Who Turned Off the Wind?

If there is one thing you can count on in the British Virgin Islands - besides the beach bars, the sun and friendly people - it’s the wind.  So when our long time sailing friends Felicity and Seth decided to join us in the BVI, we were looking forward to sailing with them on Adventure I.  However the wind gods had something else in mind.

After meeting our friends at the Nanny Cay marina, we headed out the next morning for the Baths.  Fortunately we had enough wind that day to get a bit of sailing in, with Felicity at the helm of course. 

The Baths are a crazy formation of huge granite boulders where the sea washes between the rocks and shafts of light play upon the water creating a dramatic effect. There are beautiful beaches on either end and a cave system through the boulders which connects them. The relatively lower winds meant a yellow warning flag at the Baths, so we tied Adventure I to a parks mooring ball, just a short distance from beach, dove into the crystal clear 82 degree water and snorkeled to shore.  Upon arrival we discovered that the Baths now have a one way pass through system and a $3 fee per person. Thus Roger swam back to the boat for some cash.  We hiked barefoot and hatless in bathing suits up the path to the top of the Baths, paid the entrance fee and hiked back down before entering the caves. The unexpected hike was worth it but we were sure ready for a dip in the relatively cool sea water.  

On the snorkel back to the boat, we saw numerous colourful fish and our personal favourite, a trunkfish.  However, the highlight was the 3 large squid that swam by us.  

Over the next few days we hit our favourite beach bars:

Bitter End Yacht Club:

Saba Rock:

Soggy Dollar: 

And Foxy's:

After a day at Soggy Dollar, consuming their signature cocktail, a highly dangerous concoction called a Pain Killer, you never know what will happen. On this occasion, Roger mounted a stealth raid on the upper floors of Foxy's Bar and in a far dusty corner found the old wooden monkey. It is so heavy that it takes two people to carry it for any distance. So with the help of his wing man Seth, the monkey ended up right in the middle of our dinner table.  The monkey used to be proudly displayed in the stage area but many a drunken sailor tried to kidnap this prize possession. All have failed. Years ago, Roger nearly made it out the door with this well endowed specimen but just when success seemed within reach, there was a loud call on the PA system "would the man in the red hat please put the monkey down.....". Sorry! To curtail such skullduggery, the monkey has been hidden away for years.  Our waitress was not amused.  

Needless to say, we needed a time-out and motored (no wind) over to the quiet and beautiful Peter Island to do some snorkeling with the turtles. 

Even Pirate was ready to chase the turtles instead of simply observing them from the deck of the boat. 

Everyone was content to relax on the bow after a busy first few days.  

The next day we motored (again!) over to Norman Island and found a ball right near the shoreline where there is a really great snorkeling area.  We went for a long hike on this dry and very hot island so we were ready to head over to Willy T for hydration and a jump in the water.  You would not normally associate going to a restaurant/bar with a jump in the water but The Willy T is the most notorious establishment in all of the islands for the questionable behavior of it's mostly middle aged clientele. There is a prominent sign on the railing of the 2nd floor that you have to climb over to launch yourself into the water. The sign says "no jumping or diving". 

We had hit all the hot spots, so now it was time to get serious.  Roger had registered us for the Dark 'n Stormy regatta.  The regatta was co-sponsored by the BVI West End Yacht Club and the Salty Dawgs.  The race goes from Trellis Bay to Anegada on Saturday, and then back from Anegada to North Sound of Virgin Gorda on Sunday with a lobster BBQ and music on the beach in Anegada.  

We couldn't have picked a better crew.  With Roger on helm, Felicity on main, Seth on jib, and Tama on countdown and cappuccino duty, we were raring to go.  

At the 10:35 start for the race, we had 5 competitors and only 8 knots of breeze.   It was rather amusing to see a bunch of cruisers with their heavy anchors, davits, solar panels and dinghies all lined up for the start.  While we headed toward the line on starboard we weren't quite going to make it, so we port tacked the entire fleet - quite a nifty move by our skipper that left the race committee impressed and cheering. 

We tacked into the wind up past the tip of Scrub Island and then headed out close-hauled to Anegada.  The team was hyper-focused constantly trimming with the variable 8 to 11 knot winds.  

After the race, the crew dove in for a much need swim before heading into the regatta party and lobster BBQ at the Anegada Reef Hotel. 

The other boats in the race included a 57' Hylas, and two 54' Jeanneaus. The wind picked up to 12 knots at one point, but Adventure I needs a little more breeze to really shine.  However, we still came 3rd and got a bottle of Goslings rum and some ginger beer.  We're all ready now for some Dark and Stormy's.

On Day 2 of the race, the wind had done a complete 180 and we would be close hauled again for the trip to North Sound and Bitter End Yacht Club with a tiny bit more wind. The start was a little treacherous as Anegada is surrounded by reefs and the course to North Sound took us dangerously close to one of those reefs.  Apparently in previous races some boats have actually run aground.  

  

Again, Roger won the start and was able to fend off all but one of the larger boats this time.  With some great driving and trimming from the crew, we had a 2nd place finish which resulted in yet another bottle of Goslings rum and a Gift Certificate from Marina Cay.  

Post race, we were greeted at our mooring by Rum Runner and his dog Drake.  We ordered up some frozen drinks, which went down maybe a little too well.

The next morning we sailed over to Trellis Bay, which is located right at the Beef Island BVI Airport. Roger dropped Felicity and Seth off at the dock and they simply had to walk down a pathway right into the departures area. A trip for the record books.  I have a feeling this will not be Felicity and Seth's last visit to BVI.

Next on our adventure: a 180 nautical mile, 26 hour overnight passage from BVI to Antigua, where we will leave the boat for the summer.  But will we be sailing or motoring?  Only the wind gods will know.