The Villages, FL
Alan's Log:
Joan's
Log:
February 5th-8th 2007
Before flying down to the British Virgin Islands to meet up with Alan I spent a few fun days with Alan's parents, Cyril and Marian at their winter home, The Villages, in central Florida. It was great to see them as it has been almost a year and a half, too long. The Villages had been hit by a devastating tornado just a few days before I arrived. 1,000 houses were damaged and over 100 destroyed. It was a sobering experience to view the horrendous damage created by the forces of nature, and all within a mile of their home! We were all so worried about them the day after the tornado had struck. I couldn't get through to them by phone, all of the family was frantic from London to the Caribbean to Washington trying to find out if they were okay. I finally got through to them around 4:00 pm east coast time. They were fine, Cyril had even been out golfing that morning!Anyway, they lead a very charmed life in the largest retirement community in the USA, probably the world! The place is amazing, it has so much to offer it's overwhelming. There are 8 Championship golf courses and 20 Executive Courses to start with, 3 town centers loaded with shops, restaurants and theaters, all sorts of entertainment every night, miles and miles of golf cart trails (the preferred method of transportation for just about everyone), and the golf carts are awesome! Customized all kinds of ways, from 1957 Chevy's, to Mercedes Benz, to old pick ups, I even saw a Red Hat Society cart! The trails are also used for walking and biking, 100's of clubs, 100's of classes, a thriving arts community, a fabulous state of the art health club, a wonderful hospital and health care, a radio and TV station, I could go on and on. I almost wanted to laugh and cry at the same time! It's growing by leaps and bounds. I just had to wonder what will it be like when all of us Baby Boomers descend on it? My favorite part is I felt young there!!!!
Marian and Cyril take full advantage of what the Villages has to offer and are busy constantly. Golfing, swimming, and dancing from dawn to dusk!
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
February 16th 2007
I'm back!!!!! Finally! January was a long month for me. Although it was lovely to spend time with Courtney, Ben and friends, I felt at loose ends and without a purpose other than healing and getting stronger. I had a wonderful physical therapist and by the time I left I felt I had really made a lot of progress. It is sooo great to back home with Alan on Moonstruck. Alan is beyond tan, he has turned a sort of burnished teak! He has also become very adept at single-handing the boat. Of course now that I'm back, he has crew! ... may the adventure continue!We spent a few days lazing around the BVI's and decided to head over to St. John, U.S. V.I. We had not been there before, once we got here we wondered why? It's so beautiful, and such a refreshing change from the BVI's. First of all, the people are nicer. Although we weren't welcomed with open arms, at least the customs/immigration people were polite and courteous, not rude BVI style.
St. John is a very eco-friendly island, it is mostly a National Park, with lots of hiking trails and camping areas. People come here for a more rustic, naturalistic kind of holiday. The beaches in particular are spectacular, we noticed a difference in the water clarity immediately, the visibility is 100 feet in some areas. We have been slowly meandering around the island, staying in gorgeous quiet bays inside the park system. One thing that we noticed right away is "Where are all the charter boats?" Most of the boats here are privately owned, and the bays and anchorages are not crowded.
One of the nicest beaches we have ever been to, Gibney Beach in Hawksnest Bay was practically deserted. A crescent of perfect white, soft sand, lots of coconut palms for shade, a lovely breeze off the ocean, crystal clear turquoise water, a nice little reef to snorkel, no biting bugs, we are now spoiled for any other beach! That evening I noticed some rather large dark shapes swimming near our boat, I got out the "fish food" (stale crackers) and soon had a pack of small "sharks" in a feeding frenzy!!! Turned out they weren't sharks, after referring to our tropical fish guide but Remoras, or Shark Suckers. They attach themselves to sharks and eat whatever scraps the sharks leave behind. Ummm....if these are Shark Suckers, then where are the sharks...???
After spending a rather rolly night in Hawksnest Bay, due to the north swell,we hiked up to Peace Hill in the morning, where there is a ruin of an old sugar plantation windmill. It provided a dramatic backdrop to the panorama of sea and islands below. The land was donated to the National Park by the Wadsworth family as a place to meditate and reflect on world peace. We were the only people there and couldn't help but be affected by the pure tranquility of that perfect morning.
On the walk down we could see through the palms and tamarind trees that a wedding was taking place on Gibney Beach below, we paused to watch the couple exchange vows, feeling slightly guilty to be overseeing such a supremely private moment. The sun broke through the clouds and shone directly on the bride and groom. It was beautiful and we felt privileged to be an inconspicuous part of it. By the time we got down to the beach the wedding was over, and the couple were busy being photographed. As we had to walk by to get to our dinghy on the beach, we offered our congratulations, I hope they didn't mind a couple of wayward, sweaty travelers tramping through their post-nuptials.
Our favorite anchorage is a pristine little bay called Watermelon Bay which boasts the best snorkeling on St. John. We love it for several reasons, no swell! completely smooth at night, quiet, great snorkeling, (there are huge star fish here!) and the ruins of a sugar cane plantation near by. We hiked there today, unfortunately St. John; as many of the Caribbean Islands, has a sad history of slavery. After only experiencing the delights of this island, it is hard to imagine how oppressive life had to have been for them. Witnessing the place where they actually lived and toiled left me with a heavy sense of regret for what our ancestors felt necessary to improve the quality of their lives.
We had one of our epic meals here this evening, Alan prepared Thai Fish Curry, with the last of our fresh provisions and coconut milk. We have not been to a grocery store in over a week and luckily had fresh basil, snow peas, frozen tuna and Mahi Mahi on board. Along with a bottle of Saint Veran, a white burgundy Alan picked up in St. Martin and Christine's play list on the stereo it couldn't have been a more sublime meal.
Coral Bay, St. John U.S.V.I.
February 17th 2007
Coral Bay is a very eclectic, eccentric, hippy community. Very interesting to say the least! It is a natural harbor with a few straggly shops bars and restaurants onshore, but in the water is the most remarkable collection of small derelict and semi derelict yachts at anchor (some are on the bottom). Many are occupied, with hippies and hermits living in perpetual danger of sinking. We had a great hamburger lunch at the Island Blues Cafe and dinner at a really good restaurant, Aqua Bistro. The shared Calamari appetizer was amongst the best we have ever had and the chicken (yes chicken!) entree was sublime. Price a very reasonable $20 per head plus wine.
St. John, U.S.V.I.
February 18th, 2007
We spent the day on a mooring, at Blue Cobblestone Beach, snorkeling and hiking the trails to Salt Pond (no salt as it is the rainy season and the water has not had a chance to evaporate yet) and to Rams Head Point. It was a pretty strenuous hike and Joan was very careful with her recovering knee so we only went a mile or so before turning back. The vegetation here on the South coast of St John is far more arid than elsewhere in the islands. Plenty of cactus and the largest bromeliads (air plants) that we have ever seen.
Next......Back to the British Virgin Islands, where we meet George & Mark at the airport, by dinghy!