better wetter - bvi water sports

8/9/2019 Better Wetter - BVI Water Sports

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The mellow surf offPrickly Pear Island,near Virgin Gordain the BVI, is justright for a varietyof water sports.

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When it comes to Water sports, the BVi are all that and a Bag of ships.story By BoB friel ›› photography By Zach stoVall



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ignominio sly swimming the boar back, since trying to tack s laye me on the sail like a b g on a win shiel . Now, the very

rst time I’ve ste e ato a stan -u a le boar , I’m stan ingtall, taking that big boar wherever I want to go — own-current,

c rrent, over little swells, across skinny water only a ewinches ee along the beach an then o t over the ee waterin the North So n boat channel. The boar is calle a “s ” orshort, as in “What’s u ?”An the answer is me. Mi le-age , mi -

lin’sha e an ully hangovere me.I’ come to the BVI to ri e an entire wave o water s orts, to

s en a week so soggy that I’ have to be acke in containerso 3.4 o nces or less to get on the light home. Virgin Gor a’sNorth So n is wet s ot ero here in the worl ’s greatest waters orts laygro n — an no cial title, grante (by me) a ter SirRichar Branson was hotogra he here kiteboar ing witha nake s ermo el clinging to his back like a s i er monkey.Branson owns Necker Islan , a rivate yet rentable ara ise, anhe ha such a goo time giving Twiggyback ri es that Necker anits neighboring resort, the Bitter En Yacht Cl b, create a ve

ay conclave o kick-ass kiteboar ers, BVI Kite Jam.I show at the Bitter En Yacht Cl b’s water s orts kiosk

my rst morning to reserve my kite, harness, boar an nakes ermo el. Scott, the kiteboar ing instr ctor, looks me an

own an says that the win isn’t strong eno gh or kiting anmy heart robably not strong eno gh or the s ermo el. Thecl b’s water s orts manager, Jerome Ran , says that con itions

o both sea an me are ne or reg lar, sans sex monkey sailingan waves his han towar the ex losion o color that markstheir sailboat beach. There wait most o Bitter En ’s collection:150 watercra t o every sha e, s ee an size, kayaks to keelboats,

with rien ly instr ction available on each. A rien an I s enthe rest o the ay slicing thro gh North So n an visiting thenearby s gar san beaches, rst on a s orty Vang ar sailboatan then aboar a bran -new Hobie Getaway.

Owne by the Hokin amily since 1973 an r n ay to ay bythe eb llient Mary Jo Ryan or so long that the b’s name MoRyan’s, Bitter En Yacht Cl b is a sailor’s asyl m. Local bree esan seas are i eal or win s orts most o the year, g ests ansta com ete in weekly races an regattas, an the evening r m

est is a jabber o jibs an jibes. Many g ests ret rn year a teryear, learning to sail here an then coming back to hone skills —then bringing along ki s or the same ex erience. Most ackagesinclu e use o all the water-s orts toys an boats, so or both ki san a lts, it’s like going to cam , with en less activities an lotso let’s all have n sta . When we nish with the sailboats, wesim ly check out the stan -u a le boar s an go on our way.

WE BOARd A BOAT WITH AN ACTuAL ENGINE THE next morning, joining longtime Bitter En ishingg i e Bernar “Bernie”Charles on a center console

Mako to r n east, ast Virgin Gor a’s seawar cli s, into eewater. The Virgin Islan s claim some o the worl ’s best bl e

When i first tried surfing and fell into roiling WaVes againand again and again, i spent a Week picking sand out

of unmentionaBle places. the first time i tried Windsurfing,i stood and sloWly sailed doWnWind Before turning to

On Virgin Gorda’s NSound, Bitter End Yacht Cluoffers shore leave for sailorof all stripes, from novices tsea dogs (also opposite left)

Opposite right: Hobie Cawere made for water like thi



the Very first time i’Ve stepped atop a stand-up paddle Board, i’m standing tall, taking that Big Board WhereVer i Want to go.

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marlin shing, an tho gh a lot o the charter boats base in St. Thomas, uSVI, the hottest s ots lie in BVI waters. O r s ortysche ule oesn’t allow time to run to the ame North dro , Southdro or Seamount, but Bernie tells us that goo shing starts justtwo miles o , an we start ragging rigge ballyhoo 20 min tesa ter leaving the ock. Game sh like wahoo an t na req entthe BVI year ro n , with the biggest mobs o mahimahi comingin A ril an May an with bl e marlin breaking recor s, heartsan backs uring the summer an into the all. These gentle swellslook shy, an lenty o fying sh take o on our a roach, but noknock owns. Bernie then s ots a rigate bir — the tero actyllooking seabir s that o ten ollow big bill sh or ho rs, waiting

or scra s rom a kill — an he steers or it. We can’t buy a bite thismorning, tho gh, ntil we’re hea ing back in an cross the ree ,when a big, toothy barrac a attacks. It’s reele in, smiles or a

hoto an then gets release back into the clear blue.Beyon big game like monster marlin, the BVI’s raw or

anglers incl es big schools o bone sh that ha nt the fats o Anega a, the “ rowne ”is lan . Gar el Forbes an Sly Forbesserve as g i es there, an Sly tells me he ca ght a 32 inch19 o n er last s mmer. Now, it’s common knowle ge that all

shermen are liars exce t or me an Sly — an that story ma eme start won ering abo t him — b t next time I hit the BVI, afy ro will stay glue to my han .

