March 3, 2020
There is something both nerve-wracking and exciting about setting out on a long passage. The challenge of it is energising, and you need to psyche yourself up for the stamina you’ll need to push through an overnight at sea. Our last night sail had been on New Year’s Eve when we set off around 2 AM to make it from Barbados to Bequia before nightfall. This sail from Antigua to Tortola would be almost twice as long, and we were ready for it.
As forecast, the wind had filled in a bit that morning, though it was still fairly light as we set off from Antigua. With full sail out, we weren’t making much above 6 knots, but that was fine, as we had a wide window the following day to make it to Tortola. At an average of 7 knots, we should make it there in 26 hours' time, around 11 AM the following day, giving us a few hours to play with before my sister and her husband arrive. So without over-stressing about sail trim to get that extra edge, we sat back and enjoyed the first leg of our journey. It should be an interesting one, as we would snake between several islands on our passage northwest. First up was the volcanic island of Montserrat to our port, which is very much still an active volcano. On a clear day like this, you can clearly see the billows of thick white smoke rising and collecting over the island. Beyond Montserrat are the islands of Nevis and St. Kitts. These are also younger, steep volcanic islands without many solid places to anchor, so they are generally less trafficked by yachts. With these islands on our beam, the winds started to fill in and the sun began to set. Flo picked up some speed, now cruising along at 7-8 knots, putting us right on schedule. I was so glad we had decided to wait a day for the wind to fill in, as there is something a bit soul-crushing about motoring on a sailboat for hours on end.
As darkness fell, Stephen and I began our watch system to get us safely through the night: 4 hours on, 4 hours off. On my night watch from 10-2, I could see off to starboard all the lights of St. Barth’s, St. Marteen, and Anguilla tucked behind them. We’re disappointed to have to skip these islands this way around but have every intention of doubling back after the BVIs to check them out. It wasn’t the most relaxing of night watches, as the sea traffic around these parts is pretty heavy. I spent all 4 hours of my shift closely monitoring AIS and radar to avoid any collision risk – very different to the Atlantic where we would see maybe one other ship a week. Stephen took over at 2 AM when I was about ready to hit the deck. I think I managed to grab a couple of hours of fitful sleep tossing around below deck before I was back on at 6 AM in time for sunrise watch, my absolute favourite time to be at sea. By this point, we were out of eyesight of land, though I kept my eyes trained on the horizon in hopes of spotting the outermost islands of the BVI archipelago. The first mounds in the distance began to come into focus around 9 AM. Stephen came up an hour later, and we enjoyed the last leg of the sail together, trying to figure out the best way to pick our way through the islands and into the channel.
The BVIs are stunning, made up of dozens of islands of various shapes and sizes, most fairly small and steep, all very green. We found a gap between Salt Island and Round Rock wide enough to cut into the Sir Francis Drake Channel that runs through the middle of the archipelago. The sea state calmed down once we were inside the channel, though the traffic picked up, with ferries and cruise ships zipping around. Neither of us had ever been to the BVIs, and with so many islands in every direction, we didn’t know where to begin. For now, we were headed for the main island of Tortola to check into the country and to pick up Katie and Mikyo from the ferry terminal. Road Town Harbour is massive though has only one permitted anchoring area. We dropped in deep water, hopefully far enough outside the main channel to avoid the ferry traffic, and dinghied to the Customs dock to check in at.
It seems to be a fairly consistent rule that if you work in a Caribbean customs office, you have to have a certain degree of surliness about you. We’ve been through many customs processes in the islands, some straight forward, some less so. I can say without hesitation that the BVI system was by far the most absurd to date. What could have been one stop at one desk turned into a virtual hamster maze of us running from pillar to post to get various pieces of paper stamped and to pay various fines and fees. In the end, I think we made 10 different stops. And the staff were not exactly friendly or helpful. When one woman informed us they didn’t take cards and we’d need USD for all fees, we asked her where we could find an ATM, and she shouted back, “I don’t have to help you! Find it your own damn self!” Righto – thanks! After about 90 minutes of that faff, we were finally allowed into the county. I don’t normally let these types of red tape procedures ruffle me, but after that fiasco, I was seriously riled up.
