Spent a very pleasurable 7 day break in the Caribbean, flotilla sailing round the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

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Youtube link to the JustRetired50Plus British Virgin Islands (BVI) Sailing Video:-

To view the video select:- https://youtu.be/7zs7K3F2D0c

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Link to our How to Sail for beginners video, made in Rodney Bay, St Lucia.

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Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)

As usual this sailing holiday, was both challenging, scary and an exhilarating experience all wrapped into one.

We went with Sunsail.com, joined a flotilla and sailed around the BVI, in western Caribbean, for a week between Christmas and the new year. The climate was typical western Caribbean for that time of the year and ideal for sailing.

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A sailing holiday may not be everyone’s cup of tea, however, there is an enormous sense of freedom, accomplishment and enjoyment having sailed before, and a good opportunity to meet interesting people. This sailing holiday was our third time to put our toes in the water at sailing.

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Did you know that a "snubber" is a separate nylon line used to absorb the shock of the boat lurching around while on the “hook / anchor.” There are of course a myriad of terms to learn like halyards, and sheets, and tacks, and clues, and cleats, and cleat hitches, and stays, and shrouds, and oh boy, a lot of other things too! No wonder sailors drink so much rum!

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A sailing trip, such as this, would involve high levels of activity, particularly if you are crewing the boat yourself. If you use a marine skill level scale of “1 - 5” for sailing, we would regard BVI flotilla sailing as a level “three” and this level only increases to a level “four” if you choose to do the free time lone boat sailing away from the flotilla.

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Sailing in the BVI is relatively safe except during periods of very inclement weather. As with every sport, you build up your competency and confidence over time, and you are never too late to start.

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Shortly after arriving in Road Town, we boarded a beautiful Jeanneau 47 and spent our first night on the boat getting accustomed to the boat and provisioning / bunkering (food & drink / diesel & water). We were a crew of four, including our adult son and daughter. It was their first sailing experience. Our voyage started on the island of Tortola when we set sail from Road Town harbour and took in the neighbouring islands of Virgin Gorda, Peter and Norman Islands. After seven days sailing we flew to St Vincent’s island for a week of beach-based relaxation. Prior to our sailing trip we opted to stay for the previous Christmas week at the Peter Island Resort and Spa, where we sailed Hobie Cats each day to acclimatise our crew with Caribbean sailing.

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A sense of Sailing in British Virgin Islands (BVI)

More than 60 idyllic islands, including Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, Anegada and Virgin Gorda, make up the BVI. Turquoise waters offer thrilling diving, fishing, sailing and swimming. Tortola is the largest island in the volcanic chain and has beautiful beaches and coves, forts and ruins. Our general experience of the people from the BVI was that they are warm, welcoming people. Sailing is the most popular way to travel between islands. The shops and the restaurants were all charming, traditional and very inviting, with a wide variety of delicious food, especially seafood. You get a unique perspective of the coastline from the seaward side while sailing.

Since the hurricanes, many of the restaurants, shops and marinas don’t have the best connection and therefore their credit card machines are down. Having cash handy is a must, “Cash is King!”.

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With the destruction of Hurricane Irma in 2017, a lot of damage was done. There are lots of homes and business that had been destroyed. They have started to rebuild and they are working hard to bring back the BVI to its former glory. Fortunately, the seas remain pristine and unaffected by hurricanes.

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Recommendations for Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)

There is no language barrier, if you speak only English. Both young and old speak English. Amongst themselves they speak Creole (an unwritten language) in both the British and US Virgin Islands. It originates from enslaved Africans working on sugar plantations in Tortola and Virgin Gorda back in the 1600s. So it lends itself to undertaking trips that can be self directed.

If you have never sailed before, think of it like "Glamping" on the water, for those familiar with the glamorous camping term. Counter-intuitively, the bigger the boat the easier it is to handle but this theory reached its point of diminishing return after boats of 50ft in length.

Generally, all overnight stops are at mooring buoys/anchor or alongside quays.

Overnight mooring costs are not paid in advance and are not included in the overall package cost. Payment can be made at the bar managing the moorings, or usually someone will come out to your boat to take payment. Dockage in marinas typically starts at one dollar per foot per night, with a minimum of 40 dollars.

We wanted to get some snorkelling in so we decided on shorter voyages to give us more time to explore around some of the better dive sites, so we could discover the underwater beauty that lies just a few feet below the surface of the sea.

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Our must see recommendation for a trip Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)

(1) The actual excitement and freedom of sailing itself, particularly in warm waters with the sun shining in all its splendour, is truly fantastic;

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(2) Our second choice would be the availability of numerous excellent and very different marine life, ports and beaches;

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(3) Our sail around the world renowned Necker island the original home of Virgin Atlantic Airways, Sir Richard Branson.

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Cost, works out at the total cost of the one week boat hire 3,000 Euro divided by the number of passengers on board. The Jeanneau 46ft long boat we hired had accommodation for six. As there was only four of us on board, we had ample space.

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“You should travel away from home, to really appreciate the value of what you have at home, on your return.”

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General sailing boat tips:-

- No matter how big the boat you hire, space is still at a minimum onboard a boat;

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- When food and drink provisioning for a boat trip, try to resist the temptation to over provision on your first day shopping;

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- The one provision to spend the higher price on is your water provision. A greater chance that your water will taste nice;

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- Not everyone gets sick on a boat trip. For those who do, try getting a combination or all of:- wearing a sailing bracelet;

wear a seasickness patch; take medication such as Dramamine or Bonine; eat lots of ginger biscuits;

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- Boats do not have a ton of storage space so using soft-sided luggage, like a duffel bag or a soft backpack is recommended;

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- Bring along ample cloths pegs for hanging out your cloths to dry;

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- Cut back on bringing grooming equipment, but bring a lot more shorts, tee-shirts and underwear;

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- Invest in pair of lightweight waterproof footwear, preferably shoes that float, crocs fit the bill perfectly;

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- Attach something recognisable onto your dinghy to make it stand out to you and others amidst a bunch of dinghies that all look the same in the dark;

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- Do a thorougher check of all your boat equipment before you leave the initial base port to make sure everything is ship shape and Bristol fashion.

 

 

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