When it comes to securing our boat in an anchorage, we usually prefer setting our own, reliable anchor instead of grabbing a mooring. But in the bay of French Polynesia’s southernmost island, anchoring is a real challenge. The few sailboats that make it to remote, storm-ridden Rapa Iti have the choice of anchoring in 80 to 100 feet of water with bad holding in mud mixed with coral rubble and a good chance to foul the gear, or anchoring shallow in live, fragile staghorn coral. 

During our three visits to Rapa Iti, we worked with the local community to install two sailboat moorings to protect nature and ensure the safety of visiting cruisers.

Not that many cruisers come here; those who face the challenge of the rough ride are rewarded with more bad weather, but also wonderful nature and Polynesian hospitality. Rapa Iti is a little gem with steep volcanic mountains, sheer cliffs, a wonderfully protected main bay and friendly, welcoming locals. About 500 people live in two villages that stretch out on both sides of the wide, main bay, Ahurei, that reminds me more of an Alpine lake or Norwegian fjord than the South Pacific.

My partner, Christian, and I visited Rapa for the first time in December 2017 on our Sparkman & Stephens 41 Pitufa. We had read that the anchorages had dead coral with bad holding. We anchored in 50 feet of water and were horrified when we dived on our anchor and saw the destruction our chain was doing to the staghorn coral. We usually take care to anchor in sandy spots and float our chain, but that was simply not possible here. That’s why we approached the community with a plan to build a mooring. We had a piece of chain, a rope and some swivels we could donate. We hoped to find the rest ashore. 

First, we had to persuade the mayor. We went to the post office (the mayor works there as a second job), expecting a long discussion. Much to our surprise, the mayor agreed immediately when he saw our underwater photos, but he didn’t want a temporary solution like we had had in mind. He wanted a sturdy, well-made mooring.

Life on Rapa is still more traditional than in the rest of French Polynesia, and many of the islanders lack formal education, but the people of Rapa are very aware of environmental issues and sustainability. They have a strict rahui, or ban, on fishing on the whole eastern side of the island. The fuel station has a containment basin to prevent contamination of the bay. Trash is separated for recycling, and the smallest kids learn at school how to keep the island clean. Our mooring project matched their mindset nicely.

 We started brainstorming with a man named Alex, the head of the community workers. None of us had ever installed a mooring, but after some research online, we agreed that a 2.4-ton cement block with extra-sturdy mountings (we cut up a decommissioned digger) would accommodate most visiting boats.

The ordered parts took their sweet time getting delivered from Tahiti, but when we returned to Rapa in December 2018, everything had arrived and the block was ready, too. We assembled the mooring, and then thought about how to transport it more than a mile out in the bay.

Alex got out welding gear, and we built a raft of empty diesel barrels and iron bars. The advantage of this construction was that we could lower it together with the mooring in a controlled way to exactly the spot we had chosen: a hollow on top of a coral head in only 25 feet of water—shallow enough for the islanders (and cruisers) to check and maintain the mooring.

Just after Christmas 2021, we sailed back to Rapa to spend yet another cyclone season on our favorite island. The mooring was still there, numerous sailboats had used it, and the villagers greeted us with friendly smiles—they had not forgotten our labor for the sake of their coral. During our first stroll ashore, the community workers waved us into the maintenance depot with mischievous grins. They had found old mooring blocks that were meant for fish aggregating devices, but were never installed. They weren’t big, but there were two of them. The attachments had rusted off, but couldn’t we make another sailboat mooring out of them? 

Friends from the sailboat Garulfo arrived soon after, and together, we got cracking, again with Alex supporting the project. We bent rebar “cages” for the two blocks. There was still a piece of chain left from the first mooring, and we and Garulfo’s owners donated missing bits. After some sweaty workdays at the maintenance depot, we were ready to go. Again, we would set the mooring in a shallow spot; tied together, the two blocks would weigh enough to hold a medium-size sailboat. 

Unfortunately, the raft we had built for the first mooring had been disassembled and used for other purposes, but as we’d be able to transport the blocks separately, we simply went alongside the dock with Pitufa. Alex lowered the block into the water with the digger, we tied it to our bow, and we held our breath as the lines over the bow roller took the weight with a creak. Sturdy little Pitufa hardly bowed with the 1,600 pounds dangling from its nose.

