Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday / Today i-is Friday, Friday (Oh, and I guess Wednesday is there somewhere as well...)

Wednesday morning we woke up at 7 something, davened, and ate delicious fried bagels and scrambled eggs, cooked by Ben and Amichai. At 9:00 we brought Gerry (I spelled his name wrong before) over with the dinghy to start our second day of sailing tutorial.

First we refueled at a refueling station nearby, so Gerry could show us how. Then we headed back to TMM to get our batteries checked and to refill with water. We all showered on land at TMM to conserve the water on the boat.

Our destination for the day was Norman Island, named for someone named Norman. This someone was a pirate and there are still rumors of buried treasure. We didn’t find any though.

Some poses while sailing, guess which of the three is a typical pose and which are acted:

At the island we went snorkeling! It was my second time ever and Chana Gila’s first. I kept getting salt water in my snorkel, until I figured out how to breathe correctly. It’s important not to use your nose at all.

While chasing a school a fish, I pushed off of the rock and coral before hitting it head-on. As I turned right, I suddenly felt a burning on the back of my left calf. I headed to the small beach to check it out. I thought I scratched myself, but it turns out I got stung by something. Possibly fire coral, or maybe a jellyfish. My skin was slightly reddish and it looked like I had goosebumps. I felt the slight burning sensation for awhile, but it eventually went away. CG and Yoni also got stung and their reactions also didn’t last very long.

The snorkeling spot also had some caves which were explored. Due to my personal investigation of my sting, I didn’t get as much of a view as planned, but I was told they were really cool. In the inside of a cave I did go to, the rocks looked purple! I think it was something growing on the rocks.

We went back on the boat for lunch (chicken-flavored Tradition soups). While waiting for the water to boil we snacked on some Chips Ahoy we had bought at one of the local stores. That is, we snacked on the cookies until Yoni noticed a maggot on his. Then we stopped.

Our next destination was Peter Island, again, where we said farewell to Gerry (who took a ferry back to Tortola). With still several hours until nightfall, all of us but Sammy headed to the island to look around (Sammy stayed back to take care of some things on the boat). We took the dinghy ashore and cut through with a path to arrive at a resort. It was pretty nice.

On the path through:

This was the nicest thing about the resort:

AIR CONDITIONED BATHROOM!

We also walked to their beach. It was beautiful white sand, dotted with beach chairs and topped by palm trees around. We realized it was pretty much the island paradise people always talk about. We even saw a couple take a long walk along the beach. We just sat on the chairs.

A view of our boat at sunset, while we rode the dinghy back:

For dinner we had chicken, rice, and salad. As we ate we went around the table saying our highs and lows of the day, a tradition on vacation in both Ben and Amichai’s families.

After dinner we laid down on the deck of the boat and stargazed. I saw a satellite travel across the sky. Sammy identified the North Star. Ben told us his theories about constellations. We then watched Little Miss Sunshine.

During the night, it rained.

Sammy woke up Thursday morning to find that our boat had drifted during the night. Apparently our anchor was not as secure as we thought and due to the storm, we had moved. After moving the boat back and a quick breakfast of cereal, we all boarded the dinghy to go to Peter Island and to hike the Sunset Loop (which took us up the mountain, past homes and parts of the resort). Amichai, Chana Gila, and Sammy ran most of the way, while Ben, Yoni, and I walked.

Views from the hike:

The sign said it was a loop, so we all assumed it would take us all around the island. Well it did loop - the hike took you to a small area where you looped around - and then you had to go back the way you came!

The day was a scorcher and we were hot and sweaty. When we got back to the resort area we of course showered in the air conditioned bathroom! It was a fantastic experience. We used our own shampoo and soap, but we were able to save water from our boat.

We had lunch on the boat and then set out for our next destination. It was a four hour trip. And the first all on our own! 

There are moments when smiles just come to our faces. This was one for me.

It was a four hour trip. In between helping with the sails, we listened to lots of music and read books. I finished rereading The Little Prince and then went back to The Art of Biblical Narrative, Yoni read Fahrenheit 451, CG read The Scarlet Letter, Amichai read Don Quixote, and Ben read The Sabbath. During the trip we also passed a huge cruise liner. At one point we thought we might get too close, but it all worked out.

We passed by the islands Fallen Jerusalem and Broken Jerusalem - appropriate for the Three Weeks. They are named as such because of the huge rocks that are on them. They are very small islands, but Fallen Jerusalem did have some large boulders on top that were very similar in color to Jerusalem stone.

Getting to these islands had been something we had talked about for awhile, not only because they had Jerusalem in their names, but because of the time period of the Three Weeks (between the fast of Shiva Assar B'Tammuz and the fast of Tisha B'Av, the ninth of Av) which are in memory of Jerusalem being sacked and the burning of the Temples. There are many customs, especially among Ashkenazi Jews, for the Three Weeks to show that one is in mourning. One of these that is done in my family is refraining from shaving, so when when you see my face in the photos to come, know that it’s not just me being lazy (although I am on vacation).

But our final destination for the day was The Baths! Situated southwest on the island of Virgin Gorda, they are home to huge granite boulders and amazing snorkeling!

We first tried to swim there - but a third of the way there we realized it was farther than we thought and against the current. So we took the dinghy instead.

There were beautiful black fish with bright blue fins, a shark or barracuda that really made us nervous, crabs (Amichai chased one), long fish with needle-noses, zebra fish, urchins, and coral. I was literally in the middle of a huge school of fish. It was incredible. We plan on going back again early tomorrow morning.

There was also a sign warning us about the possibility of jelly fish, but we didn’t see any.

We moored by right by the Baths - there are no other boats here. It’s not clear why, but assuming we’re allowed to moor here overnight, they all probably went to Spanish Town, nearby, for dinner and the harbor.

Dinner was spaghetti. Music by Louis Armstrong serenaded us before, during, and after. After dinner people checked email, read, or wrote things down. But everyone but me was in bed by 10:15. I stayed up a little later to type up much of this, but as you know, I didn’t post it then. I was tired too. I stopped typing at 10:15.

This morning, Friday, we got up around 7:30. We took our time with davening and breakfast, then took the dinghy closer to the Baths to go on a short hike through the boulders to another beach.

A happy couple in an island paradise:

The boulders are made of granite, which is unusual for this area of the world. And they are HUGE! We had lots of fun wading around and climbing.

The boulders were no match for these guys:

Even if sometimes you can be stuck in between a rock and a hard place:

Amichai scales a wall backwards, and Yoni scurried up a huge boulder in no time:

The boulder that looks like it could fall on me was too huge to fit in the picture:

Sammy uses his rock climbing skills:

In the water off a beautiful sandy beach at the end of the hike:

We then took the dinghy back to the boat, had lunch (bagels, pita, chummus, and scrambled eggs), and motored over to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. After some minor inconveniences getting in, we docked. Groceries were bought, water was refilled, and shore power was plugged in. I headed over to a local clinic to make sure a bug bite I got wasn't too bad (it's not) as well as to check out my left foot, which I banged on the boat's steps. For the foot I was prescribed the biggest pills of ibuprofen I have ever seen.

Anyway, now we're all busy cleaning, cooking, showering, and updating the blog. Here at the Marina's dock we will spend Shabbos. So from Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, a Shabbat Shalom to you all!