It is that time of year again. The leaves are off the trees. The leftovers from Thanksgiving Dinner are finally all gone. The Christmas tree is sparkling in the living room. And Navy meets Army for the last regular (non-bowl/ non-playoff) college football game of the year. Of course, some things change. This year the palm trees have all their leaves, we had potluck turkey dinner at the beach in Virgin Gorda, and the closest thing we have to Christmas decorations are a string of parrot shaped lights. Some things stay the same. Navy beat Army for the 12th straight time. After searching all over Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas for a good local sports bar, we ended up at, would you believe it, a Hooters! They turned the sound up for our viewing pleasure, and the wings were good, as usual. Navy played great, and we had a good time texting our friends Dave and Milissa who were freezing in Philly at the game.
While in Charlotte Amalie, Ginny, Cary and I went for a great run along the waterfront. The dinghy dock is down behind the Yacht Haven Grande megayacht marina. Wow! There is definitely an income gap in the world, based on the plethora of HUGE, SHINY YACHTS! Rising Sun, at over 400 feet, had to be the biggest. The whole scene was reminiscent of an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with Robin Leach saying, "Here we have Rising Sun, the most spectacular of yachts co-owned by Larry Ellison. Let's go in and take a look, shall we?". Well, unfortunately, we weren't invited on board, but there was much discussion about the carbon footprint of a megayacht, and the supposition of what one could do with all that money. Instead, the run took us through the swanky marina, and along the waterfront past the market, fort and down to the ferry dock. It was great to get out and stretch our legs.
The anchorage was a little rolly, and loud on Friday and Saturday nights. The music from the bars on the strip played 'til after midnight each night, but the Christmas Boat Parade was entertaining, with fellow Rally member, MoltoBene, sporting a fantastic full mast/boom/forestay red and green Christmas tree. In our opinion, the most tasteful of the displays.
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