Flew into STT on Continental, "front of the bus". Those new sleeper seats are great! The free checked baggage w/priority handling worked out nicely as my typical carry on had ballooned to 49.5 lbs packed with parts and tools for various people.
Taxi to Red Hook and took the 2pm ferry to Cruz Bay where we met up with the crew from Utopia, Mel and Tony, Tracy and Chris(tradewinds) and Sarah, aka "Bootylicous".
Quick dink run to Utopia to offload bags and settle in. Dinner that evening at Margarita Phils. Decent mexican food and HUGE margarita's. Think they even helped Mel with her dinghy entrance later on.
Off to JVD in the morning. After clearing in, spent the day at White Bay. Missed Mic as he is off Mondays and this was also a holiday.(territory Day I think it was). Some interesting sights at White Bay: A front loading barge had been chartered by a Baptist church from Tortola and they were having quite a party down by Seddy's. BBQ's on the barge, the most holy rolling DJ I have ever heard and all sorts of races for kids on the beach. There we also 2 large cats, I believe from Voyage, that picked there way into the western end of White Bay and anchored there for the day. Off to CGB for the night with dinner at Stanley's.
Off to Peter Island today. Weather is absolutely perfect. As we pass Salt Island we see "another" island in the distance. St Croix, clear as a bell. Never have I seen it that clear. Anchor in Deadman's Bay. My wife and Melody put on their running shoes and head for the hills. Everyone else hangs around the beach for the afternoon. NY Strip Steaks on the BBQ for dinner. Yup, I had to carry down a lot of stuff for folks, so no sense wasting the room. 8 gorgeous steaks came along and were enjoyed immensely. Unplanned shark fishing tournament after dinner. Chris landed some decent size Lemon Sharks(yes, he let them go) and there was one bigazz shark that had the reel spinning and even knocked the rod holder loose before getting away. Note to self: no midnight skinny dipping here.
Up in the morning and off to Savannah Bay. Bit too rolly to snorkel and swim, so we just hang and have lunch aboard. Tony seems to know his way around the bbq and also has found some willing guinea pigs for different spice experiments.. Sail over to Trellis and wander around a bit, then off to Last Resort for dinner. After dinner we ended up with a front row seat for the evening's entertainment, which was both on the stage and at our table. Sarah from St Lou, aka Bootylicious, had us all in hysterics with her "interactions" with the band.
Met a crew from Texas who were sailing aboard Moonshine. Asked them how the boat handled. "Like a dream."
Off to Leverick in the morning and a lazy day around the pool. Visited with Nick and Monica briefly as they were off to Tortola, but back in the evening. Off to Beans show at 5. Doug and Wendy were at the bar with Nick and Monica, great to have time to catch up with everyone. Beans show speaks for itself. Place was packed and we were lucky enough to know someone there who arranged a front row table. Where Beans gets the energy to go,go,go for 2+ hours, I'll never know. Crowd loved it. So did we!

Off the dock in the morning to Anegada. Nice sail across, spotted a "whale's tail" just off Anegada. Made a detour up past the Settlement hoping for another sighting,but no such luck. Settled for a dolphin escort going to the anchorage. Motoring in, Tony notices no water discharge from port engine and shuts her down. Once anchored, we head in to Potter's to find Mitch for a taxi to Cow Wreck. Tony stays behind to repair the engine(hose replacement), my wife and Melody once again put on their running shoes and run from Setting Point to Cow Wreck, on the beach! Chris and Tracy decide to walk it. Someone in the group has to show some sanity, so Sarah and I took the taxi and warmed up the barstools at Cow Wreck. Nancy and Walker wander over and visit for awhile. They are getting ready to head back to Tortola en route home. Kind of weird saying goodbye as THEY leave and we get to stay, usually the other way around. WinchMonkey (jan?) and her crew of ladies appear and we have a nice chat. Seems they have been greeted with surprised looks and "where are the men to the handle the boat" pretty much wherever they have gone.
Dinner at Potter's, a vocational experience for us all.

Sail down to Scrub Island and take advantage of their offer. First class facilities.As we were hanging around the pool, we see Walker and Nancy arrive. We have a nice little party going on now.



