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Sail away to adventure at British Virgin Islands

Photo by TOM WUCKOVICH

The British Virgin Islands are a favorite sailing destination, especially by catamaran.

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By TOM WUCKOVICH

Special to TBO.com

Published: November 9, 2009

It took only moments after the billowing sail went up on the 55-foot cruising catamaran Breanker for us to realize why yacht charter vacations create a special allure.

Six of us, all very good friends, settled back into the spacious cockpit of the gleaming white "cat" while captain Kristian Sondergaard and first mate Marianne Rasmussen prepared to get under way on a seven-day sail through the sun-drenched British Virgin Islands. While there are some 30-60 islands in the BVIs, we would explore the ones offering good beaches, better-than-average snorkeling and cozy little bars that gave us a glimpse into the local culture.

One outstanding trait of a yacht vacation is the chance to design your own itinerary. There are no set times for arrival and departure, no piling on to tour buses for a hurried excursion, no rigid meal schedules and no planned activities. You are, in fact, the captain of your very own vessel, and consensus among the guests rules the day. While the captain is ultimately in charge of the yacht, we've never found one who would object to any reasonable requests.

Over the course of a week, we would sail the famed Sir Francis Drake Channel with memorable stops at Virgin Gorda, Norman Island (rumored to be the setting for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island), Jost Van Dyke, Salt and Cooper islands. There were many more we could have ventured on, but the brochures we received from Nicholson Yacht Charters before our arrival indicated these would give us the best overall view of the island chain. Nicholson is a well-respected charter broker that takes all the guesswork out of yacht vacation preparation.

We arrived at Beef Island Airport on the big island of Tortola and were met by Kristian and Marianne right after we cleared customs. To our surprise and delight, we had only to walk to the end of the airport access road to a dock where the Breanker's (pronounced Bre-anchor) dinghy was moored. Six of us, Chris and Leslie Stine, myself and Nina Natividad, Dennis Sanchez and Corrinna Clark were old hands at riding in a dinghy, but the Breanker's was a tad larger than most and could carry all of us comfortably were it not for the luggage. Sending one man with Kristian and the women seemed the most sensible.

After we were all onboard the spacious cat, we retreated to the three cabins out of the four available and unpacked. Our crew gave us a brief rundown on the amenities of the cat, which has become the yacht type of choice among charter guests. In years past, much attention was paid to the use of the head (bathroom), but recent yacht design has all but eliminated any problems that would occasionally occur. After the briefing, we were ready to begin what we came for-sail and explore this lush paradise first sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1493.

Norman Island was our initial destination, a southerly sail from the tip of Beef Island and about an hour away, depending on wind and if we had a following sea. While it supposedly contained the buried treasure of pirate legend Blackbeard, we were more inclined to venture into the deep around the three caves for a peek into the magnificent sea life it supported. The reefs and coral heads were home to numerous spadefish, parrotfish, yellow tail jack, rays, eels and starfish.

We soon discovered that virtually ever cove where we dropped anchor the snorkeling provided some new drama, some new kaleidoscope of underwater inhabitants. And Kristian seemed to know exactly where to find these watery theaters.

The islands also offered their own appeal, from the giant rock formations at The Baths on Virgin Gorda, to the sugar-fine sand on Jost Van Dyke to the vistas from the restaurant at Biras Creek high above Drake Channel. We experienced it all and thirsted for more. One week seemed much to brief. We could have spent one entire day at The Baths, crawling in and through the narrow passageways and alcoves created when the colossal volcanic boulders toppled onto one another as the island was being formed.

The beach here was once accessible only by dinghy, but now it's possible to anchor down island at Spanish Town and take a small tour bus to The Baths, which has been designated as a national park and is a protected site. The new way to arrive diminishes the adventure a bit, but once inside the rock recesses, how we got there was irrelevant. There were tempting lagoons to wade through, tricky rope ladders to climb, boulders to scale and some openings that required us to slither through on hands and knees.

The reward for all this effort is not only a sense of accomplishment, but when we emerged from the maze, a dazzling beach and blue-water bay greeted us. It was a welcome sight and an exhilarating feeling to plunge into the cooling water. After working on our tan for a few minutes, we headed back to the yacht anticipating another of Marianne's outstanding meals.

It's surprising what chefs can prepare in these relatively small galleys. Our lunch after The Baths consisted of fresh French bread, seafood salad with fresh asparagus served in avocados, marinated steak salad - Portobello picata with marinara sauce, spinacopita with Greek salad - smoked salmon and melon salad and pasta with gorgonzola sauce. A yacht charter is all-inclusive, including drinks, and we couldn't get enough of this excellent cuisine. For some unknown reason, the sea increases one's appetite.

Usually after breakfast and lunch, we sailed to a different destination. The islands in the British Virgin Islands chain can vary from one hour to about five hours to reach by sail. When the wind didn't cooperate, we motored to our anchorage. The yacht must be anchored before dark as a measure of safety. After a final day's swim and sumptuous dinner with accompanying wine, we were always ready for some onshore nightlife.

In the Bight (curving bend in a shoreline forming a bay) at Norman island is the famed Willie T's Pirate Pub, a ramshackle old scow converted into a bar of sorts. Willie T encourages visitors to dress up in pirate garb and act like one. It's a raucous atmosphere and a usual occurrence is some tipsy customer eventually jumping off the top deck of the pub into the black waters below. The bar stays open until the last dinghy leaves, usually around 4 a.m.

On Jost Van Dyke, there are three quaint and lively beach bars, Foxy's, named after the owner, The Soggy Dollar and One Love. Foxy fancies himself a comedian and entertainer and usually involves his guests in most of his routines. When he not cracking jokes, he busy singing and playing his guitar. The Soggy Dollar and Foxy's both host "jump-ups," local dances that feature a lot of reggae music.

For a more sedate evening, we dropped by the Bitter End resort at the north end of Virgin Gorda and grabbed a cocktail at the bar before heading out to the patio to kick back and enjoy the moonlit, star-laden sky.

We decided to take Kristian and Marianne out to dinner at the Bitter End on the final night of our charter. The name seemed to fit how we all felt now that our week in this Caribbean paradise was over.

Charter Fast Facts

• Use a charter broker such as Nicholson Yacht Charters. For more than 50 years, Nicholson has been pairing clients with the finest luxury charter yachts.

• You will need to decide: When and where you would like to cruise; any special facilities required; how many people will be in your party; your approximate budget.

• Nicholson will send you a selection of brochures showing yachts that meet your requirements. They include sail and motor yachts.

• Price varies depending on type of yacht, size and time of year, number of passengers.

Contact Nicholson Yacht Charters at www.nicholsonyachtcharters.com or call (800) 662-6066.

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