We moved slowly across the bay, and then lowered the first block over the bow roller to the chosen spot with divers to guide us. Back with the second block, we tied the two together with chain, added a strong line and floats, and voilà: second mooring made.

Moorings Location and Specs

Mooring 1 is suitable for boats up to 25 tons. It is a 2.4-ton weight with oversized chain, shackles and rope. It’s located at S 27° 36,808′ W 144° 20,034′.

Mooring 2 is recommended for boats up to 15 tons. It consists of two 1,600-pound blocks linked with 14 mm chain and a 25 mm rope. It is located at S 27° 36,700′ W 144° 19,872′.

Birgit and Christian have been cruising on their Sparkman & Stephens 41 Pitufa for 12 years from the Mediterranean via the Atlantic and Caribbean to the South Pacific. Visit their blog www.pitufa.at for information. Their book Sailing Towards the Horizon is available on Amazon.

The post Installing Moorings in French Polynesia’s Rapa Iti Bay appeared first on Cruising World.

It was the second full week of December, and in case any of us needed a reminder as to the time of year, the Christmas winds had Sir Francis Drake Channel in the British Virgin Islands frothing with whitecaps. And, of course, we were bashing straight into them as we left the Mooring’s docks at Wickams Cay on Tortola under power, bound for Deadman’s Bay on Peter Island to scope out a site for a photo shoot later in the week.

The three us aboard the Moorings’ 4500 Baba Jaga that afternoon—Moorings marketing VP Josie Tucci, photographer Jon Whittle, and me—were technically all on the clock. Our job? To have a good weeklong romp through the islands, attend to just enough business to call it a “work trip,” but mostly, confirm that yes, even in a pandemic, the British Virgin Islands are still a sailor’s paradise. So far, they were looking pretty good to me. I’d left frozen Boston a day earlier and arrived on Tortola in time to enjoy a lazy afternoon with a cold beer and late lunch before the sun set, and my mates arrived with their complimentary welcome-to-the-islands rum punches in hand. 

These days, rather than conducting large group briefings, the Moorings asks charterers to watch safety and boat videos before arriving. The upside is that the actual in-­person boat walk-through is short and to the point. So, the next morning, while Tucci met with her team at the base and Whittle worked on videos, in less than an hour, a dockhand showed me how to turn on the 35-gallon-per-hour watermaker, fire up the genset, and where to find breakers and shut-off valves for the water system and heads. 

Next on the agenda was a tour of the Wickams Cay complex with Oliver Kinchin, head of customer operations for the Moorings and sister company Sunsail.

I’d taken a similar tour two years earlier during a visit for the Moorings’ 50th reunion. At that time, the base had just reopened following the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria, and nearly every structure was a work in progress. This time, it was well on the way to reawakening from what Kinchin called a yearlong “COVID rest,” when the islands were closed to visitors, and boats sat mothballed at the dock.

With travel restrictions easing and charter bookings pouring in, the staff was scrambling to get the fleets back up and running, and also to complete several ongoing post-hurricane improvements to the on-site hotel, a waterside restaurant and other support facilities. 

Our tour included a visit to the new sail loft, which currently is packed with sails and cushions saved from boats lost or damaged by the storms that struck in 2017. The task ahead is to inventory and inspect the contents of hundreds of sail bags to decide what can be saved and what gets tossed. Eventually, a full-service sail and canvas shop will fill the space.

We visited the new-parts warehouse, where row after row of shelves were organized with cubbies and bins holding the countless bits and pieces needed to meet tight turnaround times for several hundred sail and power charter boats. And we took a stroll through what will be a new on-base provisions store once it opens sometime this winter. Factoring in the COVID rest, the progress was impressive.

And then we were off. All it took was a quick call to the ­dockmaster on the VHF, and dockhands appeared, lines were hauled aboard, and we were on our way.

When I visited two years earlier, all the islands bore deep scars from the powerful tropical storms, but Mother Nature had done a remarkable job of repairing things. Approaching Peter Island, the hills were a vibrant green, and the long sandy beach at Deadman’s was as clean as a whistle. It would work just fine as a backdrop for sailing shots of the new Moorings 4200 catamaran, the first of which had just arrived in the islands.

