Sail Cutthroat

19-28 November 2007
Lat N 18.26′
Lon W 64.44′

We have obviously been off of the boat long enough because the urge to sail overcame our otherwise family oriented and land-based thinking. So on rather a last minute whim off we went to spend Thanksgiving cruising the British Virgin Islands…now known to us as the “Rib Route.” I’ll explain that as we go along. Actually, this was not another Elise idea but I was quick to jump onboard. Roger reluctantly went along with the thinking. Of course, after the fact he thinks it was not only a stellar idea, but his as well. When that happens, it generally means we’ll do it again. Most of our “joint” ideas tend to develop this way. Go figure!

In reality, (a place we don’t spend a lot of time in anymore -another retirement perk), the cruise was Pat Moneymaker’s idea (he badly needed a sailing fix as he sold his Island Packet and couldn’t wait for the Cutthroat passage to Sitka next summer). Carol thinks all of Pat’s ideas are brilliant and readily goes along, although she made it quite clear that none of us was to talk about any next cruise just yet…hummm. Bob Bergman from San Diego also flew in and took on the challenge as the tour guide. Bob spent several years in the Caribbean on his Passport 44 much of which time was spent in the BVI’s. So not only did we not have to think, but we didn’t have to do much of the daily planning. I hear him clearly saying, “let me do the thinking here.” The rest of it was non-verbal. Wake up – Bob made the coffee each morning because he was the first one up and he still has that working mentality – and find out where we were headed. It was pretty great! We could focus on the really important things like whether we would have white or red wine, or if Rum and Tonic was the choice of the day. It was a tough week!The BVI’s are interesting for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is just a spectacular location with great weather and great sailing. You can see all the islands making navigation simple, the wind is constant in force and direction for the most part, and the locals have done a great job of adding moorings to most locations making for safety over night and the ability to maximize the number of vessels that can be safely moored. That is huge, especially when you consider the number of charterers in the area. Making the rounds through the islands is pretty entertaining. Most people follow pretty much the same route making a counter-clockwise passage leaving Tortola and then just bouncing from Peter to Cooper to Virgin Gorda and around to Jost Van Dyke and to Norman, Peter and ending up back in Tortola. So you tend to run into the same boats again and again – just like a Merry-Go-Round. It actually felt like we were at the circus with some invisible ringmaster directing the animals to run around the ring stopping where he directed you. You did have to arrive at your location early though, or you would become the entertainment as you tried to find a place to anchor in the barrage of moorings.We were fortunate in that we had above average winds, more like the Christmas winds experienced later in the winter. A typical day included winds of between 18-25 knots with gusts up to 35 knots. There was also a rather unusual northerly swell going on that made some locations untenable. The red flag was flying at the Bath’s, but that didn’t stop Bob and Pat from swimming in to the beach. Fortunately, they are both very strong swimmers. Bob’s local knowledge allowed us to get to the very cool places as well as dock space at the Peter Island Resort our last night out.Now, why do we refer to it as the “Rib Route?” We had provisioned the boat to eat breakfast and lunch aboard and dinners for half the nights thus allowing us to partake of the local culinary fare. But as we made our way around the islands, it ended up that we only ate dinner aboard once or twice. We were pleasantly surprised to discover there were so many restaurants available. Carol ordered ribs 5 nights in a row…hence, the “Rib Route”. She wasn’t alone in this and it became a boat joke…what’s for dinner – why ribs of course! We rated the quality and taste, but didn’t agree on who had the best. Oh well, guess we’ll just have to do it again. We also snuck a lobster in at Jost Van Dyke…that was primo yummy; especially for one of those warm water lobsters with no claws. It was surprisingly succulent and very tasty!As far as the catamaran goes, it comes with plusses and minuses…like most things. For cruising as a group, the room, separate heads for each of the 4 staterooms, and comfort with the swells can’t be beat. The two engines make it highly maneuverable, especially when docking. It just doesn’t sail like a mono-hull especially to weather. In the BVI’s you’re not going that far anyway and only half of it is up wind…so who cares!Well that gives you the highlights of our Thanksgiving week. We’re now back in Florida and getting ready for Christmas and all the activities that the holidays generally bring. We’re having a Holiday Party Open House in mid-December to re-meet our neighbors. We met many of them when we moved in almost two years ago, but with our Cutthroat travels I know I don’t remember most of them and I’m certain they don’t remember us. This way we can forget them again when we leave in April…just kidding. Roger is putting the outside lights up as I write this (definitely a blue task). So it’s back to normal land-based operations here.Our best wishes to all of you as we approach Christmas and the holiday season. We’ll put out a Christmas message soon!With Love,
Elise and Roger