Greetings from the Virgin Islands

Written on Jan 17, 2013

Okay, time for another update. I hope I can get it together, after my 2^nd or 3^rd or so Soggy Dollar Bar “Painkiller” (BVI, Jost van Dyke Island,White Bay), homemade. Want the recipe? Here it is:

2-4 oz/60-125 ml dark Rum

4 oz/125 ml pineapple juice

1 oz/30ml cream of coconut

1 oz/30 ml orange juice

grated fresh nutmeg

In a shaker filled with ice, mix ingredients and shake well, pour into glass and top with nutmeg.

We had a marvelous evening at White Bay yesterday, having three of those Painkillers, recipe apparently a secret, but I got it from a cruising book anyway. We were sitting on comfortable chairs on a beautiful sandy beach under swaying palm trees, watching the stars and getting drunk. We had arrived late that afternoon, with the beach almost deserted. Still beautiful the next morning – until about 9am when all the day visitors arrived en masse! So we left. It seems to be a "problem" of the Virgin Islands that they are extremely busy with boaters and tourists. More than any of the other islands we have visited so far.

Beautiful Beaches! Lee Bay, Great Camanoe Island, BVI

Gorgeous! White Bay, Jost van Dyke Island, BVI
Home of the Soggy Dollar Bar and its Painkiller.

Gorgeous, yep, but only before 9am and after 5pm...
Same White Bay as above, but after 9am...

It’s interesting to visit so many different Caribbean Islands in such a short time. You develop an instant like or dislike to any island as they are distinctly different. Our favourites so far were St. Lucia (lusciously green, great fruits, amazingly friendly people, nice relaxed “ya mon” attitude), Antigua (beautiful remote and empty beaches, beautiful houses) and the Virgin Islands (group of little islands reminding us of home a lot – if you disregard the warm sun and water).

This could be home!
Little Harbour on Peter Island, BVI

So much like home, even down to the stern ties.
Little Harbour, Peter Island, BVI

Today, we arrived in the US Virgin Islands. Made it in all right, but already got a warning from a park ranger about two hours after entry: We had brought Chester on shore as we have the past nine months, not considering we were in a National Park. Most of St. John is actually a National Park and dogs are not allowed on any beaches and only allowed on shore if on leash. Luckily, the park ranger we met was very nice, we only got a verbal warning – after he took a picture of my passport with his iPhone... 

I’m writing this after sunset, between rounds of Rummukub, while Rolf is sewing = improving on the lazy bags and Chester is waiting for me to hide his ball again, complaining with an impatient “hmph” if it takes me too long to hide it again after he brought it back.

Still on our way North, we are considering putting “Next Life” into a Charter Fleet. It’s up for discussion whether that’s a worthwhile and smart thing to do or not.  We are not out to make much money with it, instead we are hoping for the potential charter company to maintain the boat well – instead of having it sit idle for 9 months a year without any maintenance. Gotta think about it some more. This all started when a guy from Horizon Charters approached us in Antigua, saying that this cat (Lagoon 450) was exactly the one he was hoping to get into his Charter Fleet. We would like to have it based in The Bahamas, though, not Antigua. There wasn’t that much sailing in Antigua, unless you sail to the other islands, which I can do without (I don’t enjoy going between islands for more than 2-3 hrs any more – a leftover of the Atlantic Crossing?). I’m still looking forward to the beautiful waters and remote beaches of the Bahamas. We do like the Virgin Islands with its mountains, but it’s just too busy here. We might miss mountains in the Bahamas, though. We will see.

Jan 19, 2013

Rolf is getting the boat ready to leave for The Bahamas tomorrow. It'll be a 3 days/2 nights trip (argh!) and quite a few more days without internet on top of that. So long!