It is official! We are returning to STJ in May!




My sweetie has signed up to do the Beach to Beach Swim again on 24 May! She is ready for her 3.5 miles in the water from Maho to Hawknest.



Me, I started my training today for my Towel Boy job. It gets harder every year - gettin' old can still be fun. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />

Looks like you are working on those luge skills! Welcome back again!

We live in Virginia, too, and, I am so ready for the Virgin I'lons, mon. Where is May when you need it? Sigh! Guess I'll get the sled out trek up the hill... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Nutmeg. 8 Tuff Miles in your future this year?

Charlie - walking up and down that hill with 45 seconds of terror in between keeps me young enough to return to paradise. Sled On my friend - Blue Water Dead Head!

Congrats Tom. Sadly we have no vacation plans this year.

No worries Twanger - The year is young!
You have 10 months plan one <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

Love your photos and your sense of humor......thanx for sharing both!!

Congrats Tom and good luck to your wife, hope she sets a personal best <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> What part of the island are you staying on?

Believe it or not we are going to be on the "other side"!
Yep after visiting STJ for 35 years this will be our first stay in Coral Bay.

We took our best traveling buds to STJ in 2008. They both retired this year and decided to move to STJ for a year trial. They found a place in Coral Bay with a year lease... And it has a second bedroom!

so Coral Bay is in our future! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />

Your friends are living our dream! Once you go to the "Quiet Side" you'll never go back! Unless you need gas <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> I would be interested in hearing how your friends adapt to everything during their year. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

Tom: Yes, 8 Tuff is this Saturday. I do plan on it, if all goes well! Thanks for asking. The finish is supposed to be streamed live on the 8 Tuff website, in case you are interested. You know, just to give you all some motivation to train for next year. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

You'll love Coral Bay. I love the morning rush hour - sheep tails down, goats tails up.

18 days for us! We spent five days at Deep Creek skiing and got home yesterday to our driveway ploughed in and iced. I had to get the pick axe and garden shovel out of the shed to break through. 2" more inside the DC beltway this morning. Ready.

Cheers, RickG

We are going to be there too for the beach to beach swim. May soon come!

Are both of you swimming or just one?

Tom - your pictures are great!
Hope you save some time for Anguilla!

Ellen,


Not so sure Anguilla is on this year's schedule for us. With our best buds in STJ with a spare room it is our hope we will be able to visit STJ frequent and often.

I never have dragged all my camera gear to STJ, but I am hoping to fix that this year <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

We will be on STJ for the first time and will try to get to the beach to cheer your sweetie on (there is no danger of us participating though)

Love your pictures but isn't it amazing what difference a week makes! It's been over 70 that past two days here in NC.

SailorSteve,

Well thanks so much for supporting my sweetie. She will be the one in the green cap!



But remember if one of you do not swim you will not be able to go home with one of these as a memento of your first trip. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />



We hope your first visit to STJ will be as special as our first in 1979. The first time we saw this view the island had captured us for life.



I have snapped a shot of Trunk Bay probably every time we have visited since. There is just something magic about standing on that overlook.

We hope you feel it too!

We will be there as well to do the swim. I will do the 2 plus and my husband the 1 mile. We will be chartering a monhull out of the BVI leaving on the 23rd to arrive in Maho Bay that afternoon. We may not make the pre-race meeting but will do our best. Do you have any idea how we get back to the start after completing the swim? So excited to do this as I have been dreaming about it since your posts from the last time you and your sweetie did it!
Jane

Two years ago they had taxi shuttles running back and forth. There is a "I finished" party when everyone finishes so I am sure a ride back will be no problem.

Look forward to meeting you guys!

Thanks so much for the info. Sounds like it is going to be a great time and looking forward to meeting you as well!

Really hope you guys will be able to find a ball at Maho. On race morning it was pretty crowded out there. But fear not we will figure out how to get you back to the boat if they do not run shuttles.

They had a shuttle that ran from the 1 mile course to the 2.25 mile course so your husband should be able to catch it and see you finish. And then the shuttle continues to the finish of 3.5 mile course where there is a cook out and awarding of trophies. Mostly everybody standing around telling their story of the finish.

We will definitely keep in touch as the day becomes closer

We are worried about that too. Not sure what else we can do as we booked our airfare and boat thinking the date of the race was the sunday as it had been and was on the website and then they changed it to the following sunday and then back to saturday so we were scrambling. Ideally we wanted to get there two days ahead, but that will not happen. There are a lot of balls in Francis, Maho and Cinnamon so hopefully it will all work out. Was reading somewhere (maybe here on Traveltalk) that if all balls are filled you can anchor behind the mooring field, but that was news to me. We can be in touch like you said as the event gets closer. So hoping we don't get snow this week (we live in MD and see you are in VA).
Jane

The mooring rules for the National Park do allow for anchoring behind the field IF all moorings are taken. At Maho they have added one or more for the big boats, so you would probably be at Whistling Cay. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the info Nutmeg. We can breathe a sigh of relief that we have a backup plan. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />

Jane the water is pretty deep outside the mooring field. Most charter boats do not carry nearly enough chain to secure anchor in 50-60' of water.

So how does this work... They are sailing from the BVI to USVI on 23rd so on the 23rd they will have to clear customs in Cruz Bay and then sail back to Maho or Whistling Cay? That would make for a very long day.

Yes that is what we are doing. Not our choice but the date of the race was changed not allowing us the extra day we had planned. We have an evening start on the 22nd so can leave first thing (presumably) in the morning to get underway. There should be plenty of time to get there as the sail down is downwind, but concerned about a mooring after you had said it looked crowded. There are 28 in Francis/Maho Bay and more in Cinnamon Bay. When we were there last in March a few years ago it was practically empty in high season. Usually these boats have about 150 - 200 feet of chain, so not enough to anchor in 50 feel. At this point just hoping that the island gods smile on us and it all works out. Cannot even comtemplate otherwise.....

Maybe you can check out of WE or JVD on the 22nd so you can sail to Cruz Bay at sun up on the 23rd.

TomB - We will be with two other couples. The guys are doing the swim and the women will be cheering them on and will have drinks ready for them after the swim!