Anegada -> Bitter End Yacht Club

This morning we headed south from Anegada to the Dogs. We went scuba diving at The Chimney which is one of the most popular dive sites in the British Virgin Islands. After our dive we enjoyed lunch on the mooring and then headed to North Sound on Virgin Gorda to the Bitter End Yacht Club. We enjoyed the evening on docks and dinner at the Pub at Bitter End.

Having a beer with Sam from Whistling Pines and Altons Brown's "Feasting on Waves"

Captain Jim with his family at Cow Wreck Bay

Family Charter Begins - Trellis Bay -> Anegada

After turning the boat over we headed back over to Trellis Bay to pick up Captain Jim's family who are coming down to enjoy an end of season charter. We started out early from Beef Island and enjoyed an upwind sail to Anegada.

Once we reached Anegada we headed to Loblolly Bay for a dive and then to Cow Wreck Bay to spend the afternoon with Alex at his bar. We enjoyed a lobster dinner at the Anegada Reef Hotel and then headed over to Whistling Pines to have a couple of drinks with Sam.

At the helm heading for Anegada
Loblolly Bay
At the Bar at Cow Wreck Bay
Captain Jim playing "the ring game" at Cow Wreck Bay

YMCA Sail II BVI Program Departs

The girls enjoyed the short commute to shore via dingy this morning to Trellis Bay on Beef Island. Trellis bay is a short 100' walk to the Beef Island Airport. After checking their bags in for their early afternoon flight they walked around explored Trellis Bay's art gallery and cafes. There flight departed on time from Beef Island bound for Raleigh, NC. We are sad to see them go... We can't wait to do it again next year.

Roadtown - Trellis Bay

We left the bight at Norman Island early this morning and sailed across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Roadtown. The girls explored Roadtown during Festival, which is the a celebration of the end of Slavery in the BVI. After lunch we headed back out for one final sail up the Drake Channel. We practiced man-overboard procedures and tacking as we worked our way upwind to Trellis Bay. We had a final banquet dinner at the Loose Mongoose. The girls will enjoy a short commute to the airport in the morning (via dingy) and then they will be off on there way back home.

Captain Chris Instructing on how to Pick up a Mooring Ball

The girls at the Loose Mongoose

Sandy Cay - Sopers Hole - Norman Island

This morning pulled off docks at Sydney's House of Peace and Love and left Little Harbour on Jost Van Dyke bound for Sandy Cay. We anchored on the downwind side of the island and swam in for a short walk around the island.

Laying out on the Beach at Sandy Cay after the hike

After pulling up anchor at Sandy Cay we enjoyed a downwind sail to the home of Blackbeard the Pirate, Sopers Hole. We picked up mooring balls headed to shore to explore. We stocked up provisioning at Sopers Hole and did a little shopping in East End before heading back out.

Renoir II Sailing out of Sopers Hole from the mast of Mad Dog II
Mad Dog II on a Beam Reach sailing to the Indians

We sailed the boats side by side from Sopers Hole on our way to snorkel the Indians and the Caves at Norman Island.

The Indians, from the Mast of our boat

An underwater group picture of the girls snorkeling at the Indians

We anchored off Norman Island (the inspiration for the book Treasure Island) for the evening. Tomorrow morning we are bound for Roadtown, the capital city of the British Virgin Islands

Jost Van Dyke - White Bay/Little Harbour

Today we enjoyed a nice downwind sail from Monkey Point on Guana Island to Jost Van Dyke. We practiced jibing, sailing wing on wing, and our man overboard procedures. We reviewed keel boat nomenclature as we passed in between Sandy Cay and Sandy Spit.

Sailing a downwind course to Jost Van Dyke

Our first stop was White Bay to swim and enjoy the pristine white beach (thus the name). After our stop at White Bay we headed to Sydney's House of Peace and Love in Little Harbour for an authentic Caribbean style BBQ, courtesy of Sydney himself. The girls docked the boats "Mediterranean Mooring" style to the docks.

