Setting sail; the Bitter End at Virgin Gorda; beach time and lobster at Anegada

Sorry it has taken me so long to post some pics from our trip! It took me all week to sort through them all and edit them down to a manageable number. I decided to post them in a "series" instead of all at once, so this is only a snippet. These are from our first three and a half days on the boat. Click above to view the slideshow, or click a photo to view the album at your own pace.

DAY 1: We set sail from Village Cay Marina in Road Town, Tortola. We boarded our 48-foot catamaran, the Lionheart, at noon, greeted our captain, Warren, and stowed our groceries and belongings in our cabins. We each (couple) had our own sleeping quarters with a queen-size bed, toilet and shower. On the first day we sailed to Trellis Bay, which was only a short distance from Village Cay. Cap'n wanted us to get the feel for the boat in motion before some of the longer and potentially rougher sails later in the week. We moored for the night and had dinner on shore at The Last Resort. A local musician invited a couple of our crewmates on stage for tequila shots, and L.A. Jessica even sang a couple ditties with the band! A good time was had by all on our first night at sea.

DAY 2: It rained off and on all day. Cap'n decided we should sail to the North Sound at Virgin Gorda, to the Bitter End. There were several shops and restaurants along the waterfront, which gave us something to do since the weather was icky. We bought souvenirs and ate wings at a little open-air pub.

DAYS 3 & 4: Anegada! Home of the infamous Jimmy Buffett sighting by Gabe and Jess Blackburn last January. It took us several hours to get to Anegada, and again, it was raining. We were starting to get a little discouraged, but we couldn't help noticing we were in "da islands", and rain or shine, it was still paradise. When in Anegada, you've gotta eat lobster on the beach. We didn't want to risk getting caught in the rain during our lobster dinner, so we spent most of Day 3 on the boat. We played games, danced and grilled wings and burgers for dinner on board. Thank goodness the sun came out on Day 4. We cabbed it from Anegada Harbour to Loblolly Bay for some beach time. It was still pretty windy, so the seas were a little rough for snorkeling, but that didn't stop the boys from venturing out in the water. Anegada is surrounded by one of the world's largest coral reefs - the 18-mile-long Horseshoe Reef. The boys snorkeled, and we girls put our bums and feet in the sand to soak up some much-needed sun. Dinner at the Anegada Reef Hotel (by "hotel" I mean our table and chairs were in the sand) was all we expected and more. Five of us had lobster - 2 1/2 pounds of the most succulent lobster you've ever tasted. The other three had steak and a smaller portion of the lobster. Sides of grilled veggies, potatoes and plantains were served family style. We toasted to a fun and sunny day.

Stay tuned for the next round of photos and stories! Cheers!