Christmas in St Thomas

We have enjoyed many things about St Thomas and had a Christmas that was even a little bit like home. Being back in the US made it easier to call home and we stocked up at all the stores that are not available in the BVI. St Thomas is a lively town that has cruise ships almost daily, some days there are 5 ships. However, the real fun here are the parties and festivals for the locals residents. The Friday before Christmas we went to a festival downtown with a boat parade, steel drum bands in the streets and local foods. It was better than any restaurant. We were able to taste dishes like conch in butter sauce, potato stuffing, tamarind candy, fish and johnny cakes and guavaberry wine. The shops stayed open late that night so people could buy their Christmas presents. To celebrate Christmas we had dinner with our Canadian friends on Mirliflore. Then we all went to the 11pm service at the Episcopal Cathedral. It was a traditional service with all the hymns we are used to. This is Al and I on the way home from church at 1 am Christmas morning. On Christmas day we had a turkey dinner and got together with friends in the evening.  

This is the view from the highest point in St Thomas, it is supposed to be the best view in the Virgin Islands. We saw this scary looking iguana up there, too. He was about three feet long.

We are now back in the British Virgin Islands. We decided to spend New Year's Eve in Trellis Bay and avoid the craziness at Foxy's. We are anchored outside the mooring field in Trellis Bay, it is wonderfully quiet here and very dark at night. It was fun to be in the  city of St Thomas but we are now happy to be in a remote location again.   

We would like to express our wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year. Enjoy the holiday with family and friends. We wish we were there, too!


All our best,  


Frances and Al LIma

The British Virgin Islands

In the past few weeks we have been traveling around the BVI. We have been to Rhode Town, Cooper Island, Norman Island, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke. They are all gorgeous places and in general have very few people living there. This is a great place to get away from it all as the saying goes. Not much is happening and there is little to do but enjoy the peace, tranquility and beauty of the islands. We have done a lot of snorkeling and hanging out with our new friends. We are traveling with two other boats, Mirliflore and Gypsy. They are boats that, as Fran's mom says, are crazy enough to sail straight from Virginia to the BVI in the Caribbean 1500. It's a pleasure to hang around like minded people! We have had no phone service and could only get Internet access at a bar or a restaurant. We didn't mind being without these services last March in the Bahamas but this time it was difficult that we could not call our family.  

The photos here are from Anegada. One is a view of Virgin Gorda from Anegada. We toured Anegada by renting a truck with our friends. There is an Iguana Headstart program there to raise iguanas until they are old enough to release. They are trying to repopulate the island with native iguanas, feral cats are eating the wild baby iguanas. The beaches on the north side of the island were worth the trip. We all enjoyed each beach for several hours, Loblolly Beach and Cow Wreck Beach. It is a paradise there.

We are now in St Thomas, USVI. Our friends are here, too. We are going to hang out here in civilization for a while. There are some sights to see  plus we can get groceries and enjoy being in a city again. This is a big city compared to where we have been for the past few weeks. 

We are making plans for Christmas and will be going to Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke for New Year's Eve. We miss everyone especially during the holiday season. Thanks to everyone for keeping in touch and following our progress!  

All our best,

Frances and Al