Day 3 - Waterlemon Bay in St John’s

We woke up to a beautiful morning.  I sat on the front of the boat doing devotions and soaked it all in.  Breakfast was served at 9:00 am and once again Amy impressed.  It was avocado toast with local greens, bacon and a fried egg on top.  Amazing!  

After breakfast we brought in our laundry that had dried overnight and then got underway.  It was about a 45 min trip to reposition in Waterlemon Bay in St John.  It was a bit windier this morning but the ride was beautiful.

We moored in a very quiet cove surrounded by green hills, the remnants of an old sugar plantation.  We decided to take a hike first so Captain Nick brought us ashore in the dinghy and we headed up the trail.  The hike was only about 1/2 mile but it was mostly uphill.  There was one stop about halfway up with a cool archway and then on the very top another spot with an incredible view.  It was warm but so worth it.

 

We were ready for a cool down when we got back so we swam and floated around the boat until lunch.  Rog and Gretchen took a walk over to the other side of the National Park where they saw the old sugar plantation.

Lunch was a southwest salad with blackened grouper with handmade pizzas for the kids.  The day’s cocktails were Palomas.

After lunch, Sammy learned to make painkillers - our favorite cocktail so far.  We relaxed a bit… a few took naps.  

Then Captain Nick took us to another area to snorkel.  We saw so many fish!  Uncle Roger spotted a sting ray and several of us saw a sea turtle.  

When we returned to the boat, we showered and just relaxed.  Amy served us a bread bowl with spinach & artichoke dip and we watched from the bridge as some wild goats came down to the shore to explore.

Tyler helped Captain Nick set up a Timelapse camera on the shore to take shots of the sunset behind the boat.  Nick had Tyler drive the dinghy back.

Nick was excited to be smoking our meat for tonight’s meal.  We had smoked filet mignon, bacon wrapped asparagus and a panko-topped Mac N Cheese.  The kids were called into the galley to help with dessert… they got to torch the tops of our Masala Chai-infused Crème Brûlée. The tea came from a recent trip Nick and Amy took to India.  Everything was excellent once again!

\

This Bay happens to be very secluded with no light around us on land and only 4-5 other boats mooring nearby. The view of the stars is incredible. We laid out on the trampolines and tried to take it all in.  AMAZING!  Then we settled in on the bridge and snuggled up to enjoy the quiet evening, cool breeze and lapping waters.  Its a very relaxing way to wind down after another great day!

Day 2 - Welcome Aboard!

I cannot believe we slept as much as we did.  But our family woke up at 8:00 am with an alarm… that’s more than 12 hours for us and I can honestly say it has NEVER happened.

We met at 9:00 am in the courtyard and then went to the restaurant in the hotel.  It was a great meal.  We wrapped up around 10:45 with just enough time to pack up and check out by 11:00a.  

We hung out in the courtyard with our bags and waited for our driver (the same one as yesterday) to pick us up.  

Captain Nick met us at the marina and walked us to the boat while our bags were taken by golf cart. 

The boat is amazing!  I was blown away!

We were treated with a Welcome Cocktail, called the Painkiller, which is very similar to a Pina colada plus orange juice.  After a very short tour of the boat, we headed out.  It was a beautiful ride… appx 40 minutes around the southern coast to Christmas Cove.  We anchored there and enjoyed the afternoon in the sun. 

We headed in toward shore with our snorkeling gear and explored around a shipwreck.  We saw a sea ray buried in the sand below as well as a sea turtle and lots of fish.

We played around with the water scooters, a small hand-held, motorized toy that propels you through the water.  They were lots of fun!  Even more cool, they could handle two riders so we took turns, one holding the scooter and the other hanging on to the driver's feet.

After that, we had afternoon snacks: egg rolls, chicken gyoza, and edamame.  Then we just lounged around the boat and enjoyed the view.

