at the various restaurants, boats and elsewhere.
Tuesday, February 2
Up early to pack the cooler---we were heading out on a boat today with Nancy B. and Ron from the Forum as well as Chitownchick and Alan. We had rented a 28 foot boat from Ocean Runners.
It was a beautiful day, but a bit rough. I had hyped up the Willie T, but our good captain, Pogan, thought Norman Island would be a bad idea today due to the waves. We headed to Soper's Hole, Smuggler's Cove, then Sandy Spit for a walk around the island. Lunch was at Taboo. We placed our orders at the bar and headed to the Bubbly Pool, which was great fun. Unlike some of the beach bars, the food at Taboo is great, and I was pretty excited about my shish kebab in a pita--one of the many things I now wish I had photographed---let this be a lesson.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rD ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3btg ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C6 ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3c4q ... 7.JPG"></a>
Late afternoon was at White Bay---and it was brilliant sunshine. Pogan swam in Janie's hat since she never goes anywhere without it. We saw Captain John Brandi at White Bay---fortified by painkillers and rum punch, Nancy B. and I introduced ourselves--- Captain John could not have been any more friendly and he made a short video of us on the beach--what a nice guy.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fz ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3c5W ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8O ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3c5n ... 6.JPG"></a>
Nancy B. and Ron joined us for a drink at Leeward---they really love the island and we had a great time chatting about STJ. Dinner was at Cafe Roma. Honestly, though, this was a bad idea after boat day on Jost ---I hit the wall during dinner and I'm a little surprised my head didn't fall into my chicken parm. There was a couple next to us having a marital disagreement and they started yelling at each other during dinner and then walked out---I guess not everyone is happy in Love City. We could have had some good entries for "Heard Last Night" if you've ever seen that website.
Wednesday, February 3
Got up early to head to St. John Car Rental. I'd had a minor run-in with the stone wall in our driveway when I was trying to turn the car around in a narrow spot that wasn't really designed for this maneuver. In the middle of the night I had started thinking about how expensive everything was in STJ and started imagiung the repair bill might be in the thousands---yikes. While I was waiting for the engineer to look the car over, I walked down to STJ Spice to pick up some grill rub and other provisions and to say hello to Ruth. Went back to STJ Car Rental to get their assessment and the damage was pretty minor---under $500. Cynthia at STJ Car Rental told me not to worry so much and to enjoy the rest of my vacation---so I did.
One personal fact I have not confessed on the Forum is that I have never been to Maho. After hanging out at the pool in the morning, I suggested we head to Maho as our beach of the day. We drove along Centerline and paused to get the classic down-island shot at Chateau Bordeaux.
Maho was jammed with cars on both sides of the road. We got out briefly but it was busy and the beach is pretty narrow anyway. We decided to move on to Cinnamon, which we had also discussed. Cinnamon was ungodly beautiful that day---you'll have to take my word for it---I left my camera in the Jeep and never went back to get it. Stopped by Starfish and PPine Peace:<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/j7 ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3NkO ... >Cocktails at the house that night, shrimp on the grill, some tasty bars and tarts from Deli Grotto, some staring at the southern sky, some dancing, and the trip was over for Marc and Liz.
Thursday, February 4
Marc and Liz were off to the airport this morning and Janie and I were off to wait for another ferry. Some other good friends of ours from Des Moines were heading to Virgin Gorda for a family trip and we decided to meet up in the BVI for a few days before the rest of their crew arrived. We settled on Peter Island, a place we had both wanted to stay ever since visiting it by boat several years ago. We took the ferry to West End, Tortola then caught a cab to Roadtown to catch the ferry to Peter Island. Our cab driver in Tortola was just incredibly upbeat and friendly---Forbes was his last name, though I can't recall his first name. Anyway, we started talking about Tortola and he was excited that we took a genuine interest in the island. He started asking me some BVI trivia and I was lucky enough to get most of the questions right, so he kept pausing to give me high-fives and handshakes (we told him we were in no hurry). He gave me a CD of island music his brother-in-law, identified on the CD as "Deh Dog Himself," had recorded. I later saw the CD at the Peter Island gift shop. We waited a bit at the ferry dock---they had a nice air-conditioned waiting area with complimentary soda and beer. It was a nice day, though, so I took my Carib and laid out on the concrete dock to soak up some sun.
