Our Month in the BVI

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