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Travalog
Eighteen Greetings again from the Virgin Islands. After our guests departed and the socializing died down, we again decided to explore some of our old haunts in the British Virgin Islands from 20 years ago. It is easy to understand why the BVI are so popular with first-time and returning charter boaters. The entire group of islands is just a few miles apart and can be visited without having to sail in the open ocean. After our 600 mile journey north, with numerous bumpy crossings this was a welcome change. Of course our first
stop was Foxy's over on Jost van Dyke, where we linked up with the Lorentzens
on 2nd Kiss again. John and Diana had been on board VIVA when
we last visited in 1987. Here is the ultimate island success story,
a small beach bar started back in the 70's right in the line-of-fire
of hundreds of charter boats. Well, the little beach bar/restaurant
is now an institution with their own clothing store, live music, and
packed every night with sailors trying to empty their wallets. Foxy
still entertains the hoards daily with some live Calypso, and his annual
Wooden Boat Regatta draws another big crowd of purist sailors and the
accompanying party animals. Customs and Immigration have even set up
an office down the beach to ease the clearing-in process. Next stop was Little Harbor around the corner for an overnighter and a chance to revisit Sydney's Peace and Love Restaurant. When Sydney first opened back in the 1970s, he could often be found sleeping on one of his tables; and after an exceptionally wild night, early morning customers were encouraged to mix their own drinks and keep track of their tab. After 25 years this tradition still holds and it makes one wonder how long a bar would last in the States with this philosophy. His business is also thriving with the nightly lobster feasts, good music and his own line of T-shirts! The next day it was off to Cane Garden Bay, an exceptionally beautiful spot less than an hour away. On our first trip to the BVI in 1979 this was a pretty remote spot with a gorgeous palm-line sandy beach with a rum factory at one end and the only local watering hole was Stanley's Welcome Bar. Stanley had live music twice a week, great seafood and probably the best pina coladas in the BVI. You could always find his place by the leaning palm tree with a tire attached to a rope as a swing. It didn't take many pina coladas before the gringos tried their hand at swinging out over the water, much to the amusement of the guests, staff and locals. Life seemed much simpler then! At least it didn't take as much to amuse us. Alas, Cane Garden Bay is now lined with restaurants, bars, water sport rental centers and charter boats by the dozens. What a disappointment. We did take the dinghy about a mile up the coast to the very secluded Brewer's Bay for some snorkeling and felt pretty smug to discover we were the only ones there. The next week or
so was spent gunk holing throughout the nearby island anchorages, vainly
trying to find a little solitude and avoid the hoards of charter boats.
Fortunately for us, the charter companies have redlined a number of
anchorages due to the numerous reefs, or deep water with poor holding,
and it was possible to occasionally find that perfect overnight spot. Finally, it was
time to head back south as we were meeting our friends, John & Jo
Featherstone in Antigua. After a short stop on the French side of St.
Martin to fill our seriously depleted wine cellar, it was on to Antigua
for their arrival and the Classic Regatta. We were again treated to
the glittering array of classic yachts from around the world and spent
the next few days with them rediscovering the beautifully restored Nelson's
Dockyard area at English Harbor. After a fun and rum-filled night at
the infamous Shirley Heights, complete with BBQ and Steel Drum Bands,
it was off to the island of Guadeloupe. Upon arrival at Deshais on the northern end of Guadeloupe, John again assumed his interpreting duties, which made life so much easier on these French Islands. We decided to take the local buses to tour this beautiful island. The trip through the steep and windy rain forest roads gave a new meaning to the word breathtaking! Next, it was on
to Iles des Saintes, which was to be their final stop before returning
to Antigua for their flight home. Little did we know, how complicated
it could become for them to arrange the short flight back to that English
Island. I think the French would like to think that those islands don't
exist! After a few fun-filled days at Iles des Saintes we realized there
would be no flights or ferry boats leaving for Antigua and decided to
make the 25 mile sail back to Point a Pitre, Guadeloupe so they could
make their connection. After spending a week, one day at the two airports,
they finally made it home. After Guadeloupe,
we were on a mission to return to Trinidad and our flight home to sort
out the escalated real estate mess. The trip south was a blur with one
exception. After still smarting from our Customs debacle last year in
Martinique, we had our dinghy and outboard motor stolen from the city
pier at St. Anne. Since the tender is our only real access ashore for
provisioning, we really made tracks for Trinidad. VIVA was hauled without a problem and stored at Power Boats for a couple of months while we returned to finalize our escrow. Most of our time in CA was spent dealing with the property so we apologize to those of you we couldn't call or see. Once again, we were guests of the Featherstones and the Meiers, which really made life simpler for us. Stay tuned for our return to Trinidad and the further adventures of VIVA. For those of you that were not aware or would like to catch up on past travelogues, check out our website: (www.stevejostphotography.com.) Many thanks to our friend and designer, Ron Geisman, whose efforts have made it possible. We are still in the process of adding some more photos, which will make the site much more interesting. Best wishes to you all. Steve & Pam
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