N O p L A C E O N E A RT H O F F E R S B E T T E R I S L A N d -ho ing than the BVI, with some 15 inhabite islan s,50 or so eserte rocks an cays, an a co le o en o

the nest beach bars my liver’s ever alighte u on. Sim ly gettingaro n the BVI co nts as a water s ort, an we o it in style. O r47- oot Moorings powercat urrs along at 15 knots rom anchorageto anchorage, where at rest it becomes a foating o r be room,

o r bath, three loor lly catereentho se with a lybri ge roomy

eno gh or the crew o Star Trek.Last Sto S orts ha loa e the biggal with gear at the Moorings ock in Tortola, so we ha a sel s ortewater s orts o eration wherever weroame , ever rea y to ro kayakso the eck an ex lore the islan s’nooks an san y crannies or to llout shing ro s an cast lures to someo the big tar on we saw swirling amithe mangrove hummocks.

On a ti rom Ran back at theBitter En , I motor to a mooringball below Virgin Gor a’s Mo ntainpoint. We break o t the snorkelinggear an sli into the bliss ully warm,clear water. Three o the crew go oneway along the rocky wall while BrentSchmierbach (co worker an s ortsmo el) an I n towar a narrow c t

in the rocks. Small corals an bright s onges encr st the wall,b t there aren’t many sh or other critters aro n , an I won erwhat makes this lace worth a sto . Then we s ot a ark un ercutat the base o the rocks, about 15 eet own. poking our hea s outo the water, we ebate i it co l be a cave an , i so, whether itmight lea to a lace where we can sur ace an get a breath. Thenwe ebate which one o s is oolish eno gh to check it o t. Withno clear winner in the cra y contest b t with my being the onlyone who can rive the boat, Brent is eeme ex en able. He ives

own an slowly a roaches the cavern. Then, j st as he a esrom view, he is violently sucke into the arkness.

I wait. An wait. No Brent. That is either a goo or a very

ba sign. I ive own into the cavern, where I can see an eeriebl e light on the other si e o what I now know is a cave. Thenthe water — a strong s rge rom swells nneling into the narrow canyon — fi s me si e own an g l s me into the cave.Almost o t o breath, I o to the s r ace right next to Brent in anat ral atri m, s rro n e by tho san s o silversi e swirling ina torna o that reaches rom the s r ace to near the bottom. Thes n o rs own thro gh the skylight, fashing o the bait sh asthey swim ami bl e light set ancing by the cho y water. We

ally ntil we reali e that, since we are totally o t o sight insi ethis rocky womb, our crewmates might be missing us. (An we areright: They have starte ha y hour without us).

Scuba ivers on’t have to worry about how long they can holtheir breath, an along with everything else, the BVI are to ive

estinations, with a ozen ive sho s catering both to resort- anboat base clients. Living ree s l s ramatic stone canyons anbo l er el s ( n erwater versions o the amo s Baths) o er a

i ying array o ive sites. An that’s not co nting the wrecks. The most amous, o course, is the wreck o the 310- oot-long RMSRhone. The Rhone was a movie star, eature in The dee , where it

receive nearly as m ch attention asJacq eline Bisset. Its o larity can

raw a crow , b t when we arrive,only one small ive boat bobs at amooring ato what is now a national

ark. Seeing the wreck in a smallgro o ers a q iet, res ect l visitto a time ca s le. The isaster, ring an 1867 late season h rricane,took 124 lives when high win s anseas rove the iron h lle shi intoBlack Rock point on Salt Islan asthe ca tain attem te a run or o ensea. Cool ocean water loo e theh ll an hit the re hot boilers. Theex losion s lit the shi in two. TheRhone’s bow now rests in 80 eet o water, still recogni able an lyingstarboar si e own. As we swimabove the shi ’s broken stern, whichlies cr m le against the rocks 30

eet below, my eyes s enly reali e

game fish frequent the BVi year-round, and Blue marlin Break records, hearts and Backs during the summer and into the fall.