Grinding the winch
Hailing Renoir II on the VHF to coordinate Anchoring

Monkey Point

After a smooth downwind sail from Anegada, we headed to Marina Cay to top off on provisions and water. We headed through the Camino Cut and over to the southern end of Guana Island to an anchorage called Monkey Point. The anchorage is protected and has wonderful snorkeling. The girls spent the evening snorkeling and with the help of Captain Chris Davis, the girls are preparing a local Caribbean dish, Chicken Roti, for dinner.

The girls on the beach

Sailing through a bit of rain near Virgin Gorda

Anegada - Lobster Dinner with Sam - from Food Network

This evening we enjoyed a lobster dinner with Sam at Whistling Pines on the west end of Anegada. Sam has been featured on the Food Network with Alton Brown, on his show Feasting on Waves. Sam is a friend of the Lundy Charters crew and helped teach the girls how to cook lobster. He showed the girls how to catch, clean, and prepare what Food Network considers to be the "best rock lobster in the Caribbean."

Helping Sam carry the lobsters from the ocean

Captain Jim and Captain Chris with their friend Sam, pulling lobsters

Picking our own lobsters for dinner!

Anegada Service Project

We started our service project morning by having breakfast at Dotsy's Bakery in the Settlement (which is the only town) on Anegada. We enjoyed fresh baked cinnamon rolls and banana bread amongst the locals as we prepared for our service project.

The Girls at Dotsy's

After breakfast we headed to the Anegada Rock Iguana sanctuary where Rondell showed us around the facility. The girls cleaned the cages for the iguanas, prepared fresh food, and fed them. They helped to build new cages for the expanding program. The program currently protects 60 iguanas per year until they are fully grown and then releases them into the wild. The Anegada Rock Iguana is endangered and there are only around 600 iguanas worldwide, all of which reside on Anegada.

The Girls at the Anegada Rock Iguana Rehab Project

After helping with the Iguanas we headed over to the Anegada Methodist Church. After the concert last night they were able to raise enough money to purchase the island its own set of instruments. We shared an amazing lunch with the congregation. They members of the church prepared fresh fish, curried chicken, and various other Caribbean dishes. The girls shared the camp blessing with the congregation.

The girls at the Anegada Methodist Church

After lunch we helped clean up an old school building to store the new instruments that the children will now be able to play year round. The girls worked hand in hand with the local children to clean out and prepare the building to store the steel drum set.

Having a blast with the locals!

The girls took a brief tour of the island and headed back to the boats to prepare for a lobster dinner at Whistling Pines in celebration of a job well done.

Anegada - Choir Performance

Upon anchoring at Anegada we headed to shore at the Anegada Reef Hotel. Our first destination on Anegada was Cow Wreck Bay on the northeastern part of the island, where we had a great afternoon of snorkeling around the reef and exploring the beach. We visited with Alex, the owner of the restaurant on the beach, and he told us about his family's history on Anegada and played some of his music for us.

The Girls Arriving at Anegada

After a great afternoon on the beach, we headed back to the boats and cooked dinner together. The highlight of the day was an evening concert at Anegada Methodist Church. The children of the church had just finished a five-day music camp, and we got the chance to hear them perform. They danced, sang songs and played steel pans (steel drums), and the atmosphere was incredible! It was very special to see how the people of the church come together to worship - it was lively and a great chance for us all to see how lucky we are. We had a great time singing along with them!

Tomorrow we are planning service projects with the church and with a rescue program that works with the endangered Anegada Iguanas. And we are very excited about a lobster dinner with Sam, the chef at Whistling Pines!

Sail to Anegada

The girls woke up early and enjoyed breakfast while motoring out of the North Sounds. We raised our sails as we passed Necker Island and set our course for Anegada. We enjoyed strong winds and a relatively calm sea once we reached the leeward side of Anegada and the protection of the third largest reef system in the world (Anegada itself is the third largest reef in the world).

The Girls at the Helm Pulling out of North Sound
Captain Jim and the girls Sailing out of North Sound

The girls learned about reefing sails, reading clouds, and predicting weather while sailing a beam reach the 17 nm miles to the "drowned island" (named this because the highest point on the island is 23ft above sea level).

