To the Bitter End and back

On Feb. 1 Harvey sent out a mass email announcing that he wasn’t going on the annual BVI ‘flotilla’ . The departure date was Feb. 8. It was an experience that I knew I would enjoy; but since 2008 I have been somewhat anxious about ‘the budget’. I had not been on a trip since my Cuban adventure in 2001. This was an opportunity and the ‘last minute’ discount put the overall expense at a tolerable level. A couple of hours of hesitation (can one call this deferred gratification?) seemed appropriate. I called Harvey.

A big question mark was the crew. I did not know anyone of the eight prospective crew mates. My first conversation with the skipper did not go well. Despite these first missteps, the crew ended up being a great group. No one was an expert in everything but knew enough about something to be helpful. They were easy going and forgiving; a necessity given my acerbic witticisms! I learned something from everyone.

We flew to St. Thomas and  there was a ferry transit to Tortola. It was a long day, especially since I didn’t sleep the night before; a lot of hurry up and wait.

The first sail was to Norman Island and the Bight. Kenner, the flamboyant chef, did his one and only stint with the BBQ: Poulet en flame, an unintended poulet flambe? We went to Plan B and, what was salvageable provided chicken sandwiches for the next few days. The Bight provided a very pleasant start. There was a good snorkelling area nearby called the Indians.

The winds were fairly strong from the east during the first three days of our charter. Our sail over to Jost van dyke was mainly on a broad reach. We moored in Little Harbour. Sydney’s was the onshore restaurant. Graham acted as bartender for ‘happy hour’. We orderdd dinner and I had the Grouper. It was an interesting experience but afterwards I thought that the BVI vibe was not quite what it seemed. Everything was laidback, but there was no service and prices were high. I call this a tourist culture. The natives provide a freewheeling ambience which the tourists find exotic.

On our way over to Marina Cay we stopped at Sandy Cay. Unfortunately there was a strong east wind and this made for a strong swell. We were unfamiliar with the technique of beaching the dinghy. I am sure our being tossed about by the breakers was amusing to the crews watching from the other moored boats.

We sailed along the north shore of Tortola which was mostly upwind in 20 plus knots. The seas were about 2 m.. We had to tack upwind in Guana Channel. This required short tacks and was made difficult without our main sail. We followed a larger yacht into Marina Cay basin passing to what I thought was the wrong side of a port hand buoy. I later discovered that it was a cardinal buoy and we were supposed to keep north.

I think Marina Cay was a good find. After we arrived a large turtle came by the boat to welcome us. There was good snorkelling and wifi. I stayed aboard for supper the two nights we were here. Vraiment un homme seul mais heureux.

On the second day at Marina Cay we went on a day sail to Virgin Gorda and the Baths. The Baths (for me) was like the CN Tower: something to see once but only visit again with nephews and nieces.

Our next port of call was Leavitt Bay on the north end of Virgin Gorda. On our way we saw two dauphins. Our one and only docking went well with the help of the dock master. This was a ‘flotilla’ rendezvous; it was our first chance to mingle with the other crews.

The next day we got over early to the Bitter End Yacht Club across the bay on the north side of Virgin Gorda. The plan was to cross Virgin Gorda by taxi to the Baths with a stop over in Spanish Town. It was an interesting trip. The island was very hilly and there were some great views from the hilltops. We got a better handle on how the locals lived. Apparently there is no problem with cars passing on hills or corners! Spanish Town was not very impressive.

On our second day at the Bitter End Yacht Club, I rented a Laser and spent the afternoon sailing on North Sound; while other crew members went on a snorkelling trip to Eustasia Reef. (They reported seeing a manta.) I only capsized the Laser once. At night we had our best meal of the trip at the Bitter End Yacht Club’s weekly Caribbean style BBQ.

On our pen ultimate day we sailed back to Road Town via the Dogs. At the Dogs we anchored. Anchoring was a new experience with the big boat and I was a bit overwhelmed; e.g. I left the motor running on the dinghy. The problem was that we didn’t notice until we were underway!

There was also some anxiety about the yacht’s engine. A wheel had come off and a drive belt was in some danger of failing. The skipper eventually was able to contact base and talk to a mechanic. Not very helpful. The mechanic concluded his conversation with: ‘Good Luck”.

There were other minor annoyances with the boat. The cockpit light didn’t work so, in order to see after dark, we had to jerry rig a string of flashlights. The dinghy leaked just enough to be very annoying. The chart plotter emitted a MOB alarm that I could not reset. The nav instruments, at the helm, did not work. There was no mast head light. Fortunately, we had no motor problems (unlike other boats in the flotilla).

We docked just as the sun was setting. The ferry that was scheduled to take us to St. Thomas was not available. Harvey, from TO, managed to make new arrangements. We ended up leaving at 9 and having to take a taxi across St. Thomas to the airport.

My charter, to the Bitter End Yacht Club and back, was a very enjoyable experience. The crew was great. The weather was great.  The BVIs are very scenic. A happy vignette was when I, on a boat moored at Marina Cay, was getting updated on world events via my netbook. Paradise? For me, yes.