6/21 - Day 5:<br>By now the AM drill is routine.....(1) coffee, (2) food, (3) tidy up boat and move out! Today we just motor over to Little Harbor on JVD, easily pick up a ball in front of Sidney's Peace and Love. As we head to the dock, Rena comes out to meet us. Very friendly, she gets us a ride over to Great Harbor. The family puts a dent in the VISA at Foxy's, then the first disappointment - no sweet rolls left at the bakery! Bowed but unbroken, we then take a taxi with Bunn over to White Bay, and add another mark in the booze book. I laze away the afternoon sipping (yes, SIPPING) painkillers under a tree while the kids snorkle, Bunn picks us back up and we return to Foxy's, and another book mark, this time for Foxy's own ale. The bartender also brings a cup of a lager he himself had just brewed - his first ever beer. He has a gift, as it is wonderful. While Heather lies in the beach hammock, AJ sips Sprites while mom and I continue to critique the new brew. Foxy's ale is good, but the lager is better. We then enjoy the entertainment, that being a group we would see again and again the rest of the week. Pure tourists, they come in and take a table halfway across the room. The bartender had been there until 4am with Lucky Dube the previous night, and was limin' the afternoon away. The tourists got a bit miffed that he didn't rush over to take their orders - his comment to me was "I'm sittin', and they're up and movin', so why can't they come over HERE?"......laughed my butt off. He was really a very nice guy, and we hated to leave, but Rena came by and we took a ride back to Sidney's with her. While the kids shopped in the gift store, she proceeded to whip up some conch fritters, and showed me where everything was behind the bar. HEAVEN.........tending bar in a caribbean harbor. Fritters were wonderful, and we finally headed out to the boat, ate there and off to sleep.<br><br>6/22 - Day 6: Up early, AM drill and off on our longest trip, up to meet JD and the TTOL herd in North Sound. With the wind dead on the nose, a 20+mile run, and no headsail, we motor most of the way up, making it into Leverick Bay just in time to see JD's Bahia leaving a mooring. I then learn what Ed Lecco has previously mentioned - JD don't use the VHF! We pick up a ball without incident, and head to shore. Halfway in, Heather realizes that she left her bag on the boat, so we head back - and thus begins the adventure. On the way back, the dinghy quits again - this time for good. We manage to paddle to the boat, and assess the situation. I decide we can move to a ball closer to the dock, and paddle in and out. Kim drops the mooring after I start the diesel, and I then discover that I have neutral and neutral only.....no forward, no reverse! She quickly thinks to have Heather give her the windlass control, drops anchor, and I then continue to work the shifter - to no avail. We are stranded, but stranded in paradise! I raise Nick at Sunsail on the cell phone, but being sunday evening at 6:30, they can't get a chase boat up until the next day. Spaghetti and painkillers on the boat, with a good bottle of wine,Kim bakes a great apple cake for dessert, some stargazing and off to sleep.<br><br>6/23 - Day 7: I get JD on VHF monday morning, and explain we will not be going to Anegada with the herd - he is quite bummed, but as I explain, stuff breaks, and I learned a long time ago to take a situation and just go with it. Cliff from Sunsail gets there around 10, and puts in a new shifter, as well as supplying a new motor/fuel tank for the dinghy.WE ARE ALIVE! He hangs around while we move DaixDream to a closer ball, all is working, then accepts a cold Ting for the ride back. We head ashore, and the family immediately loves Leverick Bay. Kim and I had been here 3 years ago while staying on Virgin Gorda, and she enjoys seeing the first familiar sight on our trip. AJ lives in the pool, and we hit lunch for (surprise) conch fritters! Not as good as Sidney's, but still good. After nice hot showers, we head back out for dinner, star watching, and a good night's sleep.<br><br>6/24 - Day 8: Up and at 'em, we run down the channel to Trellis Bay, and pick up a mooring there. We all dinghy ashore, and do some shopping. Sorry to see Fluke's is closed, as Roger Ellis heads off-island this time of year, we still manage to dent the VISA at Aragorn's, then mosey on to the Loose Mongoose. This is also familiar turf, as Kim and I had eaten here before, and I stayed at the guest house both before and after sailing with JD 2 years before.Although we are between lunch and dinner, Rosa accepts the challenge to her fritters by Sidney's and whips us up a few, as well as giving me another mark in my Drinking Man's Guide.As to fritters, sorry Rena but we have a WINNER! Still the best.Back to the boat, dinner, and off to sleep for the last night.<br><br>6/25 - Day 9: Up early, I want to get the boat back with plenty of time, as we are then catching a ferry to Virgin Gorda for a few days,we tidy up and head out of the bay - under power, with both forward and reverse - this is crutial! A quick run around Beef Island, and we are home. I send Kim below to raise Sunsail on the VHF and request permission to go to the fuel dock - she comes back saying she can't understand the reply. After a few minutes, they are nice enough to send someone out in a dinghy to SHOW me what they mean - go to pier "B", and so I follow him over to the slip he indicates.My crew at the ready, Kim on bow, Heather on stern, we head in, Kim throws bowline to dock help, and as the boat coasts in, I give it a bit of reverse to stop us, a BEAUTIFUL docking - except that there is no reverse, but instead FORWARD! I quickly go to neutral and again reverse, only now the engine runs up with NO trans - forward OR reverse!!!!!! We are not going fast, but still hit the dock, and I am TICKED OFF! It takes a minute to explain to the Sunsail guys on the dock that we HAD reverse that morning, we just don't have it NOW! I am truly upset, as not only did we hit a dock, we hit a dock with JD's boat........the employees assure me that no one could have done anything else, but I'm still bummed. After de-briefing, we head out for Gorda. JD later is kind enough to inform me that my new nickname on Tortola is "Crash Cobun" - thanks a bunch, I feel better! He says the boat is already being repaired, and that helps some, but still sad. We catch a cab to Roadtown, take Speedy's to Spanishtown, and check in at Fischer's Cove. We have a family cottage, and it is just like we remembered 3 years ago - LOVE IT! We snorkle, and then head up to yacht harbor to shop and see what's going on.We decide to do Bath&Turtle after dinner to hear Faze2, and the kids have a great time with live music, I get another mark in my booze book, and then, all exhausted, we head "home" and sleep.<br><br>Next up, part 3, Gordapeak does Gorda