Sorry for the lack of posts this week(s?) time seems to be going quickly!
We spent a few
days pin-balling through some of the Spanish Virgin Islands. The Spanish VI’s seem to have slipped through
the cracks, not touristy at all like St. Thomas or St. John, and no infrastructure
like Puerto Rico, but they feel really remote. There are approximately 25
islands altogether, although most are uninhabited. Some are privately owned and
we heard that the Bacardi Family (rum) owns an island complete with a pack of
dogs to ward off stray visitors. But, we are
in the Caribbean, and the lines between truth and exciting fiction tend to get
a bit fuzzy, so it probably means they have a lap poodle and the rest makes for
good stories.
After leaving St. Thomas the day after we dropped Rachel’s
sister and niece off, we headed out early the next morning, well, early-ish toward
an island called Culebreta. It’s a little island off the bigger island of
Culebra. We had a bay almost entirely to ourselves, only 2 other boats, and it
was gorgeous. There was a small roll wrapping around from the north, in though
the mouth of the bay, but besides that, it was an idyllic bay. There was a huge
long beach with sugar sand, a few scattered palm trees, and exactly zero people
on it. Picture “Cast Away,” and you’d be
pretty close.
Once ashore, we spent a few hours flying a kite we bought in
St. Thomas for a whole $1.79, figuring it wouldn’t last too long. It didn’t.
But all the kids got a chance to fly it and we got our money’s worth. The beach
is a sea turtle preserve, and there are signs on the beach reminding you the
beach is only ‘open’ from sunrise to sunset, to give the turtles a better chance
to climb up and lay their eggs in season. The next morning, we saw turtle
tracks all over the beach, so they must be busy!
Also, in the center of the island, is an old run-down
lighthouse with a huge residence attached. So we took an early morning hike
(Rachel, Erik, Emma, Levi, and Zoe) while Maggie relaxed on the beach with
Miles and Lily. The view from the top was stunning, and REALLY windy. We could
see Mehari bobbing alone in the bay to one side and the string of the rest of
the islands off to the other side……..incredible.
After there, we headed over to Culebra, the ‘main’ island,
but still really remote. We found a calm
anchorage tucked into some mangroves, and tried to get a bit of water from the
town of Dewey. Dewey is the main town and ironically, also the name of the little
town we were from in northern Arizona. We can’t believe it’s been just over 4
years since we’ve left Arizona, and as our time on the sea seems to be coming
to a close over the next few months, we are all getting excited for the next
adventure.
See you from Vieques!
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