Our negative experience of the BVIs however ended there. Everything else about this archipelago for the next couple of weeks was absolute magic. Stephen I had about 3 hours until our guests arrived, so we ran over to the local grocery store to do a big provision. My sister has what might be considered an unhealthy relationship with cheese, so I filled the cart with whatever varieties I could get my hands on in hopes of preventing a mutiny over the coming week.
When the ferry pulled in and I saw the two of them dragging their bags down the gangplank, I sprinted over and nearly toppled them in my eagerness. I cannot believe I hadn’t seen them since our wedding in early April! The distance from my family over the past year has definitely been the biggest downside to our life afloat. Katie is best described as a ball of positive energy who never fails to put a smile on people’s faces and make them laugh. And her husband Mikyo is just objectively one of the world’s best humans - endlessly enthusiastic and interesting. Stephen and I couldn’t wait to get them aboard Florence to introduce them to our floating world. That night, we caught up in the cockpit over cocktails and, of course, cheese, though Mikyo had gotten a stomach bug the day prior and was feeling a bit the worse for wear. We let the weary travellers off the hook early and went to bed in anticipation of an early morning sail to another island.
First up on our docket would be Normal Island, which is only about 10 nautical miles from Road Town. We upped anchor at 9 AM and wasted no time getting the canvas out for Katie and Mikyo’s first sail aboard Flo. Mikyo was thankfully feeling better and as predicted was full of curiosity and enthusiasm, wanting to learn how each and every thing on the boat worked. Stephen was in his element as teacher, showing him which lines did what and giving him a lesson at the helm. Katie, meanwhile, inquired diligently about our snack situation on the boat and when it would be time for lunch.
We made it to an anchorage called the Bight, which is a wide and sheltered bay on the west side of Normal Island. We stayed clear of the mooring field and found a spot further out in fairly deep water to drop the hook. Once we were dug, it was straight into the dinghy and over to a bar called the Willy T – a BVI institution and our main reason for choosing the Bight as our first stop. Built out of an old schooner, it’s a floating bar known for its party atmosphere, strong drinks, good music, and perhaps best of all, a platform on the top level of the ship where you can jump off and land about 30 feet below in crystal clear water. We didn’t waste any time ordering 4 Painkillers (AKA best cocktail ever), stripping down to our bathing suits and throwing ourselves overboard. What a thrill – I felt like I was 10 years old again. I must have taken the leap about 20 times, even helping a few of the older patrons find their inner child and go flying over the edge with me. This could be the best bar on planet earth. We dragged ourselves away around 6 PM to get showered and head to a restaurant called Pirate’s Bight. Katie got a kick out of hailing the restaurant over the VHF radio to make the reservation. I think sailing life agrees with her so far. The restaurant had a great atmosphere and a dance floor with a live band where we saw most of our new buds from the Willy T. We had a dance off well into the night, with Stephen and Mikyo showing off their expert moves, while Katie and I got an A for effort…
We woke up the next morning feeling a bit dusty, Katie especially so. She felt she might have caught whatever bug Mikyo had. She was a trooper though and wanted to keep moving to see as many islands as possible over the course of their 5 days aboard. We left the Bight, vowing to soon return, and sailed up through an area called the Narrows that separates the BVIs from St. John and the USVIs. We weaved our way between Great Thatch and Little Thatch islands and up to Jost Van Dyke and Little Jost Van Dyke just northwest of Tortola. In the mood for something a bit more remote than the Bight, we anchored to the east of Little Jost Van Dyke off a tiny island called Green Cay and an even tinier island called Sandy Spit, which as the name suggests, is just a patch of sand barely sticking above the water. If I could paint a picture of paradise, this would be it. We were surrounded by bright turquoise water, with islands in all directions and only one other boat for company. We didn’t waste any time diving into the water and swimming over to Sandy Spit. We were the only people on this little piece of earth and spent a while walking the perimeter and letting the beauty of our surroundings sink in. Stephen got a bit emotional as we looked out at the reefs on the far side of the island, feeling that this moment was a culmination of all we’d dreamed of and worked for with this trip . We’d found our little slice of paradise.
