Day 3

Up and at ‘em before 5. Today I was treated to a fantastic light show off toward St Croix long before daylight. Roaring breeze and lightning high in the sky was a great way to start off the morning. Cup of coffee and time to sit back and relax before I would give everyone a morning wakeup call! No sleeping in today, we meet Capt. Josh at 8:30 at the National Park dock.

We meet pull into the National Park and take one of the last parking spaces. We see the blue Twin Vee waiting with Capt. Josh out in the basin. He provides water, cokes and ice. We did bring some extra provisions as well, iced down in our travel cooler. Carib anyone?
We board get our paper work completed and off we go to West End to clear BVI customs and begin day.
Ride over to West End was really nice. Love riding on the Twin Vee. Talked a lot with Capt. Josh. He’s originally from southern Louisiana. He grew up fishing the bayous then moved to Birmingham. He and his girlfriend came to the VIs for vacation 6 years ago, liked it so much they decided to move down.
Man I wish I could pack up and do that. Keep on dreaming about it.







First stop, West End to clear customs then on to the Indians. This is a first for us. We arrived early enough to secure a ball. There were already a couple cats there and all the balls filled up while we were stopped. It was a really cool snorkel, the reef like features on one side and the sheer drop on the outside. I wondered whether or not Parker would go, but she was in quickly and off we went. Capt. Josh mentioned we should try the pass-thru, but no takers. Lots of baitfish around, also plenty of these.







Had to be careful not to run into one for sure.





A quick rest back at the boat, then off to the Caves.



This is a really fun snorkel. There were already a bunch of groups on the balls and we grabbed the last one just before the point at Bight Bay. Water was as calm as a pool today which made the swim in easy. Still had to be on the lookout for the jellyfish, but manage to dodge them all. Some fun swimming into the caves, listening to them moan as the little waves rolled in. Avoiding all the other snorkelers was the biggest obstacle of the stop.



Back at the boat, a few fish had congregated, so I had some fun playing with the Yellowtails at boat side. Next stop Soper's Hole for a little shopping and a drink. Birthday boy wanted a BVI flag to put in his collection of Caribbean flags, so we check into a few stores. No luck at Pusser’s, but the gift next door had one. After a few cold Caribs, our stomachs were starting to growl.

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Off to Jost Van Dyke.... Lunch plans were stopping in at Foxy's Taboo on Diamond Cay. One of my favorite places. Great views, very breezy and awesome pizza. The flats here have a couple schools of bonefish that I've chased on past trips, but I didn't pack my rod this trip. We've also caught small tarpon in the Salt Pond on the way to the Bubbly Pool, when it has water in it. But this trip was strictly about the best island pizza. The birthday boy was pleased!

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Pizza is devoured and someone says it's time for Painkiller (or Banana Bender). The birthday boy loves virgin Banana Benders. I couldn't agree more with the call and it was off to the White Bay and the SDB to see our old friends. Jen and I have spent many a day and night at Sandcastle watching the waves roll and many times people stumble out before we started bringing the kids with us on these trips to paradise. We head back to the boat and make the short run over.

We are greeted by Winsome and Mic with big hugs and crazy handshakes and of course Painkillers for the adults and virgin ones for the kids.

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We would get to spend most of the afternoon enjoying the comings and goings on White Bay, watching L.B. and Parker have a blast, even hanging in the hammock. All the day trippers headed out, and we stayed. It was nice getting to hangout a bit longer this time and I’m looking forward to getting back to Sandcastle for week in the future. Kids can’t stay there until they are 16 and L.B. already said that’s what he wants for that birthday present. We’ll see.

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Sometimes even together!

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Always hate leaving Soggy Dollar and White Bay, but I know we'll be back. Off to STJ for check-in and then some pool time before dinner. Capt. Josh gave us a great day on the water and we’ll recommend him to anyone thinking about a daytrip.

Tonight was the closest thing to sunset.....clouds, haze and rain have obstructed the orange ball as it descends each night so far. We’ll have the rest of the week to see if the sunsets improve from the hill.