Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola
As Ed, Bob and Lydia are all early risers, we were up early. We sent the boys out to rustle up some breakfast and Lydia called her Norwood friend to give us a ride to Coki Beach and back. After going down and up the steps and around a few blocks, Ed and Bob found the convenience store—which had a great selection of fresh juices, some bananas, and a few nutter butter bars and a piece of carrot cake. Enough to keep us from starving.
At 9am we were on the beach headed into the warm Caribbean waters. We rented snorkels and masks and they gave us ‘fish food’ (we here on the mainland call these things ‘dog biscuits’, but whatever). Apparently the fish are well used to the sight of humans bearing bone-shaped brown things as they swarmed us when we were about knee deep in the water. It was a little unnerving so I headed out to deeper water where the fish weren’t chasing me.
Lydia and Allison and Abby, after much screaming, sought refuge in the really shallow water. Those fish were really persistent, though and somehow got the idea that Lydia was the food source. They followed her everywhere. If they could have grown legs, I swear they would have walked right up to the bar with her. Which is where she headed as soon as it opened, needing something soothing after having to deal with those ravenous fish!
As it was only 1030, there was no food available, so we bought out the bars stash of potato chips and cheetos. Too bad we’d fed all the dog biscuits to the fish, or we might have eaten those as well. Then Lydia put her shopping skills to good use—she bartered for a handbag for me. It’s a Dolce and Gabanna. Or so it says. Bob thinks it’s a fake! I don’t see why designer bags wouldn’t be for sale for ¼ the retail price under a blue tarp on a tacky beach on a small island in the Caribbean? I’m not being unreasonable, am I?
A quick cab ride to the hotel to pick up our bags and rinse off our feet then down to the ferry terminal, where we had hoped to catch the 1200 ferry to Tortola. Good thing we were early, as the ferry was leaving at 1145 instead. Island time really seems to mean, whenever we feel like it, which might be early, or might be late.
Even on the ferry it was hot, though the wind-blown spray from the power cat cooled us off a bit. The girls stayed inside with the AC down below and watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Weird. It was very rough at first until we turned the corner around St John and we were shielded from the seas by the islands.
Customs in the BVI is like anywhere else, low level officials trying to act important and necessary to national security. I never joke with these people—I don’t think they’d get it anyway.
Another cab from the Ferry to the Moorings Base. It was not just hot here. It was REALLY hot. Somehow the winds didn’t make it back in to Wickhams Cay II and the air was motionless and stifling. Luckily the Footloose office was airconditioned so we all spent way more time that we needed to looking at the 2 charts on the walls and browsing through the small book exchange.
We had originally asked to charter the Footloose/Moorings 403, but it was not available to we chartered the 433, which had 3 full cabins, and a wall that could make the owners cabin into a double plus 2 bunks, which we thought we’d use for the girls. We were all a little worried that it might be too small.
Two weeks before our charter, we got a call from Footloose saying the 433 had mechanical problems and they ‘had’ to upgrade us to a 505! This boat has 4 equal cabins with 4 equal heads, and a Bunkie crew cabin and head up front. Twin wheels and a big cockpit should be enough for the seven of us.
Because we were doing the sleepaboard, we were told we had a ‘chart briefing’ at the Moorings Briefing Room at 1600, and could board our yacht by 1800. We had a late lunch at the open air restaurant, then drinks and swimming at the pool.
Then, Bob went to get some cash from the ATM on the dock and watched in disbelief as the machine spit out his card, then quickly sucked it back in, never to release it! While everyone had a different idea, it turns out the bank had closed at 3pm (it was nearly 4pm) and there was just nothing we could do.
We went to the briefing, got on the boat and chose cabins. Girls were starboard forward, Kevin was port forward, Ed and Lydia had port aft and Bob and I had starboard aft. All of the cabins were hot (big surprise there) and all the heads stank (big surprise there, too!). We decided to use the crew cabin for garbage and storage.
Dinner was at the Moorings restaurant where they tried to make us feel small and insignificant because we didn’t have a reservation even though the restaurant was never more than ½ filled. Again, it was open air, and it was hot. Good food, though and good service as well.
Back to the boat to wait for Bobby’s to deliver the provisions. Allison asked why we didn’t just call them groceries, as that is what they are. Boaters just want to sound special, so we call things provisions (groceries), heads (toilets), galleys (kitchens), etc. Lydia and I packed away the food while the kids showered. We discovered the AC ‘spa showers’, and then headed back to the boat to try to sleep.
It was hot.
We tried putting up the ‘wind scoops’ but, as the name implies, there must be wind TO scoop before these would be of any use. The Footloose Dock is closest to the road at the end of Road Harbour and has the least wind. It might be worth paying for a Moorings boat just to get some wind that first night. I’m not sure I’d do the sleepaboard and actually try to SLEEP aboard in the summer. Next time, if there is a next time, I’d lean toward arranging the provisioning and paying for the sleepaboard and then getting a room at the Mariners Inn anyway. That way you get to leave early, though I guess you could just pay for a whole additional day…
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