Sailing the British Virigin Islands BVI Sailboats Live-a-boards Information
Island Lifestyle
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MORE BVIs: SAN
JUAN:
NO LAST
CALL! MORE DESTINATIONS:
What it's like to sail the BVIs aboard a live-aboard sailboat.
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Sailing the BVIs!
"Sailing
Life is What I Choose, Sailing
Life is Made For Me, The water is blue – many shades of blue, in fact – the wind is blowing but hardly howling, captain and crew are going "fast enough to get there but slow enough to see" as the Jimmy Buffett song possibly playing on the stereo says, and there's plenty of rum on board. It's just another idillic day aboard a sailboat in the British Virgin Islands.
This is more than an island paradise. It's an island-hopping paradise. Wake up in Soper's Hole – where Blackbeard used to hang out before making pirate raids – and go to sleep under the stars in Cane Garden Bay, a place Buffett so accurately portrayed in one of his original sailing songs, Manana. In between, there is diving the chimneys, snorkeling the caves, wading through the Baths, diving off Willie T's and killing pain with the Painkiller, the local drink served at spots like the Soggy Dollar Bar, where dollars are soggy because boats anchor in the harbor and crews swim to the beach. This kind of sailing life is made for just about anyone. This article is all about that sailing live, providing information
and photos about sailing the British Virgin Islands. Chartering
Boats are chartered from various locations throughout the BVIs. The primary port of departure is Tortola with its ample number of chartering companies. It is easy to stock the boats with provisions from here; order in advance and the bigger companies deliver right to the dock (the charter company can make the arrangements). Additional daily provisions can be found at just about every harbor. And the bartering system with other boats is alive and well in the BVI. Boat prices range from about $5,000-10,000, depending on the size and type of vessel and the length of the journey. One recommended addition for any boat is a bartender. Bring your own, and if you are lucky, he/she will be a rum-loving fool like Luau Larry, who serves as "mixologist" on PubClub.com's island adventures.
Sailing
the BVIs – The Islands
"We
hit the beach in Anegada The sunsets on Anegada are like a painting. The Baths on Virgin Gorda are the most beautiful place in the entire BVIs. Then again, the most beautiful place could be the Bitter End Yacht Club elsewhere on Virgin Gorda. The best daytime bar is the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. Then again it could be the Cow Wreck on Anegada.
Whichever way the skipper sets sail for in the BVIs is sure to bring smiles to the faces of the crew. What's best, the close proximity of the islands to each other means it's possible to do just about everything in a relatively short timeframe. A week is enough to take it all in at a Caribbean pace, 10 days is probably the ideal sailing time and two weeks is dangerously close to contacting the Caribbean equivalent of what in Key West is known as "Keys Disease."
There are many "must see, must do" locations in
the BVIs. They include:
Sailing the BVIs – The Challenges and Rewards
Sailing the British Virgin Islands is an experience. A journey. The "vacation of a lifetime." But it's not all beaches and rum. There are inherent challenges in living with people in a confined space, whether it's two or 10 on board. And not every convenience of modern-day life is readily available. Fresh water is a constant concern. Bathroom facilities are cramped and offer little privacy. Someone may break out your favorite cheese and crackers for a mid-day snack when you were saving it for a more special time. The key to thriving – and for some surviving – it to be able to adapt to the circumstances of the islands. Take what's available on shore (or the boat) when what you may desire is not available. Accepting mango when what you really want is orange juice, for instance. In football, this is known as taking what the defense gives you. Then there's the point of getting along with one's boatmates. Avoid drama and let any small issues roll off the shoulder. Define a role for yourself and stick to it, but also be sure to chip in with the chores. After a while, aboard a good boat with a good crew, the camaraderie will start flowing like the endless island rum. And that, quite frankly, is the best part of sailing the BVIs.
– The Caribbean Lifestyle and Culture – This brief story shall tell anyone all they need to know about the Caribbean lifestyle and culture. The lesson to be learned is simple: Don't be in a hurry and do things the locals' way at the locals' pace. Things will happen their way at their pace, anyway, so why resist? This tale of the seas is from The Bartender, PubClub columnist, during the BVI Interline Regatta, Oct. 2007: "It was the day before departure and I was at the Nanny Cay market picking up a few last-minute provisions. Beer, rum, juice, etc. And ice. I paid for the ice and was told to go outside and wait; someone would bring it to me shortly. "Shortly in the Caribbean on this particular day was
half an hour. Then I was told I could have no ice. The conversation went
something like this: 'I paid for it inside. Five bags.' 'But I can't give you no ice, mon.' 'I paid for it inside.' 'You can only get ice from the other place. I can't give you no ice, mon.' 'What other place?' 'The one down there (he points). You buy it from there until they close. Then you can buy it from me.' 'When do they close?' 'Sometime later, mon.' "And so it went. Eventually, I got my ice. And I walked away smiling, for I knew I was in the Caribbean. And then there's the story of a boatmate's lost luggage..."
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