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Exotic Encounters
(Motor Boat & Yachting Magazine - UK)
 Fancy
a cruising ground where there's a staggering number of islands, beaches
and coves to explore, where the sun always shines, and where a ten-mile
passage is considered unnecessarily adventurous? Welcome to the British
Virgin Islands.
There's something impossibly exotic, bordering on romantic, about cruising
in the Caribbean. Quite apart from the heavenly climate, the beautiful
islands, the endless palm-fringed beaches and the poisonous spiders, the
names are so evocative - the Bitter End, Dead Chest, the Last Resort,
Fallen Jerusalem, Frenchman's Cay. It's Robert Louis Stevenson, Robinson
Crusoe, the Spanish Main, caravels, and pieces of eight all rolled into
one.
Although much of the Caribbean has been taken over by a tourist industry
that offers couples-only, drinks-included, wedding-on-the-beach, casino-cruise-liner
package holidays, there are parts of the Caribbean where you can still
get away from it all, and one of those places is the British Virgin Islands
(BVIs). Here, although time hasn't exactly stood still, you get the feeling
that it isn't exactly marching on. Unlike the US Virgin Islands, which
are far more commercialised and have 15 times more visitors, the BVIs
are a quiet backwater where snorkelling is considered a tough work-out,
and full-moon beach parties are the highlight of the social calendar.
The fact that there are no direct flights from the US, and that the law
prohibits any building from rising higher than the surrounding palm trees,
means mass tourism has yet to gain a toe-hold.
Sandwiched between the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, the BVIs are
a group of some 50 islands, islets and rocks, of which only three are
of any significant size. The biggest, Tortola, is where the majority of
the locals live, and is also home to the capital (Road Town) and the airport
- a strip of tarmac that is used more by livestock than air traffic. One
of the most charming things about the BVIs is the fact that because they're
a UK protectorate everyone drives on the left, but because they're so
close to the US most of the cars are left-hand drive.
The BVIs can be divided into two chains of islands running almost east
to west. To the north you have the three 'big' islands of Jost Van Dyke,
Tortola and Virgin Gorda, while to the south you have the smaller islands
of Norman, Peter, Salt, Cooper and Ginger (a tragically British selection
of names, don't you think?). These two chains are separated by five miles
of water known as Sir Francis Drake Channel. In fact, the distances involved
in the BVIs are minute - from one end to another is under 30 miles, and
it's less than 15 miles from top to bottom.
The compactness of the islands, and the gentle trade winds that blow
throughout the year, have made the BVIs ideal sailing territory, and the
charter capital of the world. This is good and bad news. The good news
is that the facilities for boating in the BVIs are excellent; the bad
news is that it can make things busy. In the height of the season, you
can barely squeeze into Soper's Hole for all the yachties.
Strangely, there aren't all that many motor boats for charter. I did
see a big Cigarette for hire on Virgin Gorda, sporting a sign that said
'See the BVIs... in a day!' One company offering week-long, bareboat charters
for motorboaters is Virgin Traders and I managed to grab myself a few
days' cruising around the BVIs on one of their Trader 475s in the exceedingly
hospitable company of the Penman family (lan and Tish, with daughters
lona and Islay).
Our boat was based with the rest of the Virgin Trader fleet at Nanny
Cay on the south coast of Tortola. Nanny Cay, like most of the marinas
in the BVIs, has a kind of sleepy atmosphere and faded charm that is typical
of this part of the world - no one is in any great hurry to do anything
and the days slip by gently.
The first morning was spent stocking up with food, filling the fridge
with beers and checking over the boat to make sure everything was working
properly... well, setting the thermostats on the air-conditioning. In
May, the temperature remains firmly in the high 80s and low 90s, so good
air-con and a decent genny are a must. Fortunately, the Trader 475 comes
with both - we ran them 24 hours a day for a week, remained blissfully
cool while indoors, and could barely hear the genny running.
It was midday by the time we set out, fully provisioned and ready for
an arduous 11-mile trip over to Virgin Gorda and the Baths. Although capable
of a heady 12 knots, the Trader is more comfortable cruising at nine or
ten, but even at these laid-back speeds you'd be hard pushed to spend
more than a couple of hours at the helm before some deserted cove or sandy
beach beckoned.
The Baths are a must-see - an amazing jumble of huge boulders on the
beach, through which the waves crash and roll. You can crawl, swim and
scramble through a network of passages, being soaked by the swell and
the waves. It's potholing for claustrophobics, and it's great fun. We
were there in a fairly strong swell, which meant staying on your feet
was quite tricky, although not as tricky as getting the tender on and
off the beach through a 4ft surf. After an hour or so messing about in
the water, we managed to get the tender back to the boat and set off to
find a mooring or anchorage for the evening.