Our stop for the night was Cooper Island. Though several boats were already there, we found an open mooring ball close to shore. Tucci on one bow and Whittle on the other deftly wove their dock lines through the eye of the mooring pendant and cleated them off. That left us with nothing to do but swim, enjoy cold Caribes on the flybridge, and watch gusts dance across the water. In the evening, the Cooper Island Beach Resort’s Rum Bar lured us ashore. Inside we met a couple of charter skippers and their mates from St. Thomas, who were enjoying a last busman’s holiday before a busy winter season catering to guests. But honestly, we had our own work cut out for us choosing what to sample from shelves stacked high with exotic rums from around the world. 

RELATED: Going for Gold in the BVI

The next morning, Wednesday, our little crew cobbled together a rather loose itinerary for the next few days. A sail to Anegada was out. Getting there and back would eat up two days, and besides, at the last minute, Tucci had talked a Florida friend, Trish Gordon, into joining us, and we had to pick her up Thursday night in Trellis Bay. That gave us Wednesday to pay an obligatory visit to the Baths, the iconic rock formations on nearby Virgin Gorda, and then make the run up to North Sound to see what progress was being made rebuilding the Bitter End Yacht Club.

Over breakfast, I took advantage of the onboard Wi-Fi and checked the Windy app on my phone. Wow, we were in for a breezy week. That fact was further confirmed the minute we left the lee of Cooper Island and started bashing headlong into 25- to 30-knot winds and the resulting lumpy seas. 

At the Baths, we grabbed a day mooring, launched the dinghy, and headed for shore. But on the way, we ran into the charter skippers from the night before. They’d just come from the beach, where a long line of tourists from a cruise ship anchored off in the distance waited for their turn to follow the path through the boulders. No way we were up for that COVID party. Instead, we returned to the mothership and resumed our bash north.

To starboard of Baba Jaga, thick clouds loomed over the peaks of Virgin Gorda; behind us, the islands to the south disappeared in a massive squall. Then, by Great Dog, it was our turn to get soaked. My lightweight slicker didn’t stand a chance against the pelting rain that engulfed the boat and sent Tucci and Whittle running for the saloon. Instantly we were surrounded in a whiteout, and I throttled back the diesels so we just crept along through screaming 40-knot gusts. 

It was a fast-moving tempest, though, and I was nearly dry as we ran down the channel into North Sound. Inside, the wind picked up again, and just as we were about to grab a mooring at the Bitter End, the skies opened once more. As we motored in a circle to let it pass, one gust sent the two sun cushions atop the Bimini flying. Whittle caught one, and we had a lively time trying to chase down the other and grab it with a boat hook. Thankfully, a couple of women on a nearby boat jumped into their RIB and retrieved it from the drink for us. And speaking of drinks, I was ready for one by the time we found an open mooring just off the Bitter End’s new dock.

The Bitter End has been a sailor’s playground since it opened in the early 1970s, but the resort, like the one on nearby Saba Rock, was flattened when hurricane-­spawned tornadoes ripped through, leveling anything and everything in their paths. 

It took several months to settle insurance claims, and many more to clean up the carnage, but eventually work began on a new and better Bitter End. When we paid a visit, a “soft opening” was scheduled for the following week.

So far, two overwater bungalows, part of Marina Lofts, have been finished, and plans are to add three more. The small two-story cottages each have their own dock and porch overlooking the harbor, where 72 guest moorings have been installed.

Next to the lofts, the staff was scurrying to put the final touches on the Quarterdeck lounge and restaurant. Much of the wood throughout these buildings, and the rest of the nautical village, was recovered and repurposed by a team of some 70 construction workers. A provisions market, pizza kitchen, boutique and kids play area were also being readied for the first visitors. Resort marketing director Kerrie Jaffe told us that for this winter, the emphasis was on getting the waterfront and marina reopened. Eventually, though, private homes will be built on the 64-acre property.

From the Bitter End, we took the dinghy across the channel to the latest incarnation of Saba Rock resort. It had reopened a couple of months earlier. The first-floor dining room was busy when we pulled alongside the dock that surrounds the building. Upstairs, the open-air bar was bustling too, and of course we had to sample their signature drink, Saba on the Rocks, made from spiced rum, passion-fruit puree, triple sec and orange juice.

The new Saba Rock includes seven guest rooms and three suites overlooking North Sound on one side and Eustacia Sound on the other. They’re pricey—$700 a night in high season—but the views are out of this world.

