Sabbath Rest

It's not every day that one's sabbath rest can be done aboard a 60' catamaran, floating and sailing around the British Virgin Islands. However, thanks to my childhood friendg Renee, that is exactly what I've been doing this week, just prior to my turning 45 on March 4th. It feels excessive, indulgent, glorious, and deserved--all at once. I'm finding it difficult to even think too hard, which means blogs posts will likely give a run-down of each day, but writing anything of depth has yet to happen. I'm sure it will, though. Right now, I'm just enjoying having my brain turned off from anything deep or theological, and am reading a good novel rather than a non-fiction, ministry-related book.

Feel free to read what our days have been like. Just don't expect theological reflecting or musing. And because the internet access is very slow, pictures will be added later. W ith that in mind, enjoy experiencing this wonderful gift of sabbath as I prepare to celebrate my 45th birthday. :-)

Travel Day

After a long but easy day of travel on Thursday, Mike and Lori (the Sabore’ crew) met us at the RoadTown ferry landing and we boarded the beautiful Sabore’ about 5pm-- just before dinnertime. After unpacking and settling in, Lori had appetizers all ready for us. They were very welcomed--we had not eaten much on the plane, and that had been around noon, so we were all pretty hungry. Then we headed back into town for dinner at The Dove restaurant. http://www.tortola-beaches.com/Tortola-The-Dove-Restaurant.html It was elegant simplicity—the service was good and the food delicious. Tamara and I were both quite exhausted, partly from the long day and partly because our motion sickness patches were doing their thing. We enjoyed the meal and the company nonetheless, but were quite ready to tuck ourselves in when we got back to the boat. Our first night was spent docked at RoadTown, and we went to be tired, but eager to get underway the next morning.

Day 1

I slept a bit late the first day, and awoke to coffee set up on the outdoor dining table, followed by French toast, fruit, and sausage for breakfast. As soon as our leisurely breakfast was over and cleaned up, we set sail to our first stop, Norman Island. http://www.normanisland.com/ After 30 to 45 minutes of sailing, we anchored, in a quiet little cove, ate lunch, then took our first dip in the water for snorkeling, floating, or just general relaxing. The only other time I’ve been snorkeling was when Joel & I chaperoned a group of high school seniors on a cruise. I was less-than-impressed then, simply because we were so deep that we really couldn’t see much as we floated across the water’s surface. This time, though, we were in waters that were barely 6 feet deep, so we could see lots of brightly-colored fish, interesting coral formations, and hearty plants. After snorkeling, we sunned a bit, got dressed, and boarded the dingy for a ride to the island. We started off with a short hike, then enjoyed a drink at the beach bar, Pirate’s Bight, before heading back to the boat. http://www.piratesbight.com/ A delicious dinner followed our first sunset “at sea,” and we entertained ourselves with laughter-inducing after-dinner conversation and singing before we tucked in for the night.

Day 2

For some reason, I’ve not been sleeping well at all, so on Saturday morning I gave in and got up early—around 6:15, which is 5:15 by my body clock. I poured a cup of coffee, then crept out on deck to see the sunrise. While the sun itself was obscured by a large island land mass, the colors produced as it began to peek up from the horizon were gorgeous. After a breakfast of English muffins, turkey bacon, and fruit, we set sail again, heading to Peter Island for the day and night. http://www.peterisland.com/ Peter is a privately owned island, and is home to a high-end resort and spa. Formerly closed to anyone but paying guests, they have recently opened up for travelers to hike, visit the spa, or enjoy a meal. We dingy’d to the island for a pre-lunch hike and some beach time, then ate at the resort restaurant before heading back to the boat. Afternoon snorkeling was better today because, in addition to many more brightly-colored fish, we saw a huge sea turtle swimming along—a gorgeous and elegant creature, probably slightly larger than your average car tire. Snorkeling was followed by some sunning and reading time, then margaritas and chips served in anticipation of our fajita dinner. This was not your average fajita, though. Delicious beef tenderloin, sautéed with onions and pepper, and served with fresh homemade guacamole and, yes, another margarita. After dinner entertainment was a movie-- The Social Network—on a white “screen” stretched across the stern of the boat, with the image projected from a DVD project. Clever and ingenuous! I didn’t really enjoy the movie as much as I thought I would, and will be disappointed if it earns any awards tonight, Oscar night. It was entertaining for sure, but not deserving of any special awards in my opinion. After the movie, we tucked in for reading and another night of sleep.

That's all for now. Check back for Days 3 and 4 on Tuesday!