Archive | March, 2015

The island of St. Bart’s brings visions of high-end Caribbean lifestyles with a French flair.  I was eager to Med moor and hop off the stern, greeted by a pain au chocolat.  We found something else when we arrived, and I think it was better.  This has not been a season of smooth seas and many anchorages have been infested with annoying swell, which disturbs our slumber. “Swell is the collection of waves moving away from a storm in the ocean. Although the waves will all be of different size and power and heading in slightly different directions we can tend to talk about averages of all these waves as one discreet swell.”

We made landfall in St. Barts at Anse de Colombier , a marine park.   The marine park has mooring balls so that cruisers don’t damage the sea grass with their anchors.  Most cruisers grab the free mooring balls, but some boats insist on anchoring close to the beach.  Fortunately, the upfront anchoring does not ruin the full habitat so there are plenty of sea turtles swimming in the bay.

 

When we first arrived, we took one of the few open balls, but at 4pm a huge boat dance began; Thirty percent of the boats sailed away and another thirty percent, including us, upgraded their positions.  We lost in a stare down competition to a mono hull for our first choice, but we were very happy with our consolation prize ball.

The next day we made our way to the “big city” of Gustavia to check in.  The distance between high tide and the cliff face is narrow so instead of leaving the dingy to float away, we concocted an alternate plan.  I ferried Gail to shore on the dinghy along with the delicate ship’s papers and passports.   I then motored back to Two Fish and raised the dinghy. Next, I dove into the sea for a 15 minute swim to shore.  Gail greeted me with a towel and dry clothes.

 

An asset of this anchorage is that the closest road is reached after a 25 minute hike.  The hike offers beautiful vistas of the windward side of the island with its unforgiving, pounding surf.   We almost never anchor on the western side of an island as it offers the full force of the sea.  At the end of the hike, there is a quaint hotel.  We spoke with the owner as we waited for a cab to arrive.   His family used to own the entire property that we had just hiked, but they sold it to the Rockefellers years ago.  Our cab driver was a graduate of the French school of race car driving but to my surprise did not send us over the cliffs to our deaths or crush one of the many slow moving land based turtles on the roads.

 

Gustavia is full of mega yachts, great dining and high-end shops.   The promised beautiful people are only in town for high season so we rubbed elbows with the moderately attractive stands-ins.  We failed on a true St Barts experience because we did not wake up with a champagne hangover.

 

Anse de Colombier has no beach bar, no shop and no wifi.  You are not alone but it feels more like the magazine ads in Cruising World.  The sea grass revival attracts my favorite marine creatures, the sea turtles.  The bay also has plenty of starfish which to the starfish’s chagrin seems to attract topless French sunbathers, who like to pick them up.  I could hear the starfish screaming – look, do not touch.  The breeze was blowing 20 knots in the anchorage but the waves were small.  We had found paradise and swam a few times a day.   A few mega yachts had left Gustavia and joined us in the marine park.  I noticed that when a mega yacht passenger got out of the water the staff anticipated the swimmer and had the outdoor shower running before the first foot exited the water.   If you visit us, we will try to offer this service on Two Fish.

 

We have recently started a new practice when using mooring balls.  We attach a line via rolling hitch underneath the ball.  This way if the ball or pennant fails we will still be attached.  After instituting the policy we heard of two other Antares that broke free of their balls.  No damage done but it surely has encouraged our new policy. I sleep better on anchor but we use balls to help the turtles.

 

On our second day in the anchorage the breeze had become gusty and several boats were struggling to pick up their mooring balls.  I hopped into One Fish to help them.  My technique is to attach the dinghy to the ball, then grab the pennant in my left hand while catching the line from the boat in my right hand.  The third step is to pass the line through the pennant and hand it back to their crew.   Finally, I detach my dinghy painter and motor away.  I helped an American boat with a 90 year old owner who is still game on.  He has crew to help but still snorkels and does plenty of boat work.   I find it tiring and I am a few years younger.  We also helped a Dutch boat pick up a ball after they failed on the first few attempts.  Later in the day I invited the two boats over for drinks.  Good stories were swapped and the Dutch brought tasty popcorn while the 90 year old brought wine much younger than himself.

