After a peaceful few days in St John and a brief stay in the marina at Red Hook to reprovision and do laundry, we headed to Jost Van Dyke for Christmas. My parents, Barbara and Dick Learned, were flying down to meet us on Christmas Eve for a quick vacation. We didn't get to see them in Florida after we decided to join the Salty Dawg Rally and sail direct from VA to BVI, so we were looking forward to the visit.
They were staying at Ali Baba's, a small hotel on the beach in Great Harbor. We got there a few days early to ensure we could get a mooring ball. Good thing we did. It turns out JVD, and in particular Great Harbor, is the third largest New Year's Eve gathering in the world. (Party at Foxy's!) This sleepy little village goes from 200 people to 10,000 for one weekend a year. Yikes!
I am glad we chose to stay on a mooring. Although the harbor is sheltered, when the wind dies, the swell coming around the point sets up a swirling current in the basin. Boats drift every which way. Music is particularly bad at sailing around at anchor, and we were glad to be on a short mooring pennant instead of a long scope of chain. As it was, we didn't sleep well worrying about where those charter boats that did anchor in the mooring field were going to be in the night. But at least I knew any collisions weren't going to be my fault.
We had a nice visit with my parents. We had a day at White Bay laying on the beach, and having lunch. Soggy Dollar was better than Coco Loco's. My Mom even came out on the boat. We enjoyed a brisk sail across Anegada Passage to Soper's Hole, across to Diamond Cay, and back down to Great Harbor, followed by Tricia's delicious eggplant parmesan for dinner. We had a fun Christmas dinner at Foxy's complete with flashing Christmas hats, followed a few days later by Foxy's famous and very filling Bar-B-Que. My Dad hit it off with Vinnie, owner of Corsairs, who gave him a ride in his vintage Army truck on its 63rd birthday. The best meal was the conch stew and lime-garlic shrimp at Ali Baba's.
Overall, my parents enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and friendly people in JVD. Cary and Ginny got to spend some time with their grandparents, and Tricia and I appreciated their company. A good visit!
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