St Thomas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folks,

When we departed the US we had a goal of reaching BVI this year and playing there ’till we put the boat in a storage yard then start again later after hurricane season.  So Robin bought courtesy flags for every country between the US and BVI.  We now have only one flag left!  St Thomas is a busy place with huge anchorages and lots of boats.  We had several friends that were already here on other boats and they’ve figured out all the logistics for the area so we don’t have to learn everything the hard way.  We’re anchored off one of the main shopping areas near the center of town in Long Bay.  Our buddy boat RSVP was here ahead of us in Crown Bay Marina since they had their dinghy stolen two nights ago at Vieques.  We had a blast there but were very aware petty theft is rampant and we were sad to hear they were one of the latest victims.  Word travels like fire about these things in the cruising world and when Bill entered the dingy store the dealer’s first words were “you must be the guy that had the dinghy stolen in Vieques”.  After we got anchored up we dinghied over to their marina about a mile away and met Bill and Charlene, their friends from back home Kirk and Gale, and our mutual friends John and Susan on Le Garza Verde we had met in the South Caicos at Southside Marina.  It was another one of those fun cruiser reunions that happen often out here.  We caught up on each others experiences, had a good meal and then walked around to browse the shops.  We departed shortly after as we were both tired and wanted a relaxing evening at the boat.

So here we sit looking across at the building with the big Rolex sign on it with a very gentle, comfortable rock  in this sheltered anchorage.  We’ve kind of got St Thomas in a fish tank off our starboard side and as night falls we can see the street lights lining the roads that run parallel to the coast all the way up the high hills that surround us.  Cars are still bustling along the wharf road and there’s a lot for us do do around here before we move on.  We’ve started to realize the hard part of the journey that started last November 14th is almost over.  Our dream has almost come true and it’s a very good feeling.

Best regards,

Chris