Paradise Discovered and A Visit with Mom

There may be a lot of boats in the Virgins, but it’s not surprising. Around each island there is another white sandy beach or beautiful flowers or exotic birds and all surrounded by clear blue waters. We spent the last couple of weeks rediscovering these islands and searching for nice spots to visit with my Mom who is coming for a visit. This is the end of the Carnivale season and the Children’s parade and fireworks in Charlotte Amalie harbor will happen while she is here. We found some nice spots and more than a few nice restaurants to visit. Mostly we were searching for calm anchorages since the steady 15 to 20 knot trade winds can make some anchorages too rolly for comfort.

Mom arrived on schedule and we got her on to the boat and we stayed in Charlotte Amalie harbor for a few days. We did see the Children’s parade and we learned that these folks like their music loud and that they are in no particular hurry. We sat (and standed) in the hot sun for a couple of hours before deciding that lunch in a cool spot would be nice.

We all sat on the bow of Emily Grace on the second night and enjoyed the fireworks. Despite the loud booms, it was refreshing since it was one of the few times that we were not deafened by the loud music coming from the shore bands.

The next morning we moved to Cane Garden Bay on Tortolla and then on to Virgin Gorda for the next couple of days. We enjoyed a nice Mother’s Day meal at the Bitter End Yacht Club, but Tom did not find the lobster he had been hoping for.

Next we moved into Otter Creek (inside Coral Bay on St. John) and enjoyed the protection from the 20 knot winds before heading back to St Thomas. We had time for one more lunch before heading to the airport and Mom treated Tom to his lobster. We had more than our fair share of showers during Mom’s visit but it sure was nice seeing her again. She left with a few bottles of flavored rum and some more family memories and stories to share.



We depart tonight at 6:15 and will arrive in St. Martin in the morning. We'll see how the French and Dutch Islands compare to the mainly Spanish speaking ones we have visited so far. Kim will be dusting off her French language since the Captain has no fluency in this language.

Tom