Casting for bonealong miles of ats

the isle of AnegOpposite: The ho

of Boardsailing BVTrellis Bay, Tor



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On Virgin Gorda, Bitter End Yacht Club (pictured here) offers luxury accommodations and everything from weeklong sailing schools forrank amateurs to the Pro Am Regatta, being held this year from Oct. 30 to Nov. 6. From $530 per night all-inclusiv e for a garden villa,

based on double occupancy. 800-872-2392; beyc.com. » Over on Tortola, Aragorn’s Studio is a one-stop shop for all things local and organic.In addition to showcasing its namesake’s pottery, prints and metalwork, the onsite shop offers arts and crafts from artisans from around

the Caribbean, as well as locally grown fruits and vegetables. 284-495-1849; aragornsstudio.com. » The Moorings, based on Tortola, offersdaily to weekly charters, from bareboat to crewed luxury yacht, in the BVI and to other Caribbean destinations. 888-952-8420; moorings.com .

stay, play and sail in the BVi: the essentials that what I thought was just a smooth swath o bottom is actuallythe Rhone’s gigantic bron e ro eller. Large lobsters shelter inthe sha e beneath the shi ’s metal lates while we swim alongsi ewraithlike barracu a that stan guar over the site.

A number o the BVI’s water s orts — sur ng at beach breakslike A le an Josiah’s bays, win s r ing North So n an Trellis Bay, iving the Rhone an the dogs, snorkeling the Bathsan the Caves, an sailing the Sir Francis drake Channel — areso well known as m st os that they a roach the level o Caribbean clichés. But everybo y goes to the Gran Canyon anYellowstone too, an that oesn’t make the ex eriences any less jaw ro ing. One ay be ore we are e to t rn in o r mobilemarine mansion, I tie us u to one o my — an many others’—

avorite snorkel s ots.

N O OTHER SITE IN THE CARIBBEAN OOzES pIRATI-cal atmos here like the Norman Islan Caves. The trio o

ark t nnels ierces the islan near Treas re point, anNorman, its caves an nearby dea Chest Islan are tho ght tohave hel e ins ire Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel TreasureIslan . As I sit on the swim lat orm stra ing on my ns, it’s easyto imagine a longboat — rowe by sc rvy ogs, with Long JohnSilver at the bow — a roaching with a heavy loa o booty rea y

or b rying. I sli into the water. There’s a stee ro o belowthe caves, an thro gh the clear water, I see a sin o s ark orm30 eet beneath me — a Caribbean ree shark, nice si e. I li t myhea to call my boat mates over or a look but see maybe 20 other

eo le a ling aro n me, inghy loa s o to rists all ha ilyoblivious to the big sh below. The shark, o course, is min ing itsown business, harmlessly atrolling its stretch o sea, but I eci eagainst alerting the crow to the thrilling sight on the chance itmight cause one o them to ollute the water.

Snorkeling insi e the imly lit caves rovi es a taste o night-iving excitement, with schools o aylight-shy co er swee ers

an noct rnal orange c corals. Every har s r ace existsliving color, with s onges, calcareo s algae an corals encr sing the rock. Between the caves, I n small atches o healthelkhorn coral, an encouraging sight since elkhorn has ie o sthoro ghly that it is liste as threatene n er the u.S. En angere S ecies Act. The largest stan o elkhorn grows right Treas re point, an we gather there an watch, motionless anmesmeri e or at least 20 min tes, as a ack o bl e bar jstalk an strike a vast school o silversi e.

Water s orts ll o r week in the BVI to the very en , ntew ho rs be ore o r fight home. A short walk rom the air o

we wan er own to Trellis Bay, one o the most niq e s ots Tortola. Well, kin o on Tortola: The resi ents o this was orts comm ne/artist colony o ten say they wish they co l

etach their little stretch o beach an foat ree. Li e here centearoun Aragorn’s Stu io an the a jacent Cyberca é/Boar sailiBVI sho , with its lai back vibe, req ent live m sic an mo

ll moon arties that are m ch more amily rien ly thanwil an werewol y shenanigans o t at Bomba Shack. It’s alhere that I n one o the big kah nas o the win s r ng worJeremy Wright, who’s been o erating out o Trellis Bay since 19aro n the rst time a s r er an a sailor rst crashe togetheReese’s peanut Butter Cu -style, to create win sur ng.

Wright asks me abo t my win s r ng ex erience, an I thim my 20 year ol rst an last time isaster story. He shhis hea at the stu i an tells me about the a vances in beginneboar s an lessons: He an his instr ctors o er a money bacg arantee that they can not only get yo r nning ownwin b tthat you’ll be able to turn an come back — all with only two houo instr ction. I agree to test rive that g arantee the next timI’m in the BVI, then ask abo t kiteboar ing. He says it’s no rolem with goo gear an instr ction, b t it takes longer to learn. take a brochure an hea o to the air ort, won ering how manylessons you nee be ore they stra on the su ermo el. ✸

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The Caves, a spot onuninhabited Norman

Island may haveinspired the novel

Treasure Island .Right: A MooringsPowercat cruises

near Anegada.

better wetter - bvi water sports

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