Day 1: The night before we left we could hardly sleep. The anticipation of being reunited with Mom and David after a long four months kept Steve and I up later than we would have liked. When the alarm sounded at 2:00 am, we packed the car and headed to New Jersey. Our direct flight was scheduled to depart at 7:00 am with an anticipated arrival of 11:00 am in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas USVI. Our itinerary couldn't have worked out better. Smooth flight -albeit Ben and I were in the seats dubbed the 'torture seats-' last row on the plane. We were treated with drinks and snacks by the lovely flight crew for being in 'the most uncomfortable seats on the plane.' We didn't mind and shared our goodies with Steve and William who were seated directly in front of us. As the plane began to descend, the boys were peering out the windows at the crystal blue waters. It was exciting to say the least! We were one of the first few to exit the plane and eagerly made our way to find Mom and David. As we turned the corner, there they were! Oh, what good and long hugs we had! Mom and I cried tears of joy - she is truly one of my best friends and I had missed her so much! Thankfully, we packed light; just a carry on for each of us. We had a twenty minute walk to catch the local taxi service - an open air safari type vehicle made from a converted pick-up truck. Thirty minutes later we arrived in Red Hook. The boat was docked at American Yacht Harbor, which is where we spent our first night. We enjoyed Molly Malones for lunch along with the locals- iguanas that wander around the floor of the open air restaurant searching for dropped morsels. Steve enjoyed presidente and I enjoyed my first 'painkiller.' Day 2: We quickly learned that you rise with the sun and fall with the sun on a sailboat. Our day started early as we prepared to leave Red Hook and sail to Francis Bay, in St. John. The day included the boys first snorkeling adventure off the beach in Francis Bay. Ben was apprehensive while Will was in his element. The boys enjoyed the warm temperatures of the water and swam off the back of the boat. After dinner, we all settled in and watched the most impressive sunset. Steve and the boys tried some night fishing, which allowed everyone to see the massive tarpons. A lone bat swooped in several times capturing a snack as the light shone on the water.
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AuthorTraci, a wife, mother of two boys, Special Education teacher, and sole proprietor of Eco Alternatives LLC. Archives
September 2021
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