Leaving Fort St. Louis Marina in St. Martin at 4 a.m. was a decision based on arriving in the British Virgin Islands during daylight hours. The plan was to check into Spanish Town. Immigration and Customs in the BVIs can be difficult. I know that from experience; they are sticklers for detail. The last time, it took me four hours to get cleared in.
Earlier in the week, a theft was reported on a sailboat anchored in Marigot Bay, fifty meters from where I was moored in the Fort St. Louis Marina, St. Martin. The marina had security guards. They locked the gate every night. I felt safe. I had spoken to my mooring neighbour, Bill, an 80 year old veteran sailor who had been coming to St. Martin for the past 30 years. I asked him if he had concerns about theft. He explained he knew most of the youngsters from his interactions with them over the years, and they left him alone. He described them as poor, uneducated and desperate. Every once in a while, they went on stealing spree. Rarely did they get caught, although everyone knew who they were…..
Leaving the marina in the pitch darkness, Neil, my brother from Calgary, shone the light on the rocky shore, guiding me with the headphones. Fifty-one feet is a long way for a voice to travel over the howling wind and engine. The headphones have prevented many calamities.
A surprise visitor landed on our boat. It was a pigeon with green bands around his legs. A Google search recommended we give the beast some water and crackers. After resting for two or three hours, he would take off when he was ready. He landed on our boat 20 miles from the closest shore. Wondering how I would explain this to the overzealous imigration and customs officials if he inspected our boat, I hoped the bird would leave before then. Illegal transport of birds possibly carrying disease into the country was not something I wanted to go to jail for….
Nothing on the water is more exciting than greetings from the dolphin community. They liked to play at the bow. The wake created from the sailboat quietly slicing through the water was too much fun for them to resist.
Virgin Gorda gets its name from Chrisopher Columbus because it resembled a fat woman lying on her side. I don’t see it. But after 10 hours at sea, it was a welcoming site.
Virgin Gorda is famous for the Baths, huge granite deposits on the beach forming spectacular rocky formations. Neil, my brother and I went for a run from Virgin Gorda Yacht club to the Baths, about 3 km away. At seven in the morning, no one was at the booth to collect the $3 admission fee. It was a windy rocky path to the beach, truly spectacular.
No sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands is complete without a trip to the Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda Sound. It was destroyed in the last hurricane, Irma but now is rebuilt. We picked up a mooring ball in front of the Yacht blub and took the dinghy to shore. We went for a hike up the mountain with spectacular views.
One of the tastiest lobster dinners can be eaten at the Saba Rock Restaurant. The sunset views are legendary. Two pounds of lobster are hard to quaff down even for my brother Neil.
Often sailing requires difficult decisions. Some times the decisions are a lttle bit easier than others. Cane Garden bay is a cute anchorage. I wanted Neil and Bev to experience the romance. Ileana my wife and I had spent 3 days anchored in the bay 20 years ago. I remember how great a time we had. Perhaps my rational thought was distorted by the happy memories as I motored in. Sure a north swell warning had appeared on my weather report email, but my reliable app, Navily recommended it as a safe place from the north swell. The first clue something might not be as advertised was the paucity of sailboats. The few that were there bounced like crazy in the heavy seas. The second clue was when a guy surfed beside my boat. I turned the boat around and headed for Jost van Dyke Island….
The sailing trip never really ends for a sailor. Either sailors are on the boat fixing stuff that has broken, or they are dreaming about being on the water. Sailors often complain about the menial tasks on board or the cost of fixing say a broken watermaker, but there is nowwhere else they would rather be than on the water.
