After months and months of planning Anthony and Debbie finally arrived! We picked up a mooring ball in Trellis Bay and walked to the airport to meet them.
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| Airport building |
Their plane was a bit delayed and we were worried we had the wrong island, but they finally landed about 15 minutes late.
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| Their plane finally landed |
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| Spot the guy in the striped shirt and shorts |
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| Hello! |
We decided to spend the first night in Marina Cay, close to Scrub Island, as it was close enough to get there before sunset.
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| First sundowner of many |
After finding out what Anthony and Debbie wanted to do we planned a route. They wanted some snorkelling, some quiet bays, some busy ones and definitely some tourist highlights.
We had to do a bit of a cabin shuffle on board so that we all had space to sleep. Anthony and Debbie moved into our cabin, I moved to the quarter berth, and Andrew slept in the saloon. It worked very well as Andrew could be up in a minute if there was anything that needed doing in the night.
We decided to have a few days of peace and quiet to begin with and went back to Long Bay on Virgin Gorda. It was beautiful and not too busy with some charter boats staying for the night.
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| Lovely walk on the beach |
On the way back from our walk the guy on the boat below yelled at us. We slowed down and he asked if we were from Calypso. We said yes and he said he knows the boat. He said he knew the previous owners when they were sailing these waters. We didn't get a chance to chat to him again.
Later that same day another boat came past us looking very similar to our boat. Lo and behold, it was another Montevideo. They anchored very close to us so we were able to chat to them across the water. They are Toby and Shannon and their kids Harrison and Silas on their Montie, Bahati. They came across later that evening and had a drink with us.
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| Bahati |
The next stop was St Thomas Bay. After a quick breakfast we dinghied ashore and walked to the baths.
Last time we were here with Claire and Jim we found this eyelash dispenser. I didn't take a photo that time, but this time we took a photo of it.
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| Pic for Jim and Claire |
Half way there a guy stopped and asked if we wanted a lift. We negotiated a price and hopped in. The baths were fairly empty until we got to the busy beach side at the end. There was a bit of a traffic jam when people stopped to take photos but on the whole it moved quickly.
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| Steep downhill |
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| My turn |
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| Waiting for the crowds to move on |
James, the guy who gave us a lift, told us to ask the guy in the restaurant at the beach to phone James and he would come back and fetch us when we were ready. We did that and we found him at the parking lot. He dropped us off at the shop to do some shopping. (Read: more wine and a few other things)
Well provisioned with food, wine and chocolates, we headed off to Cooper Island. This was new for Calypso, which was great fun. The bay is very small and there are lots of mooring balls with no space to drop anchor except behind the mooring field in very deep water, so we decided to pick up a mooring ball for the night. It was quite hair raising as the boats all swing around in different directions coming very close to each other. In fact, our neighbour thought we had lost our mooring ball, but it was down the side of the boat, still well attached and as we swung again we drifted away from him.
The next morning we went ashore. There wasn't much to see on the shoreline but a boutique, a restaurant and a coffee shop. We didn't try the rum bar.
We had a wander across the beach and found the footpath to the top of the mountain. It wasn't a long climb and we could see over the other side.
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| Ant bought the silicone wine cups for us |
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| The WineAnt at work |
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| Sailing is tiring |
Before leaving Cooper Island we took the dinghy to the point for a snorkel. Another chap from one of the boats motored over with us. His name is Dirk and he was born in South Africa. He and his wife have been sailing for a couple of years.
One the way to Peter Island we stopped off at the Wreck of the Rhone for Anthony and Debbie to have a snorkel.
We headed over to Peter Island and dropped anchor in White Bay. We had some lovely snorkeling in the very quiet bay.
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| We threw them back in the water |
Having had enough quiet time, we headed round to Norman Island and picked up a mooring ball to dive The Indians. Andrew stayed on board while Laura, Anthony, Debbie and I went snorkeling. The current was strong and the waves quite grumpy, it took some swimming strength to get there. We didn't stay there long as there were other boats circling like vultures looking to pick up mooring balls.
The bay in Norman Island was quite empty so we had our pick of the mooring balls. We found one not too close to Willi T, but also not too far away. We all hopped in the dinghy and went to snorkel the caves.
