Jon and Cathie Ringen recently spent some time with us aboard Tusen Takk II in the USVI. Jon and I have been friends since we were undergraduates at the University of North Dakota.
Cathie arrived first at St. Thomas, and joined a bunch of us cruisers for dinner at the Green House in Charlotte Amalie on New Years Eve. By the time Jon arrived shortly before midnight, Cathie had retired to the Galleon B&B, and we had returned to our boat. The next morning they took the ferry over to St. John, where they had reservations at the campground at Cinnamon Bay. After several days of camping, they were ready to join us but the seas were large and the wind blowing hard, so we couldn’t land our dinghy on the beach to pick them up. They took a taxi in to Cruz Bay where we picked them up at the dock. They spent the remainder of their vacation with us on the boat. We had a grand time, with days spent snorkeling and/or hiking and/or exploring and nights spent playing cards, playing Mexican train and watching “Downton Abbey”, which we all found to be addictive. We all also got in a fair amount of reading. We visited Francis, Cinnamon, Waterlemon, Greater Lameshur, Saltpond and Drunk Bays in St. John, and Christmas Cove and Honeymoon and Elephant and Charlotte Amalie Bays in St. Thomas.
Alas, Jon and Cathie have not yet retired from their university professorships, so when they left us they were returning to teaching and scholarship duties — Jon as a philosopher of science and Cathie as a linguist. Let us bow our heads for a moment of silent sympathy.
- Seatow rescuing a disabled motor boat in Benner Bay, St. Thomas
- Cathie, and Sharon and Lee (Allegro) on New Years Eve
- Traditional Southern meal on New Years Day: hoppin’ John, greens and corn bread
- Installing replacement hose brought by Ringens from USA
- Tourists on a dinghy tour to Christmas Cove, St James
- Panorama of Waterlemon Bay
- At the petroglyphs
- Lunch at the petroglyphs
- Some of the petroglyphs
- Tropical Mockingbird came to see us at the Petroglyphs
- … and this Pearly-eyed Thrasher …
- …and this mongoose
- On a short walk to the Tektite museum at Great Lameshur Bay
- Jon snorkeling in Waterlemon Bay
- Seen in parking lot, Francis Bay
- Well-equiped on both ends!
- Resting at Drunk Bay
- Citizen of Drunk Bay
- Another Drunk Bay creature
- More Drunk Bay residents
- Saltpond Bay
- On the front deck of TT2
- The boys were the dishwashing crew
- Cathie relaxing aboard TT2
- Climbing the stairs to Annaberg Plantation ruins
- Grounds near Annaberg
- Remains of Annaberg windmill
- Bit of color near the ruins
- Suzi (Awakening) informs powerboat denizens that anchoring is forbidden on the south side of St. John
- Taking Jon to snorkel near shore, Honeymoon Bay
- Towing Jon back to TT2