“Shredding”

It’s been a busy week with a few curveballs thrown our way. Early in the week we had a great sail to the stunning sandy spit at Green Cay. The kids fizzed as Chris took them kiting between his legs and Harry got his trainer kite up in the air. No night has been complete without a local “painkiller”; a sugar laden feast of orange, pineapple, coconut milk, rum and of course nutmeg sets us right up for kids bed time- rock and roll. Foxy’s taboo bar at Diamond Cay gave us a fix and the kids explored the salt ponds.

We then hit up Guana Island, White bay, in a chilled 10-14knts of breeze. Chris insisted we were “shredding” his chosen opposition….I’m pretty sure we kayaked into the shore quicker. Chris had a stealth search for surf before we stayed in Little Harbour, Jost Van Dyke. At this point we had a minor monty with the generator breaking down. Cue trip back to Nanny Cay to discover a pathetic bit of plastic was to blame, oh and an oil leak due to a badly fitted sump plug needed some attention. Some time, patience and a few spare impellers later we got back on our way.

Lily did some more door mousing and Chris was delighted to play a few “glamour shifts” all the way to Virgin Gorda yesterday. Our Fille goes upwind pretty well as long as you don’t look back and see the leeway! We’ve taken in the usual tourist sights and a few other gems along the way. The huge boulders at The Baths made for a great playground to go under, over and through, topped off with more snorkel action. I’m pretty convinced Lily thinks she’s a mermaid.

I have no reason to want to leave Virgin Gorda! A stellar anchorage just off Eustasia Island was our home last night. Even 8 hours of torrential rain 30knots and thunderstorms haven’t put me off. Huge wind direction changes and a lot of noise made for a crap night’s sleep but the big bertha anchor stayed firmly set. The Bitter End Yacht Club was a welcome retreat this morning as the rain abated.

Kiting lessons are all set for tomorrow. In prep Harry and I got the kite in the air at Prickly Pear Island (another stunning beach with dense undergrowth- trying not to labour how pretty it all is). I may have ditched the kite in a tree when left to my own devices…could be a long day. I think Harry had forgiven me by the time we took him to Saba Rock to wrestle the massive tarpons.

In un-cruisy fashion we have a quick trip back to Tortola later tomorrow  to pick up some toys coming from Bermuda. I suspect this may create some surfboard storage issues.

Misadventure

-A playground incident helped Harry’s front tooth out!

-Its frigging hot! This boat has fans and AC for a reason. The battery monitor does not agree. Sleeping on deck seems to do the trick.

-Homeschooling has tentatively started.