Windy City to Windy Seas: A Visit from Ian and Cassie - Updated with Missing Jost Van Dyke Pics

Our son Ian and his wife Cassie escaped the cold Chicago weather and flew down to join us on our boat for a vacation in the warm sun. We were so excited to see them! Kent and I planned to show them some of our favorite spots in the British Virgin Islands. The winds were up and the seas calmer than earlier in the month, and we had several beautiful days of sailing from island to island.

We spent the first night of their visit in Crown Bay, St Thomas, then sailed for Christmas Cove the next day. There was some good swimming and snorkeling there, although the strong current around the outer edge of the bay limited how far we could go. Kent made several different kinds of his homemade pizzas for supper--yum! He makes delicious gourmet thin crust pizzas.

The following day, we anchored in Cruz Bay. We'd never had difficulty anchoring there before but there was a very strong current and the wind was blowing one way and the boat was pointed the other. A couple other boats experienced the same thing. We had to anchor twice. Then we had lunch in town and fit in a little shopping in Mongoose Junction. Cruz Bay was our last stop before entering the British Virgin Islands. We spent the night there before sailing across to Jost Van Dyke.

A little sunning on the bow trampoline

Lunch at the Ocean Grill in Mongoose Junction

Window shopping in Cruz Bay

Ferries at the dock

The dinghy dock with the Dinghy Captain Kent

We set sail for Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke in the morning, where we checked in at Customs. Jost Van Dyke was quiet and not crowded, in spite of the fact that a medium-sized cruise ship anchored off behind us in the bay. We dined at the famous Foxy's and walked along the beach there. We even had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Foxy himself, musician, philanthropist, legendary owner of Foxy's and a real character. I wish we'd taken his picture. A swim off our stern was a refreshing way to end the day.

Swimming under our boat - a view from the emergency hatch

The next day, we sailed for the Baths at Virgin Gorda. We'd just visited the Baths with friends a couple of weeks ago, but it's one of our favorite places, and we wanted to share it with Ian and Cassie. It's a stunning collection of giant boulders--volcanic lava leftovers from more than 70 million years ago--forming a series of grottoes and pools. After exploring the grottoes and pools amongst the rocks, we climbed to the "Top of the Baths" and had drinks at the bar.

Because you have to swim to shore from your dinghy there, I decided not to risk taking my camera this time, but here are a couple of pics from our prior visit.

Approaching The Baths in Virgin Gorda

Exploring the beautiful grottoes and pools

After sailing the length of the Sir Francis Drake Channel, we checked out of the British Virgin Islands in Soper's Hole. We decided to have a big lunch at Pusser's, then come back later in the evening just for dessert. Cassie and I shared a Crazy Coconut--vanilla ice cream in a huge chocolate shell rolled in fresh coconut. Yum.

Panoramic view of Soper's Hole at the east end of Tortola

The Crazy Coconut

Lunch at Pusser's

The next day, we touched back into the US in Cruz Bay, just to check in at US Customs, then headed for Honeymoon Bay on Water Island. Honeymoon Bay is another of our favorite spots, and we spent the day enjoying the beach, swimming, and snorkeling. Cassie was adventurous and tried the lion fish sandwich for lunch! Lion fish eat reef fish and are considered an invasive predator. They are venomous but edible if prepared correctly.

Lion fish sandwich for lunch

Lunch on the beach

Cute couple

The water is nice!

Jerk chicken grilled at Dinghy's on the beach

Lunch in Honeymoon Bay

The water is so clear and turquoise

Dinghy's in Honeymoon Bay

Our approach to Water Island

A panoramic view of Honeymoon Bay

Always entertaining is watching Kent fish off the back of the boat. He successfully caught a small silvery blue fish with a leftover breakfast pancake, then use the fish for bait to catch a barracuda. Alas, the barracuda had to be cut loose before Kent could reel it onto the deck, but it was thrill!

Every fish caught (and released) is a victory, no matter how big or small

Our last night had us back in Crown Bay and the week ended with a farewell to Ian and Cassie. After they left for the airport, I admit I shed a few tears. I hated to see them leave!