We reached the channel to Anegada and the girls were able to negotiate the difficult channel with ease. We set our anchors in front of the Anegada Reef Hotel and headed into shore.

Bitter End Yacht Club

After a windy night in Savannah Bay we were quick to get underway and take advantage of the strong breezes to finish our upwind sail to the North Sound of Virgin Gorda. We picked up a mooring ball at the Bitter End Yacht Club, where the girls enjoyed an afternoon of swimming in the pool, shopping, and hiking.

The girls enjoying lunch
Snorkeling

We enjoyed fresh catch dinner on the dock and the Fat Virgin followed by a movie at the outdoor movie theater at Bitter End and some dancing with DJ Heavy Beats. We plan to depart for Anegada in the morning...if the girls can pry themselves away from the Bitter End Yacht Club.

The Baths - Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour - Savanah Bay

We began the day with an early morning sail from Cooper Island to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour. We stopped in for to provision some fresh fruit and local bread from the bakery on Virgin Gorda. The girls explored Spanish Town and picked up some post cards to send home.

The Girls in Spanish Town

After our stop in Spanish Town we sailed downwind to the Baths for an afternoon of snorkeling. We capped off our afternoon with a cookout in our secret Lundy Charters cookout spot nestled amongst the rocks.

The girls at the Baths
Snorkeling at the Baths

After the Baths we sailed upwind to Savannah Bay to anchor for the night. We are enjoying having Savannah Bay all to ourselves for the evening!

Sailing to Savannah Bay

Notes from the Girls:

"Having so much fun, love you lots." -Rachel

"Hey, the weather is amazing and the wind is great! Having the time of my life, can't stop smiling." -Sarah B.

"Mama te extrano mucho, manana es tu cumple y no dse si te ha llegado mi carta asi que mil felicides, me la estoy pasando de pelos! este lugar esta incrieble, muchisimas gracias por esta oportunidad, estoy feliz! te quier much" - Mar

"Hey guys, can't wait to see you all in St. Thomas on the 9th!" - Captain Jim

Cooper Island

With the girls at the helm, we set out for our for their first sail this morning to Cooper Island. Diving right into the curriculum, we learned about basic navigation, rigging, and furling. After arriving safely at Cooper Island, the girls took time to snorkel around Cistern Rock before heading into Cooper Island for some beach time.

The Girls at The Cooper Island Beach Club

Getting Ready to Snorkel Cistern Point

SAIL II BVI Girls Arrive in the British Virgin Islands

The girls from the Sail II BVI program have arrived in the British Virgin Islands and are safely aboard the boats in Trellis Bay. The girls spend the evening orienting themselves to their homes for the next 10 days, a matching pair of 50ft Benateau Yachts. Captain Jim and Captain Chris have divided the crew amungst the two identical boats and are ready to head out on our first sail in the morning. Our destination is Cooper Island, just across the Sir Francis Drake Channel from Beef Island.

Lundy Charters Crew Arrives in the BVI

The Lundy Charters Crew, Captain Jim Baker and Captain Chris Davis, arrived safely in the British Virgin Islands and have begun preparations for the arrival of the Sail II BVI Program. We are provisioning, fueling, and sailing the boats to Trellis Bay on Beef Island where we will meet the girls. Calm seas and a clear forecast await the girls arrival.

Captain Jim Baker heads to the Pamilico Sound on the YMCA Sail On Program

Captain Jim Baker joins Captain Lee Sutton on the YMCA Sail On Program this week for an overnight cruise with campers from Camp Seagull and Camp Seafarer.

Fraser Island

We took a two day one night trip over to Fraser Island from Hervey Bay. The island is accessible by 4X4 and only by ferry. When we arrived it was raining and we headed through the Central Station (an old logging station) out to the main beach. We drove up the beach and as we did the showers stopped and the sun came out for the first time in a week. We had good timing. We saw the wreck of the Maheno, an old passenger vessel that washed ashore on Fraser Island and drove up the 75 mile long beach to the north end. There were very few people there and we spend the majority of our time out of sight of any other people.

