Christmas with Kel and Andrew

Christmas photo

Donna and Kel experiment with double kayak

We hiked up the mountain headed toward White Bay.  This was taken half way down the other side.

After quite a long trek, we made it to the first stop.....  Ivan's Stress Free Bar!  We all had the house speciality  Rum Punch

Now this is what you are supposed to do.  Sit in the hammock with the one you love on a white sandy beach drinking a fruity rum drink!!!

View from Ivan's towards White's Beach.  We followed the path that our fearless lone leader discovered while we were relaxing at Ivan's.

Are you ready to go?

After following our leader through the path we wound up at the Soggy Dollar Bar.  They make the best painkillers in the world.  Or so they say.  After drinks at Ivan's and Soggy Dollar Bar we opted for a "taxi" ride home in the back of a pick up truck with two bench seats along the sides of the bed.  Andrew spotted a herd of goats along the road.  For some the ride was quite an adventure.  A great time  for sure!!!

Our view from the mooring ball before going ashore to follow the path to the bubbly pool.  It was fantastic to watch the birds and the waves.  The north swell was up so there were large breakers.

Breakers at the bubbly pool

Big surf

Goat on the path to bubbly pool

Kirk and Kel admiring the view

Kel enjoying the water and a book in Benures Bay

The water really is spectacular in Benures Bay

Kel and Andrew manning the helm

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree....  Santa arrived and brought some goodies

We had a surprise...  Carolers at the stern.   

Donna and Kelly in their RED Christmas shirts

Swimming Christmas morning with One White Tree in Benures Bay

Happy Andrew.  We made fudge......

Kel and Andrew mastered the art of making a one person pedal kayak work for two people.  This of course was at the direction of Donna who figured it out the hard way.

Hanging out with Ross and Diana

Since Jan and Glenn left, we have been doing boat chores like changing the oil in the engines and the gen set, oh my that is some black messy stuff, sewing on hatch covers, and hanging out with Ross and Diana. We met them last year in the Bahamas and have traveled with them whenever possible.  We have had fun with them.  We both have guests coming for Christmas.  So excited!!!!

Early morning showers made a rainbow over Charlotte Amalie in St Thomas 

Our boats Christmas lights.  HO HO HO

Boat parade

Pirate Ships

Which one do you think won?

99 steps in Charlotte Amalie.  We went in early one morning when there were no cruise ships thinking we would miss the crowds.  OOPPSS   trouble is they are not open when the cruise ships are not in town.  This leads the way to Blackbeards castle and other tourist attractions.

Long way down, even longer or so it seemed going up!  The steps were made from a danish ship's ballast back in the 1700's

View half way up looking out on Charlotte Amalie harbor.  Check out the foundation ruins below us.  It looked like they were going to build on them.

Our boat on the bottom right, One White Tree (Ross and Diana) on the left. If you look real closely you can see the big Canadian flag on their back stay. (it is the little red dot).  You can kinda see the swells out past the island.

Cool sculpture of three women.  Each one had a light of some sort (torch, lantern) in one hand  and a weapon in the other.  Maybe was to fight off the pirates.  All have a determined look on their face.

Ahhh.... back at Christmas Cove at Great St James Island.  Sunset with a squall.  

USVI

We cleared in to USVI at Cruz Bay and then picked up a mooring ball in Caneel Bay on St John.  Big mistake as ferries roared through from St Thomas to St John  and we had some big rocking going on.  This is the sunset looking at Great James Island.  Wild clouds that night.

The next morning we made our way to St. Thomas and found La Luna  (Stew and Barb) whom we met in Grenada,  anchored off of Honeymoon Bay.  We were able to get an anchor down and were happy to be near La Luna once again.    This pic is of La Luna and you can barely see their dingy next to the cruise ship.

This is the West Gregorie Channel cut between Water Island and St Thomas.  Water Island on the right.  

This is the biggest cruise ship i have seen.  When it pulled out it looked like a moving city.

