Happy New Year

Happy New Year! And it's starting off with another sailing adventure. "Zen" zoomed over from St. John to St. Croix in about 2.5 hours. It was a rockin' ride.

A 2nd reef was taken and only a small portion of the jib was flying. As Tom said from his ride from Newport, "She gets in a groove and steers herself." Very true. Kids found a little dry zone on the back deck and then slept in the saloon for an hour or so.

Our anchorage in Christiansted, open to the Caribbean Sea except for a small patch of reef, is not our favorite. But the town is lovely and so unique. Our first phone call upon arrival was to my old friends, The Giorgini Family, who live here part time. They picked us up yesterday and gave us a day that is already considered a highlight of our vacation.

Mrs. G, waving atop a little hill, was a warm sight. There's nothing like old friends. She brought us to a resort near Green Cay where we met her family, Anj, Nick, their two little girls, Gianna and Gioia, and Mr. G. Everyone enjoyed great conversation over lunch and then stepped onto the palm fringed beach to play w/the kids and catch up some more.

Cammi and Cole loved hearing stories the Giorgini's told of dad and mom when they first met and chartered in the islands w/Lisa Giorgini. Mr. G, accustomed to a daily call from his daughter, who was now absentee on a ship w/some random 24-year-old skipper, laughed heartily as he recalled phoning the Coast Guard on us over 18 years ago. Remembering our Gulati/Giorgini Christmas was also a fond topic of conversation. And the list goes on.

The kids took to the water, Cammi carrying and playing with Gianna, while Cole discussed the origins of grayish sediment with Anj. When we finally got back to "Zen" around 6 pm, the kids kept repeating what a great day they had. We hope to spend Thanksgiving w/them next year.Lisa.you are booked!

Today, we'll start off 2008 with a 3 hour sail to Vieques, an island off of Puerto Rico to experience a rare luminescent lagoon. After that, we hope to return to Culebrita for a night, then over to Jost and finally, Tortola. It's funny how many more destinations we can easily reach with a multihull beneath us. Keeps many options open. I love that.