We could not have planned a more perfect adventure. It all started with the crew:
Capt. Linda, Capt. Matt, and Skipper-in-training Pam shouldered the task of getting us around safely - not an easy feat! And then there were the skallywags...14 more! 17 people on 2 catamarans: Jelliblu, a 42’ Lagoon and Basquiat, a 45’ Bali.
Our motley crew boarded our two vessels on a beautiful St. Thomas evening, looking forward to getting away from the Covid Craziness for a bit. And did we ever! Capt. Matt and Pam were also there to, hopefully, complete their ASA 114 Catamaran Cruising certification, though there was a concern that the rum would hamper that…
Once we completed our morning briefing, we headed over to Buck Island. It was the perfect distance to get a good feel for the boats and we all enjoyed the snorkeling and the climb to the lighthouse. After a relaxing day and night we set out for St John and Lameshur Bay, with a pit stop at Red Hook to take on water. Those swells though! We were getting our butts handed to us! But we made it and enjoyed the gorgeous remoteness of the area. Some of us headed out on the Reef Bay Trail to look at the old plantation ruins and the petroglyphs. We won’t talk about getting lost and how many miles we actually ended up covering. Or how Dan and Christian didn’t actually make it to St Croix in the dinghy. Or how the dinghy actually did make it back, with a bit of help. Or Shaquille. Yeah, it was...well, it just was one of those you-had-to-be-there times, the kind that make the best memories!
From Lameshur, we headed east to Coral Bay and Hansen Bay. We were looking for the Lime Out taco boat – our number one destination! Unfortunately, we found out they had moved to a different location. As neither boat’s watermaker was working by then, we made the tough decision the next morning to change our plans and go to Cruz Bay to take on water. From there we headed north to Maho Bay. It was definitely worth staying two nights there! The sea turtles, the pain killers at the Paddle In, and the buses that picked you up for a trip to town… Amazing place! It might not have been the best idea to turn some of our group loose in Cruz Bay but at least they weren’t driving! Pain Killers live up to their name! We also ran into some folks from home that knew Capt Linda!! Small world.
From Maho Bay, we went back to Cruz Bay to take on water once again and then set out for Hans Lollick and Coconut Bay. Magical place!! I think we could have stayed there the entire time and been perfectly happy!
All too soon it was time to head around to Red Hook for MORE water and then Christmas Cove for our last night. We hit up the Pizza Pi boat for delicious pizza and managed to narrowly miss ramming our neighbor’s boat that night. Oh, and there was that dance off! I have video!! It was the perfect end to a perfect trip full of sunshine and snorkeling, a little (lot?!) boozy, and big adventures.
Matt and I even managed to finish the course with Capt. Linda and end up with our ASA 114 certification, which is great because we’re already planning next January‘s trip. Destination: Guadeloupe, Caribbean French Territory!!
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