Thursday, after a morning swim and breakfast, it was time to go sailing. Another day of big trade winds was forecast, but at least it would be from behind us. With two reefs in the main, we traced our tracks back out of the sound, then unrolled two-thirds of the jib as we bore away toward Spanish Town. We stopped there for a stroll and lunch, and then set off on a delightful downwind run to Beef Island and Trellis Bay under just the jib. Alone at the helm, I turned on the autopilot, kicked back, and watched the haze-shrouded islands 5 miles ahead slowly come into focus.

The sun was low in the sky by the time we grabbed one of the last moorings near the airport in Trellis Bay. Scanning the beach, I was pleasantly surprised to find that crews had removed nearly all the damaged boats that had littered the shore on my last visit.

With Gordon aboard and Baba Jaga’s fourth cabin finally filled, we set off bright and early Friday to explore the remaining islands in the chain. We stopped for breakfast at Diamond Shoal, a must-visit snorkeling spot alongside Great Camanoe Island. From there, we hopped around to Monkey Point on Guana Island. On previous trips, this had always been the place to see big swarms of baitfish and tarpon on the prowl, but not this time. After a quick dip, we hoisted the still-double-­reefed main for a lively downwind run to Great Harbour on Jost van Dyke.

Tucci took the helm, and I wandered forward to one of the seats on the bow to take it all in: the towering peaks and valleys on Tortola, the sparkling sunlight, the clouds casting shadows on the water, the wind, the swells. Boy, what a sail.With a hiss, Baba Jaga would catch a wave and ride it until its bows buried in a trough. Then another puff would hit, and we’d take off again. It was definitely a ride to tuck away and revisit on a cold New England night back home.

That evening, a rocking reggae band drew a comfortable-size crowd to Foxy’s, another indication that folks are ready to come back to the islands in search of some fun. We found that true the next morning as well, when we squeezed in behind the reef at White Bay to drop an anchor off the beach. A swell was running and the breeze gusted around the point, so I returned to the boat to stay on anchor watch while the rest of the crew went ashore for Painkillers and lawn games. They even got to watch a wedding take place at the Soggy Dollar and chatted up the newlyweds afterward.

Late in the afternoon, we crossed back to Tortola and Cane Garden Bay. Ashore after sunset, we walked along the waterfront, past restaurants with bonfires burning on the beach in anticipation of the full moon that would soon rise over the mountain. At the end of the sand, we came to a lively scene at a bar and restaurant called the Indigo House. We sat down for drinks at one of the last open tables just as the owner, Valerie Rhymer, tinkled a knife against her glass and announced free shots for everyone in celebration of their first-year anniversary.

Later she and her husband, Kareem, joined us for a chat. She was a Florida girl who came to the BVIs in 1979 and sold boats for the Moorings in the early ’80s. Kareem was from Tortola but had spent several years in the States before returning home and opening Myett’s restaurant and hotel down the bay. For several years while raising their children, they’d lived in the house where we sat. Like so many others, it was destroyed in Irma, but after rebuilding, they decided to open it as a restaurant. So far, business has been good, thanks to loyal local patrons, many of whom work on various charter boats. Between sips of rum, Kareem admitted to feeling good energy now that the islands are coming back to life. He predicted a busy winter season ahead.

On Sunday, our last full day aboard Baba Jaga, we got going early and motored around WestEnd on our way to meet Richard and Shannon Hallett at Peter Island. They run a Moorings crewed charter boat, and it was a day off for them, but they too were on a working holiday, skippering the new 4200 for our photo session. It was still plenty windy, but they hoisted a full main and jib and reached back and forth as we chased along under power. When Whittle had all the photos and drone footage he needed, we tucked into the lee of Round Rock, set sail, and then bore away ourselves for two long jibes to the Bight on Norman Island.

The Willy T was the spot for Sunday sundowners. A steady stream of cruisers and charters came to the ship’s portside ­dinghy dock like moths to a flame. To starboard, the locals arrived in Cigarette boats and multi-engine center-consoles that they rafted alongside. Backflips from the floating bar’s upper deck were the dives of choice for this crowd.

And then, too early, it was time to return to Baba Jaga for one last dinner and a little stargazing on the flybridge.

Monday morning, Whittle hopped aboard with the Halletts to shoot our boat on the sail home to Road Town. Finally, overnight, the Christmas winds had settled down, and we were able at long last to shake the reefs out of the main. It was another outstanding trick at the helm, that close reach back to Wickams Cay. 