Early one morning we saw La Luna's dingy out in the ocean with some one rowing.  Kirk immediately thought that Stew had broken down and lowered the dingy to see if he needed help.  To his surprise it was not Stew, but Barb out rowing for exercise.  Then a cruise ship started heading in.  Was quite a site to see Barb in the dingy rowing and the cruise ship. Barb is the little red and grey blob.  This was not a very big cruise ship but compared to the dingy it looked rather large.

Honeymoon Beach.  Over 30 years ago, when Kirk and I were here for our honeymoon we chartered a boat and this was the first place we anchored.  It has a lovely beach and a few little beach bars.  I had two bushwhackers and strolled the beach.  

Strolling the beach, enjoying the dog.  WE BOTH SAW THE GREEN FLASH!!!  Been looking for it for over a year and walaaaaa   there it was.  Very exciting.

We moved into the marina as JAN AND GLENN arrived.  We had a great week with them vacationing around the USVI.  

Jan enjoying the water while knitting.

  We went into Coral Bay on St. John and had breakfast at the Donkey Diner.  It was good.  

 We walked the main road to see the sights.   Herd of wild goats on the school's sports field.   I love seeing these wild goats, they fascinate me also.  We did see one lone donkey who was eating trash out of a dumpster.  yuk.  

We were in Mahoe Bay on St John.  The winds were big and so were the seas so we did not do much sailing.   Lovely protected bay with great views.  Glenn, Jan and I swam to shore and Kirk kayaked.  Nothing better than standing in chest high clear water watching fish jump near by.  Pelican fishing from a mooring line.  I love these birds.  i can watch them all day.

Kirk and Glenn going over where we have been.  Is fun to check it out on the chart.  We have come so far yet so far to go.......

Glenn enjoyed the water.  Every stop we made, he was in the water.  This was in Brewers Bay in St Thomas.  Water was beautiful.

Jan and Glen going for a last swim the day before they left.  Sad to see them go.  We had such a good time!  Thanks so much for coming to visit.

Kirk taking them to shore to catch a taxi to airport early in the morning.

Key Cay, Peter Island BVI

We had a lovely time in Key Cay.

One morning early before the sun was too high in the sky we went ashore.  We climbed the hill and had a great view.   We saw three different kinds of cacti.  Also saw evidence of goats as we hiked up the hill.  The rock formations never cease to amaze me.  

 We walked the shore and found some interesting shells.  I had forgotten the music the waves make when they retreat after whooshing over the pebbles on the shore.

We also had great experiences at night.  Shortly after dinner, while i was doing dishes, Kirk called me on deck with an urgency in his voice.  The ocean was covered in little florescent green spots. First we thought they were anemones then thought they were squid.  We have not figured it out, but we have seen them 2 nights in a row.  Kirk thinks they get pushed through the cut between Key Rock and Peter Island.  At any rate they are fun to watch and another miracle of mother nature.

We have watched the fish from the boat and after i trimmed the steak we fed them.  That is when the bigger ones come to the surface.  When Kirk was cooking his steak on the grille a rather large 4 feet at least fish kept coming by the fantail.  We tried to figure out what kind it was.  I just wanted to rule out barracuda!!!

We ended up staying in Key Cay longer than planned as Benures Bay was crowded and Customs was closed on Sunday.

Looking at the cut between Key Rock on the right (starboard), Peter Island on the left (port)

Looking down the end of Key Rock towards Norman Island

Peter Island from Key Bay

Sunset looking towards St John and St Thomas from Key Bay

Exploring on Peter Island.  Love those rocks!!

A rather large family of Cacti

Cactus growing right out of the rock.

Now go figure this one out

We liked these Cacti.  Can you tell?  This is a nice small family.

Bubbly Pool.  Much to dangerous to go in.

I was stretching and Kirk said i looked like the cactus behind me.

Trying to look like the Cactus

View from top of the hill, looking over Key Rock towards Norman Island

More Cacti

I was showing Kirk a shell i found and he snapped this shot.  Good part is Ainulindale is in the pic!

Coral strewn among the rocks 

This huge well maybe 4 - 5 feet at the stern of the boat while Kirk was grilling.