THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS HAVE HAD A TOUGH FEW YEARS, BUT ONE OF THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE SAILING DESTINATIONS IS BACK, AND AS BEAUTIFUL AS EVER, AS MIKE PICKERING DISCOVERS
As the 30-seater inter-Caribbean turboprop aircraft banked to starboard, through my small window I caught a first glimpse of Tortola and the Sir Francis Drake Channel. I felt my pulse quicken. This idyllic stretch of water was where I had my first Caribbean sailing experience back in 2004. As an 18-year-old, I’d recently moved up from racing dinghies to yachts and was instantly captivated by the quality of sailing, the warmth of the water, and the sweetness of the rum. Now, 15 years later, I’ve returned with my wife, Ruth, whose sailing experience consists of navigating the Solent in inclement weather, and her parents, who have never set foot on a yacht before.
As the chief organiser of this adventure, my main objective had been to find a winter sun location with predictable weather and easy, yet beautiful sailing. The British Virgin Islands fit the bill perfectly. The warm tradewinds provide a consistent north-easterly Force 4, the outer islands offer great protection from Atlantic swells and, with the islands being so close together, navigation is primarily by line of sight.
Stepping off the plane onto the tarmac at Terrance B Lettsome Airport, we were ushered past a roaming brood of roosting chickens into the small arrivals hall and after a quick passport check were on our way to Nanny Cay Marina.
A lot has changed in the BVIs since I first visited in 2004. Back then the islands were experiencing a tourism boom, but that all came to a halt in September 2017 when Hurricane Irma swept over with 190mph winds causing widespread devastation. As we travelled around the islands, evidence of the disaster was still visible five years on.
Driving to the marina our taxi driver, Wendle, pointed out various reminders of the impact of Irma in bays around Tortola. The sight was disheartening; boats lay stranded on reefs like beached whales, and shoreside buildings still nothing more than hollow shells. Despite the international aid that poured into the islands after the hurricane, resources are still stretched thin. And if Irma wasn’t enough, the Covid pandemic and shutdown of tourism further delayed the islands’ ability to get back up and running again. Even now, five years post-Irma, Wendle told us he’s still struggling to find a carpenter to repair his kitchen.
YACHTING RECOVERY
In Nanny Cay Marina, however, it was clear that yacht charters are back to business as usual, the marina bustling and full of yachts ready to go sailing. Despite suffering a 75% loss of docking facilities in 2017, Nanny Cay has been able to operate at full capacity for some time.
Navigare’s charter team were on hand to show us to our vessel for the week: a
