Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - December 2019

— Continued from previous page
The British Virgins
We sailed the eight nautical miles to Jost van Dyke to check into the BVI. We were
surprised to find the anchorage at this tiny island overcrowded. In retrospect, we
know why so many yachts and charterboats were anchored there: one of the very few
bars since the passage of the back-to-back Hurricanes Irma and Maria — collectively
known as “Irmaria”* — had reopened there. The music was booming every day
and cold beer was available, as well as internet and WhatsApp.
We visited several other islands, and tried to escape the bareboat fleet, partially succeeding.
There are mooring buoys everywhere that can be picked up for an overnight
stay fee of US$36. Fishing is generally prohibited to visitors, even children, in the BVI.
When we checked into the British Virgins we got a cruising permit for 30 days, and
extension was only possible in Road Town on the island of Tortola for US$10 per
passport. It was not difficult for us to leave after 20 days, especially since the weather
was suitable. We had a fabulous sail from Virgin Gorda in 12 knots of easterly
wind towards our next destination, Anguilla.
Anguilla
Here came the next surprise. Although clearing in is free, visiting bays other than
the port of entry requires a cruising permit, which is issued per day but each day
ends at midnight. So if you want to overnight in such a bay you have to have a permit
for two days! For Angelos, this permit would have cost $55 per day, making $110
to overnight — on our own anchor. The beaches are nice, but we have visited many
beautiful beaches.
St. Martin and St. Barth
It was an absolute blessing to reach the French side of St. Martin/St. Maarten.
Here, clearing costs nothing, and you can visit all the bays without extra charge.
Mooring buoys are also free of charge; even fishing is allowed. Here we felt free again.
And since Hurricane Irma, the French had energetically begun to rebuild, so that not
much could be seen of the damage. But some sunken yachts were still lying around
in the lagoon.
Farther down the island chain we stopped in St. Barth, where hurricane damage
was no longer present and the gardens abounded with flowers and colorful shrubs.
The houses — villas, really — were feasts for the eyes, with much exquisite hardwood
in evidence. Even the garden fences were made of high-quality woods. The buildings’
facades were freshly painted, and all windows had specially fitted shutters to fully
protect them in the event of a hurricane.
The Baths at Virgin Gorda, an attraction no hurricane could spoil.
Right: Jost van Dyke: music, cold beer and internet.
Another surprise — the largest number of yachts, including charterboats, we
encountered in the BVI was in “remote” Anegada. In this allegedly difficult-to-access
anchorage were at least a hundred yachts. At first I thought that a marina had
opened here! The three functioning pubs attracted visitors because there was lobster
on offer: a casual barefoot lobster dinner on the beach for US$55 per person! And to
keep the charter passengers entertained there were scooters for rent at $35 for half
a day. (Later in St. Martin we ate luxuriously for less than $10 at a small restaurant,
and paid the same price as for a scooter for a car, for 24 hours.) But yes, the beaches
are beautiful.
At our last stop in the BVI, the famous Gorda Sound, we were almost alone; the
hurricanes had closed the party restaurants and bars. The buildings on the island
in the middle of the Sound, formerly the meeting point of all charterers for the high
life, were totally disassembled, but massive construction work was already in progress.
Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda seemed completely out of breath. The only real
highlight for us on Virgin Gorda was The Baths, which no hurricane could spoil.
So far everyone had always told us how great it is in the Virgins, so I always
thought I had missed out on something. The world’s largest charter fleets were stationed
before the hurricanes; there must have been something. And of course if it
were your first tropical sailing experience, it would be fantastic. But we couldn’t find
a special affection for this entire archipelago: the islands lie in east-west direction,
which for us meant constantly motoring against the wind. On the other hand, the
distances between anchorages are short and there is hardly any swell. We sailed for
two months from Puerto Rico to the easternmost island of the Virgins without ever
bringing the dinghy on board or taking the sun awning off the cockpit.
One year ago, we found the Virgin Islands still struggling with the aftermath of the
2017 “Irmaria” hurricanes. In contrast, there was lots of progress in St. Martin/St.
Maarten, and everything was already back to normal in St. Barth.
For the summer of 2019, Angelos was stored in Trinidad, and as I write this we
prepare for another season of Caribbean cruising. Where will the wind blow us, and
what we will find on our island adventures this year?
* Hurricane Irma struck the British Virgin Islands as a Category 5 hurricane on
September 6th, 2017. The eye traveled over Virgin Gorda, Tortola and Jost Van Dyke.
Hurricane Maria was also a Category 5 hurricane. It struck Dominica, the US Virgin
Islands, and Puerto Rico on September 20th, 2017.
december 2019 CARIBBEAN COMPAss pAGE 21
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