Day 10 - Preparing for Re-Entry

We met at 9:00 am for breakfast.  By now, Rog and Gretchen had already completed a 2-mile walk as they were up early and on a mission to find some items at the market.  

Unfortunately the restaurant in the hotel was unable to prep any food because of an issue with the gas in the kitchen.  So, we headed toward town to find something to eat.  Adema’s grabbed a meat pie from a local shop, one of the only stores open this Sunday morning.  Otherwise the stores were mostly boarded up and closed for the Sabbath.  Meanwhile the streets were crowded with cars and the sound of hymn-singing could be heard.

We ended up visiting Moe’s, the local grocery store, and got some items for a continental breakfast - charcuterie, fruit, muffins, with chocolate milk.  We brought it back to the hotel courtyard and enjoyed our final few hours together.  Thankfully, the restaurant was still able to serve coffee!  

As we discussed the highlights from the week and how difficult it might be to return to our typical routines, we wondered... what memories will stand out later this week?  What images will come to mind when we reflect in a few years?  What moments will we cherish most as we grow old?  

A little before 11:00 am, we packed up and checked out of our rooms.  Adema’s headed out for the airport and the rest of us waited a few more hours before leaving that spot in the courtyard.

The flights were pretty smooth for all of us.  A few delays along the way but by 11:00p we were all safe at home.  

 

Its a beautiful thing to travel, to learn and grow and to return home a changed person.  

I’ve never experienced a trip like this one.  I felt a deeper level of relaxation than I knew was possible.  I honestly could just take in the beauty all around and experience the emotion and gratitude I felt. 

The trip certainly exceeded any expectations that I had.  But what makes it so extra special is sharing it with people that we love.  Each and every unique personality onboard contributed to the special week that it was and I am forever grateful for those smiles, those laughs, that love!

For me, our time together was Heavenly.

Day 9 - St Thomas

Ahh… the final day.  Gretchen told us that her eyes were leaking on occasion, but I think we can all relate.  The morning started off like our typical routine - devotions and coffee on the bridge followed by an incredible meal for breakfast.  Today Amy served waffles and another fruit plate.

We took some time to write in the guest book and reflect on our time aboard Heavenly.  Then we packed up our staterooms and got underway for our short reposition to the marina in St Thomas.  We all found our spots…. A little more spread out than usual… to enjoy our final moments aboard.  Everyone seemed reflective in the moment.

Once tied off at the dock, we prayed over Nick and Amy, took a group photo, and said our first round of goodbyes.

Then we unloaded our bags, had one more Painkiller for good measure and stepped off the boat.  Nick and Amy walked us to the parking lot and to our transfer.  We had another round of good-byes and hugs.  Our time aboard Heavenly and the incredible memories we made with Nick and Amy will not be soon forgotten.

We had planned on our driver Curlson taking us for a 2 hr tour of the island of St Thomas... he was a local historian and very excited to share about the island.  In the end, we decided to cut it a little short and after 1.5hrs headed to the hotel to drop our bags and then walked to town for lunch.  We ate at the Greenhouse… burgers and a beautiful view.

We split up for a bit this afternoon.  Shopping, exploring and grabbing some snacks, before returning to the hotel for a swim.

We were all pretty tired as we were approaching the dinner hour.  So rather than going out, we picked up pizza and ate in our hotel room.  

There was another round of Uno and then we all turned in for the night.  

Day 8 - Water Island

It was a beautiful day… our last full day aboard.  We had a wonderful breakfast of cinnamon rolls and a spinach quiche as well as a local fruit platter.

 

Then we prepped the boat for our next sail.  While loading up the water toys, Nick dropped a clip in the water and we all watched as he jumped in, dove down and found it on the ocean floor.

The sail back to St Thomas was beautiful.  We all enjoyed the time underway and tried to be intentional with our final day aboard Heavenly.

We re-entered the US at Cruz Bay.  This time we all had to disembark and visit the Customs office.  We had a little wait in line but overall the process went quite smoothly.

We had about another hour to get to our anchorage for the night at Water Island, just off the coast of St Thomas.  Once we were settled, Amy prepared our lunch a chicken cashew lettuce wrap.  It was tasty (but a little messy to eat)! 

It was after 3:00 pm by the time we finished which left us little time to enjoy the golf courts on shore (they weren’t available after 4:00 pm) so instead, we all took to the water! 

 

After more snorkeling and swimming, we all cleaned up and enjoyed time together on board.  There was lively conversation, cocktails and at least a few rounds of Uno. 

 

Then Amy served our appetizer on the fly bridge as we enjoyed the sunset.  Brie En Crut is a pastry-covered cheese served with apples and grapes.  Yum!

We had our final dinner together - Braised Beef Short Ribs with Palenta and Maple Syrup Bacon Brussels Spouts. The dessert was a highlight for us all - A painkiller rum cake with coconut macaroon crumble and ice cream.

After dinner, Nick and Amy called us into the salon to enjoy a movie he had prepared of our time together this week.  Throughout our trip, Nick has been taking video and pics and compiled them for us tonight.  It was fun to reflect on some of our highlights.

Then we headed up to the bridge to watch a movie.  Nick set up the projector again with the stars above and cool night air.  It was perfect. 

Below is a pic we all took on the trampoline while underway with Nick’s 360 camera.  We’re all wearing our Heavenly shirts and enjoying the ride.

Day 7 - Jost VanDyke

I’m learning that I lack the vocabulary to fully describe the things we are seeing, doing and tasting.  As I reread the blog I’m using words like incredible and marvelous on repeat and yet it still feels like it falls flat.  I wish I could better describe it all but I realized today, I just cannot.  It is magnificent.  I stand in awe and wonder at the beautiful views, creatures, friendships, tastes, etc that we have experienced and consider it a gift.  So please excuse my entirely deficient vocabulary.  