Passing the delightfully named (and incredibly posh) Little Dix Bay Hotel
on the starboard side, we rounded the top of Virgin Gorda and made our
way gingerly into Gorda Sound. There are numerous reefs all around this
area, but the entrance to the Sound is well marked. It's worth remembering
that the BVIs use the US system (IALA Region B) for lateral markers, so
remember 'Red Right Returning to Harbour'. Gorda Sound is home to the
Bitter End Yacht Club, as well as Leverick Bay and Drake's Anchorage.
We opted for Leverick Bay for no other reason than that there was plenty
of space and it was nearest. I think the red GPO phone box on the end
of the also drew us there. Leverick Bay was my first brush with Pusser's
shops, the Manchester United of the nautical supplies world.
Pusser's are everywhere in the BVIs, flogging over-priced knick-knacks
to idiots like me who fondly imagine they've just stepped out of a Patrick
O'Brian novel into the air-conditioned splendour of a 17th-century chandlers
selling loud shirts and bizarre hats. Having stocked up on rum and enamel
mugs with Nelson on, we adjourned to the restaurant for a very decent
supper and the first of many Red Stripes.
The next day dawned as bright and warm as the previous day -and, incidently,
the one before that. I was woken by the happy chit-chat of Islay and Tinky-Winky
discussing the weighty issues of the day - Frosties or Multi-Cheerios
for breakfast. Sitting in the sun, looking out over Gorda Sound, with
a plate piled with toast, I reflected that fate can be a cruel mistress
- we'd run out of Marmite.
Somehow most of the morning floated past in a leisurely parade of cups
of coffee and rounds of toast, so when we finally headed off it was almost
time for lunch. We arrived at the Bitter End Yacht Club, all of 1.5 miles
away across the Sound, in time for a pre-lunch swim and a lounge on the
beach. The sand is white and fine, the sea is turquoise and warm, and
there were two other people on the beach. Rush-hour at the Bitter End.
After a hearty lunch (this boating lark really works up an appetite,
doesn't it?), we thought we'd head off for a quick look at Necker Island
and then go to Jost Van Dyke that evening. Necker Island is famous because
this is where the 1999 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was photographed.
It's a privately owned island with a very swanky villa on it, which you
can rent from some bloke called Richard Branson. Having been suitably
sickened by the idyllic setting and, sheer opulence of Branson's Virgin
island, we headed west past the Dogs and on towards Great Camanoe. Between
Great Camanoe and Guana Island we surprised a large turtle floating, apparently
asleep, on the surface. He did a crash-dive as we drew alongside and disappeared
from view - no soup for Tom's supper, then.
After a leisurely two-hour cruise we arrived at Sandy Cay, just off Jost
Van Dyke. Sandy Cay is a classic tropical island, barely more than 100yds
across and sporting a fantastic sandy beach most of the way round. We
anchored in the lee of the island and took the tender ashore For a late-afternoon
swim, a bit of snorkelling, and some major sandcastle construction with
the girls. Although Sandy Cay is the archetypal desert island, most of
the BVIs aren't flat and covered in sand and palm trees. The majority
of the islands are tall, rocky and clad in scrub, looking for all the
world like something off the West Coast of Scotland, except that the sun
shines for 12 hours a day and it rarely rains.
That night we dropped the hook, along with a couple of dozen Other boats,
in Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke. The idea was to have dinner at Foxy's,
a place well known for its barbecues and beach parties, but by the time
we got there the whole place was swarming with charter-yacht types. So
we meandered down the beach to Ali Baba's and ate there instead.
The next day, guess what? Warm and sunny, a gentle breeze blowing from
the south-east, and another gruelling ten-mile passage to make before
lunch. En route we decided to poke our nose into Soper's Hole. It was
full of yachties, so we made our way south across Sir Francis Drake Channel
to Norman Island and a spot of lunch.
Norman Island is where Robert Louis Stevenson set Treasure Island, and
the Bight (the main anchorage) now boasts Billy Bones Beach Bar and the
Willie T, a floating restaurant on a 90ft schooner. We eschewed the delights
of either in favour of a barbecue on the aft deck. Virgin Trader boats
have barbies on board, so we cranked it up in the fairly brisk wind (after
much effing and blinding to get it lit) and heaped aboard some steaks
- top lunch.