 

 

Time passed and a weather window looked to be opening for a passage from St Barts to Antigua.  The wind was forecast to be in thelow 20s and the seas 8 feet. Both on the nose.  Before casting off, we had to make another trip to Gustavia to check out of the country.  If the paperwork seem pointless, you can skip it all together BUT we did see a boat that tried this strategy get boarded by the French Coast Guard.  At the St. Barts prison, they serve day old croissants.  For checking out, we chose to walk the entire trip, about 2 hours.   The up hills encouraged blood circulation but the down hills were hell.   The road narrowed and two cars could barely fit so pedestrians seem destined to become hood ornaments.   We made it alive but vowed to return by cab.

The reward for adversity in St Bart is the key boulangerie that supplies much of the island.  It was high on a hillside near the airport and frequented by the local repairman who immigrated from France.   Clients can be a good culinary indicator (Avoid the shops catering to cruise ships). We bought bread, quiche and of course the Pain au Chocolat I had dreamed of many years ago.

 

We slipped our lines at 6pm and set our sails in the shadow of the island.   I decided on one reef in the main and one reef in the genoa so that we would not arrive before sunrise in Antigua.  Gail went off to bed shortly after we got under way.   We chatted a bit through the cabin hatch as we passed Gustavia.  It had become dark so I had to pay attention to the traffic coming in and out of the port.  Dodge starboard for a tug with side to barge, dodge port for a huge anchored schooner and ease back to starboard to avoid fuel terminal buoys.   Usually, I head straight offshore to avoid other boats but I wanted to enjoy the smooth waves for as long as St Barts offered protection.  An hour later, the breeze peaked at 27 knots and we entered a washing machine that did not stop for the next 12 hours.  The trip was our worst since owning the boat.  Gail was green and despite trying very hard could only spell me for 20 minutes.  After 6 hours of being on the non-amusement park ride I hove to for 15.  The genoa had two reefs and the main one reef.  It did not take long for the boat to find the right balance and she gently drifted downwind.  Slightly refreshed I soldiered on.   To add to the bumpy ride, I was frequently having to check the bilge since I was getting a bilge alarm.  I do not ignore bilge alarms but on the 15^th visit I sure was tired and annoyed.   Hanging upside down in the bilge tasting the water to see if it was fresh or sea is not a bonus.  I will need to extend the anti siphon loop on the bilge as I think water was entering in the gruesome seas.   Gail was a major hero as the short spell gave me the power to finish up the trip.  As we got closer, the sun came over the horizon and hope returned.   We entered Jolly Harbour to see our friends on Zooroopa, an Antares built two hulls after Two Fish.   There was a huge open spot ideal for anchoring right behind them.  The anchor set on the first time in the white sand.

 

Even as I write this, I am forgetting how bad the trip had been.   It is amazing how a sailor has the ability to forget the bad and embrace the good.   St Barts was definitely good bread, good people and good swimming.  The crew of Two Fish are working on 2016 plans and we will announce the plan soon.  Well, as soon as we have decided the plan.

 

PS:  You may notice that the pictures in this post look a little out of focus.  Our camera has died.  We have a back up, so the blog will continue but we are eager to reach a camera shop (aka Amazon).

 

 

The Caribbean Islands, also called the West Indies, have many names that confuse me.  Anguilla and Antigua, as well as Barbuda and Barbados, are names that sound alike but are far afield from each other.  Saba Island is not the bar in the BVI known as Saba Rock.  There is more than one Georgetown, and a couple of Marigot Bays, so you might want to keep  your chartplotter on during shoreside conversations with other cruisers.   We visited Saint Martin, or was it Sint Maarten?  Those similar names are the French and Dutch names for parts of the same island. The island was sawed in half in 1648 and controlled as colonies of Holland and France.  The Dutch got a smaller portion, but with more productive salt ponds.

