InsightsfromtheMat

Megan and I, as usual, met a lot of cool people on this trip!  We found some new gems and repeated some old haunts.  I am going to list them all here, with links, incase you want to check them out or stop by any of them if you ever find yourself on St. Thomas. Restaurants Hook Line & Sinker  - Waterfront dining great food and perfect location! GreenGos  - Killer cilantro margarita and great Mexican food, it focuses on being environmentally friendly, small place but worth a stop!  That is where our friend "Fred the Chicken" joined us for lunch! Fat Turtle  - in a beautiful marina with the BIG boats, also located with high end shopping.  Bar food, but great staff! Jewelry Stores Shaka-Man-Julu   totally off the beaten path, this small stores sells ethnic jewelry.  The owner and his son also help to send local children to different locations to participate in various festivals.  The big Carnival in the USVI's is the end of A...

Well Gang it has been an adventures couple of days!   From Saba and the Bitter End we sailed to Trellis Bay and had a few at De Loose Mongoose!  Beautiful Harbor but we were all WET!  To get ahead of the rain we left early to head to Jost Van Dyke.  That was our first time there, and we really wanted to visit the Soggy Dollar and Foxxy's.  (You may be seeing a trend here!)   Made it safely to the Anchorage, swam off the back of the boat to a beautiful reef and floated for a couple of hours.  The rain, my friends, did not leave.  So we had lunch headed in for a drink.  So let me paint a picture.   In order to go into shore you have to get off of a semi dry Sailboat onto a OPEN dingy and motor into shore (WET).  Because of the number of our guests, that requires 2 trips!  There is no dock at the Soggy Dollar - that requires beaching it.   (Now this is where it because apparent who does what in our sailing partn...

Morning! Less you think that Bear is a big boat check out who we shared the mooring field with last night! We think it is it is Sir Richard Branson's, his home/Nector Island is right around the corner and he is rumored to be in the BVI's this week!  We had quite an adventure at the Baths.   The Baths are a beautiful place to snorkel, however, we had really significant Northern Swells that picked up after some of our kittens made it to shore.  The return trip to the boat, required significant shuttling (beaches became inaccessible by dingy), and a lot of swimming my me and another kitten, and significant maneuvering of the dingy by Megan.  All are safe and sound, but still asleep this AM!!! My favorite part of the day was sailing/motoring through a pretty significant squall.  I got to wear my foul weather gear (and Megan couldn't make fun of me for packing it because it was NEEDED)!  Then we proceeded to have a shower in the rain!  I love the ...

Never a dull moment for the Heil Clan!  I want to start by stating that we do have GREAT traveling partners, they have been so easy going and flexible.  So our adventures over the last two days. When ever you lead a larger group there is a constant battle to keep the group together.  We call that "Herding Cats"!  Our cats have been starting "meowing" whenever we refer to them.  Super cute. Friday night the entire group made it safely to St. Thomas in the USVI.  On Saturday AM we headed to the British Virgin Islands, specifically the island of Tortilla.  We have been assigned a 42' Lagoon named Bear.   (Yes we think this is cool BearCat friends.)   Here is where the adventure starts and the Cats had to be flexible.  Bear is brand new!   Bear's Specs  You too can own her for a mere $573, 000.  This will be her maiden voyage, after sea trials in France.  Why is this important?  (Other than being just cool:)) ...

All, I have been having a great time connecting with old AND new friends!  Many have shared that they love following our adventures, so I decided I would blog this trip.  I would love to have you follow me, and comment, and all that other social media stuff:). This will be the best location to hear about the adventures that only happen to us.  You know, like the high speed car chase on Alligator Alley, that ended up with a guy in handcuffs and 4 cop cars on the side of the road.  (They blew past me so fast, it shook Eugene!) So, since this is a sailing trip!  Fair Winds and Following Seas!