Inside the harbor, a Moorings captain came out in an inflatable and jumped aboard to put Baba Jaga back in its slip. And with that, our job was done. We’d successfully navigated travel restrictions, visited the islands, and met many a person looking forward to, if not an entirely normal season, a busy one. And we’d gone sailing. That was the best part. Definitely. We’d gone sailing. 

Mark Pillsbury is CW’s editor.

Pandemic Practicalities

None of or our crew had problems clearing into the BVI. Arriving by air at Beef Island, visitors were taken to a building next to the airline terminal. Inside, officials asked to see proof of vaccination, and a negative test result taken within four days of arrival. Those who had test results within 48 hours were free to proceed to customs. I did not, but rapid tests were available on-site for $50. All of this had been clearly spelled out ahead of time on websites maintained by both the charter company and BVI officials, so we encountered no surprises. In mid-December, masks were required throughout the BVI, and on Tortola, compliance appeared to be universal. On other islands, visitors and locals were more lax, but most activities took place outdoors, and we never encountered any concerning crowds. There were reportedly numerous sites in Tortola to get the required COVID test within 24 hours of returning to the States, but the Moorings and Sunsail had a medical person on-site to perform rapid tests for $125 a piece. Tucci had brought her own home kit, and those results were accepted as well at the airport, where we had to show proof of a negative test to get our boarding passes. To be honest, with a little research ahead of time, travel to the BVI, in my opinion, was no more complicated than it was in pre-pandemic times. Hey, it’s the islands!

Provisioning on the Fly

Our little adventure had been organized at the last minute, so close to our departure date, in fact, that paperwork for the boat and provisioning through the Moorings arrived after the two-week-prior-to-departure deadline for returning it. I went online and ­ordered basic provisions—water, paper goods, beverages and the like—from RiteWay, a supermarket across the road from Wickams Cay. These were delivered to the boat. As I unpacked the boxes, I checked the goods against my order list and found that a few items were missing. The delivery person was nearby, and agreed to return the next day with the rest of the order. • Then, with the gang all there, we drew up a longer shopping list for meats, veggies, snacks and libations, and made a run to the OneMart Superstore, which was recommended by a cab driver. A store employee, Edwin Salapare, picked us up at the charter base, helped us shop, and then back at the dock, he loaded our supplies into a handcart and hauled them to the boat. The staff at the base was happy to arrange for him to come, but one could contact him directly at 284-440-3027. He provided fantastic service, and we tipped accordingly.

The post Treasured Islands in the BVI appeared first on Cruising World.

During these times of social distancing, chartering a sailboat might just be the perfect vacation—just you and your family or a few close friends aboard and the opportunity to be just as secluded as you wish. Now there are two more domestic bases to choose from in sunny Florida: Coconut Grove and St. Petersburg. 

Dream Yacht Charter is opening their new base in Coconut Grove, which is located in central Miami, on August 7, 2020. This base is convenient to all that Southeast Florida has to offer, from Biscayne Bay through the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Enjoy excellent diving, fishing and sailing, not to mention some of the best sunsets anywhere. 

The Miami fleet includes an Astrea 42, Bali 4.5 and a Fountaine Pajot Motor Yacht 37, available for bareboat and skippered charters. Guests will be able to sail one way and start or end their charters in Key West, Key Largo and Marathon, as well as Miami.

RELATED: Domestic Sailing Adventures

Dream Yacht Charter founder, Loic Bonnet, said: “We continue to rapidly adapt to the new trend for domestic tourism for our US customers who want to sail closer to home. The opening of our new base in Miami comes a few months after opening at Compass Point Marina in St. Thomas, USVIs, which has proved incredibly popular. We’re pleased to partner once again with Navtours.”

On the West Coast of Florida, The Moorings now has charters available through Sailing Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the Vinoy Resort Marina. Florida’s Gulf Coast includes some of the state’s most beautiful beaches, and the cruising grounds include picturesque Sanibel and Captiva islands, Tarpon Springs, Marco Island, and even Key West and the Dry Tortugas. Steady breezes, year-round sunshine, wildlife, amazing sunsets, secluded anchorages and modern marinas are what you can expect from a sailing vacation in southwest Florida. The fleet includes a variety of new monohulls from Jeanneau and Beneteau and sail and power cats from Fountaine Pajot.

The post New Vacation Sailing Charter Options in Florida appeared first on Cruising World.

