What day is it?

One of the most common questions while spending weeks on a boat is "what day is this?" Kenny Chesney was lyrically correct as he sang about sailing and having no idea what the day was nor did he seem to care. It has been that sort of day or days since our arrival back to the BVI. We completely understand another lyric that says "went through customs and immigration, still this feels like home." Gorda Sound has that effect on us. But enough about song lyrics and sentiments. Upon our arrival to Manuel Reef Sea Cow Bay the Cap'n and crew quickly busied themselves for a full day of chores. (This crew member, Kelli, needed a few minutes to reflect how far we have gone and give lots of praise for our arrival back to our starting point). There is a phrase used in St Kitts, "I got to go so I can come back". Our family has lived this little motto. Hakuna matata was in dire need of cleaning, towels and sheets were stinky and we had eaten every bit of protein on the boat. At this point in this post we must have a moment of silence..... Bessie had to be hauled up on the dock and a dingy doctor will be assessing her to determine if she will ever be sea worthy again. Brian had done excellent work at patching her but with the upcoming arrival of Crew Hetrick we must not take chances with an unseaworthy vessel. Dingy cap'n William needed a moment to himself but nicely recovered. William introduced himself to our new dingy and affectionately named her Betsy. As of this post he has cleaned her up and filled the gas tank. Last night we dined like royalty on chicken cacciatore over potatoes accompanied by baguette dipped in a balsamic garlic sauce. We really splurged yesterday while provisioning and purchased a rug and a few real wine glasses. It set us back 15 dollars but was worth every penny. Of course the selection of rugs at Cash & Carry was limited to Tinkerbell, spider man and a lone santa. I am pleased to no longer be using a beach towel as a rug. Plus, I thought it fitting that we have a proper rug upon the soon arriving interior designer, Rhonda Hetrick. This morning we had a family meeting to have a plan for coming off the dock minus any tension. LeaVing the dock is fairly simple but getting to the dock is a slow and steady process. Brian has mastered backing stern to on a dock. It is sort of like parallel parking except your vehicle is 47ft long with two engines and the wind and water are pushing against your vehicle. As crew members we try to ensure our bow and stern lines are ready to throw to someone on the dock or in the absence of help we jump from boat to dock and work our lines until we are positioned correctly. We only have four fenders on Hakuna Matata that we tie to the side the dock will be on. But we have found that it is important to have a crew member with a fender in hand to move quickly should we get her too close to colliding with the dock. Five fenders would be ideal for a boat this size but we have learned to problem solve and work together. This morning was flawless as we came off the dock at Sea Cow Bay and minutes later backed into Nanny Cay for refueling. All this to say, Family meetings are important. Currently, we are under sail to St John, USVI. Two-thirds of the island is a national park. We look forward to hours of hiking, school work, and finishing our remaining days of Seabattical well. We are trying to get some pictures uploaded for your enjoyment. Sending warmth and sunshine!