Second installment of our family adventure in 1998- when Steve was 13 and Kaylyn 8.  We are just getting started in the US Virgins Islands at this point.

12-15-1998

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and it was a great day. We left Lameshur Bay with winds 20-25 and high seas AGAIN. Steve and I were nauseated even with gel.  Next time we will use the patches. Beat up to the Wreck of the Rhone. Seas were calm. Steve and Vernon dove there and Steve did great. 015Their thin wet suits are keeping them warm (especially Kaylyn) She and I snorkeled the area. Then we sailed up to Virgin Gorda – Leverick Bay and picked up a mooring ball. Used the showers on shore and called mom and dad to ask them to postpone their trip by 3-5 days in March so that we don’t have to push through bad weather just to get all the way south to Trinidad. We had steaks and potatoes for Valentine’s dinner. The oven is still hard to light but the meals are making it out okay.

I did laundry and more cleaning this morning. I have got to settle down but it is important to me to have the boat clean and organized. It’s much easier for me to live in. The home schooling is tough. Need to set aside specific time. 016It seems best to push through one subject at a time. Kaylyn’s is pretty easy since she is really above 3rd grade level. Steve’s is tougher with much more serious readings and projects. But he is pushing through it. Oh what colors as I look at the bay and sky– Reds, greens and blues. Need to get my camera.014

12-16-85

Last night before bed we played charades. We are forced to entertain ourselves together because there is so little room and not TV, no neighbors, computer, etc. We do very well as a family. Still learning to coordinate the sailing and boat maneuvers together though. Today as we docked we did not quite work the dock lines well and hit the dock lightly with the front of the boat. We planned for better one next time. We are at Village Cay Marina where I haven’t been for 12 years. Steve used to play with a little girl at this marina.IMG_5497 I wonder where she is now. We hope to get the spinnaker fixed and get an estimate on a new roller furler jib at Doyle Sails. Our next destination is St Martin but the weather has not looked good for that heading so we will try again in 2 days. The boat is getting more livable each day. I believe I have cleaned all the mold and mildew and will probably have to start over soon the way this boat leaks. Actually Vernon has found and fixed a few of the water pipes that had leaks so less is in the bilge each day.

2-18-98

We are still in Tortola at Roadtown. 018We ordered a new roller furler jib ($3000), got groceries at the local store and gave Vernon a much needed haircut. I went online at the hotel. We had to make a long distance call to Miami to get an access line for going online. Still don’t know what this is going to cost and it looks like getting on the internet is going to be harder than we thought. I compose and emails off line to save minutes then go to AOL to send. Cami and Ann wrote me that work is going strong. I am glad I don’t have to deal with that. And when I do go back I only want 32 hours. But may need to do more if we spend more on this trip than we had planned.

Boat life is getting easier each day as we all settle into a work routine.017 I put patches of scopolamine behind my and the kids’ ear this am before we went sailing. We all did great in the brisk 23-25 knot breeze and swells. Tomorrow am we leave for St. Marteen at first light. Hopefully the weather is lighter. We deflated the dinghy and put up the number 4 jib instead of the blown out roller furler jib. We’ll see.

12-20-85

020Stuck our head outside Bitter End bay yesterday am at dawn to find 20-25 knots wind and big swells. St Marteen is directly dead into the wind!  With our sails we have 110 degree angle on the wind and or ET (estimated time) was 18 hours of beating hard. So back in we slid to Leverick. 019Vernon focuses on how we have to do this to meet Mom and Dad– but the big picture is we have a schedule to keep with his races and other Corpus Christi sailors coming to different islands to race so the only section of time we had to travel to Trinidad and south islands is NOW! So we have to head down whether or not we were meeting someone. Anyway we talked it out. Just hung around at Leverick mooring. The kids did lots of home school work and we listened to Herb from Toronto on the single side band radio. He gave us news about a decrease wind tonight thru Saturday. We think we will head out at dusk and go at night tonight. We all read and played games after dinner- pass the pig, mancala. Made popcorn. Still cool at night wearing sweatshirts with our shorts.

We have been here 2 weeks!