It still feels like yesterday, when the eyes of the world turned toward the Caribbean and watched as Mother Nature proved that she is a force to be reckoned with. Although nothing could have prepared us for the heartbreak and devastation that Hurricane Irma dealt our beloved British Virgin Islands in 2017, we also never could have imagined such a triumphant comeback story.

Last summer, boat-charter company the Moorings was blessed with the opportunity to participate in the BVI tourist board’s Seeds of Love campaign—an environmental initiative aimed at restoring and preserving “Nature’s Little Secrets” by replanting the islands’ indigenous trees and vegetation.

This past November, just one year after Moorings staff photographer Adam Rohrmann broke soil for his seedling on Virgin Gorda, he had the pleasure of returning to Spring Bay to check on the progress of his budding palm. Following a quick cab-ride detour and a short downhill hike, Rohrmann was pleased to discover that his Seeds of Love palm tree was still in its original place and standing tall.

A generous donation of 3,000 fruit trees from St. Vincent and the Grenadines launched the Seeds of Love program. Since then, the campaign has gained global recognition and received countless donations. There is even a monthly schedule of events and volunteer opportunities on the website, as well as a map that shows exactly where trees have been planted on each of the four main islands.

The sustainable efforts ­established by Seeds of Love are still blossoming today, and will continue strengthening the relationship between tourism and the environment in the BVI. To learn more about how you can donate or partner with Seeds of Love, visit the website.

The post BVI Seeds of Love appeared first on Cruising World.

Warm trade winds gusting across the deck, blue sky overhead, a big cat beating across ocean swells along the exposed rocky Atlantic coast of Peter Island. For a tropical birthday bash, this one was getting off to a very good start. Roughly 40 hours into it, and we’d already enjoyed a kickoff dinner-dance party, had an easy sail to Norman Island, gone snorkeling at the Caves, taken a paddleboard tour of the Bight, watched in disbelief as late-afternoon partiers did unspeakable things at the bar aboard the latest iteration of the infamous William Thornton, and danced into the evening at Pirate’s Bight, on the beach. Whew—and we still had nearly a week to go!

For many a sailor, there’s perhaps no better way to mark a special occasion than with a bareboat charter vacation in the British Virgin Islands. So it made perfect sense, really, that the granddaddy charter company of them all, the Moorings, would invite yacht owners and customers back to where it all began to mark a milestone: the 50th anniversary since founders Charlie and Ginny Cary opened shop in Tortola with a fleet of six 35-foot Pearson sailboats.

It’s worth recalling that when the Carys made the decision to ditch the corporate life and start anew in the islands, bareboat chartering—renting a boat and sailing it yourself with family and friends—was a new type of tropical adventure. Fifty years on, the Moorings, along with corporate cousin Sunsail, maintains the industry’s largest fleet of sail and power charter boats, available at bases around the globe.

It was early this past November when I flew to St. Thomas, and then the next morning hopped a ferry to Road Town, Tortola. I’d not been to the Moorings base or the BVI since hurricanes Irma and Maria ravished the islands in 2017. Just two years later, the town was bustling with shops, restaurants and businesses, not to mention construction projects in every direction. Clearly, the islands were back in business and ready for visiting sailors.

If Road Town was busy, the Moorings base at Wickhams Cay 2 was a madhouse on that Saturday morning. Outside, construction crews toiled away at the ongoing facilities’ overhaul sparked by the tropical storms and the need for more of everything: dock space, hotel rooms, provisioning and laundry services.

In addition to the 100 or so sailors who were waiting to get aboard the 30 bareboat and crewed monohulls, sail and power cats taking part in the anniversary rally, scores more were arriving to begin their own charters. Suitcases were stacked everywhere, and already the bar appeared to be doing a brisk business. Around noon, I met up with my shipmates, Josie Tucci, Moorings VP of sales and marketing, and Franck Baguil, VP of yacht ownership and product development, and we headed off to find our ride for the week: the Moorings 5000 Abby Normal To. Jim and Shirley TenBroeck were already aboard when we arrived for lunch, and they were being entertained by Abby Normal’s full-time captain and mate, Richard and Shannon Hallett. The TenBroecks own Westminster Teak and were a sponsor of the celebration. Meanwhile, savoring Shannon’s cooking and deciphering Richard’s strong South African accent as he told tale after tale would be two of the more enjoyable pastimes over the next few days.

