 The tour for which we signed up, Sailing the Caribbean, had been advertised as setting sail with only six people per boat. We were skeptical and figured it probably wouldn't be as wonderful as it sounded. As we came ashore, an older man with a strong foreign accent began gathering us into a small group. Though there were more than six of us, he soon split us into groups of six and quickly let me know that we, along with another couple, would go with him on his boat since he had experience with kids. We walked quickly down the long pier passed three other ships finally reaching the end where his dingy was waiting. After helping the other people into other dingys, he loaded us onto his and we were off, heading for a small boat in the harbor. |
|
|
 The couple who came on the boat with us, Leonard and Donna, had just retired. They sold their house and had been traveling in a motor home. Leonard retired from the computer industry and Donna had just retired from teaching elementary school. The six of us sat on the deck for the 30 minute trip. Both kids were great and liked the adventure of sailing. Captain Z made sure we knew the names of the islands all around us and taught the kids about the sails and how they worked. |
|
|
 One of the first things Captain Z did was find a small sea urchin for the kids to hold. After holding it, Brooklyn put it on her hear (above). Preston (left), though a little more cautious, was amazed that it was alive. The fish were obviously use to visitors as they surrounded us looking for food. |
 After the sea urchin experience, Brooklyn was pumped and ready for more. Captain Z takes her under for a closer look at the fish. The rest of us could hardly keep up with Captain Z and Brooklyn as they were off together exploring. |
 Going even deeper, Captain Z helps Brooklyn touch the corral at the bottom. After Brooklyn, he took Preston down for the same experience. The third rock they touched was more slimy, so Preston didn't want to touch anything else. The water was chilly and both kids got cold after about 20 minutes and wanted to go back to the boat. Captain Z insisted Greg and Susan keep snorkeling and he took the kids back to the boat for snacks. |
|
|
|
|
 Excited about the new friend they had made, the princess and the pirate pose for one more picture with Captain Z before getting out of the dingy. Captain Z rewarded them with a certificate for their great behavior and for remembering the sail names.
NOTE: Greg's mom also took a cruise two weeks after ours. We sent her with photos to give to Captain Z, but she couldn't find him at his sail boat. After some detective work, she found out that Captin Z did not live on the boat like he told us, but that he had a house on the island. Even with this information, we still had a great time. |
|
|
 Though Preston picked out what he wanted to buy right away, finally, after three blocks of shopping, Brooklyn decided on her souvenir. Back on board, Preston and Brooklyn watch as we leave St. Thomas knowing we will be at sea for two days, and when we see land again, the cruise will be over. They spent a considerable amount of time throughout the cruise playing on our veranda. |
 With Mt. Dew in hand, Greg is poised to watch his favorite thing, leaving the dock. Within minutes, room service completes the picture by providing turkey sandwiches setting the scene for another missed dining room dinner, but a perfect sunset view.  |
 As we set out to sea, we experience yet another perfect sunset. Though we ended up only eating in the formal dining room three of the seven nights, we were not at all sorry. Though we enjoyed the dinners on previous cruises, we felt like we missed the joy of the sunset and wanted to experience that part this time. |
We boarded the Hazana with the help of our hosts, Captain Z and Ana, natives from Russia who lived on the small boat. (See note at end of sail trip) What great hosts they truly turned out to be. They have been sailing the Caribbean seas since 1980 after Captain Z built the boat himself. He and Ana sailed it down the Mississippi River from Chicago, where he use to teach economics at the University of Illinois. Though their strong accents overwhelmed the kids at first, Brooklyn warmed right up once he started calling her and Preston princess and the pirate.
Once at Buck Island, Captain Z continued his great tour going into the water with us pointing out the best snorkeling sights in the area. Though both kids are good swimmers, Carnival required all guests to wear BC's, so we were all well-equipped. Preston, an experienced snorkeler, loved looking at everything. Brooklyn chose to hold her breath while she looked instead of using her snorkel, but she managed to keep up.
Once back on board, we freshened our mouths from the sea water with crackers and cheese, drinks, and fruit. Before turning the boat around for the trip back to St. Thomas, we get one last look at Buck Island, covered in flowers and with a light house on top of the rocks to the left.
With St. Thomas now directly in front of us, we prepare to set sail. Preston practiced repeating the names of the sails, the main and the jib, so Captain Z would be impressed he remembered. Half way back the wind completely died, but it wasn't long before it came back up and blew us right into port.
"Fun Day at Sea" Friday and Saturday | Cruise Home Page