 

Today, St. Maarten has the lowest import duties in the Caribbean and has become a hub for boat repair.  It also offers sailors plenty of cheap booze, large docks for mega-yachts and other activities outside the coverage of this blog.  It has car dealerships, malls, box stores, Ace hardware and small traffic jams.  In St Maarten’s major bay (Simpson) you are never far away from a night club’s thumping bass.   Two Fish went there for the flat water of the lagoon and to buy a few spare parts.

 

 

We docked the boat in the Cupecoy Marina, deep into the Lagoon.  The marina offers a deluxe service in which a pilot boat greets you at the bridge and guides you into the marina.  The service is more appropriate for mega-yachts, but we enjoyed the over-the-top service for our little boat.  Docking there is tricky in a strong breeze and the very competent port captain, Guy, helps some owners park their boats.   We enjoyed his dinghy-as-bow-thruster service as an extra precaution.  The marina is not sheltered.  Instead it is at the end of a wind funnel creating discomfort in the outside visiting slips during strong trade winds.  However, shore side life in the complex was very comfortable.  Huge pool, nice gym, a great French supermarket and friendly live-aboards made our stay wonderful. The marina would be considered rural St. Maarten; we were happy to be away from the tacky night clubs.  We chose the marina rather than anchoring to make it easier to work on the boat.  But first, it was off to have some fun.

The must do thing on the island is to put you self in harms way near planes taking off and landing.  The runway abuts a beach and thrill seekers hang on to the airport fence while receiving a jet blast.  We timed our visit to enjoy the largest landing, a KLM widebody.  I found the experience underwhelming but it was a fun way to spend an hour.  The area was a complete zoo as the cruise ships had exported their cargo, the hotels had shuttled their guests, and a few wayward cruisers added themselves to the mix.  There are clearly more people watching the planes than using the airport.

We explored Marigot Bay, in the heart of the French side of the island.  The wind, which I will complain about a few times in this post, was hooting for our entire visit.  Twenty-two knots most of the time, with puffs over thirty.  We have had these persistent trade winds since before our departure from the BVI.  We thought Marigot Bay might be calmer, but monohulls and catamarans were sailing on their anchor chains.  The random puffs coming down the hill would push them askew from the prevailing wind.  Then the uncomfortable process of equalization would occur.  We watched this tiring battle from a café before beginning our ascent of the local fort.  This fort stopped the English from stealing French goods in St Martin.  The commandant boasted that not one single French coffee bean was stolen after the fort was constructed.  I often wonder how different this region would have been if the Europeans had arrived after the abolishment of slavery and the industrialization of agriculture.  We will never know.

Gail’s trusty watch finally died from excessive salt water inhalation.   The glow-in-the-dark Timex with cloth band had served her well.  So we went to the mall. We had not seen a mall since Florida.   The Blue Mall seemed like a project that was destined to fail.   It is four stories of modern mall with enough foot traffic to keep a small bodega in business.   We did our part to keep the mall open by buying a Swatch and  a running shirt.  We learned later that cab drivers are paid 2 dollars per passenger they drop off at the mall.  We had walked.

While there, we met some new friends who were on a Voyager brand catamaran.  I marvel at these boats since they have a bar that extends from the aft portion on the boom for raising the dinghy.   I suppose you learn to trust the construction but I prefer our traditional dinghy arch.  The four of us decided to visit Loterie Farm, which charges 5 euros to go for a hike on the property.  The goal of the hike is to visit a cell phone tower situated at a local geographic maximum.  Caribbean hikes offer many views of radio, microwave and cell phone towers.  The hike was a bit below average in terms of beauty, which matched our opinion of much of St Martin.  We liked it, but did not love it.

