Our Vacation to the Virgin Islands- Part 2

Day 3- Leinster Bay, St. John to Benures Bay, Norman Island

We awoke early on day 3 (we awoke early every day thanks to little Teddy) and got an early start to see some more ruins. Since Nayeli was still asleep, Jane was kind enough to stay with the kids while Gary took us ashore in the dinghy.

We visited the Annaberg Sugar Plantation Ruins, which is part of the national park in St. John.  They are from the late 1700's and were run by slaves brought from Africa. It was a very interesting place, but sobering as well to think of the labor those slaves had to endure there. The history buff in me loved it and lamented it at the same time.

 Ben shooting pictures of me, like he does

By the windmill structure, which would crush the sugar cane

Here the sugar was boiled down to make molasses and rum

After returning to the boat, we sailed into the British Virgin Islands. Our first stop was the main island of Tortola, in a little harbor called Soper's Hole. It was a quaint place with fun shops.

On our way! Teddy's face here is the best.

 Soper's Hole

Our first stop was to look in the shops at souvenirs. Jane was kind enough to buy Nayeli a stuffed turtle, and Nayeli even spent money she had earned herself on a pencil with a fish and windmill on the top of it. I bought a cute shirt with "Tortola" on the front. We then headed to the grocery store to get ice cream.

 Oh this boy has my heart...

 So does she. In heaven with her pencil and turtle

Actually they were both in heaven. Just look at those faces. 

We then stopped at a restaurant to enjoy conch fritters, courtesy of Gary. They were delicious, but I believe Ben and I got more fritter than conch in ours. It was fried though, so how could I complain?

After our Soper's Hole stop, we were on the move again headed for Norman Island.

On the bow

Sam and Bonnie, who got engaged just a week or so after returning from the trip. We love Bonnie and are really excited for them. 

Teddy getting to help sail the boat with Grandma Jane and Grandpa Gary

Once we reached Norman Island we put on our snorkels and swam into some caves. They are rumored to be places that actual pirates hid their treasure and plunder years ago, but nothing is left now. It's just fun to swim in and imagine them filled with gold coins and treasure chests. I'm sure that's not how it actually was, but it's fun to imagine it anyway.

We didn't get any pictures here so I borrowed one from another source. Just imagine that's us snorkeling into the caves, okay?

Something really cool that we did here was that we fed softened rice to the fish as we snorkeled. We'd release it and they'd come in swarms. We saw a barracuda and large spotted eagle ray (like a huge spotted sting ray) while snorkeling as well. When we returned to the boat after exploring the caves, Nayeli was so disappointed that she didn't get to go into a "real" pirate cave. That's when Grandma Jane stepped in, and being the amazing swimmer that she is, she swam Nayeli into each cave so that she could see it all. She's a wonderful grandmother.

Ben, Sam, Gary and Jane also did a famous scuba dive here called "The Indians". Ben took a GoPro down with him and got some cool pictures.

 Ben. What a hunk in all that scuba gear, huh?

Sammy

After we were done diving and snorkeling, we went to moor in Benures Bay. There Ben and I took the kids to shore to beach comb and find some fun shells. We found some cool conch (which we didn't bring home because it is illegal), as well as other amazing coral and shells. Many were really big and fragile, and unfortunately they didn't survive our kids. Oh well. I keep telling myself that there are things more important in life than seashells.

That night, and a few other nights on the trip, we played board games after dinner. Ben's family loves board games, especially Settler's of Cataan. We had a great time playing together. Then after games, we often moved out onto the bow to lay on the area we affectionately termed "the trampoline", a large plastic net stretched over the front of the boat. Sam, Bonnie, Ben and myself were usually the last ones awake and we chatted until our eyelids dropped low. It was great fun, and we got to know Bonnie much better during those conversations. Those are great memories.

Day 4: Benures Bay, Norman Island to Peter Island

This day was Sunday, so we awoke early to get into our harbor in Road Town, Tortola and make it to 10am church. It was only a short walk from the harbor, and we enjoying seeing some of the city on foot. It reminded me so much of Belize, except that it was much cleaner, there were less stray animals (we saw a "small animal control" vehicle driving around), and they drive on the opposite side of the road. The branch we attended had about 30 active members- we met in a cement office building on the top floor. The members were wonderful and it was a great experience to be there with them. Plus I love that the church is the same everywhere. It is so refreshing to me.

We also may have stolen Bonnie's camera and had a little fun...

After church we sailed toward Peter Island. Honestly, I was so tired and grouchy this day I just wanted to sleep. The kids got naps, then Ben, Jane and Gary took them to the beach so that I could get some rest. I got a nice, long nap and it was wonderful.

Teddy asleep in our cabin. The dark square in the photo is the cubby where he slept. 