After a quiet night bobbing off Sandy Spit, we made our way over to Jost Van Dyke, one of the larger islands in the BVIs and apparently one of the most devastated by Hurricane Irma. Most of the BVIs got absolutely walloped by Irma, and although impressive strides have been made in rebuilding, remnants of the storm are still apparent, with many buildings still missing walls or roofs and wrecked boats strewing the shoreline. Jost Van Dyke is a sparsely populated island, with only 250 or so full time residents, known for its casual beach bars and laid back attitude. We’d heard that the way in which the community pulled together after the near total devastation from the storm was remarkable and that just 2 years later, most businesses are now open again, albeit in altered surroundings. We anchored in a bay called Great Harbour on the southern coast and hopped in the dinghy, keen to explore this little island of grit and heart. Today was my turn to feel a bit green; it seems this bug of Mikyo’s was making its way around Flo. I resisted the urge to boot however and tried to put on a brave face. After exploring the waterfront of Great Harbour, we hiked over the bluff to White Bay, home of the famous Soggy Dollar Bar. White Bay was gorgeous, though we’re glad we didn’t bring Flo over here as the shoreline was strewn with dangerous reefs, suitable only for shallow-keeled boats. We avoided the Soggy D, as it looked a bit like a crowded tourist trap and instead had lunch at a neighboring joint called Hendo’s Hideout where we taught Katie and Mikyo to play Mexican Train, a game somewhat similar to dominos but in my mind way more fun. Katie and Mikyo were hooked and were somehow immediately way better than we were, wiping the proverbial floor with us.
We then wandered back to Great Harbour and had an amazing dinner at a place called Corsair’s right on the beach. We had an interesting chat with the owner, who explained that his restaurant was completely levelled by Irma, leaving him no choice but to bulldoze the remnants to the ground before starting the rebuilding process from scratch. You would have never known: the place looked great and both the bar and restaurant were packed to the gills. After dinner, we found some swings tied to palm trees by the waterfront and discussed what to do with the rest of our limited time. We only had one full day left and we didn’t intend to waste it.
The following morning, we were on the move again, sailing back through the Narrows en route to Cooper Island. We were headed almost dead upwind, so we gave Mikyo a lesson in tacking, making fairly sharp tacks through the channel as we cut towards our destination. The boys got really into it, shouting Master and Commander quotes to each other at the top of their lungs as they swung the wheel with gusto: “Quick’s the word and sharp’s the action!” Katie sat back eating her cheddar, shaking her head and asking me, “What have you done to my husband?”
After much revelry and a little too much Captain Jack Aubrey, we made it to Manchineel Bay in Cooper Island, home of the Cooper Island Beach Club. In my view, Cooper Island Beach Club may just be the most perfect place on earth (I realise I’ve used a lot of superlatives in this post, but bear with me). It’s an eco-resort catering to almost exclusively to yachties. Ashore they have a coffee and ice cream shop, a rum bar with the widest selection of rums in the BVIs, their own eco-friendly microbrewery, a beach bar with amazing cocktails and generous hour, and a lovely restaurant tucked under the palm trees serving exceptional food. The resort has numerous little perches for relaxing, fast WiFi, and super friendly staff. I may have to move here.
The 4 of us enjoyed our last afternoon and evening in this amazing bay, including the best Painkillers we’ve had yet and one final candlelit dinner where we reminisced about our favourite experiences of the week. Katie and Mikyo didn’t want to leave, and Stephen and I definitely made a push for them to quit their jobs and become full-time crew. We all stayed up late in the cockpit that night looking at the stars.
The following morning, we were up with the sun to make it back to Road Town in time for their 10 AM ferry. The boys eventually had to forcibly separate me and Katie on the ferry dock, but I have a feeling we will be sailing with them again sometime in the not too distant future. We’ve spoken to them almost daily since they left, and they both claim to be going through serious Flo withdrawal. Mikyo in particular has caught the sailing bug hard. In the days since returning home, he’s already signed them up for sailing lessons and has joined the Denver Sailing Club – I didn’t even know they had those in landlocked states! He also apparently went straight from the Denver airport to the market to buy all the ingredients for Painkillers and has been painstakingly perfecting his recipe ever since. As I said, the guy is nothing if not enthusiastic. By this time next year, they will both have their Competent Crew sailing qualifications and are keen to come on another adventure at sea with us. Success! Spreading the Flo love far and wide.
For now, Stephen and I have Florence back to ourselves and are looking forward to continuing the BVI island hop for the next week before we tuck Flo into a marina for a quick trip back to Boston to visit some family. In our first week, I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of this amazing archipelago, with dozens more islands for us to explore.
