There I was, wading through weeds to get the perfect angle for a pix of Road Town from above when I was attacked by a large pack of wild dogs. See the pictures for yourself what dangers we travel bloggers endure for you, our faithful readers. 

Today started with a nice FaceTime session at 7 AM with Griffin, Esme and Rebecca. I gave them a tour from stem to stern before they left for the soccer fields. 

Then a pancake breakfast after which, bags mostly packed, we headed out of the Bight mooring field for Nanny Cay. Nanny Cay was clearly in sight, less than 5 miles away as the crow flies, but with decent winds (8-11 knots) we elected to sail until the last minute. 

Jeff did a masterful job of bringing us in to the refueled dock, using asymmetrical thrust on the boat’s twin screws. The fuel dock guy gave Jeff a fist bump to congratulate him. Others who docked after him missed earning the same accolade by a long shot. 

After refueling and unloading, Jeff and I rented a Suzuki SUV for the day. We loaded up and drove up to Road Town for a pasta and pizza feed, something Carter has gone without all week. 

Speaking of cars, I want to tell you of the bitter disappointment poor Carter suffered at Indian Rocks yesterday. He’s turning 15 on Monday and, being the avid car buff that he’s been since forever, he’s hot on the trail of his first set of wheels. Originally he was thinking 1965 Mustang but now it’s a late 1980s BMW E30 Coupe. The perfect car was on the on-line auction block for reasonable money. But, while we snorkeled at the Indians, the bidding crept up. We got back on board 20 minutes before the auction’s end but by then then bidding had busted his budget. Better luck next time, Carter!

We then set out to circumnavigate Tortola Island, going clockwise from Road Town, out to the West End of Tortola and up the coast, eventually ending up at the airport. 

Tortola, like all BVIs except Anegada, are mountains sticking up from the ocean depths. We soon discovered that Highway 1, which more or less circles Tortola, winds up and down the sides of those mountains over fairly steep grades. Roads are narrow and mostly paved but rank right up there with New England roads when it comes to potholes and bumps. 

But we were rewarded with beautiful views of the islands and waters we had just days before traversed in the good ship Cabah III. In particular, we had nice views of yesterday’s Thatcher Cut and the American VIs immediately across. 

We stopped at Cane Garden Bay where we had moored and dined (Indigo Beach House) two nights ago. There we met a delightful lady who served us ice cream and who greatly admired Judy’s knitting and crocheting abilities. 

We also stopped at the Wyndham Hotel where Judy and I stayed our first night. We had drinks on the patio. From there we could see Guana Island and Monkey Point where we had moored for snorkeling. 

The airport rigamaroll took longer than tonight’s flight – 38 minutes. But we’re airborne and on our way to San Juan. 

Now Carter and Jeff are playing cribbage at the San Juan airport waiting for their red eye to Boston. Judy and I are in our room at the n Hotel in Old Town San Juan. It’s sort of a boutique hotel, next door to the cathedral. We had a quick bite – tapas and sangria – at the bar on the top (fourth) floor patio.

So thanks, Jeff and Carter, for a new experience, a memorable time made special by the remarkable experience of sailing and the remarkable guys we are so very blessed to have as kinfolk.