The February 2019 Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla Cruise in the British Virgin
The flotilla kicked off Saturday, February 23rd with an introduction meeting in the lobby at The Moorings base on Tortola, BVI. After meeting everyone, we headed to our boats to check our provisions. In the early evening, we had a lovely meet and greet party that ended with a wonderful dinner! This would be an early night because the next morning, we would set sail for Cooper Island.
After taking care of a few things at The Moorings base, we topped off our gas and water tanks and headed to Cooper Island around 11:30 a.m. We had a nice sail from Tortola to Cooper where picked up mooring balls. Once on the hook, we had the opportunity to chill-lax on the beach, explore the island, or take our dinghy to little Salt Island for some awesome snorkeling and a beautiful hike looking out over the islands. We ended the day with a private rum tasting at the world-famous Cooper Island Beach Club’s Rum Bar. Having the opportunity to taste 35-year-aged rum, or some solar-powered brewed beer while watching a breathtaking sunset, was simply spectacular.
After a wonderful night at the Rum Bar it was time to check out the frequently-photographed Baths on Virgin Gorda. We set sail around 10:30 a.m. upwind to the great Spanish Town, Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda. After close to 17 tacks later and going through a little rainfall, we got some assistance docking from Dutch and Bryce Jackson, Offshore Sailing’s talented Chief Operations Manager. Once our fleet settled at the docks, we had the opportunity to stay around Leverick Bay and visit all the little boutique stores and enjoy lunch at one of the island’s eateries. Or we could take a fun
After a night of rum tasting and singing pirate songs, we attended the skipper meeting at 8 a.m. Our plan for the day was to have a practice sail race over to Anegada to explore the flat island. We set sail around 9:30 a.m. and arrived around noon. Once everyone anchored or picked up a mooring ball, we set off on our island adventure. We had the opportunity to rent bikes, scooters, cars, and even horses. We chose to rent a car for a small fee to get us around the island. Our first stop was the famous Faulkner House Museum, where Faulkner played a vital role in establishing a Constitution and a new Legislative Council in 1949. He is known as one of the “Fathers of this Little Nation.” After we got our history lesson, it was time to seek refreshments. We headed to Big Bamboo at Loblolly Bay where we had a nice cold Carib and relaxed on the beach where Offshore Sailing co-host Bryce Jackson found a handful of small, colorful shells.
We started the day with an early morning skippers meeting at 8 a.m. to prepare all the boats for the first day of the Ya |Gotta Regatta. The race would begin at 10 a.m. where we started at Anegada and raced 25 nautical miles to Sandy Key just outside the island of Jost Van Dyke. Once everyone made it past the finish line at Sandy Key, we made our way to Jost Van Dyke. Once anchored, people had the opportunity to dinghy ashore or catch a taxi to the iconic Soggy Dollar Bar at White Bay where the “Painkiller” originated in the 1970’s. After getting our fill of authentic Painkiller cocktails and conch
On the last day of the Regatta, anticipation was high. During the 8:30 a.m. skippers meeting, a lot of smack-talk began among each boat. Setting sail at 9:30 a.m. for a race start at 9:45 a.m., we raced downwind to Guana Island. Arriving around 1 p.m., the boat “Marty J” crossed the finish line first, for the second day in a row, taking home the 1st place trophies. Once all the other boats crossed the line, we all anchored off the shore of Island for a nice, refreshing swim.
Around 3:30 p.m. we embarked for beautiful Scrub
Still basking in the glow of last night’s revelry and lighted fish display, we sadly bid farewell to new friends from the Scrub Island Resort and set sail for Road Town on Tortola. We got to know so many interesting and fun people on this flotilla BVI sailing vacation. Back to reality for now, but we’re already planning our next flotilla for late summer in Croatia!
Written by flotilla participant, Ryan Albert – OSS videographer
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