At the north end of the island we waded in the champaign pools and relaxed on the beach for the afternoon. For the evening we drove back down the beach and camped out for the night. We cooked dinner and camped right on the beach with no one in sight as far as you could see in both directions. The stars were the most stunning I have seen anywhere...including out at sea.

We spend the next day exploring the rain forests and inland lakes on the islands interior trails. The inland lakes boasted white sand beaches and clear blue water. It looked more like a beach in the caribbean than an inland lake. We relaxed at the lakes and went on nearly every trail on the island before leaving on the last ferry.

We are back in Hervey Bay now for the day...catching the overnight train to the Whitsundays for a couple days of sailing.....

Byron Bay

We arrived in Byron Bay around 8pm during a heavy downpour only to find that there was no room left in the inn so to speak at the hostel we had booked. After a brief canvas of the lodging options we were able to secure a two bedroom apartment from a surly Frenchman named Gerard. We took advantage of the full size kitchen and fixed a proper hot dinner and followed that with some much needed ice cream. The winds and rain picked up overnight and by morning the weather had blown out.

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and headed out to the beach to enjoy the beautiful weather. We lounged on the beach, enjoyed pints at the cafe, and explored town until it was time to catch our bus up to Brisbane at 8pm.

Byron Bay is full of surfers and young travelers, needless to say..the place is quite full on a Valentines Day weekend.

Sydney

After an early morning flight from Melbourne, we arrived in Sydney around 8am. We headed over to the hostel to drop off our bags and begin exploring the city. We headed down to the
Harbor and caught the first train over to the Taronga Zoo. We spend several hours at the Zoo and even caught a seal show at the end. After the Zoo we took the ferry back over and took a tour of the Sydney Opera House. The project began with a budget of 7 million and ended up costing around 109 million to complete.

After the Opera House we headed back to the Hostel to get settled and moved into our room. We were able to make it back up town in time to catch the sunset from the Sky Tower. We enjoyed dinner afterwords in the rotating restaurant on the top floor.

The next day we got an early start heading to the Australian National Maritime Museum and Wildlife World before lunch. We spend the afternoon taking a cruise around the harbor and exploring the Sydney Aquarium.

We spent our last rainy day in Sydney getting caught up on rest and visiting a few last sights. We revisited the Australian National Maritime Museum and caught an afternoon film at the IMAX about the Wild Coast of Africa.

We have now begun our treck up the East Coast. We caught a 7am train out of Sydney bound for Byron Bay.

Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road...hard to believe there is more to the tour than standing on the very beach that Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze stood on at the end of the film "Point Break''....Bells Beach... This was actually our first stop on the tour...couldn't save the best for last.

We actually begun the tour from Melbourne, amongst the worst bush fires in Australian history. The fires affected suburban areas of the city itself so the effect was easily felt among everyone we encountered on our tour.We passed through Geelong (Second largest city in Victoria) and stopped in at an Aboriginal Cultural Center there. It was our first encounter with Aboriginal people that we were able to interact with. The Aboriginal people experienced a history similar to that of Native Americans in the United States ( I am starting to think it was worse). Needless to say they is a large amount of the population that is understandably self-separated from western society. It was good to have a chance to actually speak with an Aboriginal person, as it seems that every Australian (White - European decent) has a different opinion about the "situation".

We drove up the coast to the "Twelve Apostles" where we hopped into a helicopter for a birds eye view of this natural wonder. The video and photos of our flight are amazing and will be posted to this page...see above...

We also visited an arch just up the coast called "London Bridge" and were surprised to learn that a second arch existed before 1995 and had fallen while people were out on the section that is now separated from the land. Fortunately no one was hurt during the collapse...but they did just finish filming a BMW commercial on the arch and had 12 BMW's parked on the part that collapsed the week before. Good thing for Bavarian Motor Werks that they didn't film the commercial one week later.

