Sailing with the Treleavens

Firstly let me explain what the Spanish Virgin Islands are. Belonging to Puerto Rico, they consist of Culebra and Vieques 12nms off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the USA. Given the name because of marketing reasons it’s very Spanish in all ways including language, food and a refreshing change.

The Islands are as you would imagine the Caribbean was 30 years ago, not very developed and hence very quiet apart from weekends when all the Puerto Ricans charge out in their big stink boats. The larger of the two islands Vieques has only just opened up to the public as this was a military training ground for the USA up until only 2 years ago. Military evidence is apparent and we only hope that we don’t put an anchor down on an unexploded bomb. Beautiful beaches dot the islands and it’s hard to imagine all the war games that must have gone on here.

We left the harbour of Magen, supposedly one of the top ten beaches in the Caribbean (we have seen many that rate higher), on the west coast of St Thomas to sail the 20nms to Culebra in frisky winds. By the time we got there it was blowing 30 knots; we are under full sail and Ian is in his element not wanting this great sail to come to an end. A narrow channel has to be navigated through the reef, coral heads are showing only metres away and we are sailing at nine knots. Thankfully this channel is well marked with green and red buoys and Ian is rounding them, pilot book in one hand, glancing at the chart plotter and fiddling with sails. Some might think this is exciting but we for me it is nerve wracking in such close quarters. I certainly deserve my rum cocktail when we safely anchor off the town of Dewey in the harbour Ensenada Honda on Culebra.

Although we have gone from one US territory to another we still have to clear in the yacht. Now issued with a year long cruising permit we are now free to sail any where in the USA, just phoning in at major ports.

Our stay here is a lot longer than we planned as the winds increase but the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series being sailed in New Zealand is keeping us entertained. All the top Americas Cup teams competed and with daily reporting by Richard Gladwell on www.sail-world.com we were kept totally up to date. Richard did a great job and we enjoyed his gutsy, tell it all, commentary. More often than not, we get wireless internet connection on board. With the advent of new aerials, life has been made easier. The latest model (High- Power IEEE 802.11b/g AP dongle) we just purchased for only US$80 can pick up sites over 4kms away in the town of Dewey, whilst we are moored in a secluded bay behind a reef. Every yacht club seems to offer free service, even those just operating from tiny shacks.

Leaving the shelter of the reef we sail to the island of Vieques and spot our first whales. We are now entering whale territory so will see more as we sail North West. Winds prevent us from seeing the brightest luminescent bay in the world, Puerto Mosquito. We will return next week and try again, no moon is the best time so our timing will be perfect. Anchoring off the village of Esperanza we go ashore to enjoy the Spanish music in the bars. Playing excellent guitar is Kiwi Kim from Dunedin, New Zealand. Not very Spanish but Kiwis attract kiwis. Also in the bar was Maximus owner Bill Buckley’s nephew from NY, small world.

While launching the dinghy to motor back to the yacht we had an unfortunate incident when two large rocks were thrown at us, just landing behind in the water. We must start wearing Aussie or Kiwi colour’s to show which country we come from, especially with the anti American sentiment here.

In most of the bays, moorings have been laid for the free use of boats, to help protect the sea bed, and some bays on Vieques are totally restricted to preserve the coral.

On our travels we gather friends with some joining us at a latter date. Joining us this week are Geordie and Patricia Burnett-Stuart from Scotland-France; we met in Martinique last year. Time to provision; we head for mainland Puerto Rico and anchor in the shelter of a small island, Isleta Marina, off Fajardo.
Taking the ferry ashore, a culture shock awaits us, dirty, scruffy and huge supermarkets full of American goods. Fast food outlets dominate the area so here’s hoping when we sail the south coast we will find it a lot more interesting. A big shock is the price of rum; although the home of Bacardi it is heavily taxed. Since the US navy has withdrawn from Puerto Rico huge taxes have been added to all goods to compensate the loss of revenue.

We are very much looking forward to sailing back out to the lovely Spanish Virgin Islands with Geordie and Patricia.

I must say that we are enjoying wonderful sailing wherever we go with hardly any motoring, a real pleasure even when it is hard on the wind.

PS. We have many requests from new readers on www.sail-world.com about our yacht ‘Cape Finisterre’. She is a Beneteau Oceanis 50 which we launched in 2007 near the Beneteau factory in France. She is easy for two to handle, sails incredibly well on all points of sail although mainly we are going where the wind takes us. She has a great cockpit for entertaining and great live aboard space down below. We have allowed ourselves a few extras from our last yacht, a Beneteau Oceanis 473, on which we sailed the Mediterranean. On board are a genset, water maker, air conditioning, microwave, washing machine and TV with DVD player. Above decks a BBQ, electric winches, anchor controls at the helm and the all important AIS which plot ships via VHF aerial on the Raymarine navigation monitor.

