Anguilla Sunrise

200 feet of megayacht mast greets the sun off Anguilla this morning.

Georgia set sail from Anguilla  at 0610 this morning, heading for the BVI, specifically Virgin Gorda. We sailed 78 miles in a little less than nine hours, all downwind. It was a beautiful day for a sail, with the breeze checking in at 25 to 30 knots. The swells made life a bit tough for our passengers, but they soldiered through. They’ll have a great day tomorrow in Gorda Sound, as there’s lots of snorkeling and beach walking to be found.

It’s nice to be back in the BVI. I’ve spent a lot of time here in the past three decades, so it feels very much like home. The last time I was in Gorda Sound for any length of time was on Sheherazade II (I know it’s spelled wrong, the owner insisted), a 98-foot steel sloop designed by Ladd. Frank Crane, Janine Tomasovic, Holly Vrotsos and I were here caring for the boat and one of the wackiest owners ever. Great memories. We were here for about a month in 1990, and got to know the place pretty well. It’s a lot more built up, and the great little bar on Saba Rock seems to have been turned into more hotel housing. Bummer, it was one of those cool little run-down yachtie bars with cheap beer, paperbacks for trade, and a couple of scraggly old dogs lying in the shade with tails thumping lazily when you walked by.

It was a long, but rewarding day. I love working on big boats, even in my dotage.