And with that… Day 7!

I woke up early … the sun wasn’t up yet but the rays were slowly creeping across the sky.  I checked the clock and saw it was just a few minutes past 6:00 am which meant the sunrise was close.  So, I decided to get up and sit on the fly bridge to watch the sunrise.  In an effort to not wake up Scott, I left my nightgown on, grabbed a blanket and sat on the cushions to watch the world awake.  It was everything I hoped it would be.

We started the day off with bagels… I was thinking a bag with some cream cheese… but that’s not what Amy means when she says bagels.  We had bagels from a local bakery that were warm and soft.  Then a board of toppings including cream cheese, salmon, bacon, cucumber, greens, etc  A wonderful way to kick off the morning.  Plus, have I mentioned the coffee?  Its incredible - hints of coconut, its literally a dessert in a cup - and I don’t typically like coffee!  

We have a 25 nautical mile sail today back south to Jost VanDyke.  Captain Nick estimated it would take appx 3-4 hours.  It was a beautiful leg of our trip.   Our top speed along the way was 13.2 nautical miles per hour but we averaged 10 nm/hr.

You can see the Virgin Islands out ahead, but behind us, low-lying Anegada quickly drops out of sight… like a little secret only a few lucky sailors get to know about.  We were traveling with the wind today which made for a pretty smooth ride without too much splash so we took advantage of those trampolines stretched between the pontoons.

We pulled into Jost Vandyke as expected.  We will moor between the island and Little Jost Vandyke.  It is a beautiful space that is protected from the wind and waves but also has a ton of coral beds surrounding the boat so we will be able to snorkel from our moored position.

My favorite spot is where the two islands come so close to one another that there is only a shallow area between them.  You can look out and see the ocean waves crashing.

 

Nick and Amy needed a little time to get the boat settled and prep lunch so we took a dinghy ride to shore and then followed the signs to the Bubbly Pool.  Its a very cool little spot with a pool of water that is fed by a gush of water from the ocean that pushes through the rocks to form tiny little bubbles.  It was a beautiful hike to get to, a fun spot to visit, and an incredible view from the top.

 

By the time we got back, lunch was almost ready so we sprayed off the salt water and sat down for our afternoon cocktail.  We were served a Passion Fruit Daquari with homemade Seshwan Simple Syrup, garnished with a Seshwan Button.  If you are asking what’s a Seshwan button, don’t feel bad… we didn’t know either.  But Amy raved about them and both she and Nick highly recommended we give it a try after finishing the drink.  So, Roger was the first to try… followed by JC.  Then Mary and Gretchen and even Sammy tried after our lunch.  So here’s the scoop.  I heard many things including… "my tongue is tingling", "it feels numb", "it awakens your mouth."  The effects lasted over 5 minutes but everyone who tried it ended with a smile!  The overall consensus was that it was an incredible experience like nothing they’d had before.  (How cool is that?)

It was soon time for another well-crafted meal.  Today’s lunch was a Shrimp Quinoa Poke Bowl with cucumbers, mango, seaweed salad, locally-grown micro greens, and marinated shrimp.  I’ve never had anything like it, likely would not have ordered it off a menu but in full disclosure, it was great.  The flavors blended so well together and it was delicious.

After our lunch, we enjoyed some free time.  Everyone headed for the water.  Some went snorkeling, some kayaking, some used the underwater scooters and others just enjoyed a float in the Sun Chill out back.  It was a lovely afternoon spent doing whatever sounded best to each of us.  

When we got out of the water, we all started to gather on the bridge to relax in the sun and dry off.  Here we saw a beautiful double rainbow, without experiencing the rain shower.

Captain Nick was making appetizers and dinner tonight.  So soon, he brought up dry-rubbed smoked chicken wings with a homemade ranch dressing and celery.  They were excellent! 

As the sun was going down, Nick drove us in the dinghy over to a small island just off the coast of Little Jost VanDyke.  It literally is a sandbar with three palm trees on it.  Beautiful and private.  We took pictures and walked around the island picking up stones, gazing at the beautiful light as the sun set and watching hermit crabs crawl along the ground.  We had to swim in from the dinghy because it was too shallow so just as the rest of the group was climbing back into the boat, Sammy announced that she wanted to take another lap by herself.  It seemed really important to her so we let her walk the shore alone.  

I met her about 3/4 of the way around and we walked together back to the boat.  I really enjoyed this little island.  I’m not sure if it was the beauty of the light, or the simplicity of it all but I thought it was just perfect.

When we got back aboard Heavenly, Nick went to work on supper while we all took showers to get cleaned up after a full day of being in the ocean.  The table was set beautifully with tropical flowers and coral and bits of sea glass and shells.  The lighting was lowered and a new playlist was started with a Caribbean theme. (They really know how to set the mood). Dinner was a Caribbean Jerk Smoked Pork Tenderloin with mango salsa and coconut rice with a Grilled Plantain on the side.  Another incredible and completely unique meal for us!  Plus we had Key Lime Pie for dessert, one of Gretchen’s favorites… and it was likely the best Key Lime any of us have had.

After our meal, Nick set up the projector again and we watched Waterworld on the bridge.  It is a beautiful night.  And as I type out these final words, again lacking the words to properly explain, I’m overwhelmed.  I’m listening to the lapping water on the hull of the boat and looking out at a very dark night sky with only  a few other mast lights swaying in the breeze.  It was a perfect day in every way.