St. Martin has two drawbridges, which is unusual since the rest of the Caribbean has about zero. Some charts don’t yet show the second one in the middle of the bay so it is good to keep your eyes open. After 18 months, we are no longer complete rookies. Our Inter Coastal Waterway experience gave us plenty of drawbridge practice, so we passed through like pros, usually the foundation for an upcoming monumental mistake.   Ten days later, while leaving St Martin, we saw a charter cat floundering as it exited.  We were following behind her closely and the bridge operator sent out a boat to scold her for transiting too slowly.  This only slowed her further.   The captain was propelling the boat at drift speed close to the leeward side of the bridge, causing me to assume he would bump the bridge.  But luck was on the charter boat’s side, as the breeze stayed calm while the bridge operator boiled over.

The Heineken Regatta, one of the big Caribbean sailing events, took place during our stay.  Kool and the Gang flew in from the USA as the featured band for the party.  This headliner was not enough to have us leave the cocoon of our marina compound.  Instead we opted for outdoor movie night.

We did see Phaedo 3 race by us going faster than the cars on the island.  Her top speed for the race was 38 knots.  Imagine if Two Fish traveled at that speed; overnight passages would be over in 3 hours.

We left St Martin on the last day of racing and I enjoyed threading through the fleet to reach St Barts.  The low point of the visit was a customs official with a tip jar.  How is that possible?  However, I think I gave St Maarten a bum rap because the wind made life aboard in the wind tunnel marina a bit annoying.

Skills builder

We are always experimenting and learning about securing Two Fish in a Marina.  Marinas are tougher than anchorages since the boat is prevented from floating naturally and there are plenty of fiberglass eating surfaces.  Here are some of the basics we have learned

1 )  Two Fish is never tied up with fewer than 4 dock lines.  A stern line, a mid to stern spring, a mid to bow spring and a bow line.   The spring lines retard fore and aft movements while the bow and stern retard the boat turning.

2) Gentle line angles and longer lines will reduce the load on the boats chocks and cleats.  The boat has ten cleats offering a myriad of clever ways to tie up the boat.  In the strong breeze in St. Martin, we had two bow lines.   The bow farther from the dock was set to hold much of the load.

3) Winches make great cleats. Often we may wish to get the stern close for loading on provisions.  But later, we ease the line to allow the boat to float more naturally away from the dock.  Instead of cleating, we just leave it on the winch.

4)  Fenders can be hung vertically by one line or horizontally by two lines.  The latter is key if the dock has pilings protruding into the slip.

5) In tidal places the length of all dock lines should be 3 times the tide height.

 

Here is the rundown of our boat labor.  Stop reading now if you like the travel stuff but find the technical boat stuff a bit boring.  Be honest-do you think I can drone on about boat things?

 

Job#1:  Fix bridle

 

The Antares has a great bridle which is permanently fixed at the water line. While in Aguilla, I (Jason), installed the bridle with twist.   After 6 hours in a stiff breeze, the bridle ate itself and failed. (click here to read post) The boat stayed on location, but was held by the anchor lock.   This put us in the market for a new bridle. One could say we were motivated buyers.  We did not choose to splice our own and hired the services of FKG marine. We followed our typical rule.  If anything breaks, buy two, one to replace and one as a spare.   In this case our spare is designed to be operated at deck level for flexibility.  We have decided that when leaving the boat at anchor in a strong breeze we will deploy both bridles.    The deck bridle is superior when you wish to make adjustments for particular conditions.  (Short bridle for shallow anchorages where the bridle is being rubbed on the seabed and a skewed bridle for swell coming for a direction other than head to wind.)

 

As an aside the guy next to Gail was ordering 25,000 dollars worth of work for his boat but he had to wait for us to finish up our 100 dollar order.

 

Job #2:  Replace raw water pump

We have 1,000 hours on our engines and the raw water pump bearings had started to fail, allowing a small amount of sea water to enter the bilge.  We were extravagant and installed new pumps rather than rebuild the old ones.  We will now rebuild the old pumps and keep them as spares.  Remember the Two Fish rule: buy two.   When picking up our spare parts from the local dealer we noticed that the entire shop floor was covered with broken sail drives.  We consider ourselves lucky not to have sail drives.  It is also worthwhile to have a gear extractor when changing out the raw water pump.  Supposedly, you can buy a 100 mm at any auto parts store.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What defines a good bike trip for me? Good food, interesting people and polite drivers.