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| Anthony |
After lunch we went ashore and explored the shops and the restaurant. Prices were a bit high so we left without stopping for a drink.
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| White sand on the beach but not in the water |
Later we went to for a drink at Willi T. Debbie insisted that we all jump off the end of the boat. A terrifyingly thrilling experience. If you want to see evidence of that jump look for it on Calypso Facebook or Instagram page.
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| Ready, steady..... go! |
The following morning we stopped off in Road Town to do some provisioning. Then we set off for Sopers Hole. We had booked a mooring ball so we weren't in too much of a hurry to get there. It is a small bay with lots of mooring balls. If you did want to anchor you would have to do so at the mouth of the bay in deep water. We were happy to be on a ball for the night.
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| Love this shirt |
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| Good name for a boat |
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| Coffee Shop |
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| Supermarket |
The town was quiet when we arrived but the next day a ferry came and dropped off a crowd of people. It really changed the feel of the place. The coffee shop was busy and the boutique shops along the waterfront were doing a roaring trade.
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| Oops! |
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| Our boat has quite a common name |
We had a lovely day people watching and reading books. The following morning after a quick trip ashore we headed off. We stopped off at the Sandy Spit near Little Jost where Anthony and Debbie had a snorkel. Andrew, Anthony and I went across to the small island. There is nothing much to it except a few palm trees that have been planted there after the devastation of Hurricane Irma.
We motored the short way across the water to Little Jost. We had read about the bubble pool and although it was getting on in the afternoon, we decided to walk there. It wasn't too much of a hike nor that far but the swim at the end was worth it.
There are all sorts of warning signs along the way, but that didn't deter us. The bubble pool is a huge rock pool with waves breaking over the rocks and the bubbles fizz around you when the water rushes around you. The tide wasn't high but we still managed to get the full effect of the bubbles.
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| Andrew |
While we were there we met a Canadian couple who had been sailing in the area for years. Their daughter had married a South African and they were showing their son-in-law and grandkids around.
Next stop was Great harbour, Jost van Dyke. We picked up a ball which was fantastic. Last time we were here briefly the anchor was on rock. I was very grateful not to have to anchor. We went ashore to have a look around and later decided to head over to White Bay and visit the Soggy Dollar.
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| Book, anyone? |
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| Very hot and dry |
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| Found some South African wine |
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| Spa - massage with a view |
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| Car park |
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| Beautiful view from the top of the hill |
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| Mixing Pain Killers |
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| Queueing for food |
Andrew used to watch the people on the beach on the Soggy Dollar camera. His most interesting story was watching a guy sweep an empty beach just before hurricane Irma hit. We stood in front of the camera and said hi to Matt and Kay back home.
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| Pic from Matt's computer |
Later that evening we went ashore to Foxy's, another famous bar. We had a beer and chatted to some lovely people who were on a charter. The lady didn't know what kind of boat it was except it had no masts and two hulls! One of the guys said they motor around, drink too much, get sunburnt and then wave goodbye to the boat until next time!
We love to braai on the boat but when the wind is howling it blows the gas out making life difficult. Andrew and Anthony came up with a plan. The cardboard windbreaker was a win!
We were watching the weather closely as there was a big blow predicted. So we went into Great Harbour on Peter Island to wait it out.
We wanted to be close to Road Town where we needed to drop Anthony and Debbie off so that they could catch the ferry, so we spent the last night anchored off Buck Island.
We dinghied ashore and tried to catch a taxi to Road Town. The taxis were ferrying people to the airport after their charter so we thought we could get a ride with them. However the taxi driver wanted to charge us $12 per person, per trip!! We declined and went to stand on the road and wait for a local bus. It eventually arrived and we paid $3 per person. Much better!
We wandered around the cruise terminal looking in all the duty free shops.
Then it was time for a drink and some lunch at The Watering Hole.
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| Pics for the WineAnt |
Our last night with Anthony and Debbie, as usual the music went on but for the first time, the guitar came out.
Sadly all good things come to an end. It was time to drop Anthony and Debbie off in Road Town. We had a fantastic holiday with them. Yes, it felt like we were on holiday too with charter guests on board. We were so happy to be able to share our sailing life with them. I hope we see more family (and friends) soon.
In our next installment we head to St Martin for a few days before starting to make our way back to Grenada.
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