Torries

HANDS-ON SAILOR

97

Marine to do some survey

work. With Dory operating the

GPS for positions, me check-

ing depths with a lead line, and

Dylan diving, we ascertained

that the wreck marked on the

chart was no more, done in by

teredo worms and hurricanes.

We found no obstructions, so

we could report a clear 9 feet

(2.7 meters) of depth off St.

Croix Marine.

From Christiansted, we

sailed the short distance to

Buck Island, where we found

a big, beautiful 70-foot sloop

anchored bow-on to the beach,

among numerous small power-

boats and sailboats. It was

Christmas Eve. All except the

big sloop departed before dark.

On Christmas Day, Ariel’s

crew mounted an expedition

to the marked snorkeling

trail in the sheltered water

inside the reef at the eastern

end of the island. Scott con-

nected with a classmate from

New York’s SUNY Maritime

College whom he had not seen

in 18 years, so a good quantity

of beer was consumed.

By day’s end, the big boat

and all the day-trippers

had departed. We cooked

Christmas dinner aboard Ariel,

the sole boat in the anchorage.

December 26, Boxing Day,

is a holiday in St. Croix, so it

was the same story, with lots of

day-trippers and a quiet night.

Dylan and Scott spent much

of the day attempting to kite-

surf, without much success.

We would have happily

spent three or four more days

in St. Croix; nearby Tague

Bay, 4 miles long and com-

pletely sheltered from the sea

by a barrier reef, is perfect

for swimming and snorkel-

ing and has plenty of wind

for kiteboarding, windsurf-

ing and dinghy sailing. But

I had research to do, so on

December 27, we headed back

to the northern Virgins.

It was a fast sail, but we

encountered a setback on the

way. While we were charging

the batteries, the engine

overheated when the raw-

water intake became clogged

with sargasso weed. Sargasso

used to be quite common in

the eastern Caribbean but

disappeared for decades. It

reappeared with a vengeance

a few years ago, and piles of

it decaying on beaches have

become a problem for locals

and tourists alike.

Dylan managed to clear the

strainer before we anchored in

Road Harbour, Tortola, where

we cleared in through customs

and immigration. We had din-

ner at The Pub, the old sailors’

standby. I remember it with

great aff ection from the 1960s

and ’70s, and it is one of the

few places in Tortola that are

little changed.

NORMAN ISLAND

After a morning exploring

Road Town, we made a short

afternoon sail to The Bight

on Norman Island. We knew

it would be crowded, but

the family of one of Dylan’s

mates on the Roger Williams

University sailing team owns

the William Thornton, better

known as the Willie T., the

fl oating bar and restaurant

anchored there. After dinner,

the Vogels took the dinghy to

the Willie T. but stayed for only

one drink because of the noise.

I counted 120 boats in The

Bight. We anchored in deep

water at the entrance. Four

motoryachts were anchored

astern of us: two ugly, mod-

ern megayachts and two

beautiful restored classics

from the 1920s.

january/february 2017

cruisingworld.com

Grandpa Don has the good sense to sit back and enjoy the

ride while Emma Kate steers Ariell to the next out-of-the-

way anchorage (above). On Jost Van Dyke, Foxy’s is all

decked out for the holidays (top).

Getting off the beaten track

requires using the best avail-

able information. For the

Virgin Islands, Don rec-

ommends Imray-Iolaire

charts A231 and A232 for

the material printed on

their backs, which includes

piloting instructions for doz-

ens of anchorages, as well as

weather and tidal informa-

tion for the region. (Those

venturing to St. Croix also

need A234.) The very pop-

ular chart A233 is A231 and

A232 printed back to back

on the same sheet, and does

not include any of the sup-

plemental material. It is

used by bareboat companies,

possibly so as not to encour-

age customers to stray into

potentially hazardous waters.

As for electronic navi-

gation, Navionics, Garmin,

Jeppesen/C-Map and

MapMedia all use the Imray-

Iolaire charts of the eastern

Caribbean as their basis.

Even so, as Don insists at

every opportunity: “Do not

rely solely on your chart

plotter. Back it up by con-

sulting the paper chart, use

eyeball navigation, and oper-

ate only in good light.” The

higher the elevation of the

eyeball, the better the view

through the water, so Don

suggests cruising sailors

install steps on their masts

up to the spreaders.

To accompany the charts,

Don recommends his Street’s

Cruising Guide to the Eastern

Caribbean, as it presents more

anchorages in more detail

than is possible on the charts.

Because Street’s guides focus

on the piloting aspects of

cruising the islands, he also

recommends sailors have

aboard one of the modern

guides, such as The Cruising

Guide to the Virgin Islands

by Nancy and Simon Scott,

that are updated every year

or two to stay current with

onshore activities, customs

and immigration procedures,

and regulations for the use of

national parks.

— Jeremy McGeary

CHARTS AND

GUIDES

CRW0217_HOS3_Off the Beaten Track (street).indd 97 11/21/16 11:00 AM