We were surprised to find an island with such a friendly biking atmosphere. We were even more surprised thatwe managed to extract both of our folding bikes from Two Fish, load them onto the dinghy and get them to shore without any cursing or mishap. Of course, Steven, the local taxi driver was at the dock overseeing the operation and offering much advice.

 

 

On what other island would a taxi driver be so encouraging to two people who were about to bike rather than ride cabs? Even the customs people were enthusiastic about our explorations. “Just one little hill and then it is all flat”, the woman said. I beg to differ. It is amazing how cars don’t see hills the same way I do. The only unfriendly exchange we witnessed on Anguilla was during the local youth sailing races. Two boys were rounding the mark when one threatened to punch the other in the face if he didn’t get out of his way. I guess they didn’t have a protest flag on board.

Day one reminded me a bit of Ireland; there were green, lush mountains and buckets of rain. Rather than stop for a pint, we opted for kebabs at On Da Rocks at the eastern end of the island. While it was tasty, unfortunately the bay was not in a good snorkeling state that day. We seem to be in the Leeward Islands during a windy month.  The windy conditions inspired another stop on the way home at Ooh La La café for a freshly squeezed grapefruit and ginger juice.

 

We saw quite a few House of Assembly Candidate posters on the road. Anguilla is a UK overseas territory so its nominal head of state is the Queen but the Chief Minister (currently Hubert Hughes) is the head of the government. It seems to be fairly competitive between the three main parties (symbol): Anguilla United Front (lighthouse), Anguilla United Movement (tree) and Anguilla Progressive Party

(key). There were also a variety of posters for Independents with birds and fish for symbols. Anguilla established its push for independence on May 30, 1967, when they sent the St. Kitts Police Force packing from the island. Britain intervened and it wasn’t until Decmber 19, 1980 that the negotiations ended and Anguilla became autonomous.

 

After a great day on the bikes, we headed back to Two Fish. “That’s odd”, I said, as we approached her. “It looks like we are being held by the anchor chain, not the bridle.” My first though was that I

hadn’t let out enough chain to allow the boat to transition the bridle. However, we soon realized that the bridle had broken and that we needed a quick fix before the boat became damaged. Fortunately, our chain lock was on, preventing the chain from pulling on our windlass. Quick-thinking Jason suggested that we rig a bridle from our bow cleats with two lines. He made some loops through the chain with kevlar line and we led a line there and back from each bow cleat. We realized that the odd motion from the previous night was probably caused by the bridle line chafing against itself. We would need to get a new bridle at our next stop, but for the moment we were fine.

 

Our next ride was to the western end of the island.

At a lookout point, we met some locals who were happy to break up their usual morning to chat with us.

Jason spent some time learning about local industry and boat building from an eighty-two year old man who used to deliver salt to Trinidad. He would do deliveriesacross the West Indies with no motor and no GPS on a homemade 63-foot schooner. I chatted with a woman who was born on Nevis, traveled the world, and was hoping to spend her seventy-sixth birthday there.

Time for another snack on our way west, but this time it was a bit of a disappointment. I understand when supplies are low and you can’t provide something on your menu, but why taunt me with a specials list of 10 english muffin egg sandwiches and then tell me that the Kim Chi breakfast sandwich is not available because you don’t have any English muffins? The scenery made up for the food setback as we caught a glimpse of St Maarten on our ride. It is funny how the sea always looks calmer from a mountain viewpoint.

Dinner did not disappoint in atmosphere or food. Elvis’ is a well known restaurant on Road Bay and as such, I figured it would be “eh”. It turns out that Elvis is a great guy with a good word and

handshake for everyone who enters his establishment and his fish tacos are excellent. So good, in fact, that we went back the next night. There we were treated to a spotting of the famous “green flash” at sunset and the story behind the Russian sailboats that had entered the harbor.

