I'm a newbie here at TTOL, so this is my first trip report. I hope it's not too boring or too long... Also, we were in both the USVI and BVI, so I hope it's OK to post here. Although I've been to the islands about a dozen times, this was just our second charter with our boys in tow, so we planned a very conservative trip with short sails.

June 6 - We chartered from Island Yachts in Red Hook, so arrived in STT around noon. Great Continental flight... Called Skip from the dock to get the combination for the lock on Paradiso. Finally got in the boat and stowed our luggage. Skip came by the boat (Island Packet Estero) to show us some of the basics. We reserved a rental car from E-Z Car Rentals in Red Hook and Andre brought the car right to the dock. Always great service from Andre. We then spent a few hours provisioning at Cost-U-Less, KMart, Plaza Extra (good selection) and Marina Market. The meats are always great at Marina Market and this time was no exception. Our last stop was the Food Center to pick up some ice...

The Estero was brand new with some very nice features (auto flush head, real freezer and fridge and solar panels to charge the batteries). The 4 of us had dinner at Molly's and spent that first night aboard the Estero. It was pretty still, so bugs were a bit of a nuisance.

June 7- The showers at the yacht harbor were nice and felt great after a hot night in the marina. We went over to Marina Market to get some breakfast and enjoy the A/C. We had shipped down some food (one of our boys eats gluten-free), so I went to the Red Hook Mail Services office across the street to pick up the box. They initially couldn't find the box, so my wife went back a bit later and with some persistence they found it, eventually. We used delivery confirmation, so we know it was signed for at Red Hook Mail Services... Skip came by Paradiso for the boat briefing around 9:00. He's very thorough. I've chartered about a dozen times previously and Skip ranks up there with his attention to detail. I don't blame him... it's a brand new boat, after all. The boys (aged 7 and 9) went with me to take the rental car back to Andre. We took the scenic route thanks to a wrong turn I made into the Ritz Hotel. Once back at the docks, Skip filled us up with water and took us out a bit past the mooring field in Red Hook. We raised the main and then the jib out in Pillsbury Sound... Finally sailing! We had about 30 minutes of rain, but no squall. First night was at Maho - no problems with mooring ball. Took the boys snorkeling at Maho, saw the typical suspects (seargant majors, angelfish and one barracuda). I forgot to apply sunscreen on my back. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> It rained a bit during the night and there were a lot of mosquitoes. I cannot remember the last trip where mosquitoes were a problem. We brought "bug bands" and they worked pretty well.

June 8 - Got up early to pay mooring fee and then everyone went ashore. My wife went ashore to the Maho Bay Camp and did some laundry ($2 for each wash / $2 for each dry). Showers at Maho were decent, too. More snorkeling from the beach at Maho... This time a saw a nurse shark swimming in about 8 feet of water. Very cool, but raised my heart rate a bit. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Shocked.gif" alt="" />

Took the boys to Cinnamon / Peter Bay where they played a bit in the sand and snorkled. It's good to give the wife some time alone... otherwise, it's not a very good vacation. Dinner at Maho Bay Camp Restaurant was OK. The mosquitoes and no-see-ums were plentiful, however. We were under full assault while launching the dinghy after dinner. The outboard engine on the dinghy was not working right, so I called Skip in the early evening and he diagnosed the problem over the phone! He said he'd send out a new one in the morning.

June 9 - Good to his word, our outboard engine arrived around 9:00am and was swapped in no time. The guy from IY resisted a tip, but eventually relented. After 2 nights at Maho, we made the short sail to Leinster Bay. Picked up a mooring ball behind Waterlemon Cay. Took the dink ashore and hiked to the Annaberg Ruins (great place to explore for the boys) and then headed back to Paradiso for a relaxing evening. Mrs. rundugrun made a great strip steak dinner.

