(Continued from yesterday)<br><br>Hope this report isn't too dull because nothing wild or funny happened, and we weren't really into partying this trip (having dear old friends with us that we don't see often enough was quite enough). Anyway, for those who like to read about peaceful, laid-back sailing, I'll continue.<br><br>Sailing Day 2 - Being on a boat is the only thing in the world that gets me up early. At dawn, I stand up on the bed, stick my head thru the hatch, and check out the sunrise. If it looks like a good one, I slip out on deck to watch it. If it's not so great, I go back to sleep, but still try to get up by 6:30 or so. There's nothing like those peaceful early morning moments with no one else around.<br><br>Soon others stir, and after a leisurely breakfast we take off for Virgin Gorda. Great sailing is followed by the sight of the Baths just as mobbed as everyone warned. Mike (my husband) and I decide we've seen the Baths several times in more peaceful circumstances and we'll hang out on the boat and make lunch. We run our friends in with the dinghey and give them one of our walkie-talkies. I highly recommend two-way radios for trips like this! When they've been caught in a rain squall or two and seen enough, we sail on to Gorda Sound. Yes, there's the new restaurant on the rock that everyone was talking about (I forgot its name already). We find a mooring almost to Biras Creek, and it's a lovely spot away from the noise. We have drinks and snacks ( I make what everyone agrees is a mean painkiller!) Painkillers at sunset is another ritual -- there have been times when the snacks and painkillers went on so long we never got to dinner.<br><br> Because we're taking our friends to all the traditional places, we have dinner at the Bitter End, which is ok but more of a ripoff than it used to be. Next day we set off for my very favorite place -- Anegada. It looks pretty much the same. Walk down to Pam's Kitchen --it's the day before they're closing and not much is left. Spend the afternoon drinking at the Reef Hotel bar with fellow sailers and the goat (has anyone else played who-can-push-harder with the goat??) Then, of course, lobsters! <br><br>Next day I finally get to snorkel. A guy in the flatbed cab talks us into Flash of Beauty instead of Loblolly Beach. Hardly anyone there . We have our one adventure of the trip when my friend who can't swim well gets caught in strong current. She was safe enough since she had a lifevest on, but we all got scraped up trying to get her out of the coral. On the last day of the trip I got my first ever coral infection -- my foot swelled up so I couldn't even put a sandal on, and it took 2 weeks of antibiotics before it healed. So don't ignore coral cuts the way I did -- treat them promptly with bacytracin. --- At least when I snorkeled more later that day I was pleased with how well the area had recovered from the hurricane 7 or 8 years ago, and I saw the biggest stingray I've ever seen in my life -- 20 or 30 feet -- well, no, but he was really big!<br><br>Next day we took a long, leisurely sail to Jost Van Dyke and anchored in Great Harbor for 2 nights. Way too many boats there!! But again, we were prepared. Our friends loved Foxy's and White Sound, although Mike and I were sorry to see all the new bars and t-shirt shops at White Sound. We can remember when the Soggy Dollar was it - a small, friendly place where you left drink money in a cup if no one was around! But we enjoyed snorkeling , and hearing Foxy again gave me that "some things don't change-all's right with the world" feeling. <br><br> Because of the wind, we decided the next day to sail around past Sopers Hole rather than to Trellis Bay as planned. The one spot we had intended to avoid like the plague was Norman Island, but that's where we went, especially because we wanted to snorkel the Indians first (which were as magical as ever). We got into the Bight early enough to anchor along the side as far out as we could. Our friends actually loved the Willy T, where the food was only marginally better than I remembered, and for my girlfriend's birthday the harried waiter could only come up with one tiny candle stuck in a piece of key lime pie! At least that caused the surrounding tables to sing happy birthday to her and strike up various conversations. Back on the boat later we watched the younger set diving off the top deck into the water, and for our last night we actually enjoyed the music. <br><br>Returning to the airport the next day was a bummer, as usual, especially looking over to see that monstrous new terminal which really doesn't seem to fit the BVI's. But we checked in early and followed one last ritual – walking over to Trellis Bay for lunch and no-see-um drinks at DeLoose Mongoose, with the usual flurry of last minute picture taking and "how could it possibly be over already" conversations. In summary, we don't like the increased development and larger number of boats, but out on the water it's as nice as ever. Many places feel the same, it's not totally ruined after all, and before another 6-1/2 years go by, we'll be back!<br><br>
