Pleasures And Necessities Of A Sailing Trip Through The Caribbean

We began organizing our sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands a year before we went, sending a deposit to reserve a 60-foot schooner with crew.

We picked the British Virgin Islands, a desert-like group of about three dozen islands on the Atlantic Ocean curve of the West Indies, because they are so close together. By sailing a few hours a day, we could sample the major islands in a week.

By the April day when we met Arjan and Caren and set sail, the charter bill of $7,564 had been paid in several installments and split among the six of us chartering the boat. The total included $238 for optional trip cancellation insurance.

We selected The Moorings because it is a large and sophisticated charter company.

We later learned there was another advantage to exploring the British Virgin Islands out of Tortola Island instead of starting in the U.S. Virgin Islands as many sailors do. We missed a stretch of water off St. Thomas and St. John known as ``puke alley'' that is famous for bringing the strongest-willed sailors to their knees with seasickness.

We never suffered full blown seasickness although several of us had moments of queasiness the first day out.

However, the 15- to 25-knot winds and three- to five-foot seas we encountered daily surprised us - these waters are nothing like the protected saltwater of Puget Sound. Moorings charter clients can help sail as much or as little as they wish, depending on weather and sea conditions.

The accommodations were splendid. Our 60-footer had three teak-and-fir guest cabins plus crew quarters: each guest cabin had a private bathroom and ample closet space.

We gathered in the large common room below deck for dinner but usually had breakfast and lunch up in the cockpit which seated all eight of us comfortably.

The food exceeded all expectations. We filled out a questionnaire months in advance listing our favorite types of food and drink. The cooks do all the shopping. Caren took our desire to have fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood and light meat to heart. She also baked fresh bread daily and whipped up meal after meal, including a birthday dinner, that we found irresistible.

When Hurricane Hugo struck Tortola in September, we immediately worried about Caren and Arjan.

But within a few days The Moorings had a letter in the mail to former and prospective charter guests outlining the damage - there were no serious injuries. Because one boat was lost and several others damaged, there was some temporary disruption of charters last fall.

For those interested in sailing in the British Virgin Islands, here are some of the places we found worth exploring.

-- The Baths on Virgin Gorda Island are accessible by land or sea and are a must for most tourists. The area is a heap of giant granite boulders on the edge of a powder-white beach studded with palm trees. The ``baths'' themselves are pools of water among the boulders. In the brochures there is never a crowd. In real life, the area can bustle with people.

-- Little Dix Bay, a resort built by Laurance Rockefeller on the southwest side of Virgin Gorda Island, is one of the most expensive and spectacular resorts in the British Virgin Islands.

People pay up to $600 a day for rooms at Little Dix Bay. The calm bay, rimmed by a crescent of white sand lined with palms, is protected by a large coral reef that makes great snorkeling. We went to Little Dix Bay for an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch - $20 per person and worth every penny.

-- Privateer Bay on Norman Island, one of the southernmost British Virgin Islands. The best snorkeling of the trip was at the mouth of the caves here. We explored coral canyons teeming with colorful fish in every color.

-- The Bitter End Yacht Club. A crowded 200-room, something-for-everyone resort on Virgin Gorda Island with a British pub, submarine rides, nannies and every other imaginable convenience. We were told they served 700 dinners here last New Year's Eve.

-- Cooper Island - a lovely stop for lunch and a swim. Walter Cronkite was sunning himself on the aft deck of the neighboring schooner anchored in an island bay.

-- Roadtown, a taxi ride away from The Moorings dock is a marvelous mix of Caribbean and British culture. We chose the hole-in-the-wall Carib Garden for our last night's meal: conch fritters, chicken curry with 5-star hot sauce and a key lime pie that alone was worth the trip.

IF YOU GO:

Information: For general information on the British Virgin Islands, contact the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board, 1686 Union St., Suite 305, San Francisco, CA 94123. Phone 1-800-232-7770.

For a free brochure and rate sheet describing charters out of the British Virgin Islands or other areas, write The Moorings, 1305 U.S. 19 South, Suite 402, Clearwater, FL 34624; telephone 1-800-535-7289.

Getting there: There are no direct flights from Seattle to the British Virgin Islands, so plan to spend a long travel day each way or spread it over two days. We flew from Seattle to San Juan, Puerto Rico, the first day and took a 45-minute flight to Beef Island early the next morning. (Many small airports in the Caribbean islands lack landing lights so there are no night flights.) We spent one very long day on the return trip when the three-hour time difference worked in our favor.

Tips: Take plenty of sunscreen - the most powerful you can find. We started out with numbers 25 and 30 and even after a week, much tanned, were still wearing number 10 screen. Take a passport even though you can use other ID on some islands. Take one-third the clothes you think you'll need. Take certification papers if you want to scuba dive.