I called our friend Glenn and asked him how Peter Island was, as they had gotten there the day before. Glenn replied "its like living in Heaven." Its a pretty idyllic island, very uncrowded, removed from the worries of everyday life, and the food is wonderful, so I quickly understood. After arriving on the ferry, and changing into our suits, we quickly headed to Deadman's Bay beach , and met our friends for a late lunch at the beach grill---conch fritters, grilled swordfish, key lime pie--not exactly good for my beach figure.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xt ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nrr ... 8.JPG"></a> We enjoyed the beautiful beach that afternoon and celebrated that night with a bottle of champagne on the back porch of our bungalow overlooking Tortola, followed by a great dinner.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xt ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nrr ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Vf ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3No7 ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JH ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3NpC ... 3.JPG"></a>
Friday, February 5
Coconut-crusted French Toast hit the spot for breakfast.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Hb ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nk8 ... 8.JPG"></a>
We headed to the beach and spent most of the day taking out a small hobie-cat and sailing around the bay. I took sailing lessons about a hundred years ago,as did our friend Debby, but we're both pretty rusty, so this small boat in sight of the water sports desk was the right speed for us.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pS ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nrh ... rectlink<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aA ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nsk ... 1.JPG"></a>
At sunset, you can go up to a point at the top of the island if you want, and they bring up wine, cheese and fruit to enjoy while you watch the BVI aglow in orange as the sun goes down.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Z6 ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3NnY ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8d ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nnz ... PG"></a><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f4 ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Nn6 ... 9.JPG"></a>
Another great dinner at the beach grill, a short walk around the harbor and early-to-bed....no late-night cocktails at Larry's Landing.
Saturday, February 6
Fresh fruit and eggs benedict overlooking the Sir Francis Drake Channel is an excellent way to start the day. Went to Deadman's Bay again to hone my meager sailing skills on the little hobie-cat. Glenn and Debby left late morning for Virgin Gorda---we soaked up some more sun at beautiful Deadman's Bay and took the 2:00 ferry to Tortola. As I was packing to check out, I couldn't find my wallet--Janie asked me when I last had it and I couldn't really remember. I found it in the shorts I had worn on the ferry to Peter Island two days earlier. Although I'm not a big AI person, it is nice to not worry about your wallet for a few days. I also didn't lock our door most of the time in Peter Island, though I'm not sure thats a recommended practice. One last look at Deadman's Bay:<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Gl ... site"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3NrI ... 0.JPG"></a>
In Roadtown we took a cab to West End. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Oh ... site"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3Ns_ ... "></a>Then its ferry ride #7 to Red Hook (stopping in STJ for customs---we were tempted to bolt our customs line and head over to Cap's Place). We were spending Saturday night at Secret Harbour to get ready for a flight home at 9 the next morning. It was a gorgeous sunset at Secret Harbour. We booked the lowest room category at SH--the room itself was pretty dated, but it had a great view of the ocean.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wJ ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S3QAZ ... 2.JPG"></a>
The logical thing would have been to have dinner at Blue Moon Cafe at Secret Harbour---an excellent restaurant I hear-- and go to bed early. Janie really wanted to wander around Cruz Bay one more time so we took the 7:00 ferry over to STJ. We were coming off of two plus days of gluttony on Peter Island so we didn't really need to eat.much. We had drinks at Woody's, split a burger, and wandered over to the Beach Bar and listened to a good bluegrass band from New Hampshire called Crunchy Western Boys. We ran into Nancy B. and Ron at the BB which was fun. Late night ferry under the stars back to STT (ferry #9) and the trip was essentially over:( (sorry for the emoticon, Lex).
Sunday, February 7
Its my birthday. Not good planning to head home on my birthday, but I needed to get back to work some time. Flights were uneventful but I really didn't want to head home. Our friends Liz and Marc picked us up at the airport and brought me a key lime cake for my birthday. <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ks ... site"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2InZ4CRfSPI/S52l- ... JPG"></a>I think I started planning for next year before I went to bed.
