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Category	Diving Entertainment Fishing Relaxation Sailing & Boating
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Blue Water Divers, based in Nanny Cay Marina, was our first and best diving charter. Ken & Abbey were extremely attentive; making sure everyone was comfortable and saw the best things. Jean Michele Cousteau dived with us this day. The journalists were enthralled with his stories and he loved hearing their diving stories as well. Ken from Blue Water Divers pointed out some great things during the dive that everyone commented on how they were so lucky to have him down there or they would have missed these things (and these were professional divers!) They saw a shark (which darted out at Jean Michele) and got up close and personal with an eel and sting ray. Dinner at Fat Hog Bob’s was a lot of fun. Jean Michele joined us for dinner even though he was only obligated to hang out with us the day before. He made sure we remembered to pick him up. Our one female journalist, who was about 110 pounds, vowed to eat the big steak and finish it for a chance to get her name on the plaque on the wall. She chickened out so Tom from Sport Diver ordered the really big order of ribs and we cheered him on to finish, but he wasn’t able to either.

LOVED the island tour on Tortola. Carlton, the taxi driver, was very personable and extremely knowledgeable about the island. He took us to all the best spots on every side Tortola so we could see the other islands and anything below we didn’t visit. Everyone had lobster for lunch at Big Bamboo on Anegada (rumored to be the best lobster in the country). They loved it so much they picked apart every piece and every last leg. We stopped by the Bomba Shack where we saw Bomba himself and all the photographs and underwear from full moon parties. Everyone loved the local feel of such a different place so much off the beaten path.

While our group was on Anegada, we stopped by the Big Bamboo. The owners were so welcoming and grateful we stopped by. The pina coladas were out of this world, especially with the freshly-grated nutmeg on top. A newly married couple we had met on the ferry over to Anegada were burning their names into a piece of wood with just a piece of glass and the heat from the sun. It was incredible! We noticed other pieces of wood hanging around the bar with various sayings and names engraved into them. It was quite a unique touch.

The first night of the tour was a blast. After several cocktails at Pussers (we all received a free bottle of rum from Charles Tobias) and a great dinner, we headed to Quito's to listen to Quito Rhymer and the Edge. When we arrived we saw the band there, but unfortunately they weren't playing that night. BUT, that did not stop us from getting our groove on --- we decided to provide our own entertainment! One-by-one we each got up on stage and sang our own karaoke - very funny and even more off-tune. We sang everything from "The Thong Song" to Journey. It was a blast, but our voices were all a little rough the next day!

One of the main types of fishing in the BVI is bonefishing. Very fun, but you have to throw them back since they are not good to eat. We ventured out off Anegada on two little fishing boats. I happened to be with the author who is writing a fishing guide book, so in addition to our guide, we had the "resident fishing expert." We fished through the rain and through the sun, and after only about 30 minutes, I had a strong pull on my line. Now Bonefish are known as "the pitbulls of the sea" since they put up one heck of a fight. After about 25 minutes of playing "tug-o-war" with the fish and getting help holding up the pole from the author, we managed to pull the fish on deck. It was a 6-pounder! Not too shabby! The author got a couple quick shots of me holding my fish, right before it slipped out of my hands, slammed on the side of the boat, and then landed back in the water. They actually got a shot of the fish flying out of my hands, with my face in utter surprise. When the author finally caught a fish, it was a 5-inch Lizard fish (basically looks like a lizard), which was pretty funny since he is supposed to be the "expert fisherman." We're not letting him live that one down! :)

I had never been to the BVI before, and really hadn’t heard much about it, either. But my sister-in-law decided to get married there, so we booked our flights. My first sight of the islands was from this puddle-jumper we took on the last leg. It was so amazing, coming up on this cluster of green islands with white sand edges and the water – these freaky-beautiful colors of blue and turquoise! The wedding was right on one of those pretty beaches; the bride and groom were barefoot. After the short ceremony, we went to a private villa for the reception. The food and service were fantastic, as was the view. I finally understood why they chose this place to get married. We could only stay for a few more days, but my sister-in-law and her new husband stayed for their honeymoon. They planned on snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing – she even agreed to go fishing! That’s love for you, I guess.

We live on Long Island, and sailing has always been a big part of our family’s life. Of course, our sailing season is really short. So when my husband suggested taking a sailing vacation for the Christmas holiday, I was all for it. Now, anyone who has sailed in Long Island Sound will tell you that you can throw up all your canvas and still only go 5 knots – sometimes there’s just no wind. So what a treat it was to have a constant 18-knot trade wind. You can sail for as long as you want in one direction – not tack madly back and forth trying to catch a breeze. It was so smooth and steady, and uncrowded (again – so not like the Sound) we even let the kids take turns at the helm. They did great, and we were so proud of them. We may be spoiled for life after sailing in the BVI!