The Halverson Family: BVI -- Third Time's a Charm!

Rick and I have been blessed to go to the British Virgin Islands not once (which would have been great), not twice (which would have been even better), but THREE TIMES in the past four years! We LOVE BVI and have made some terrific memories by visiting that island country in the Caribbean. Our friends, Trevor and Shelli Larson, invited us to go this year. Since Rick has his sailing credentials for chartering a sailboat, he was asked to go along and captain the boat. We gladly accepted!

This trip brought with it new friends, new adventures, new places, and new memories. We were happy to not only spend time with Trevor and Shelli, but to also get to know better the Heidens and the Despains.

Here are some highlights from the trip. (Between Rick and me, we took almost 900 pictures!)

Naturally, we have to have the picture in the plane. This is anticipation and excitement.

This is getting on the airplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico headed to Tortola, BVI. I wasn't allowed to take this picture, but I did anyway. The sky is blue, the weather is already warm, and and Rick has changed into his shorts ready for a week of warm weather!Grocery shopping was an experience. The stores are very similar to ours, but the prices are more than twice what we pay and a much smaller variety. For a week's worth of groceries for eight people, we spent close to $1,000 -- and that didn't include all the nights we ate out at restaurants.Captain Rick is starting to move the boat out of the marina. He has to work both engines independently to make the boat turn on a dime.Rick brought components to make a homemade Hawaiian sling in order to spear lobster, fish, or whatever. We bought a mop handle in the market and wah-la! A spear.Rick speared this red snapper (he was searching for lobster). That night, we had barbequed chicken, red snapper, and two large lobster that we acquired from a local fisherman out in the middle of the ocean. A BVI FEAST!!!Rick was never limited to diving with only daylight. He went out several times at night. That made me nervous.We loved diving in the warm, warm waters of BVI. Even 75 feet down, the water was still a warm 85 degrees!
The colors on some of the reefs were incredibly bright!

Rick and me

We were waiting on Peter Island for the restaurant to open so we hung out in the hammocks on the beach.

Spring Bay on Virgin Gorda. This is the bay right next to the Baths where we anchored for a night. We played on the beach the day before.

Here we are all hanging out in The Baths after jumping off the rocks.

This is the fresh water pool at the Top of the Baths where we had lunch.

The view from the Top of the Baths.

Rick diving off a rock at The Baths.

In the cave at The Baths.

This was our game of jumping off the front of the boat while we are sailing, then catch the rope under the boat and drag. When you get tired, you let go and grab a rope that's trailing at the back of the boat and pull yourself in -- of course, only to repeat the process.