This post is a little out of order, we wanted to get our passage story out first but this was a pretty funny story that happened just before we left the Virgin Islands and we wanted to share it!
After our friend Sean left, we got to work putting humpty Dumpty (Heritage) back together again. With most of the major repairs behind us, we focused on organizing and getting the boat ready for passage. Once we cleared off our deck we even got our first compliment on Heritage! Chatting with the couple that had dingied up to admire her classic lines, I noticed there was a beautiful sunset shaping up. So I naturally invited 
them on board for Sundowners. (Much to Alyssa’s dismay, we’d cleared the deck but the cabin was still a mess!) luckily, they said yes but had to run to their boat first, giving us just enough time to tidy up.
Mike and Jen returned bearing a gift of whiskey and wine making the choice of drinks easy. We watched a beautiful sunset as we took the short tour of Heritage, they extolled us for living the dream and said they were jealous. The married couple worked as captain and professional chef on a charter catamaran, now on the 4th year here in the Virgin Islands.
As the sun slipped past the horizon they told us about the dream they had been working on back home in the Pacific Northwest… For some years they had been building their own Catamaran! What an undertaking. It made us feel ashamed for being worn out from our paltry maintenance work.
Naturally, We wanted to see some photos so they suggested going back to their boat… We were already impressed by their super dingy but had no idea what we were getting into. The 62 foot catamaran apparently rents out at 24k/week and it looked worth every penny. Jen started throwing things together for dinner in the massive galley of their boat, insisting leftovers would never do. Easy to see she was a perfectionist because in 45 minutes she’d cooked up a pasta bolognese to rival any 5 star restaurant, dismissing it as nothing as Alyssa and I drooled over our second helpings. Not to mention the lovely salad. Being at sea, you tend to miss out on fresh greens so this was quite the treat.
Over the lovely meal and one too many straight whiskeys, Mike mentioned he knew a great jacuzzi nearby. Didn’t need to hear more. The four of us loaded up in the super dingy and whipped across the bay in the dark of night. We stealthily idled into the bay of the ritz Carlton, tying up to a nearby buoy. Sliding into the water and storming the beach, we made it all the way to the boardwalk undetected. We were in and now free to walk around like we owned the place. A quick stroll brought us to the Jacuzzi and it didn’t disappoint. 103 degree perfection helped ease our weary bones. Our only worry being if the nearby overloaded palm tree would shed one if its coconuts to give us a knock on the head.
Paradise never lasts though and after a half hour we were rudely interrupted by some actual guests of the hotel, joining us in the massive jacuzzi. The 5 older men and their wives were the chatty bunch and one in particular liked to hear himself talk. So it shouldn’t of come as too much of a surprise when they told us that they were here representing the great state of Utah. Two US senators and three representatives of the house on official business. Haha, never ceases to amaze me the random moments in life. A simple compliment to our boat turns into a Jacuzzi with the powers that be.
Never one to miss an interesting time, I asked after their work. They were here to debate the validity of the electoral college going forward. Pressed for an actual opinion they showed their political prowess by talking for ten minutes without stating a position. Other topics came and went and probed as much as polite hot tub talk goes. It was enough bluster for the girls to take their leave. Us boys soon followed, leaving the government officials behind while we went to actually solve all the worlds problem with a nightcap!
We had one more day of preparing and then we left off for our passage to Turks and Caicos, with the thoughts of waves and winds blissfully replacing political rhetoric.
