Back from BVI

[curtisv]

As a surprise for our 25th anniversary, I booked a charter in BVI.  She didn't know where we were going until we got our tickets at the airport and didn't know we were chartering until we arrived in BVI.  Admiral Tara and I sailed out of Nanny Cay on May 4 in a Bavaria 33 named Moonshine (through Horrizon Yacht Charters, who I highly recommend).

I'll keep it short.  We moored at Norman Island, Cooper Island, for the day at The Baths on Virgin Gorda, Marina Cay, Bitter End Yacht Club in Gorda Sound, Leveric Bay in Gorda Sound, stopped at Trellis Bay, then back to Cooper Island, and finally back to Nanny Cay were we picked up the boat.  If you are unfamiliar with BVI, that means nothing.  I really wanted to write more about the sailing than write a resort and resturant review.  But if you must know, Cooper Island was both or our favorites.

Being a CP23 owner it was quite different on a Bavaria 33.  Of course its bigger and roomier.  Surprisingly (to me at least in the under 10 knots we had a few days, I could almost trim the jib sheets without using the winch handle, as I do on our CP23.  In about 18 knots true wind (a bit over 21 apparent to windward) we found it a lot more comfortable with one reef in.  At that wind speed winching the jib sheet was essential but easy enough.  Previously I had chartered a Benetau 505 and everything had to be winched, and the jib sheets were killers but we had plenty of strong crew.

The striking differences besides jib sheet effort, were the too well balanced rudder and wheel steering, lack of any weather helm at all at low boat speed, and the fin keel.  The fin keel, while it may be more efficient, doesn't track well at all and requires constant small adjustments at the helm.  I'd much rather a longer keel and better tracking.  My impression was that the jib was cut so flat that it didn't produce much power but it reefed well on the furler.  My CP23 has very light weather helm in light air (under 10 knots) while the Bavaria had no feel at all at the wheel in light air and you couldn't steer by feel in the moderate winds we experienced.

Tara liked the surprise.  She was great on the helm after a little time getting the feel of it (or lack of).  We did some snorkeling at The Indians and at Treasure Point.  We mostly cooked on board the first half of the trip and did the resturant thing in Gorda Sound and at Cooper Island.  For Tara, sleeping on a boat for 8 nights was a new experience and she found out that the places you get to see that you can't get to otherwise make it worth it.  She seemed to enjoy being at the helm of this bigger vessel and it gave her a lot more confidence.  We both had a great time.

If I get a chance I'll toss together a description of the trip and some photos on a web page and post a pointer to it.

There is only one regret.  We never made it into Road Town to order some rum and have it shipped back home.  Oh well - we'll just have to go back.

Curtis

Here is a photo of each of us.  ...  and why not one of both of us.

[brackish]

Hey, welcome back, glad you had a good time.  Brings back memories or our charter there and makes me want to go back.  Look forward to more pics.  Yost Van Dyke not on the itinerary?  Then you didn't go to Sidney's Peace and Love?  That was one of our favorites.

[curtisv]

We did a very simple "light weight" plan.  Fall out of Nanny Cay and head for Norman, wander East and North in short sails (to windward) until we were in Gorda Sound.  Then wander back downwind and return the boat.  If we had completed this faster, then I would have kept going West and then North to Jost Van Dyke.  The idea was to keep a relaxed pace.

It would also have been nice to stop in Cane Garden Bay since they now have some moorings and its the time of season where the heavy swells characteristic of the North coast of Tortola are quite uncommon.

Curtis

[Bob23]

Welcome back to the Northeast. Sounds like you had a great time. Although you didn't ship any rum home, I'm sure we can expect a full rum report soon.
Bob23

[Salty19]

Glad you're back.  Judging by the skin tone, I'm thinking you got some sun!!!

[curtisv]

Glad you're back.  Judging by the skin tone, I'm thinking you got some sun!!!

Yes.  I tan easily but was no match for the tropical sun.  I had to resort to keeping my T-shirt on while sailing to protect my back and shoulders and even had to resort to using sunscreen occasionally.  I rarely use sunscreen in New England, usually getting used to the sun and then not needing it but this is really strong sun.  Tara burns easily but gooped on the sunscreen every day and got no burn whatsoever.

I haven't had a chance to go through photos yet.  Here are a few from Cooper Island.

Some children on the beach taken from the lounge chairs outside the one bar on Cooper Island.



And this is pretty much all the developement on Cooper Island.  There are a few more houses on the hillsized and a tiny quaint hotel behind the photographer, but otherwise this is about it.  On the right is the open air bar/resturant (very nice resturant and reasonably priced compared to others in the islands - there are about 30 moorings but you still need reservations for dinner).  Beyond that is a boardwark, a one room boutique/gift shop, and then the dive shop at the end of the boardwalk.



One of the neat things about Cooper Island is that the couple of business establishments have installed solar panels and have made the island energy self-sufficient.  They are pushing to make BVI the first country (all be it a very small country) to become energy self sufficient but the other 25,000 or 30,000 residents may not be quite as much on board with this goal.

Here is me at The Baths on Virgin Gorda.  This is a pile of rocks maybe 1/2 mile or so (just a guess) along the beach where many of the rocks are house sized.  It is an unusual geological formation and no one is really sure how it formed.  It is a nice walk but there is a definite falling hazard on the rocks (don't ask how I know that).  Also a photo or boats moored (day mooring only) outside of The Baths.



More photos and details later.

Curtis