Living in St Thomas

    Well it was over due to update my blog!
So here we go. :)
We are adjusting to the new life. Our first experience in town was disappointing,we walked through a bad neighborhood just across  the street from Yacht haven grande marina. It's more city life here on the island,unless you are at the resorts.
The groceries are really expensive and it's hard to find certain things your use to.
    My dental hygiene job is going good. We take the dingy to shore,its about 15 minutes. Then I walk about a half mile through town to work and then back at the end of the day. It's faster then taking our truck through town. I setup at bad ass coffee and get my chai frap,delicious.
     Yacht haven has shot of free activities. I do zumba on today night's after work there and tuesdays at crown bay Marina. Crown bay is only 1 mile from us by dingy.
     We are in Honeymoon bay on  Water island, it has a nice beach, two beach resturaunts. It mostly has locals from the island and cruisers. Chopper had become a water living dog. He knows how to keep cool. We swim him our dingy over to a little beach spot to potty.
     Last weekend -the beginning of May was Carnival-it weren't for two weeks.All kinds of things going on. I went to the children's parade on Friday to see a friend's girls twirling batton. Greg and I went Saturday and stayed a few hours to see a couple of the girls I work with in the parade.
We are adjusting to living fugitive on the boat, it's normal now. Greg just repaired the fresh water pump and we had to trace the water maker membrane when we got here.That was a hit in price, but alkyl is good now.
    Greg had a captains job working for Top Sails on a sailboat called Dancing Dolphins. He will start that regularly in a week or so. He will be taking tourist and people from the cruise ships out to the various spots around.He had been going out the past few weeks and seems to like it.

    

Brewers bay

Well the weather has been absolutely gorgeous and we found out  the proper way to talk to people here is to say good morning ,good afternoon or good evening never hello or hi' 

There's a lot of cruise ships in long  bay and  I never thought I would hate to see cruise ships,but i do now.  Long bay near Yacht haven grande is  were we have been because it is closer to my job. Its really close to Charlotte Amalie.is really load, city like, too many ambulance noises and police sirens.Nir what we expected to be "paradise"

SO we've moved around a couple times to try to find the right ispot. you may be able to rent a mooring ball. We tried Brewers bay on  Friday, which is close to the airport. The beach is gorgeous and the water is crystal clear. We clean the boat today took chopper swimming a we're just trying to figure out the right spot that's not quite so noisy but still give us the best of paradise we need to find a place to leave the truck overnight as well as and then you dog you know simple things but I could pee. Complicated when you only have one vehicle we should be able to take the the vehicle up on Wednesday nd walked along the beach met some locals and also some cruisers got some good information

Good bye St Croix,hello St Thomas

     We had a great time with our son and daughter in law this past week. We had beach time with shell collecting, snorkeling, even spotted a large iguana. He was about 2 to 3 feet long, the guys on the beach said they saw a 6 foot iguana. I am just glad the 6 foot didn't want to try and eat choper when I had him tied up in the shade!
     We did a walk through a mini rainforest. Greg said it was only the first layer of canopy compared to Panama's 3 layers of canopy. Chopper tried to make friends with a horse. We rented a stand up paddle board. I was thinking it would be nice for the boat, but Greg didn't like it, to much balancing needed and you can't carry anything on it. Maybe an inflatable kayak?I saw a picture of a clear bottom kayak in St Croix,that may be cool.
     The kids enjoyed the snorkeling and Tanya found some nice shells and things to bring back for her class.
The chickens run wild in St croix, some people think of them as rats. The guy from the rental car place says as a kid they would catch then to eat, but the kids now don't bother with them.
     We went to a cruzan rum tasting on the beach. Andre',Tanya and Greg enjoyed it. I was driving so none for me.  I was the driver all week because Greg forgot his license when we went to get the rental car.  I think our blood pressure is high now since I had to drive on the left side of the road. I only got mixed up 2 times. Ahhh. Between the stress of driving on the left, Greg yelling and seeing his life flash before him,we did survive.

     Greg had to cut his hair, twice to get it right, stil not right ,they shaved him. He had to go to the guard unit in St croix to let them know he was here and will start drilling.  I do miss the long hair. 

We left for St Thomas yesterday after dropping the kids off at the airport to head back to the frozen tundra of Potsdam NY. 

Not a bad sail over ,other than a large ship not seeing us and coming a 1/4 a mile in front of us after his adjustment of course. Greg had been trying to hail him on the vhf and I was shining the large flash light at them and on the sails. Greg had to alter course and slow down once we realized where his stern was and that he was going to pass in front of us. Greg wanted to avoid hours wake.   They finally responded after passing bye with an apology, they were on a shift change when he noticed us. You've got to be on your toes at night. We also saw a few squalls on the radar, one disapated and just some rain with 20 knots of gusts.we had 2 reefs in the sails so we were good. 

So we are in St Thomas, I have a working interview wed. Life is good.  God had blessed us. 

Andre' and Tanya trying out the snorkels the first day

A walk in the rain forest

Greg teaching Andre' to drive the dingy

Greg on the sup

Greg's new hair

Chopper and the horse

SUNRISE IN ST THOMAS

St Thomas

We're here! Christiansted, St Criix,Gallows bay 2/12/15

We made it! It was a smooth sail over mostly downwind.  Dolphins welcomed us as we were coming in.  A little overcast today, but still hot.  We anchored and as Greg was getting the dingy ready we saw a guy on a horse in the water?  He must have been exercising or coolling him off. He then took another in the same way, interesting. Well we will be here while the kids come and visit and we repair soft. Then it's of to St.Thomas where I have a working interview. So St. Thomas may be home, we'll see.
Cheers!

To Vieques- a Spanish Vigin island,but US territory , 2/11/15

Greg was telling me the navy used this island as a target range until protesters stood on the beach. There are areas that are still restricted because of the unexploded ordinances!

Vieques in sight, high seas today, some 6foot waves, gusts up to 22 knots. Tomorrow's trip 

 St Croix only 48 miles away

Old military building, this side was off limits

Puerto Ferro Anchorage in Barracuda bay, nice area,. No bombs :) is actually an animal refuge. Chopper and I swam to shore

Chopper  napping on my head on the way over

Isla Caja de Muertos, translated Island box of the dead-Coffin Island, 2/8/15

The swells were high today coming from Puerto Real, so we decided to turn back a little ways and stay at Coffin Island. See the hill looks like a Coffin. We did take the dingy over and swam a little and walked on the beach while chopper explored. There is a light house and a trail to walk up to it, but we were just beat and I was still sea sick. The next morning we planned to go to Marina de Salinas.

Puerto Rico coastline,back in US territory! 2/7/15

Greg at the sails

Greg's well deserved nap,chopper never pulls watch, he just sleeps when ever he can. 

I am watching out for coral,fishing boys and enjoying the fresh air street being sea sick.

PR coastline,we landed in Puerto Real early in the morning and anchoraged. Thank God for the SVRS,small vessel reporting system ,we just called customs from the boat to clear, NICE! Like using our nexus card in NY.

Light house

Resort area