BVI Highlights

We have just arrived in Turks and Caicos, which is south and east of the Bahamas. To get here, we left the British Virgin Islands and sailed offshore for a few days. Unfortunately, there was very little wind, so we had to work a little harder than normal to entertain ourselves during this exceptionally boring passage. I especially enjoyed chatting with Porter and Jack during one of my watches about the highlights of our time in the BVI. Here they are:

1) Snorkeling in general. 

I am fairly certain that the boys swam every single day and that swimming usually included some amount of time with a mask and flippers. 

For me personally, half the fun of snorkeling came in the first few moments each time. Whether we had just arrived at an anchorage or had picked up a day mooring at a known snorkeling spot, the feeling was the same. I would put my flippers on and then dive off the transom, swim back and grab the mask. At this point, the water is all the same: clear, salty, and warm.  And then you look down and realize that you are in a completely different place. I never tired of the surprise, what would I see when I put on the mask? 

We loved the Caves on Norman Island. While the caves themselves were fun, the sheer number of fish in the area outside of them was awesome. We loved watching the schools of blue tang clean the bottom of Sila and giggled as the Sergeant Majors nibbled on our fingers as we floated calmly in the water.  The Indians, a set of rocks off of Norman, also had many fish. More notable, however, were the underwater landscape and the wide variety of coral formations. We snorkeled at the Indians four separate days and never tired of the place. We especially enjoyed seeing all of the conch and their trails in the areas around Oil Nut Bay and Eustatia Sound, where we also saw several big rays, which are absolutely beautiful as they move through the water.

2) The Berger Family. 

In late January, we met a family of five from Switzerland because Florentin and Johanna drove their dinghy by while wearing T-shirts from CU Boulder. No, they were not from Colorado, their house sitters were! The Bergers were taking one year to explore the world as a family and had chartered an aluminum boat similar to Sila for several months of sailing in the Caribbean. 

We immediately enjoyed getting to know them for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which is that Rolf makes a great cup of espresso so Christopher was in heaven. Rolf and Jeannette are both entrepreneurs and parents who share our perspective on things like the value of unstructured time outside.  We thoroughly enjoyed talking with them about all kinds of things including their respective businesses in architecture and early childhood education and the differences between Swiss and American educational systems and expectations. 

Their kids, Julian (18), Johanna (16), and Florentin (13) were great fun too. Florentin was often the driving force behind international games of Salad Bowl (an elaborate version of charades that was a favorite on many HMI hut trips over the years). Flor and I were an unbeatable pair as together we knew all of the European football stars, NHL players, international politicians, and random celebrities that would end up in the salad bowl.

Over the course of a month, we arranged to meet the Bergers in different  anchorages and enjoyed a variety of adventures with them. We are already looking forward to seeing this family again when we return to Europe.

Florentin teaching Jack how to windsurf on their board in North Bay.

Jack windsurfing by Loul, the Berger's boat, where Christopher is talking with Jeannette, Johanna and Porter while Rolf looks on.

We rented a pick up truck together and spent the day on Anegada/

Johanna, Florentin and Jack smile for the camera that was being held out the window of the moving truck.

Flor and Porter ready to snorkel in Loblolly Bay on Anegada

 Triple Trouble

Porter, Rabbit and Flor play basketball at Cow Wreck Beach on Anegada with some local boys while Johanna takes photos in the background

Our table at the Cow Wreck Bar where we had lunch. Notice the incredible water beyond.

Porter and Jack Rabbit with Florentin and Sam Frykholm on our sunset hike on Peter Island

Jack Rabbit and Flor raced Hermit crabs on Peter Island

This was Flor's winning hermit crab, named Paul (don't ask me why!)

 The Peter Island Sunset

This yacht was anchored in the harbor near Sila and Loul (the Berger's boat). The boys (Porter, Jack Rabbit, Flor, and Sam) looked at the slide with great envy so we sent them over to ask if they could try it. After some debate among them, Flor was chosen to be the spokesman because of his accent. Although there were no other kids on the yacht (the crew had set it up because the owners were unable to use their jet skis, which are prohibited in the BVI), the crew let the boys take a few runs. Here you can see Jack and Flor going down together.

Florentin and Jeannette hanging out on Sila
Johanna and Rolf
The whole gang, including Jeannette's visiting parents and Peter and Sam Frykholm

3) Sharing the BVI and our lives on Sila with friends from Colorado. 

We cannot overstate how much we all enjoyed having David and Gina Lasky visit and then Sam and Peter Frykholm. I do think that having Sam on board for a week was simply really fun for the boys; it was great to have another playmate. Sam's curiosity, wonder, and enthusiasm also helped Porter and Jack to see this experience from a different perspective and appreciate anew all that they are doing and learning. 

I loved watching the Rabbit teach Sam how to tie a monkey's fist and other knots. He also took charge of teaching Sam important nautical terms like port and starboard, fore and aft, bow and stern. 

There are lots of pictures of the Lasky's visit in the post, Alpha and Beta.

4) Porter and Jack's solo adventure and exploration of The Baths

This day was well documented in Porter's post, Not So Cavey Caves. But the original expedition set them up well to be terrific guides for our visitors when we took them to the Baths, one of the most we popular places in the BVI.

Touring the Baths with Sam and Peter

5) Catching and eating tuna and mahi mahi.  

The catching may have been the highlight for Porter but I will say there is nothing like eating fish less than 15 minutes after your son catches it. 

6) Adventures on Anegada. 

We went out to this island several different times and always had great fun snorkeling in Loblolly Bay and eating conch fritters at the bar on Cow Wreck Beach. After months of doing all of our boat laundry by hand onboard, the cheap laundromat on Anegada was also a welcome reprieve.

7) Swimming

As noted above, we swam daily. Of course, we have not had a formal shower since we were in Africa in early December (a fact we all seem to be proud of) so swimming is both a necessity and a form of entertainment.

As a parent, it was a joy to watch the boys become increasingly strong swimmers.  Both have spent hours in the water and have become very comfortable there. Jack is like a fish when he is underwater, twisting and turning in all directions and taking great delight in getting close to coral and chasing after fish. One day last week, Porter noted that he was proud that he is now able to dive down 5 meters without flippers. I didn't believe him and he immediately went to the bottom and brought up a piece of coral. Wow. At the start of our time in the BVI, it was a big accomplishment when they were able to swim under Sila from one side to the other, now they swim under it bow to stern.

8) Night Lighting

In the dark, we shine a bright light down into the water and look for fish. We have seen tarpon, minnows and hundreds of ballyhoo. We suggested the practice to an Austrian couple who were anchored near us. They took it a step further and lowered a gopro camera into the water. Watching the video with them was just amazing. Jacques Cousteau, eat your heart out!  - Molly