Our family wanted to do something different for Christmas this year. We found the Guiding Light only 3 weeks before of our Christmas trip, and within a day of exchanging phone calls and emails, we were booked. Special thanks to Shane for being so responsive.
The trip started with our son arriving 4 hours before us. Shane decided it would be best for them to depart Red Hook Marina on St. Thomas and head to St. John where my wife and I would board the boat. It was a great decision to let the vacation begin upon my son’s arrival. While we were still changing planes in Miami, our son was snorkeling and bonding with Shane.
Each day, we sailed to a few different places, never going to the same place twice. While we weren’t lounging on the boat, we were snorkeling, hiking, and touring the island’s many historical sites. Each night we would ride the Guiding Light’s tender boat (the Temptation) into town to eat at local restaurants. Shane is an excellent guide and knows all the great snorkel sites and restaurants. On our tours/hikes, Shane was extremely knowledgeable about local history and could answer almost any question we had for him. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the Annaberg sugar plantation and Reef Bay petroglyphs. He also makes a delicious drink-of-the-day!
On Christmas day, we were moored in Christmas Cove off the coast of Great St. James Island where we were snorkeling. For dinner, we ordered pizza from the Pizza Pi boat, and had it delivered by dinghy. How unique! That was certainly a memorable Christmas—a welcome break from the cold and snow.
We are hoping to explore the Spanish Virgin Islands next year with Shane, and we will try to give Shane better than a 3-week notice this time. This was the trip of a lifetime and an unforgettable vacation. Shane was more than a captain, we consider him family.