Nayeli would curl up with her stuffed animals and sleep nearly anywhere.  And it was so hot I often just let her run around in her underwear.

My cute cougar

Playing with Aunt Chelsea

By that night I felt like a new woman and it was so refreshing. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday in the Caribbean.

Day 5: Sprat Bay, Peter Island and back to Sprat Bay, Peter Island

On this particular morning I had some dirty clothes that I needed to clean, so I went to the stern of the boat and started my washing. As I went to rinse the clothes in the water, I looked down to see a three foot barracuda staring up at me, watching me wash. He didn't startle as I splashed and moved- he stuck around for quite awhile. Gary said that barracuda aren't likely to attack humans (a barracuda is the kind of fish that killed Nemo's mom), however I sure didn't like how looked at me, and I steered clear of the water in that area.

Peter Island is known for it's luxurious and expensive beach resort- Gary said that a room there is a minimum of $1,000 a night. They also had a "high class" private beach, tennis courts, a private swimming pool, and spa. We found a spa pamphlet and an hour couple's massage was only $400- I told Ben if we weren't so time strapped we could do it... maybe next time? ;)

The beach was called Deadman's beach and we got to go to the "middle class" area since we had paid for a mooring the night before. I must say that all of Peter Island was stunning- the most beautiful sand and surf I had ever seen in my life. We arrived early enough that we had the beach to ourselves nearly the whole morning. The kids were in heaven in the sand and we played coop and beach volleyball together. Ben and Sam also had fun throwing a frisbee and football. And of course we went swimming. Of course.

 Sprat Bay. It's interesting to see all the flags flying- England, US, British Virgin Islands, and the resort flag (I think)

Deadman's beach. That's the resort over in the distance.

 

It was such a fun morning to just relax on the beach, but soon we had to get back to the boat for lunch and more adventures. Teddy crashed in Ben's arms on the way back- he was so tired and worn out. In all honesty, we sort of ran our kids ragged, but there is no time for two naps a day when you are on the trip of a lifetime in the Carribean. Besides, our next destination was one of the coolest yet. 

In 1867 the RMS Rhone, a 300 foot iron ship transporting goods from England, hit a hurricane and split in two as it crashed into the rocks off Salt Island. 123 people were killed and the wreck still lies where it sunk nearly 150 years ago. The stern lies at only 30 feet depth and can be seen while snorkeling, however the bow is down at 80 feet and requires scuba gear. Ben, Jane, Gary and Sam all dove to see the wreck, then came back and I was able to go snorkle and explore a bit. It was incredible; eerie almost. Ben said it was the best dive he had ever done since it combined the Rhone with all the coral and fish that had made the ship their habitat. Here are a few pictures he got with his GoPro:

The stern, with the propeller seen at the left.

 Portholes

A mast

After our visit to the Rhone, we did a detour to the area we were going to visit the next day. Although we found it to be full, and we had to back track to Peter Island, Gary took advantage of the travel and showed Ben how to sail. 

 Ben has always had a dream of sailing. Dream fulfilled.

Gary explained to us the basics of sailing- the wind, the sails, tacking, etc. It was fascinating. I had no idea sailing was such an art until our trip.

Grandma Jane and Teddy

We arrived back at Sprat Bay exhausted from a very fun day, but looking forward to more beach time on Peter Island the next morning.

Our Vacation to the Virgin Islands- Part 1

Well, we pulled it off. We took two toddlers on a sailboat for a week and it was incredible. There's so much to tell, but I have to begin at the beginning, before we even set foot on the plane.

I'm not afraid to admit that I love to shop, and even more than that, I love an excuse to shop. Because then I don't feel so guilty about spending money. I had a great time getting clothes and accessories for the kids and myself to wear (Ben is picky so I let him shop for himself). We all got new swimsuits and I got a straw hat and gigantic sunglasses. Ben kept teasing me about what I was taking, telling me I was going to look like a Kardashian. They may be despicable people, but they've got style, so I was okay with the comparison.

We were going to be heading into the British Virgin Islands so we all had to get passports. There is something so exciting about a passport, isn't there?

Trying on our sailing garb. Turns out Nayeli wanted to be a Kardashian too.

 Nayeli insisted on bringing her Hello Kitty backpack with her dog "Strawberry" in it.

 Trying to pack. They turned the suitcases into their "boats". Sometimes it's impossible to get anything done with these two kiddos, but they are too cute to get mad at.

When we got our airline tickets, we booked our first flight as a red eye. I had a vision of giving the kids Benadryl then us all sleeping soundly on the plane and arriving at our destination well rested and ready to go. To put it mildly, it didn't quite go as planned. We left Portland at 10:30pm, flew through JFK and arrived in St. Thomas at about noon the next day. The kids didn't sleep well, we didn't sleep well, and by the time we arrived we were all hungry, grouchy, and tired. But we were there. Two flights down. And that was all that mattered.