In true Snackroads tradition, it seems that I have focused more on the food than the biking. It really is a great place for a bike ride.

 

We spent a very enjoyable month in the BVI. We are not alone; plenty of sailors have started bareboat chartering in the British Virgin Islands. The total quantity of blog posts, cruising guides, You Tube videos of Willy T’s and annotated chart books of the BVI weighs 7.35 x 10^22 kilograms. Coincidentally, that is also the weight of the moon. Despite this vast coverage of the great sailing islands, I have dared to throw our hat in the ring.

Arrival: Review of BVI Authorities

Our first encounter with the government was checking into the country at Soper’s Hole. New entrants to the country are charged 10 cents for the entry form. This brought a wry smile to my face as I recalled the apocryphal story that the Chinese government charges criminals’ families for the bullet used by the shooting squad. It crossed my mind that I should ask if I could refrain from buying the form and thus skip the paper work. I suspect the death row Chinese man waiting for the shooting squad has had the same thought. “Sir, my family is on a budget. Would it trouble the shooting squad if they did their duties without bullets, to save my family money.” Soper’s Hole was a good place to check in as all the authorities were in the same building and we were able to tie up to a mooring ball close by.

We saw more Police than we would have thought, until we heard some local tales. The Police seem to spend a large amount of time driving the windy roads at excessive speeds as demonstrated by the many dents in their cruisers. Also, the passengers tend not to be official police employees.

The water department has a tough job because the BVI does not get much rain and cruisers use excessive amounts washing their boats. Most residents have a cistern to hold their captured rain water. For drinking water, phone booth style kiosks are popular with locals. We fought the water monopoly and ran our water maker under passage. We spent 30 bucks to wash the boat with metered marina water from a massive water factory in Tortola.

The road department operates under tough conditions and gets good reviews. The roads are steep, but make wonderful hiking paths. I strongly recommend hiking all of the islands.

The Loop: One week speed tour of the Islands with Manhattan Yacht Club
Coincidentally, our home club in NYC was in the BVI during our visit. A fleet of 14 boats: 12 chartered, Two Fish and the Commodore’s flagship Arabella. We did the typical BVI loop which allows for upwind, reaching and downwind sailing. The conditions were moderate: 12-20 knots for most of the week and the sea state only 2 feet. We raced, we partied, and Two Fish got last place in the appetizer competition, despite my being one of the judges. Gail is a great cook but we decided to hike instead of cook and brought store bought hummus dip. In her defense, her dip was the first appetizer finished off.

Intrigue: Murder in the Islands

Now, for a local tale. The BVI seem to be crime-free, but hidden under the tourism, the dark side of humanity still lurks. Little Harbour on Jos Van Dyke is home to two beach restaurants. Both have honor bars and serve plenty of lobster and fish. The businesses were run by locals Harris and Sydney and both are named eponymously. Five years ago, Sydney died due to natural causes and his nephew became more involved in the running of the restaurant. Harris and the nephew had many conflicts related to the capture of lobsters for their competing restaurants. Harris accused the nephew of fouling his fishing boat and raiding his traps. One day the heated relationship boiled over and the nephew killed Harris with a spear gun. Harris’ body was taken away by police boat and the nephew went to prison. Harris’s is now run by his daughter Cynthia and Sydney’s Peace and Love is run by Strawberry. The women in charge have put down the spear guns and are working hard to serve the charter boats.

History
British overseas territories around the world use a term that shocks me. The government refers to permanent residents as “Belongers”. The term is inherited from the United Kingdom but matches with past BVI government policy. The Government of Dr. Orlando Smith tried to keep immigrants to 25 people per year. I never believe tight immigration polices are best for a country in the long run, but that is for the BVI’ers to decide, not me. The BVI’s share something with the oil-rich countries in the Middle East. In a few of these countries, many residents do not participate actively in the work force and temporary residents are required to keep the economy operating. This creates odd social tensions. Non-working locals can be despondent and the temporary residents are not treated fairly. I do not know if this is true in the BVI, but more than one local business owner spoke to me of difficulties in getting locals to care about their jobs. I can understand why, when living in paradise, you might not care about the challenges of 9 to 5.