We have now entered the USA and what an anticlimax to the entry formalities!!!!! Regrettably we leave the BVI’s after another week cruising in her waters. I mentioned earlier, on our arrival, that the BVI’s are the most asked about cruising ground in the world and now in our opinion, we would have to agree.

Road Harbour the main port on the main island of Tortola has three cruise ships arriving every day but for us the only reason to visit is for provisioning. Leaving Road Harbour under sail Ian sights a floating fender and throws my way a ‘man over board’ drill; I have to pick it up or at least come near it. In my mind I constantly go through the motions, in case such an incident should happen. I steer the yacht into the wind, roll up the headsail and let the main flap. The fender is now in front of me, motor on; I am able to steer to it. Ian now has courtesy of a charter company a big fender that will come in handy when we pass through the Panama Canal and I will get my reward later!!!!!!!

Soper’s Hole, a very deep sheltered bay on the west end of Tortola, is our anchorage for a night. The marina village ashore in Creole style is also the home of ‘Voyage Charters’ with a fleet of large wonderful catamarans. Cane Garden Bay on the north western side is recognized as the pick of beaches on Tortola. Protected by a dangerous reef it offers excellent shelter off the white sand beach lined with coconut palms and beach bars with a lush mountain behind. Ashore is Quito’s bar where Quito and his live band keep us entertained with reggae till day break. Sitting at the bar we meet Doug and Linda Jones from the USA who live here for four months a year. Invited to their beautiful mountain top home the next night, we watch the sun set over Sir Francis Drake Channel and the US Virgin islands and on a clear day they can see Puerto Rico. Ian is sold.

Josh Van Dyke, named after a Dutch pirate, is our last island and I have never taken so many photos. World famous for its beach bars including Foxy’s, One Love and Soggy Dollar, it is one big beach party with great live entertainment. No need to tell you how the ‘soggy dollar’ came about.

Time to cross the border to the USA, its only seven miles away and ‘Big Brother’ is waiting for us. Before we left Sydney we obtained a B1/B2 visa, eye photo and finger printed, because we are entering in on our own vessel and not on anything commercial. Not many non US cruisers bother to go to the US Virgins due to the restrictions and we are terrified of doing something wrong. Considering all the hassle to obtain the correct visa we have never been treated so casually on entry. What an anticlimax but our papers are in order, we are stamped in for six months and that was that, welcome to the USA.

The US Virgins comprise 3 main islands: St Johns which is nearly 60% national park, courtesy of the Rockefeller family, St Thomas which is the capital and full of resorts and St Croix 35nms to the south, not on our radar, which is mainly industrial.

Cruz Bay Village is a delight on St John, and has a feeling of peacefulness. Not so during the Danish occupation of the 18th - 19th century when 109 plantations of sugar cane where in operation. Slaves where treated incredibly badly by the Danes for 150 years; the islands were sold to the USA in 1917. A rebellion against the white owners in 1733 lasted six months until crushed with the assistance of the French. It didn’t bring an end to slavery but highlighted the conditions, especially on this island.

Anchored in Leinster Bay we walk to Annaberg Sugar Mill plantation now open to the public and a reminder of harsh conditions endured by the slaves. Steep hillsides where cleared, terraced, planted with cane in extreme heat. Fires cooked the juice from the crushed cane that became sugar and then after a very long day they tendered to their own gardens so they had something to eat. Life expectancy was only seven years. All this for the production of sugar, molasses and rum, shipped to sweeten the tooth of Europe.

On a lighter note I just read an article about President Richard Nixon coming here for a holiday. You can imagine the security at the time of the bombing of Cambodia. Some young hippies anchored off his hotel room and hoisted a sail painted in blood red, an anti war slogan. Certainly got media attention but as the security had been here for weeks, where not amused. I think the same hippies are still here in Coral Bay living on traditional yachts. ‘Inner Vision’ a successful local reggae band is playing ashore, fantastic, so much talent around we are never without live music.

Every bay on St John has moorings which are compulsory to use at $15 per night. This is to protect and help rejuvenate to sea grass and dead coral.

On to St Thomas and the capital Charlotte Amalie and all that is commercially directed to tourism and more cruise ships. One could actually confuse Larry Ellison of Oracle fames personal 280ft super yacht ‘Rising Sun’ with the cruise ships which takes up most of the marina. A big swell is running from the north so to us its shelter for a few days and ashore anything from fast fat food restaurants, synthetic cocktails to empty luxury shops. Most places are slow so must be starting to affect all the islands.

Another precious moment; while we dinghy ashore in the main harbour, we are surprised to see a large stingray fly through the air, show us his white underbelly, hit the surface and repeat four times. No time for photos as we are aghast at the sight.

No need to stay any longer in these islands; we now prepare to move on to the Spanish Virgin Islands only 20nms to the west.