On board the red eye. Only 14 hours until we arrive!

 Both kids awake and watching the sunrise over New York

Day One- Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to Cinnamon Bay, St. John

As soon as we landed in St. Thomas, I was taken back to my mission. The country was so similar to Belize- the humidity, the vegetation, the colorful cement buildings, the black population, even the way the people talked. I felt right at home in a lot of ways. We took a taxi from the airport to the marina that Jane had specified. Due to confusion about the marina name, we ended up sitting on a dock with two kids and a whole lot of luggage for almost an hour wondering if we had just landed ourselves in the completely wrong place. Luckily, we were in the right spot and Gary came in the dinghy to pick us up. The dinghy is a small, raft like vessel with a motor. It's attached to the back of the sailboat and is used to go to shore. It looks like this:

Jane and Gary in the dinghy

When we sailed long distances it was lifted onto the back of the boat like this. Otherwise we just towed it.

Gary took us to our boat, the "Let It Go", where we boarded and met our whole crew. There was Jane, Chelsea, Sam, and Bonnie, Sam's girlfriend that we had never met except over Skype. It was really great to be with family again.

A little bit about the sailboat- Gary has been sailing in the Virgin Islands since the 90's and keeps a sailboat in Tortola. The boat is a four bedroom, four bathroom, 44 foot catamaran. It looks like this:

We put our suitcases down below and went to the front of the boat (the bow) as we began sailing toward St. John. Here's a map for reference as I talk about the places we went:

The water was extremely choppy and we became soaked as the waves cascaded over the front of the boat. We all thought it was good fun except poor Teddy, who was too tired and hungry to enjoy the adventure. He soon was seasick and eventually threw up. Poor boy. I also got fairly seasick but was determined not to throw up- I knew I would never live it down. So Teddy and I laid down together until we entered the channel and the waters were smoother.

We sailed to Cinnamon Bay, a beautiful place on the north of St. John. I learned from Gary that St. John was donated to the US by the Rockefeller family and that now nearly the entire island (and even some underwater areas) are national parks. The only homes allowed on the island are those that were built before the national park designation, so the existing homes are very valuable. Gary estimated many to worth 10 million plus, and one even 40 million. I may have been designing my mansion in heaven. They were gorgeous.

To stabilize the boat for the night, we hooked to a mooring. It's a buoy that's anchored to the sand below. The boat is tied to it each night. It looks like this:

But I digress. With a few hours left in the evening we took the dinghy onto a small beach to play and snorkel. We were the only ones there and if felt so private and exclusive. I marveled at the soft sand and the turquoise blue of the water and thought, "I can't believe there are places on this earth this beautiful." It was just stunning.

Sunset over Cinnamon Bay

Day Two: Cinnamon Bay, St. John to Leinster Bay, St. John

The next morning we awoke ready for a fun day. Nayeli and Ben took some time exploring the boat until we took the dinghy back to the beach.

Breakfast in the galley

The view from our bathroom window

 Nayeli on deck with the multimillion dollar homes behind her.

 A sea turtle came to say good morning! We had many sea turtles swim right by our boat during the trip.

With my sweet girl

We played on the beach for a few hours and did some snorkeling as well. My kids were leery of the ocean, but in heaven in the sand.

 Cinnamon Bay Beach

 Building sandcastles with Grandma Jane

My sweet family!

Chelsea, Jane and Gary

 Chelsea is the best. She found fresh coconuts, broke them open on the rocks, then she shared the meat with all of us. We ate quite a few. They were delicious.

Jane watched the kids while Ben and I snorkeled together. It was like going on a date... underwater.

 Brain coral

After the beach, we sailed to another part of St. John called Leinster Bay. There Ben and crew did their first scuba dive around Waterlemon Cay. It was fun to chat with Bonnie and Chelsea while everyone else was off. Ben had a great time diving, then Jane came back and watched the kids so he and I could snorkel together. We saw a huge sting ray and amazing fish and coral. I absolutely love snorkeling.

We then took the dinghy back to St. John to do a hike before the sun set. We went to see ruins of buildings built during the 1800's. They were stunning.

 Our whole party at the schoolhouse ruins- Sam, Bonnie, Chelsea, Jane, Teddy, Gary, Ben, Nayeli, and me

 Leinster Bay

On the dinghy back to the boat. 

That night we cooked dinner for everyone. Each couple divided up to cook two nights, and all the cooking was delicious. I will admit that I was worried we might be short on food (Ben's family tends to care more about having fun than eating), but every meal was delicious and filling.

For our first full day in paradise, it was fun filled and all we could have asked for.