november/december 2016cruisingworld.com67TIME OUT IN THE BVIthe pool, rum punches in hand. More adventurous crews took part
in a scavenger hunt that had them zooming around in dinghies
looking for clues at various spots in North Sound.
One of my favorite aspects of this downtime was checking out
the Zimmers’ boat, Someday. Their Jeanneau 53 was the same model
as Aeolus, our chartered boat, and it was interesting to see how
they had made the space so homelike and very much “theirs.” Nick
Harvey, the president of Jeanneau America, and Erik Stromberg,
Jeanneau’s director of product development, also spent time with
attendees, chatting over cofee in various cockpits while answer-
ing questions about the brand and the boats. No longer strangers,
everyone seemed relaxed and in the spirit when it was time to don
the pirate garb for the party on our final evening at the Bitter End,
which included a pizza bufet and dancing under the stars.
The next two days were free days on the itinerary, and ren-
dezvous boats split of to favorite BVI destinations before
meeting at Peter Island for the last night. Several crews, ourselvesincluded, chose to sail out to Anegada, a low-lying island about
14 miles north of Virgin Gorda that has a lovely, remote feel to
it. Here we spotted pink flamingos, went snorkeling at Loblolly
Bay, and had a lobster dinner on the beach, with the backdrop
of the best sunset of the trip. By this point in the week, we were
really settling into the sailing-vacation routine — waking up to
gorgeous views, a short voyage and relaxing — and it was hard to
think we’d be heading back home in a couple of days.
Our sail the next morning to Little Jost Van Dyke was easily
my favorite of the trip, with a steady breeze, sunny weather, and
good tunes on the boat’s stereo system. Once we had a mooring,
we trekked out to the Bubbly Pool, a sort of natural Jacuzzi that
occurs when conditions are right (they were), and followed it up
with shrimp on the cockpit grill and a visit to Foxy’s Taboo beach
bar. Not a bad day at all.
For the last day, Ted,
Heide, Dave and I stopped
at the Indians for a quick
snorkel, and then all
Jeanneau crews gathered at
the luxurious Peter Island
Resort. I spotted most
of our new friends at the
resort’s pool that afternoon,
where a round of mudslides
was the perfect treat. The
weather that evening was
simply spectacular for our
last beach bash. The crowd chatted and mingled on the sand and
sipped Peter Island’s tasty signature ginger cocktails. An excellent
bufet dinner followed. The night closed with parting words from
Paul Fenn and a lively rale where everyone brought home a good-
ie or two.
As I left the boat at oh-dark-thirty the next morning to catch
the ferry back to St. Thomas and my flight home, I had plenty
of time to muse about the trip. It was with near disbelief that I
realized that just a week prior, nearly everyone had been strang-
ers, just brought together by a love of sailing and a passion for
their boats. So, yes, while I expected the fun, the unexpected
camaraderie was even better.Jen Brett is CW’s senior editor.Clockwise from center: Crews headed out on a scaven-
ger hunt, which brought them to various points in North
Sound. Gary Jobson, at the helm of Serenity, a Jeanneau 64,
was a guest speaker for one of the evening events. Everyone
got in the spirit for the pirate party. The competition was
fierce during a beach cat race at the Bitter End. The Zim-
mers’ Jeanneau 53, Someday, reaches along on a perfect day.COURTESY OF EMORY ZIMMER (TOP RIGHT); JEN BRETT