For sailors, the British Virgin Islands have historically been a desirable destination, attracting everyone from pirates to recreational enthusiasts, as Patrick Dunne discovers aboard a Moorings catamaran.
A history of winds and shelter
To say the British Virgin Islands are a good destination for sailing is a little like recommending St Andrews as an adequate spot for a golf holiday – it is a wild understatement. Tropical sunshine, advantageous trade winds, and an archipelagic layout have drawn both recreational and professional sailors in droves since the industry took off in the 1970s. Before that, its sheltered coves and natural anchorages made it a haven for pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries, and Norman Island is widely considered the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
If you’re visiting for leisure, odds are you’ll be chartering a boat from The Moorings, which was one of the first companies to commercialise the sport in the area and offer travellers a chance to explore the islands while piloting their own vessel. Started by Charlie and Ginny Cary, it began in 1969 with six Pearson yachts in Road Town, Tortola. Soon after, in 1972, the BVI Spring Regatta began – first as just a small local race; now, it’s one of the largest regattas in the Caribbean, and the flagship event of the sailing calendar.
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Coincidentally, the regatta is taking place while one writer is visiting, as if to perfectly illustrate the different types of sailing on offer here. In another life, this visitor could have been visiting the islands as a competitive participant in the regatta. Their parents are both keen sailors, and actually met while members of a club in Cork.
On the surface, it may sound glamorous, but the community-run sailing clubs of southern Ireland in the 1980s are about as far from the Caribbean as possible – the only overlap is the sea and a floating vessel; the similarities begin and end there. Instead of turquoise water, rum cocktails, and catamarans, you have damp prefabs, dinghies, and the dark, merciless Atlantic. If you want to turn someone off sailing for life, a sure way is to sign an 11-year-old up for a week’s summer camp in relentless grey drizzle. Our way of getting entertainment was to capsize the dinghy, jump overboard, and watch the instructor desperately try to keep it from drifting out to sea.
Instead, the writer is happy to take their role as a passenger aboard one of The Moorings power catamarans, which functions like a floating hotel – four en suite bedrooms, a kitchen, and lounging areas across two storeys.
Living with the sea
In their limited experience, they have found a certain machismo can take over a man on a boat, irrespective of skill or expertise. Simple tasks like rope-pulling, fender-releasing, and direction-giving are all treated with a level of diligence that verges on the performative. In this environment, admitting your own limitations while being open to tasks is a revolutionary act. Look at it from a captain’s perspective: would you prefer novices to be upfront about the fact that their figure-eight knot might need a second look? Or have a misplaced macho confidence that comes crashing down when you wake up drifting offshore at 3am?
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The beauty of a sailing trip is that you can be as adventurous as you want. Assuming you’re not self-skippering, maybe you want to be less like a guest and more like a first mate to your captain, taking shifts steering and lowering the mainsail. Or maybe you don’t want to touch a rope for the entire week. Most fall somewhere in the middle.
The British Virgin Islands are made up of 15 inhabited islands, with a population of roughly 40,000. Of that, around half live in its capital, Road Town on the largest island, Tortola. It’s from here they set out, first setting their sights on Cooper Island. ‘Island’ is a stretch; it consists of a restaurant, beach club, hotel, rum bar and brewery. In other words, everything you need.
“Island time is real here,” Marco, the head brewer at the Cooper Island Brewery, tells them. As breweries go, this is on the unique side. Sitting in sweltering heat, no more than ten paces from the beach, are giant fermentation tanks from which an IPA, a lager and a pilsner, plus a few seasonally dependent additions are brewed. They are the only beers served on the island, and are exclusively served on Cooper, you won’t get them anywhere else in the BVI, no matter who you are.
Marco tells them that Richard Branson inquired about getting the beer on Necker Island, but even billionaires can’t disrupt island tradition, and his request was declined.
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A return to the rhythm
The next day, the group tacks 180 degrees to reach Jost Van Dyke. The island is named after a Dutch privateer from the 1600s. It is a popular spot for those seeking a lively vacation. Daphne Henderson created the Painkiller drink at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the 1970s. The bar earned its name because there is no dock. Guests must swim ashore with cash to pay for their drinks. The drink is a mix of rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and coconut cream. It is the signature cocktail of the British Virgin Islands.
Last year, the British Virgin Islands secured the trademark for “Sailing Capital of the World.” The title is valid until 2035. The islands are currently rebuilding their tourism industry after a major hurricane. Hurricane Irma struck in 2017 as a Category 5 storm. It caused an estimated $3.6 billion in damage. Power was out for months. However, the sailing sector was the first to recover. Some operators accepted guests within weeks of the storm. The broader tourism industry is now booming again. Visitors can enjoy dining experiences like Ikigai, a 12-course omakase that costs $330 per person.
The end of the voyage
On the final day, the youngest crew member tries to catch fish. He fails to hook anything with his rod. He finally flings a large parrotfish onto the deck. The fish flops around, and the boy retreats. The responsibility to release the fish falls to the narrator. The narrator has not fished in seven years and has a fear of sharks. They manage to pull the hook out of the fish’s mouth. This experience gives them a sense of accomplishment. They feel a new connection to the sea. They have learned a bowline knot and handled live fish. They are now closer to being a sailor than they were at the start.