Around 6:30p, Amy served us an amazing meal…  Mahi Mahi with a mango lime beurre blanc, Purple potato purée and green beans with garlic butter.  It was a beautiful meal followed by a chocolate lava cake.  

  

We took about 30 mins to let the food settle and then headed out on the dinghy to go night snorkeling.  It was so fun and something none of us have done before.  We saw an octopus hidden in his little home,  several sea urchin and a number of large tarpon.  Nick shared that they often come in to use the light of our flashlights to hunt for food.

Probably the highlight for me was seeing a very large sea ray swim in, rest on the ocean floor and then swim up toward us on its way out of the area.  It was so beautiful!  And super exciting!

We laughed a whole lot as each of us struggled to get back in the dinghy and then headed back aboard Heavenly for warm showers and a quiet evening together.

The day was perfect.  There’s literally no other way to describe it.  We lost track of time and found the best things about life…  new experiences, friends, laughter.

Day 1 - Welcome to St Thomas

3:15 am is a pretty early alarm.  But when you are super excited, its amazing how quick you can jump out of bed.  We loaded up the truck and were on the road by 3:45a - good thing too because the snow had left some slippery roads.  

We met the Wielhouwers at the Delta ticketing desk at 4:15a and moved through checkin and security fairly quickly.  Made a stop at Starbucks for breakfast and then headed up to the gate.  Didn’t even wait 30 mins before it was time to board.

We had a smooth flight to Atlanta and enjoyed an incredible sunrise.  Then we headed to the next gate where we met Roger and Gretchen.  We held up traffic in the hall as we stopped for hugs and a warm greeting, then grabbed snacks for our next flight which boarded within 20 mins of our arrival.

Another smooth flight.  The trip over to St Thomas was a little longer at 3 hours and 30 mins.  It definitely left enough time for catching some short (and not so short) naps.  The ride coming in was beautiful as we looked out over water with the Virgin Islands in view. 

The weather felt amazing… we picked up our bags then headed outside where our van was waiting literally steps outside the main exit.  “Sammy & Friends” loaded up with "Big Love" and we were on the way.

We all had a bit of a surprise as we headed out of the parking lot.  Although St Thomas is a US Territiory, they do drive on the opposite side of the road.  We all had a good laugh.

 

It wasn’t even 10 mins before we arrived at the hotel.  Its a large place just across the road from the ocean.  Only one of our three rooms were ready, so we dropped off all of our luggage and took a walk into town.

We literally wandered up and down the streets and stopped at one of the many jewelry stores that a friend from church had recommended.  It was fun to see.  We stopped for supper and had an incredible meal.  Then walked back to the hotel.  

Sammy and Mary took a dip in the pool.  The hotel is arranged in a square with rooms on the outside and a restaurant and pool / courtyard in the interior.  By the end, we were all lounging around resting and soaking up the wonderful evening breeze.

Now its time for bed.  Its only 7:00 pm here (6:00 at home) but we’ve been up for 16 hours and are all dog-tired.  

We’ve been in contact with Captain Nick and are all so excited for what tomorrow brings.  So grateful for the chance to travel with friends and learn more about a new place in the world.

2023 Catamaran Charter in US/BVI - The Plan

We've waited several years since first planning this one... Scott and I sitting at a BBQ restaurant, one of our first dates after the state reopened following COVID-19.  We were ready to get back out exploring and this trip is definitely of bucket list proportions.  

We are so excited to explore the US and British Virgin Islands aboard "Heavenly" - a 62' Catamaran with Captain Nick Cann and his wife (and chef) Amy.  You can check out the boat and crew on their Facebook page.

We have invited JC and Mary Wielhouwer as well as Roger and Gretchen Adema.  We'll meet up in the airport in Atlanta, GA before flying on together to St Thomas.  We'll board the boat the following day for a 7-day cruise.  Then it will be back to St Thomas for an overnight in a local hotel before flying home.

Below are some pics of the boat as well as our VERY tentative itinerary mapped out.