We have done little since our last update.

Rike did send me on an errand to buy a thermometer so that she and the girls could record the temperature. I went to the hardware store, the supermarket, the pharmacy. The expression of wonder when I asked for a thermometer was always the same: A puzzled look followed by a slow to come "no". At the first store I thought they were the odd-balls, at the second store I questioned my pronunciation, and at the third store I realized that I was the odd-ball.

All year long the temperature is about 80 degrees, give and take 5 degrees, the humidity is about 80 percent and the water temperature is also around 80 degrees.

We have met back up with Zia, hung around together in Francis Bay on St John and we are now in the British Virgin Islands. Our days are pretty much dictated by home schooling. The irony is that we have to pry Anouck and Celine from their books to do home schooling. Even so, while Celine likes to read, school has not been all that much fun and takes up a good portion of the day. In fact, it dictates the day in a place where outside activity stops with sundown at 5:30.

Sunrise in Cinnamon Bay

It's amazing how the days pass around here, blending into each other without much activity but still exhausting. 8 PM is a late night for us. We wake up around 6, school starts at 8:30 or 9 when Celine is especially cunning in her procrastinating. Anouck's schooling takes about an hour sometimes two, while Celine schooling can last into the afternoon. Throw in house cleaning, meals, a trip to the beach or snorkeling and the day is done. I hope we develop a more efficient rhythm soon. While there is not much to visit on land here, we will eventually be in places where land trips will be worthwhile and we are not too sure how to fit it all in. And then again, maybe we stress out over the schooling too much.

The snorkeling has been good, although an ear infection is now keeping me out of the water for a while. The girls and Rike are getting into diving but they will not go if I don't go. Within a month they will be adept at checking out the world down below although getting Rike to dive will be a hard sell. Sea turtles, octopus, eels and all kinds of fish are to be found on the good reefs.

Barracudas, which have an intimidating over-bite and often hang out under the boats, are not dangerous; but when Zia lost a wooden cloth pin overboard, a barracuda came out of nowhere with a light speed ferocious attack on the cloth pin. That said, I have yet to see a barracuda while diving a reef and have not seen any sharks.

The scenery here goes from the postcard coconut tree/white sand beach to the more stark and foreboding rocky cliffs that remind me of Corsica. Walks do not seem to be national past time because the landscape does not lend itself to it. Thick vegetation on steep rocky hillsides with cactus waiting for bared feet and legs are not inviting, although when we get back to St John we hope to hike the National Park. So, for the time being, swimming and snorkeling is about all the exercise we get.

Our friend Joe from Zia taking the Bubble Pool challenge.

Large ocean waves fill the Bubble Pool as they crash into it. Impressive but not dangerous.

We have been staying away from the party scene which is prevalent throughout the British Virgins. There is a high concentration of Americans who charter boats and bar hop between islands. Many of them sport big US flags and pirate flags. Hmm. . .

In any case, we try to find the places where the bar hopping pirates are not. That is easy to do, as any bay without a bar cuts down traffic, the only problem is that the anchorages with more protection have bars and moorings. ( A mooring is a line fastened to the bottom of the sea bed. It has a float on that one grabs and ties to the boat. No anchor is required but moorings have to be payed for each night). We are more comfortable anchored and mooring balls cost money. So the past few nights were spent in anchorages open to some swell with few or no other boats around.

No bars and drunk singers at this anchorage.

While a series of low pressure systems slowed down the trade winds for a while, we are now seeing a steady 15 to 20 knots of wind gusting in the 30's and the forecast is calling for 30 knots in the next days with gusts up to 45. Squalls have been drenching us every night since we have been in the Virgins.

The squall drill goes as follows: Invariably we will be fast asleep with the hatches wide open to let in as much air as possible because the 80 degree temps are valid 365 days a year on a 24 hour basis. So, as we sleep gasping for the air that barely finds it's way into our cabin, we awaken with nature's fire hose: a combination of high wind and lots of rain which blast their way through the open hatches. We scramble out of bed to close the hatches, slipping around on the already drenched floor and then wait out the squall as the deck gets a pressure wash. Ten minutes later and a half inch of water later we scramble to open it all back up before suffocating. On a good night this happens once, but some nights it's so much fun we just have to do it every couple of hours. There has to be a better way to deal with this. . .

In the meantime, best to everyone.

Rike,Celine,Anouck and Claude