Back to The Moorings

A member of our party had an early morning flight out the next day, so we needed to make the long run from Anegada to Road Town. The weather was cooperative so we were able to make the run in about 4.5 hours, generally at speeds between 7.5 and 8.2 knots.

Mid-trip stops to base for reprovisioning, laundry, and just some on land time have been a part of our itineraries ever since the boys were young. Got the boat in a slip, had Moorings turn it around and fix the A/C so that all would be comfortable down below. Went to Pusser's for pizza and posed for a web cam shot for some friends back home.

The next morning Bobby's arrived pretty much on time for the second half of provisions. We decided to use the free aft berth for a storage area which finally eliminated the constant need to shift supplies and dirty laundry between beds and the salon. We had run out of water while at Anegada, in spite of very strict water usage, so I felt that there was some sort of problem with the water tank feeds. Ran the water in very slowly this time, gave it time to settle, and was able to fill both tanks, probably for the first time this trip.

Another tropical wave was due in so we left early for Little Harbour on Jost and hitched up to a buoy for the night. Another night of lightning, strong winds, and rain.

Over to Cane Garden Bay

We also plan for a couple of days at CGB on each trip. The calm waters, white sloping sandy beaches, and availability of food right off the beach make it a good place for a family. Since we had no plans to stop in West End, we decided to take an expensive taxi ride over that night to the Jolly Roger for dinner. Food was excellent as usual so we were glad we did the trip.

It was a Friday night so things were rocking by the time we returned to the boat. Bands played until about 3am which made it tough to get a good night's sleep. During most times CGB can be a quite peaceful stop.

The next day was spent on the beach, visiting Bobby's new store, and relaxing on the boat. Having so much food on board, we decided to forego a planned trip to Myett's for dinner.

Up the north side to Marina Cay

Another stop the family enjoys is Marina Cay, so we left the next morning for a short motor up the coast. Winds were pretty much on our nose so I didn't feel like extending the voyage with long tacks. Had lunch and dinner and did some swimming and snorkeling off the beach. Saw a few jellys so we didn't get too adventurous.

And back home again

On the second day we began to hear reports of another rather significant wave that would be heading in either our last night on the boat, or the morning the boat was due back at The Moorings. Since our last night is usually spent packing up the boat, we began to think about just heading back into port and spending the night on the boat since it had A/C.

We left Marina Cay late morning with the weather forecast having predicted heavy squalls for early afternoon. By the time we reach Road Harbour things were beginning to build. About 2 hours after we arrived, the storms hit with probably 40+ knot winds for 15-20 minutes. A M4700 cat that was coming in after us didn't beat the storm so remained in the harbor until things quieted down. The captain told me he had to run the engines at 2000rpm just to hold station. Sure glad we weren't out in the channel when that one hit.

Our final 36 hours was spent just relaxing, packing, and feeling a bit sad because our long planned "mother of all vacations" was now over.

We had a great flight over to San Juan on Cape Air, a typical crowded 767 flight up to Atlanta, and a miserable time making our final connection in Atlanta. Because of haze, our inbound flight was 30 minutes late arriving, which gave us about 10 minutes to make it from concourse E to concourse B. As we ran up to our connecting flight, the gate was already closed, the jetway pulled back, but the plane had not left. The Delta agent wasn't too sympathetic but we hung around in case something changed. Soon after a Delta pilot arrived that apparently needed to be on the flight to Houston, so out he went, out went the jetway, and he got on the plane. Still they weren't going to let us on. Soon a baggage cart came up with what turned out to be the luggage for the 12 of us who were on the delayed San Juan flight that needed to get to Houston. After another 5 minutes, they finally relented and let us get on the flight. Given the delays at the airport, I fail to see why they just didn't hold the plane in the first place. When we got on the plane the captain made some comment about what a 3 ring circus it was trying to get out of there. As we later deplaned in Houston we made sure to thank him for his kindness in letting us get on the plane. With attitudes like this, it is no wonder that Delta is in financial trouble.