The British Virgin Islands
October 21-29, 2003
In 2003 Allison, Bridget, Mary Beth, Quinn, and I had a week in some of the most wonderful sailing waters in the world:
the British Virgin Islands. Our planned trip to Peru was off, due to fears of rising political unrest, so we
scrambled to find other options. Bulgaria, Russia, and the southwestern United States all appealed,
but when we discovered that The Moorings was offering 30% off all charters...well, that sounded hard to resist.
And when, after reviewing my sailing resumé, they were still happy to have us, that clinched it.
We were going sailing.
And sail we did, along with snorkling, exploring, eating, drinking, and just reveling in the atmosphere.
With a cruising area 32 miles long by 16 miles wide, containing crystal-clear waters, gorgeous snorkling, deep-water passages,
line-of-sight navigation, and plenty of mooring buoys just off picture-perfect beaches with festive bars and delicious restaurants,
it seemed to us we were in heaven. Our 34-foot Beneteau yacht behaved beautifully and was comfortably cozy for five close
friends. Even the weather cooperated, providing near-constant sunshine and breeze despite being the tail end of hurricane season.
Would I change anything the next time? Yes, but not much...I'd go down a day ahead to buy provisions in Tortola before
setting sail. I'd keep a closer watch on our horseshoe life preserver to avoid the charge that comes with losing it. And I think
more time (two weeks? three?) would be better for the BVIs. But other than those minor quibbles, it was a fantastic trip.
We all came back dreaming of the next trip to...who knows where...the Greek isles, maybe Dubrovnik, perhaps even Tahiti or Tonga.
For now, these photos remind us of the salty spray, warm sun, and fantasy world that was our trip to the British Virgin Islands.