This modern history of the BVI may have started in 1834 with the emancipation of the slaves and a hurricane that destroyed the original plantations. For the next 100 years the Islanders farmed and fished the land and seas. In 1960 Rockefeller built a resort in Little Dix Bay; in 1968 the Islands got an airport. The boom continued in 1969 as the first sailboat charter company opened its doors. The course for the modern BVI was set.

Parking: Mooring Balls
Any good guide book of suburbia includes a review of mall parking lots. A mooring field is the BVI equivalent of a parking lot. In fact, there is a similar mania involved when two boats are trying to claim the one last ball in the bay, and the boat that anchors in the middle of the mooring field is sort of like the car that blocks you in by creating their own spot. We tend to avoid mooring balls in most places, but have found the BVI balls to be well maintained. The mega corporation of mooring balls is Moor – Seacure. Balls cost $30 a night except near the Bitter End Yacht Club where they charge $35.

I spoke with Sean from Sunchaser Scuba, who services the balls, to learn more about their operation. When the air becomes light Two Fish will spend the evening bouncing off the mooring ball. The noise wakes us from our slumber and can remove small portions of bottom paint. The solution to this problem is to connect the bridle to the shackle at the ball and not use the pennant. The pennant is too long and allows the boat too much freedom. A very tight bridle can keep the ball shepherded between our hulls and, if the breeze builds, one can ease the bridle. Jeff from Echo has taken this one step farther by tying a sacrificial line to shorten the pennant. When the breeze builds the line breaks and automatically the boat has extra shock absorption.

Scuba

I was impressed with the condition of the coral and underwater plants in the BVI. I am not an experienced Scuba diver, unless you counts hours changing zincs. Sunchaser Scuba’s service was 11/10. They washed all my gear for me after the dive. That was deluxe. A great snorkeling spot is at Cooper Island, complete with a line to tie your dinghy to. The bonus is a great restaurant.

Sailing

 

In my opinion the BVI is the best place in the world for day sailing our catamaran. There are plenty of places where land travel is more exotic, but if you want to sail 2-6 hours a day, then the BVI is the best. Why? The winds tended to be steady and, more importantly, the seas not too punishing. There are many anchorages, so you can choose your destination at the last minute and not be locked into a bash to weather. There is plenty to look at while sailing – everything from the scenery of the beautiful islands to the novice skipper bearing down on you without a care on his mind. If you want to learn how to sail, motor, anchor, dock, and moor a catamaran, this is the place to start. If you need a teacher, our friend is the best: caribbeansailingcoach.com

 

How not to deliver 10 Dinghies in the rain
These crazy guys passed us in a squad towing 10 dinghies. 20 minutes we caught up with them as they has lost two of their flock. The junior guy was sent to sit the end of the chain for the rest of the trip.

 

Hiking
If you wish to go to the Soggy Dollar bar in White Bay, do not grab a mooring for the night. The swell can get uncomfortable and watching the surfers gets tiring; instead enjoy the hilly walk from Great Harbour to White Bay. You will build a thirst for the local drinks on the walk and will have a much nicer night’s sleep. Try any of the roads and you will not have to stairmaster for the rest of the week. I chose to run a few of the hills, which in Gail’s eyes was pure silliness. An even nicer walk is the one from Little Harbour to Diamond Cay on the East side of Jost.

While many first time charterers come to the BVI for its ease and then “graduate” to more exotic locations, after a month in the BVI, I still wanted more. As the loblolly pines of Anagada fell over the horizon and the steeps seas shook Two Fish I was tempted to turn around and explore some more. However, Two Fish must swim on. Grenada by June.

Bonus Sailing Photos