I wrote one 2 weeks ago but it dissapeard so here it is again<br><br>Saturday<br>Got into Tortola at 7:30 pm after a nice flight on AA, had to be frisked twice since I am carrying all the electronics in my carry-on…..<br>We step on the boat for the first time at 8:15pm…God she is magnificent…and as luck would have it Ample Hamper has delivered everything we needed and already put all in the fridge and freezer, including the rum…time for a toast to our good fortune and Neptune….the vacation has officially started.<br>We have a quick dinner at Calamaya so we can keep on admiring Mama Cocha from our table. After that we spend the rest of the evening checking all the neat stuff on board….I have a hard time falling asleep…I can’t wait to take her out.<br><br>Sunday<br>Race #1<br>Someone said that what constitute a race is two sailboats in view of one another….<br>After we leave Maya Cove and hoist the sails I indulge in a little levitation…what a feeling… the wind is 20kts due South and I am sailing MY boat and she is doing great 9-10kts plowing through the waves. About 5 minutes later we happen to spot a Moorings 4500 dead ahead…the race is on….<br>We smoked them before reaching Soper’s Hole…alright….<br>Heading now for White Bay wing on wing…it don’t get no better than that.<br>After anchoring in our favorite spot at the west end of the bay we dink over to pay our respect to KC…..let the painkillers flow brother…we have an absolute blast with KC for a few hours then go back to the boat to freshen up before dinner at Sandcastle.<br>After dinner, being the only boat left in the bay we enjoy an evening swim au natural….why do we have to work and why not live like this all the time…….<br><br>Monday<br>Race #2<br>Leaving White Bay around 9AM we head for Monkey Point close hauled with shifty winds in the 0 to 25kts range…tricky. Soon after CGB we hook up with a 45ft monohull and have blast trying to beat them to Guana…another win for Mama Cocha..and I am proud of this one since it was so close to the wind. Monkey Point is very busy so we motor around to Cam Bay and anchor there for the night. Nice afternoon snorkel in the quiet bay and very expensive (Dorothy ordered the lobster)and so so dinner at Marina Cay ( Donovan’s was close for the Jubilee).<br><br>Tuesday<br>No boats no race<br>Leave Cam Bay at 9AM again and head for the Sound. Beautiful sail up the Channel. We get there early so I decide to sail in the Necker passage in order to have the track in the GPS for our night departure in July.<br>Find a mooring next to Saba Rock and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the boat. Nice buffet dinner at BEYC after drinks at Saba Rock. Go to sleep with the sound of the steel drums.<br>Wednesday<br>Race #3<br>After breakfast we motor over to Biras Creek and have a nice tour of the place which is completely deserted. We decide to leave a little earlier than scheduled and head for Anageda around 11AM. The wind is 15kts right on our back. So here we are again wing on wing having a great sail towards Anageda with a beamy 50ft ahead of us….you guessed it…smokeroo. These poor people were rolling like crazy as we passed them having a nice lunch in the cockpit on our steady cat.<br>We anchor in the back of a very crowed anchorage in only 6 ft of water...did I say I love the cat?<br>After making reservations for dinner at the Reef Hotel we head in the “taxi” for Loblobby….what a ride. After a long walk on the deserted part of the beach and a swim we get back to Big Bamboo and hook up with a gang of crazy sailors from Jersey (exit 3).<br>After sharing a few tall tales with them we all get back to the hotel together where they ask us to share a last drink before going back to the boats….Not sure what they had before but when we finally make it to the dinghys one of them steps of the dock right into the water missing by at least 4 ft…….who needs entertainment when you get live action like that….<br>Wonderful lobster dinner on the beach and under the stars….still can’t answer my own question as why we are working and not doing this all the time.<br><br>Thursday<br>No race.<br>The winds have picked up and clocked a little during the night which gives up a beam reach to CGB 24nm away. Mama Cocha is going 10-11kts and we make it there in a little over 2 hours. As we enter the bay we hook up with Mike and Jennifer who are taking Stinky and the Judge around for their honeymoon. We cannot stay with them too long as I promised my mother to get her a dress from Soper’s hole…so right after lunch we head out again and sail to the West End. As we are approaching my cell phone comes alive again and I get to hear the bad news from the office….the market is in the toilet and several clients died of a heart attack after opening their statement, Dorothy also has messages to call her office….what kind of vacation is that???<br>That kinda ruins the mood for me and I ask Dorothy to get out of Soper’s so the phone can’t reach us anymore. So here we go again for the 3rd time today motoring into the wind towards Norman.<br>After finding a nice mooring in an almost deserted anchorage we head to Pirates for dinner. They have just opened a few days prior and the menu is short but the food is very good. We enjoy a nice chat with the owner, Elvet, who shares his plans with us…it looks like the place is going to be fun next season.<br>The nice evening makes up for the unpleasant stop at Soper’s we’re liming again.<br><br>Friday<br>Race #4 and #5 and a party<br>The winds are at 15kts back to a “normal” 100’ so we have to tack up the channel to go to Cooper. A 36footer is on our tail and hard to shake since she is pointing a little better then we do but after being lifted a little near Peter we mange to lose her.<br>Get to Cooper just in time for lunch a little bit of snorkeling of Cistern point and then it’s time to go again as we are supposed to raft up with JD at Marina Cay at 2PM.<br>As we are getting ready to go a Voyage 440 leaves….ahah…<br>We are about 5 minutes behind as we leave Cooper. One tack close reaching…..I tweak and I tweak and I tweak and we getting closer and closer….finally passed them just before Marina Cay….I love my boat…<br>We get a mooring and wait for JD to show up with the 380. He gets there 15mn later and we raft up getting ready for the party…..<br>I will defer to other TTOL members who were present to give a report on the party as I made the HUGE mistake to mix champagne and rum along with some medicine that I was taking then……I vaguely remember people rolling me up and down the hill to and from the Michael Bean show and having some food at Donovan’s……but I hear the party was great and from my earlier moments of lucidity I enjoyed meeting some really nice people.<br><br>Saturday<br>Hangover<br><br>Just a quick ride down to Maya Cove and it’s over…..why do we have to work and why can’t we live like this all the time…except for last night.<br><br>Well we’ll be back on Mama Cocha, with the family this time, on the 4th of July…our independence day…this time I may not sail back to Maya Cove…..may be we can live like this all the time…… <br><br>

Herve