Kangaroo Island

Up and out the door early to catch the first ferry to Kangaroo Island our of Port Jarvis. You may remember Port Jarvis made the news a few years back when a dead whale was devoured by great white sharks off its coast for several days a few years ago. There are some famous pictures of a local standing on top of the whale while the sharks were slowly eating there way through it. We had the privilege of riding with the very man who captained the reporter out to take that famous picture. (See Below)

Kangaroo Island is the 3rd largest Island in Australia with a population of about 4000 people. We headed out to Pennington Bay for a bit of a swim before getting our tour of the island started. We headed out to a few rocks named the "Remarkable Rocks". They resemble "The Baths" in the British Virgin Islands, but these rocks are perched high atop a cliff and have a fantastic view of the southern ocean. We visited several beaches that hold a few of the remaining Australian and New Zealand Seals. You can get very close to the seals and we were able to get some amazing pictures of them. We finished up our visit with a sand boarding in a place called the "Little Sahara".

Adelaide

After arriving on the Ghan from Alice springs, we didn't have very long in Adelaide....an afternoon and evening on the front end of our trip to Kangaroo Island and an evening on the back end. We spend our afternoon looking through the city market in Adelaide. It is the Australian version of a farmers market. We stocked up on some fresh fruit for our trip to Kangaroo Island and headed down to the beach. We found the only Mexican restaurant in town and enjoyed Sangria and a great view of the beach. We needed a chance to cool down from our days spent in the scorching outback heat.

The Ghan

This morning Jim and Maria rode on the legendary Ghan - a train that travels from the southern part of the continent in Adelaide all the way up to the farthest point of the Northern Territory of Darwin (many of you may have heard of this from the movie Australia) and back. We started the journey from Alice Springs yesterday at noon and will arrive back in Adelaide today around 1pm. The train is the way to go...this is now Maria's 3rd excursion on a train in Australia and it is a great way to see the land as I am learning how vast and expansive the Australian is. The Northern Territory where we just left has only 1% of Australia's population. It's hard to comprehend until you actually drive 9 hours on a paved highway with much or less the same scenery and look on a map to find that you have gone about 1 inch. This was our experience for the last 2 days when we took a tour of Ayers Rock (Uluru), Kings Canyon, and Kata Kjuta from Alice Springs.

Maria and Jim Explore the Outback

The first day we drove 6 hours starting at 5am out to Kings Canyon, stopping on the way to get my first glimpse of some kangaroos and a camel. The temperature for the day was 41degrees C, so about 100-110 F, so needless to say we only did a 1 hr. hike of the Canyon before returning to the van to enjoy some refreshing AC. From there we made a 4 hour drive to our camp site outside of Ayers Rock. That night we enjoyed a traditional Australian BBQ with kangaroo steaks - a great way to spend the night in the outback after a memorable sunset over Kata Kjuta (huge clumps of rocks rising over 500m in height in the middle of the desert). The next day was filled with the sunrise over Ayers Rock, a 2 hr. base walk of the rock, another 1 hr. hike of Kata Kjuta, and a million curse words at the billions of flies that flocked to piss off all the tourists. If Jim and I had not each invested in a fly net the day before, we would have been absolutely more miserable - at one time you could have 75-100 flies all over your back, arms, and face. That fly net was undoubtely the best $9 I have ever spent - for my emotional, physical, and mental safety! ha. Upon arrival at our hostel, our first priority was icing down a 6 pack and ordering a pizza to celebrate our accomplishment of seeing, exploring, and surviving the harsh outback

Jim Baker and Maria Powell meet up in Alice Springs, Australia

Today Maria Powell and Jim Baker met up in Alice Springs, Australia for a month long trek across the country.

We will be postings update, photos, and using the SPOT messenger to track our travels across Australia by satellite. Our travels will take us to Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Melbourne, Sydney, Bryon Bay, Brisbane, Maryborough, Hervy Bay, Fraser Island, Properpine, Airlie Beach, Sailing around the Whitsundays, and Cairns. If any of you have any suggestions for us or know anyone we should meet, please drop us an email

More to come after a visit to Ayers Rock tomorrow.....