Sail Away

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Hoisting the sails for a week-long adventure in the British Virgin Islands

Second time’s a charm, or so the saying goes. My first trip to the British Virgin Islands wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked. But that was 20 years ago. So, as I stepped foot off the plane on the island of Tortola, I am both excited and hopeful. My crew for this trip is my son Troupe; my girl, Anne White; and her sons, Collin and Carter Barczak. Troupe is an experienced sailor, having gone on his first sailing charter when he was just six. He has grown up riding the wind. Everyone else has considerable time on the water, but this will be their first multi-day trip on a touring-class catamaran. 

I love sailing; everything about it makes me feel good.
I also love teaching. There is just something about watching the light come on in a new sailor’s eyes when they realize they are on the way to mastering a new skill. And the BVIs are the perfect destination for that to happen. Your never out of sight of land, and there is plenty of help close by, if needed. Newbie’s will choose the ease of mooring balls instead of anchoring, and with modern GPS, navigation is incredibly manageable, even for the novice. 

For this trip, booked through The Moorings company, we elected to have provisions delivered, so when we came aboard, we knew we were, for the most part, set on that front. Electrical and air conditioning, however, was another story. It wasn’t quite the start I envisioned, but after quickly realizing the issue, we alerted the staff to the technical issues and they dispatched a technician. I think Moorings overall is a great company, but this was a rough day. I tried to convince the tech that you cannot put a 1.5-inch rubber hose over a 3/4-inch rubber hose and secure the connection with hose clamps and duct tape. But as I sat next to him in the belly of the boat, I glanced to his right and saw a similar repair. A fair bit of disagreement ensued, but ended positively with the head of maintenance, Mr. Hastings (a remarkably polite man), agreeing with me and convincing his staff of the correct path to a good repair. 

June 16, 2024 CAPTAIN'S LOG

The first task of the charter captain is to ascertain the seaworthiness of his vessel and the condition of the mechanical systems. As with most bareboat charters it is normal to find problems.
1. Boat cannot be hooked to shore power, why?
2. Air-conditioner inoperative, why?
3. Door to main quarters sticks, trapping me below deck. The approach to the repair by the staff was less than I would have hoped, and in the end I ended up with my shirt off performing the repair myself.

Regardless of who you charter with, expect problems, leave yourself a full day before your trip, and inspect the repairs. Our boat generator failed during the trip. No credit was offered for any of the inconvenience or loss of time. Rule of thumb: a three year old charter boat (think dog years) will most likely give you some problems.

Renting a boat without a crew has its caveats, maintenance ease being one of them. If you elect to rent without, you need someone on board with the skills necessary to resolve issues that might come your way. I luckily served this purpose for my crew. 

By mid-afternoon on day two we were finally off the dock. A friendly skipper joined us for an hour to run through all the systems—a good idea if you are unfamiliar with the particular boat—and then we headed off. 

We chose a short run to Norman Island, which proved to be just the right amount of sailing for the first day away from the dock. Our destination? The Willy T. floating bar and grill. It’s a novelty not to be missed by any who visit. Of course we enjoyed libations, and the younger members of our crew had a fine time jumping from the rear of the ship. Dinner that night was followed by dancing. Electrical issues aside, it proved to be quite a fine start to what would end up being a memorable trip. 

NATHAN SPARKS, CITYVIEW MAGAZINE Sailing the British Virgin Islands

On day three, we were off to The Baths, a national park located on the southwestern tip of Virgin Gorda. The Baths lived up to their label as being one of the most picturesque spots in the BVIs. It was a perfect spot to do a little snorkeling and afterwards to make a quick stop at Poor Man’s Bar for a painkiller. 

Our next leg was dead upwind, and we opted to motor forward, ending up in a small bay for the evening. The next morning we spent the day exploring and enjoying the Bitter End Resort which is in the process of being rebuilt. Next was Saba Rock, which is covered with restaurants and shops. The view of the sunset at dinner here was in and of itself worth the trip. 

On day five, we headed up to the island of Anegada. Many who sail the BVIs omit this from the trip because the entrance to the anchorage is shallow. We were determined, however. All of my crew stood watch as we navigated the channel. With each passing moment we seemed closer to hitting bottom—in fact, the depth finder said we should hit. We prepared for the worst.

Sailing the British Virgin Islands

It wasn’t until Carter suggested that the depth finder could be inaccurate that we breathed some sighs of relief. Based on our earlier maintenance experience, it dawned on me that the depth finder may have been calibrating inaccurately. We made it to the mooring ball without incidence, and a quick dive by Collin confirmed the hypothesis. Crisis averted.

With our worries behind us, we set off to explore Anegada with our final destination being Miss Bell Creque’s Cow Wreck Beach Bar & Grill. The name comes from a ship that wrecked in the late 1920s that was carrying cow bones. For years, the bones washed up on shore, thus the name. It was a great end to our day, but that night the generator’s voltage regulator failed and once again, no AC. All those hours of running the generator while on the dock were taking their toll. We weren’t phased, though; the positives outweighed the struggles.

On day six, we set sail for Cooper Island where we had scheduled a scuba dive adventure. The Moorings had a maintenance boat meet us, and this time the technician quality was on the mark. In less than an hour we were back in business and ready for our scuba adventure. Scuba is just one example of one of the many activities you can add to your trip in the BVIs. And while I missed the excursion due a hurt back, everyone else said it was a winner. I spent my afternoon recuperating on board; not too shabby of a place for some R&R.

June 18, 2024 CAPTAIN'S LOG

Plan ahead and be thankful for young and strong crew. On our second night we got a little off schedule and ended up in a small bay with very little sand. With the main anchor set with a good scope I am still uneasy. Collin, Carter, Troupe and Anne work as a team to pull out the secondary anchor and dingy it out to a second spot. Cooperation and hard work saved a major mishap. Tonight, I am thankful for all of them. Great teamwork!

Next we were off to the island of Jost Van Dyke, home to what would end up being my favorite bar of the trip, the Soggy Dollar. We were anchored on the west end of the island to go to the bubbly pool (which turned out to only be bubbly certain times of the year—noted for next time). Instead of sailing to the Soggy Dollar, we grabbed a cab in the form of a pickup truck with bench seats in the back. The roads were steeper than any round these parts, and admittedly, had all of us slightly terrified on our way. But we made it the Soggy Dollar in one piece. If you go,
I highly recommend spending a day or two here anchored just off the beach—and avoid the taxi rides at all costs. 

The next day we headed back to The Moorings base to get ready for our journey home. While it may seem we had our fair share of trip hardships, the BVIs were a whimsical place to visit. We all had a great time, and while I embarrassed myself a few times—and hope that those stories of what happened on this trip for the most part stay there—the only question left is where sailing will take me next. Sailing is one of my lifelong passions. Perhaps next up is the coast of Spain or some other European destination. Wherever the sails take me next, I simply cant wait until I hear the wind in the wires as we sail away to our next paradise. 

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