When Mr Creosote sat down to dinner he surveyed all the delights the menu and couldn’t decide which of delights ticked his fancy. He therefore asked for “The lot, in a bucket; with a couple of friend eggs on top.” As Kent & Liz arrived for a week of turbo-cruising around the BVIs, they had every delight and more that is available on the BVI menu.

Like all best restaurants the staple of bread was offered before the menu could even be surveyed. The bread basket, in the case of the BVIs, was sensational tradewind sailing without the tradewind seas and a sunset that gave way to stars and a moon that lit up a mirror flat bay.

Principal items on the BVI menu was getting powder white Kent & Liz a full dose of Vitamin D, total immersion in fish filled water and frolicking on soft white sand under the dappled shade of palm trees.

Having new crew on board and putting Ruffian to bed for the night really tested our old mainsail. Either the mainsail was very much on its last legs or Kent had been taking weight training classes. As Iain took his usual position at the mast Kent started flaking the leach. The next thing we knew, meters of cloth were sitting in strong man Kent’s hands, all ready to be used as a napkin.

With the napkins and cutlery ready it was time for the starter. Snorkelling at the Indians provided a great option with the sea plunging into unknown depths and water so clear we felt like we were flying not floating. None of the fishies were for eating but we feasted on views of corals, caves and crustaceans that were cowering under the rocks.

The BVI main course specialities were served as we sailed through the islands and we visited every hotspot. There were morning stops, lunch stops and evening stops. We took in anchorage after anchorage, hiked hill after hill and scared fishies on reef after reef. This was turbo cruising to the max.

Like all good establishments there were also amazing surprises. Instead of the intercourse Lemoncello we were served up the most unlikely of meetings. At The Baths, instead of picking up a free ball we tried again and again to anchor behind a monster moorings catamaran. Just as we were setting the anchor for a 3rd time over came a rib, bigger and more powerful than Ruffian and on it was none other than Ollie from Troscala who we’d last seen 2 years and 15000 miles ago.

Touring their huge ship we made a date, and a literal, rather than a figurative meal would be served for Kent & Liz’s last night on their ship the size of an island.

With the fish course being served time and time again, thanks to Kent we happened to have an impromptu meat course. Thug was doing a sterling job of ferrying the 4 of us around Eustatia sound over to untouched reef after untouched reef and slowly we grew cold and tired. As Kent pulled himself onto Thug he managed to slide his face into a rowlock and simply peeled off half his nose.

Blood squirted through his fingers, dribbled down his shirt and turned the sea red, perfect fodder for sharks. Fiona played nurse and stemmed the flow of blood and bandaged Kent’s entire head. It wasn’t until days later that we decided to investigate Thug and found the rest of Kent’s nose slowly congealing. This was not a meat speciality that we craved.

Venturing further afield we found ourselves on the deserted shores of Anegada. In the town the lobsters were getting ready for dinner but we headed the other way and gorged on a beach that went on forever and the water glowed like nowhere else in the Caribbean.

Desert is always the sweetest course and day after day things got sweeter. The sweetest of all was the time in Savannah Bay. We were all alone, Liz had a beach to frolic on like a Labrador puppy, Kent had grown a new nose and had a reef to snorkel and Iain even had free WiFi. This couldn’t be a more perfect spot to finish our time.

With the figurative meal now done it was time for the literal last meal. Off we went to the glamorous surroundings of Ollie & Carlotta’s Moorings 58 catamaran. Ruffian could have fitted in their port bow and they had luxuries that we can only dream of. On the tour we were shown fridge after fridge, and even freezer after freezer all the while being stared down on by a 58inch TV.

Everything was supersized including the paella pan that Carlotta had shipped over from Spain. It was large enough to use as a liferaft but Carlotta had put it to a much better use, she piled it high with paella and crammed it full of scallops, lobster, clams and every other delight of the sea. Nothing however could take away from the joy of breaking bread with friends who we have crossed oceans with and we hope, after an amazing week, our goodbyes to both Ollie & Carlotta and Kent & Liz will be short lived.

There is always something to do at the top of the rig.


Along with having great views.


The new crew go sailing.


The moon is so bright it turns into a night sun.


Glimpsed views.


No Indians at ‘The Indians’, but plenty of fishies.


And Iain loses his bottle swimming through a tiny tunnel.


Can I have one? Pleeeeeeeease.


Super sunsets.


Palm trees and sand. Just what TeamDINA came for.


Yo. 4 up selfie.


Unreal light at ‘The Baths’.


Sun, happy hour painkiller, entertainment. What more could you want?


Boats to the left, none to the right. Let’s go right.


Grapefruit point is replaced by coconut hill.


And so the mighty intellectual battle begins.


Coral, Conch, Clarity. All the C’s.


Kent really puts some flesh into the game.


I ‘heart’ you.


Glowing water is what we seek. Glowing water is what we find.


Liz gets all ‘arty’.


Larry has no interest in beer. His focus is on the hard stuff.


New sails, new sails, new sails.


Made by Doyle.


All happy friends together.


Another day, another sunset.


New sails are actually going sailing.


Lonely Thug.


You look like you’ve got a bad case of the measles.


Good spot Fiona. Our first Conga Eel.


Ruffian amongst the rocks.


The view from below.


Full of vitality and vitamin D.


We manage to find lonely spots even in the BVI.


Upwind is a joy now.