Our B.V.I. Adventure

One of the best things about living on Tortola is getting off of Tortola.  Let me explain...

"Getting off the rock" is a common expression around here and it may mean catching a flight to San Juan or a ferry to St. Thomas, or more simply a boat bound for nowhere.

In our case, our boat was bound for Scrub Island on Sunday.  This was Anna Drake's first time testing out her new life jacket.  While it may look too big for her, there's a pretty smart system of belts and buckles that makes this jacket fit quite snugly around her teeny little body.


Even though Scrub Island is just a 10-minute boat ride from Tortola, it provides just enough of a change of scenery so we can appreciate this place to the fullest.  There is plenty of shade at Scrub Island with all of the umbrellas standing tall over the comfy lounge chairs.  We just had to take Anna Drake in the pool for a dip between her naps, so she could show of her swimsuit.  (Thanks Allison!  It fits her perfectly!)  


After lunch, I got back on a stand-up paddle board for the first time in nearly a year.  I had given it up while I was pregnant for fear of falling.  Michael sat with Anna Drake underneath a sea grape tree and snapped some photos.

We just had to google it!  The Argyll is 153 feet long and requires a crew of 10.  That's the same number of guests it sleeps as well.  It's funny because as we walked about the resort we could hear other guests whispering about the yacht and speculating who was on it.  (Apparently, rental runs approximately $150,000/week.) We never saw any of the guests, just the crew...  The yacht dwarfed the 24' center console power boat we took back to Tortola that afternoon.  Can you tell Anna Drake had a great time?  (This was her on the car ride home...)
Now, what to do next weekend???  

Scrub Island's brand new ferry - that Caty, Matt and I had just ridden days before - ended up on the rocks yesterday. 

Our friend Vanessa shared this photo on Marina Cay's Facebook page.  (You should like Marina Cay on FB, if you haven't already, by the way!)

I remember thinking that our ferry captain cut it a little close to these rocks on our most recent journey, but figured they knew what they were doing...  Makes me nervous to think about it.  I found this story about the incident on BVI News.  Thank goodness the injuries to the passengers and captain on board were only minor. 

Of the five Pusser's locations, which ones did you visit on your trip? (Road Town Pub, Pusser's East, Marina Cay, Soper's Hole, or Leverick Bay)

Answer(s): We only ate at Pusser's East but we did drive by the Road Town Pub 734 times. Okay, okay. It only felt like 734 times. It was probably closer to 16 or 20.

What restaurant has the sturdiest chairs?
A) Nanny Cay
B) Jolly Roger
C) Pusser's East
D) The Elm
E) None of the above
Answer(s): While the chairs at all these establishments are outstanding, the Jolly Roger is the best place to visit if you like chairs that look sturdy but are actually cracked. The cracked chair leg makes for a fun, although somewhat painful, slow motion ride to the floor. Let the good times roll. Literally.(He is so perfectly describing my slow and painful fall, not his own.  I hit my head on the specials board which then fell over and pinned Travis in his upright chair!  What a mess!)
What was your favorite wake-up call?
A) The roosters
B) The sun
C) Milly politely barking at my bedside, her way of asking for assistance in getting on the bed
D) The smell of bacon
E) None of the above (I'm not a morning person.)
Answer(s):
F) All of the above. It wouldn't be a Tortola morning without hearing the 1,931 voices of the Crowing Rooster Choir sweetly announcing the arrival of the morning sun. After hearing of the torrential rains of the "rainy season" I was thrilled to wake up to blue skies and sunshine every day of my visit. Ms. Milly is a rock star and the bacon, grits, waffles, and OJ at the Daniels Café are outstanding! All in all, the mornings were pleasant even though I'm not a morning person at all. True or False:
The slide and overall pool experience at Scrub Island puts Dollywood Splash Country to shame.
Answer:
True. I did enjoy the slide, infinity pool, hot tub, company, and the serene setting overlooking the ocean at Scrub Island. However, there is something to be said for thousands of overweight, tattooed, bikini and jort clad rednecks prancing and dancing around in a waterpark induced high that tugs at my heart and brings a tear to my eye. It truly is a tough call on this one.
Finish the following sentence:
The thing that had changed the most since my last visit was...
Answer(s):
1) The accommodations at Chateau Daniels are much more refined and comfortable. They were good before but now they're outstanding!
2) The roads. Just when I thought the roads couldn't get any worse, torrential rains set in. Potholes galore. Enough said.
It was great having you here Travis!  You are such the comic relief in any situation...even when I'm the one falling out of my chair! 

One of the places Courtney really wanted to go on her trip was Scrub Island.  She had read about our escapades there on the blog.

So, on Friday afternoon we headed for Trellis Bay to catch the ferry.
We arrived just in time for lunch.  We also wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous pools and have a swim.  (Okay, maybe a few trips down the slide too!)

 And there she goes!  Wheeeeeeeeeee!

 Love this photo...truly captures the day!
Couldn't think of a better way to spend a Friday afternoon!

Remember this sailboat from Scrub Island?  The one Hurricane Earl claimed a few weeks ago?

Well, we went back to Scrub today and here's how we found it:
The owner of the boat spent most of the day patching the hull.  You can see the port side of the boat took the brunt of the damage.  He said the plan is to sail to Puerto Rico where it will be professionally repaired. 

Oh, and the boat's name?  Sea You Later.  Unfortunately, the sea saw it sooner than later...

After a long week dealing with Hurricane Earl and his aftermath, we were anxious to get off island, at least off of our island.  Our cable was still out, so football watching at home wasn't an option.  {And it sure was brutal knowing that all of our friends in Gainesville and at home in Knoxville were tailgating their hearts out!}

In search of ESPN, Adam, Michael and I headed to Scrub Island which is a private island just east of Tortola.  It's been open for about the same amount of time that we've lived here...so it too is relatively new.  :)
Gorgeous right?  The marina there is impressive too.  Unfortunately, Hurricane Earl claimed this sailboat:
We spent the entire day at the pool - they actually have two pools.  The second one is up above the stone wall on the left side of the photo.  Oh, and there's a hot tub up there too! 
We had lunch at the swim-up bar and enjoyed the day immensely.  And don't kid yourself, we each took a turn down the slide.  It was nice to get away to a new place.  Former managers of Marina Cay, Joe and Karen work at the resort and we were happy to run into them that afternoon.  They took us on a tour of the island.  {Thanks y'all - it was amazing!}
We also made some new friends.  Joe and Karen invited the new managers at Marina Cay over for a drink.  Their names are Craig and Vanessa.  They're from the UK and just delightful.  Michael has spent some time with them in a work setting but this was my first time meeting them.  We were having so much fun together we decided to stay for dinner!  It was delicious!

Scrub will definitely make the list for our next visitor...are you reading this Courtney?!?  Get excited!
Oh, and about ESPN...they had taken down their flat screens at Scrub in preparation for Hurricane Earl but hadn't put them back up yet.  So no Gator football for me.  No football for any of us.  It was still a great day.