US Virgin Islands
January 18, 2008
Bleary-eyed after lack of sleep (or was it the rum cocktails?), this morning we dropped Anne off at the airport in St. Thomas after a week-long visit. Anne was here to forget all about her second year of law school and to look a little bit less like death-warmed-over. Successful on both counts! Unfortunately, we only have a few pictures to document the progress from “stressed out, shaking, high blood pressure, anxiety-wracked dreams, Wisconsin white cheddar complexion Anne” to “relaxed, warm and tan Anne.” The second day of her visit, our digital camera decided to go swimming. Unfortunately, high quality electronics aren’t giving swimming lessons and it drowned. No worries, Kristen pulled our her standby film camera and happily snapped away for the week. Scenic vistas, hikes, sailing shots, sunsets, etc. Come to find out, there was no film in the camera. Doh! 
Anne: pasty white, and ready to party!
We all had a fabulous time. The Virgin Islands really are sailing paradise. The wind is always blowing; beautiful anchorages are just 5-10 miles apart; white sand beaches aplenty; fantastic snorkeling; and enough charter boats to provide entertainment. Oh, and did we mention the rum is a mere $3/liter.
Anne is currently en route to Wisconsin and we’re planning our next move. Our dinghy has quite a few problems. It appears we got a “lemon” so the Achilles dealer here in St. Thomas is talking with Achilles about getting us a replacement. We’re crossing our fingers! We’re thinking of heading south to St. Croix and Buck Island National Park next with our friends Becky and Joe on the boat “Half Moon.” Then we’ll test the waters of the BVIs, maybe find some English candy, and avoid the charter boats!
Kristen gets one step closer to her dream of a transatlantic on the Queen Mary 2.
Anne awed by Caribbean sunset.
Hans and Anne, hard at work, on the beach at Jost van Dyke.
We missed this hot-spot, but the graffiti art inspires a return trip.
Above, two pictures from historic St. Thomas harbor.