By early afternoon the wind had picked up and it looked like a storm
was on the way. We decided to island-hop eastwards and seek some shelter
in Trellis Bay on Tortola. On our way we passed Peter Island, home of
the Peter Island Resort. Like the Little Dix Bay Hotel, the Peter Island
Resort is one of those luxurious beach-front hotels you've always wanted
to stay at. Next up on the starboard side was Dead Chest island. Legend
has it that Bluebeard marooned 16 of his mutinous crew here with nothing
but a bottle of rum - hence '16 men on a dead man's chest, yo-ho-ho and
a bottle of rum'. Had the weather been better, we would have anchored
off Salt Island and gone snorkelling on the wreck of the RMS Rhone, a
300ft Royal Mail steamer that sank here in 20m of water back in 1867.
This is one of the most famous dive sites in the world, and much of the
film The Deep was filmed on the wreck. Parts of the wreck are snorkelable,
so you don't need to be Jacques Cousteau to get a good look.
Salt Island, and neighbouring Cooper Island, have some lovely beaches
where anchoring off, playing sandcastles and drinking rum cocktails is
the order of the day, but not if we wanted to make Trellis Bay before
the weather hit. Crossing the Francis Drake Channel was pretty lumpy,
but the Trader handled it superbly and we arrived in Trellis Bay with
the microwave and the coffee percolator still intact.
In the shelter of Trellis Bay we picked up a buoy and prepared ourselves
for the evening's entertainment. The Last Resort is infamous for its proprietor,
Tony Snell, his roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and his anarchic cabaret.
The roast beef and Yorkshires were excellent, and the cabaret was extraordinary
- lots of jokes about bareboat charter skippers, some highly amusing songs
about foreigners (anyone not British), singing dogs, and Tony Snell's
donkey even puts in an appearance. It's a nautical Goon Show and a very
strange thing to come across in the Caribbean.
Sadly, the next day I had to head off to Antigua. I was left wanting
more of the BVIs. This isn't a destination for those in search of gastronomy
and sightseeing (although they are there if you look hard enough), this
is a destination for those who want to kick off their shoes, pull on a
comfortable old pair of shorts, and chill for a bit. The boating is sublime,
the weather reliable and agreeable, and the scenery beautiful. What more
could you ask for?
In my youth I was captivated by books like Treasure Island and Robinson
Crusoe, and thrilled by the exploits of Henry Morgan and assorted pirates
who terrorised the Spanish Main. And the Caribbean still has the power
to intoxicate on so many levels - its food, its history, its culture,
its people.
FLIGHTS, CHARTS AND GUIDES
The Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands (Cruising Guide Publications,
9th Edition) is superb for visiting yachtsmen, with a wealth of information.
It contains sketch charts of anchorages, lists waypoints, gives detailed
information on local marinas, covers local history, tells you where to
eat and a whole lot of other useful stuff too.
The Cruising Guide people also publish an excellent book called Virgin
Anchorages, which contains spectacular aerial views of the BVIs, with
annotations to show coral reefs, submerged rocks and other hazards.
Free guides that are worth picking up (at the airport) include The BVI
Marina Guide, and The British Virgin Islands Welcome Tourist Guide, both
of which are filled with useful info for boating persons. Good tourist
guides include Fodor's The US and British Virgin Islands, and the AA Explorer
Carribean. The Fodor guide (£13.99) is published for an American
audience so the emphasis is firmly on accommodation, eating and shopping,
but there's stuff about tourist sights and where to find the best beaches.
The AA guide (£14.99) contains some good info, but there are only
20 pages on the Virgin Islands out of 288 pages.
Charts:
Waterproof Charts: No.32B British Virgin Islands.
Nautical Publications: Carribean 1 British Virgin Islands.
NOAA: 25641, Virgin Gorda to St Thomas.
Imray: A23, Virgin Islands; A231, St Thomas to Virgin Gorda; A232 (double-sided).
Admirality: 2008, NE Virgin Gorda to Anegada; 209, Tortola to Virgin Gorda.
CHARTERING
At the moment, Virgin Traders in Nanny Cay are the only motor boat chartering
operation of any size offering bareboat charters, but that will undoubtably
change.
But Virgin Traders have stolen the march on everyone else and have a
fleet that comprises a Trader 44 (Rhona, see cover shot), three Virgin
Signature 475s, 6 Virgin Horizon 48's and 9 Virgin Horizon 56's. We were
on Tish and Ian's 475, and it proved to be the perfect boat for this type
of holiday. With accomodation for seven, the Trader is superbly appointed
and practical. The genny and air-con are the best I have encountered on
a boat of this size, there's plenty of deck space, a huge saloon and usable
galley and even the showers in the two bathrooms are excellent. the Trader
475 is easy to handle for two people, anchorage is a breeze and it has
everything you could ever need on board - fridge/freezer, blender, CD
player and a cellphone.
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