The Crew Arrives!

April 30, 2008

Rusty and I arrived at the hotel/resort around the same time and after unloading our bags we did some exploring in Rusty’s rental car. We bought our jerry cans for the trip and also checked out a discount grocery store a few miles away where the cost savings will be well worth the extra time spent driving. Right there, two of the tasks set aside for the 2^nd were accomplished. We also stopped by the boat and saw excellent progress on the lights as well as battery situation. This is huge and makes the extra day for VIP to work on the boat, all the wiser decision.

Except for Scott, all of the crew arrived in St. Thomas right on schedule. As an extra added benefit, Mindy (Pete’s wife) and Tris (Steve’s friend) joined us for the 2 ½ days we’ll be around! Unfortunately the hotel we are staying at is under construction and there only VERY limited food facilities on the premise. With that in mind, we took a cab to American Yacht Harbor and had dinner at a sports bar right on the dock. It was a short cab ride so it’ll be something we’ll do again and again until we set sail on May 3^rd.

We are thrilled that our trip is being followed so close by so many. That really is fortunate for us and we just hope you get some enjoyment out of our adventure. We are also thrilled to hear that our trip is being used for educational purposes for some friends who are doing home schooling. There is a slight chance that another school will be using our trip to educate children with lessons in geography, match, science, and history. With the education spin in mind, we’ll be challenging everyone with some educational questions from time to time.

Tomorrow, May 1^st 2008 is planned to be a play day….but we’ll see about that. Some I know are planning to go into Charlotte Amalie to do some shopping and sightseeing, while others will just lounge around the resort. I suspect Rusty and I may try to clear up some incidentals on the boat like establishing the satellite connection but its too early to tell right now.

Pete