Pool and pool bar were enjoyed by all and the showers, well, good place to throw a party and invite the neighbors. As nice as the facilities are, I realized in their effort to "blend in"with the surroundings, the place has no character or heart or soul to it, whichever phrase you want. Maybe it's just me, but some bright Caribbean pinks and blues and greens would really liven it up. Almost looked like the back side of some NY tenements at night, with the shadows and dull colors lit up. Oh well, I'm not in the million$+ market so what do I know. I do give an A+ to all local staff that I dealt with there, very professional and welcoming.Chris and Tracy are staying with friends on shore tonight so as to catch an early morning ferry from RoadTown. Hate to see them go, time really does fly.
Spend the next morning lounging around the pool before we head back to Village Cay.Captain Rick stops by the pool for a visit.Pass a cruise ship in the harbor and seized upon the chance to salute her and create a new avatar at the same time.(I may grow old,but I refuse to grow up) On the dock at Village Cay, Tony and I schlep the dirty clothes off to the laundry while the wimmin's wander about. Walked up the dock to see Blue Bayou. Sad to see her all locked up. Miss you Walt!
We wander around some of the shops by the cruise pier. Salesman at Little Switzerland asks me what ship I'm from. Uhh, I have a braided beard and a tan, do I look like I'm on the LoveBoat??? I very nicely reply" I gave up cruises after the Titanic".
Melody goes off to rent car. She returns shortly with a Getz. Hey Mel, I would have gladly chipped in another $5 for a real car. Oh well, it runs. Off to CGB for dinner at the Elm. Mal and Candace are there, front row center and lots of familiar faces. We usually spend 10 or 12 days in CGB, weird being in the BVI for over a week and just getting back to the familiar stomping grounds. Elm is packed, Sunsail flotilla has a private party on the upstairs deck, felt sorry for the ladies running orders up and down the stairs all night. Great food and the fabulous Elmtones, what more could you want. We end up adding a 6th passenger to our return trip to Village Cay. I'm the designated driver(thank God for small miracles) and we load uo 3 in the front and 3 in the back in that little Getz. Amazingly, the car makes it up Soldier Hill. Our newly acquired passenger keeps insisting I"turn left here". Excuse me dear, I've been driving here 20+ years and there is no left here. As we are a bit cramped, I find it necessary to keep my hand on the gear shift as Melody's left butt cheek insists on placing it in reverse. I now know more about Mel's left cheek than Tony ever will. We return to Utopia and the party continues.
Monday morning and time for us to leave Utopia as they have new guests arriving in the afternoon! We say our goodbyes and Mel loads us in the clown car and drops us at CGB.Spend the day catching up with friends at CGB. Get word Tuesday is a 3 ship day, so plans are made to head to White Bay. Great day at Soggy Dollar, except that Mic is off again due to Monday having been yet another holiday!! Winchmonkey and crew arrive at SDB..."Where are your men?". Spend some time visiting with Stephen Hayes on the beach, an annual event for the last couple of years. Stingray has been slowly patrolling the length of White Bay all day, about 5 feet off the beach. Lot's of fun to watch him(her?) glide by and scare the bejesus out of unsuspecting folks.Back to CGB for Kapeye and friends at Myett's. Wandered over to the new glass studio behind Myett's. Fascinating to watch them work. Definitely stop by if you have the chance, and bring money!! Wednesday morning, last full day. NO SHIPS in port. CGB is like the old days. Maybe 25-30 people the length of the beach!!! Leisurely breakfast at Rhymer's, wander the beach a bit, check in at "The Office" in front of Stanleys. Nice afternoon visiting with old friends. Just a side note to folks, if you are renting a car and driving into CGB, watch out for the proliferation of motorcycles/dirt bikes by the local kids. Once the policeman goes to bed round 8:30, they are racing up and down the street by the cemetery with NO LIGHTS on. Hopefully Darwinism with handle this, but keep alert if driving, as theyare flying through the curves.
Final dinner at Myett's. Our server tonight is our friend Vishaal, formerly of Potter's. Be sure to stop in and say hello.
Off to bed early as we are catching the 7:15 out of WE to Charlotte Amalie. Turns out the 10 did run, but weren't taking any chances. Breakfast at the Petite Pump Room and a walk around downtown, then off to the airport.
Overall a great time. Anyone looking for a crewed charter, put Utopia on your short list.