A week with Nicol!

I’ve been hunting the elusive wifi signal for days. This entry was meant to be posted on Sunday, but this is the first time we found a connection!

Nicol arrived like a ray of light at the American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook, St. Thomas (N18 19.475 W64 51.105), schlepping two big duffle bags, one of which turned out to be a colossal care package of drink mixes, dry foods, and mail! We got her tucked away into her cabin, but we had to go out on the town without ado, as it turned out we were in one of the big Virgin Island hot spots for St. Patrick’s Day! The three of us, along with our friend Jack, did as much damage to our reputations as we could before calling it a night. We woke up on Sunday, puzzled by our newly green necks, and went in search of Mark and Michelle, old friends from NC with a restaurant, Burrito Bay, in Red Hook. The restaurant employees gave Michelle a call and she came down to the restaurant to catch up a bit. I must say, she has Reinhart and I thinking about what jobs may be available to us down here in the islands. We said our goodbyes to Michelle and began discussing our plans for the week. We told Nicol we do some sailing or snorkeling or swimming or kayaking or kite-flying or hiking or sight-seeing or shopping, and she said “Yes”, so we went in search of fun!

We pointed Maia towards the north shore of St. John, which promised some lovely snorkeling. We had about a two-hour sail beating into the wind, heeling way over, before we arrived in Trunk Bay and picked up a mooring (N18 21.260 W64 46.280 approx). We got a little bit of snorkeling in on Sunday afternoon near the boat but we saved the good reefs for Monday. Jack came over and picked us up on Monday morning and we snorkeled the first spot in a driving rain, which was refreshingly fun. The sun was out again for the next reef and lit up the colorful fish and coral. I won the sunburn lottery this time around, earning myself a new burgundy back for forgetting to properly apply sunscreen. Once we were snorkeled-out, it was time for lunch and a sail…next stop: Jost Van Dyke in the BVIs.

We had a light air reach over to Jost Van Dyke, but since it was such a short sail, we could enjoy our leisurely pace. We put out an anchor in Great Harbour (N18 26.560 W64 45.100 approx), close to the spot we spent a few nights last week. We checked out the town a bit and then all had dinner on Maia before experiencing some night-life at Foxy’s. Nicol had a bit more energy for it than Reinhart, Jack, and I, and we had to drag her back to the dinghy kicking and screaming. We awoke to a gorgeous Tuesday morning. Reinhart, Jack, and I decided we needed to stretch our legs and take a walk over to the next bay. Nicol decided she’d rather spend her glorious morning swimming in the clear blue water and having Maia all to herself. We all had a great time, but this time Nicol won the sunburn lottery, earning herself puffy sunburned lips that Hollywood starlets would die for. Once we rested from our active morning, it was time for lunch and a sail…next stop: Cane Garden Bay, Tortola.

We had a spirited sail complemented by lots of sea spray on our trip over to Tortola, and we anchored behind the mooring field in Cane Garden Bay (N18 25.700 W64 39.680 appox). We weren’t quite pleased with the appearance of Cane Garden Bay which had been described to us as one of the prettiest anchorages in the BVIs. It was breathtaking at night, though, when the lights of the surrounding streets and homes lit up the dazzling hills of Tortola, blending up into a starry sky. We had dinner on Dionysus and spent a lot of time gazing at our beautiful nighttime vista. We went into town on Wednesday morning to check out the town. Nicol stealthily asked a restaurant/gift-shop employee which was the best place for lunch and she leaned in and told Nicol it was the hotel down the street with a lovely boutique. We had an excellent lunch overlooking the beach and a wonderful shopping experience at a place which wasn’t all about T-shirts and rum! We passed the info on to Jack and he also had lunch at Myetts and decided to stay the night for dinner as well while he was doing some maintenance on Dionysus. We were setting our sights on our next stop: Peter Island.

We had a bit of a downwind sail before we rounded the west end of Tortola and powered up to arrive in Peter Island during the daylight. We dropped anchor in secluded Little Harbor at N18 21.225 W64 36.100. Little Harbor has deep water all the way to shore and we were anchored quite close in; we decided it was the prettiest place we anchored during our time in the Virgins. We could see several very large yachts including the modern square rig, Maltese Falcon, sailing in front of Road Town from our quiet anchorage. One of the very large yachts, Charisma, made her way into Little Harbor to anchor. She came quite close to us, but when she came too close to our neighbor, Spree, he got out the airhorn and demanded the captain find another spot to anchor the massive Charisma. It was a very David and Goliath moment, culminating with the considerate Captain obliging and moving on to the next cove, followed by the cheers of the Little Harbour occupants. Minutes later, a nearby yacht deployed their 25 foot tender to deliver a bottle of Champagne to Spree for his valor. On Thursday morning Nicol scoped out our cove with the kayak and we all did a bit of snorkeling. We would have liked to spend another night at Peter Island, but as usual, after lunch we were looking forward to our next stop: Soper’s Hole on the West End of Tortola.

We had another downwind sail to West End, and raised the spinnaker for it. It was really a perfect sail with Tortola to starboard and the breathtaking Maltese Falcon under full sail to port. We picked up a mooring at N18 23.215 W64 42.165; Reinhart dropped Nicol and I off at the dock while he dinghied over to find Dionysus. Nicol and I again found a couple of shops with local crafts and jewelry and spent the afternoon browsing away. We had a “happy-hour” dinner on Maia watching a rather risqué couple on a motor boat amuse the neighbors and then went into Pusser’s with Jack for drinks. On Friday morning we did a little more shopping, checked out of the BVIs and said our goodbyes to Jack before heading on to the next stop: Caneel Bay in St. John.

We had another brisk downwind sail to St. John and picked up a mooring at N18 20.725 W64 47.435. There was no question though, we were all getting a little melancholy with the thoughts of Nicol leaving. We hiked over to Cruz Bay in St. John to check into the US Virgins and did a little sight-seeing in the city. We got back just in time to do a little swimming and Nicol took the kayak for one last spin. We finally put the hammock up for the first time this year, and Nicol spent her last evening rocking slowly in the hammock, star gazing in our wavy bay. Saturday morning was spent taking care of business and packing; before we knew it was time to head for the last stop: American Yacht Harbor, Red Hook, St. Thomas

We had a last nice downwind sail back to St. Thomas. We contacted the marina on the radio and they said a slip would not be available for us in time for Nicol’s departure, so Reinhart dropped the two of us and her heavy duffel off at the fuel dock and quickly hugged Nicol goodbye. Nicol and I walked over to find a taxi and she finally got to say hello and goodbye to Mark, who was in attendance at Burrito Bay. We ordered the taxi and before we knew it the driver was pulling up at the marina, tossing her heavy bag like it was a pillow into the back of the passenger packed van. He practically pulled us apart mid-hug, tossed her into the van like said pillow, and peeled out of the parking lot with Nicol pressed up against the back window blowing kisses. It was a sudden farewell, not at all like we had envisioned it, but probably the best way to say goodbye. Minutes later, I was helping Reinhart dock in our newly assigned space at N18 19.515 W64 51.075. I’m glad we chose to stay the night in the marina. The luxury of air conditioning and newly washed clothes & sheets took the sting off Nicol’s sudden departure. Who would have thought a week could be so short?