Our weeks are just flying by and mushing together and before I know it, it has been two!
The BVIs are so beautiful! Each island has something different to see or do. You would think we would get tired of snorkeling and exploring but you are never seeing the same thing twice!
It has taken us 2.5 months out of the states but I think we have finally fallen into a bit of a boat life schedule. Being with another kid boat, who has been at this for 7 years, has helped :)
Mornings start slow and everyone can do whatever they want until around 10am. That’s when school starts. We spend a few hours getting the basics covered; math, language arts, history, science, reading & spelling - not every subject on every day but we do our best :) Then after a bite of lunch, we get to head out on the adventure of the day and the fun of being with a friend boat means we are getting to share these amazing experiences with someone else! We don't spend every moment of every day together but there are some days when our surroundings are just too outstanding that the schedule goes out the window and we spend all the sunlight hours exploring and then get to enjoy a dinner together getting to know each other better.
Last we left you, we were heading off to explore the Channel Islands, off Tortola.
At Peter Island we got to tube and wake board behind the dinghy and were treated to the most amazing sunset I may have ever seen.
Salt Island has the Wreck of the Rhone, a UK mail ship ship that sank in a hurricane in 1867. You can snorkel and clearly see the rudder and huge propeller with drive shaft in 25’ of water.
After a final morning dive at the Rhone, we grabbed lunch at Cooper’s Island before heading to the Baths at Virgin Gorda.
Virgin Gorda may take the cake as the most beautifully unique island we have visited yet.
I love these rocks!
But everyone who looks through my pictures says “why did you take that picture?!”
Boo on them, these rocks rock!
An entire day was lost climbing in and over all the bolders at the Baths and Devil’s Bay, imagining what it would be like to wander through and maybe find a hidden treasure left by pirates.
We found cliffs to jump off and precipices we couldn't quite reach
and went to bed exhausted at the end of the day.
The wind was working against the swell and we woke to a very uncomfortable roll. We moved to a new bay for a bit more comfort but didn't realize we had chosen a clothing optional cove. It’s optional most everywhere, just most will be a bit more discrete if you have kids aboard; but not these vacationers! We were treated to stand up paddle boarding - nude, yoga on the beach - nude, BBQing at the grill - nude; can we say ouch! It was all Sky could do to not stare constantly :)
Sorry, no pics available
We were happy to move to Leverick Bay and a few nights at a marina, plugged in, with AC and ice maker running - sometimes you just have to pamper yourself, right?
It’s so crazy to bump into friends of friends who happen to be at the same marina at the same time as you. It was great to finally meet the crew of Aqua Vida, friends of Renewal. We enjoyed a night of local flavor and fun getting to know each other at Rada’s (Indian/Carribean fusion) on the north end of Virgin Gorda - the owner's daughter's boyfriend picked us up in the back of his pickup :)
Even though we are surrounded by an unending playground, there is still work that needs to be done onboard.
Andrew keeps the boat scrubbed
& repairs the rig when needed
while I try to keep everything in it’s place below deck.
All of this came out of the aft head and most of it found a new home all in an afternoon- whew!
There is a seemingly constant flow of things coming onto the boat, the trick is getting equal amounts to exit. Whether it is eating up all the groceries you stored, passing on books you’ve already read or continued purging from crazy things you once thought you couldn't live without!
We were so excited to receive a huge gift of water & provisions from some new friends coming off of a week of chartering but then the question is where will you put it ;)
Things learned aboard this week:
As much as I try to be carefree about pretty much everything in life, I really like things to have a place. Those who have been to my house or boat may laugh at that because I can’t ever seem to get everything in it’s place all at the same time. But you have to realize, I live with 3 other beings whose only goal in life seems to be removing said item and setting it anywhere but where it came from! I think I’m getting better at walking around with blinders and not driving my fellow passengers crazy until it is the designated clean up time :)
WE ARE DOING THIS! Still feels unreal. I am seeing places that I never even knew existed until I turned the page in my chart book. Time is flying by in a blur and Facebook keeps offering up my memories from this day however many years ago, I just need everything to slow down a bit so I can take it all in.
We only have one more week to see everything we want to in the BVIs before our cruising permit runs out. We are expecting more fun as we head on to Anagada!
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