June 10 - After breakfast we all snorkled the reef around Waterlemon Cay. It was excellent. We saw a few spotted rays and nice, healthy coral. Then we sailed on a nice broad reach in 12-18 knots of wind to Great Harbour, JVD. No rain at all. Picked up a mooring ball close to the reef and I went ashore to clear in. Customs was smooth, as usual - checked in and out at the same time. Brought the family ashore and went to Foxy's. Foxy was there (my first time meeting him) and he regaled us with a detailed poem about New Jersey. Evidently, he's got a great memory. After buying the typical T-shirt and hat, we had some nice adult beverages <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/drinking.gif" alt="" />. Another problem with the dink was discovered... There was a leak in the bilge, so it was getting heavy. Skip warned us about a slow leak, so I pulled up the dink on the beach and drained the bilge. This became a daily ritual. With just a 8hp engine pushing a heavy dinghy, it became a necessary ritual.

June 11 - Left Great Harbour around 8am and headed up the north side of Tortola. The plan was to overnight at Marina Cay. After sailing a bit in light winds, we decided to motor since the wind direction and strength would have made it a very long trip. Finally cut the engines and raised the sails near Rough Point. Sailed through the Guana Cut, but then motored the rest of the way through the Little Camanoe Passage & around to Marina Cay. Picked up a mooring ball on the fringe of the mooring field, but after several boats sped by on their way to and from Scrub Island, we moved to a mooring ball closer to the reef. Saw two dolphins as we motored through the field. Went ashore, enjoyed conch fritters and Painkillers at the restaurant while the boys snorkeled off the beach (and within eyesight). Showers were good ($2 for 3 minutes). Snorkeling was great (squid, ray, trunkfish, tangs). The mooring balls seemed a bit close together, but otherwise a beautiful night. Jealous co-workers got to see me through the webcam at the Pusser's red phone booth. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" /> Also, saw a ray jump clear out of the water right near the fuel dock. Dinner was bacon cheeseburgers (in paradise). I couldn't resist.

June 12 - We went to the Marina Cay fuel dock and filled up with water (our tanks read empty, but we only were able to put in 77 gallons into a 120 gallon tank). Made our way to Gorda Sound in 18 - 23 knot winds. Picked up a ball at Leverick and took advantage of the pool, showers, laundry and grocery store. Said "Hi" to the huge iguana. Lunch was excellent at the restaurant by the pool and the boys loved swimming. Although Nick wasn't there, the operation ran very smoothly. I paid the $3 to dispose of our garbage... It seems that garbage pickup isn't too frequent as the garbage area was overflowing. I should mention that the weather has been great and the bugs much less frequent the past few days. While at the pool, we caught some of the US v England World Cup game at the bar. Back at Paradiso, we notice a Sunsail boat tending a different direction from all the other boats. They had their mooring ball stuck under the hull somehow and went ashore for dinner. They came back before sunset, but instead of releasing the ball and picking up another, they tried to get the ball out from under the boat. Long story short, they put fenders out and went to sleep.

June 13 - Went ashore and arranged for a taxi to the Baths ($55 round trip plus tip). We got there before 9am, so it was pretty deserted. This was the boys first trip to the Baths and they loved it after being tentative at first. After a drink and swim at the Top of the Baths, we headed back to Leverick around noon. Great ride back with awesome views. After another dip in the pool, we sailed across the sound and picked up a mooring at Vixen Point. Went ashore to pay, but was told that the restaurant wasn't open, so the ball was free for the night. After emptying the bilge of the dink, I was heading back and saw a spotted ray at the surface of the water, beautiful as his "fins" broke the surface. Took the dink to The Bitter End (our honeymoon destination 18 years ago) and had dinner at their restaurant just as the sun was setting <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />. The food was excellent and salad bar top-notch. Headed back to Vixen Point in the dink. Another lovely day in paradise.

A few points: Island Yachts runs a very good operation and the Island Packet sailed better than I expected. The solar panels charged the batteries so well, that we did not need to run the engine at all in the evenings.

My fingers are tired from typing, so I'll save Part II for another day.