That evening, festivities ­began in earnest with the entire rally gathered under the stars for a buffet dinner. Though the Carys are both deceased, others from the early days were on hand, including Tony Rainold, a sailing pal of the Carys in New Orleans, who was a partner with them from the start. Back in the day, he was the numbers man, and also the map guy. In 1979, usable charts and cruising guides were scarce, so to keep charterers out of trouble, Tony collected black-and-white photos of the more-popular anchorages, and then drew arrows to show passes, rocks and the like. In those days, the name of each boat was painted on a board, and strips of masking tape were used to keep track of customers.

“The most amazing thing to me,” Tony says, “is that it was all accomplished before the age of computers.”

After Sunday night’s revelry at Norman Island, it was time for a sail. Outside the Bight, Richard poked Abby Normal’s bows into the wind, and we ran up the main, bore off and unfurled the jib. It took a few tacks to make it through the channel between Norman and Peter islands, but out in the Atlantic, we settled into a near reach that took us to the wreck of the Rhone, the stern of which can be seen when snorkeling off the south side of Salt Island. The surf was lively and our stay was brief. For lunch, we rounded the corner and anchored in the lee off a sandy beach for an afternoon of hikes, swims and paddles. Later, we headed to Peter Island’s Great Harbor, where we dined aboard before heading ashore for what turned into a spirited ’60s party. Luckily, Franck brought costumes to spare, so he, Josie and I fit right in with the tie-dyed, granny spec, bell-­bottom-wearing collection that we encountered at the bar.

Tuesday’s destination was Leverick Bay in Virgin Gorda’s North Sound. We got going early to beat the crowd to the popular rock formations at the Baths. Unfortunately, surf warnings were posted, and Capt. Richard was not keen on us going ashore. Instead, Josie joined another boat for the day, and Jim and Shirley were among a group who decided to jump ship at nearby Spanish Town, and travel the length of the island with Sweet Ice Willie and his pickup-truck taxi to catch the spectacular views as the road winds up and along the island’s spine.

Me? I was sticking with the boat; I can ride in a truck back home. Franck had to depart the party early, so we motored across Sir Francis Drake Channel to drop him at a dock near the airport on Beef Island. Ashore, preparations for the Trellis Bay full-moon party were well underway. En route, we stopped briefly for a swim and lunch at Diamond Reef, which, according to Richard, has some of the best snorkeling in the BVI. He might be right.

That afternoon, I sat at the wheel taking long tacks from one side of the channel to the other. The sailing was lovely. The breeze was steady in the high teens, but toward either shore, it bent around to head us, making our progress slow. Finally, watching the sun dip lower, we fired up the engines and motored the remainder of the way to the anchorage.

Another harbor, another party ashore—this time a Caribbean barbecue that couldn’t be beat. Later, under a full moon, several of us piled into an inflatable for a fast and memorable tour of the sound. With the Bitter End Marina gone, obliterated by Irma, and the resort at Saba Rock still under construction, the hillsides were eerily dark, but boy, what a fun little cruise.

Wednesday called for a morning sail to Anegada and a rollicking afternoon party at Cow Wreck Beach, followed by a dinner of grilled lobsters, served under the stars at the Anegada Reef Hotel. Darned if the dancing didn’t start up again too.

I can no longer say that I’ve never been to the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. We got a jump on the day and left Anegada quite early to begin our return trek. For a change, Josie and Shannon did the sailing, and Richard and I navigated to the galley to whip up breakfast along the way. In White Bay, Richard nosed Abby Normal past the reef and anchored just yards off the beach. From there, it was a short swim ashore. Though I had a drybag for my camera and wallet, I put a $20 bill in my pocket just so I’d fit in at the bar. Legend has it, that’s how it got its name after all.

A lazy afternoon on the beach provided a chance to catch up with fellow ralliers such as Nicole and Chip Alger from Colorado Springs, who were first-time sailors and there aboard a Moorings 5800. The charter life? They were loving it. And so were Gary and Betty Greene from Seattle. They have a Beneteau 42.3 in charter in the BVI, and first visited the islands 30 years ago. Now on their second boat, there might be a power cat in their future.

While we lazed about, the Halletts moved Abby Normal to nearby Great Harbour, home to the infamous Foxy’s. To get there, Josie and I hitched a ride on the VIP boat—a crewed Moorings 5800, with Tony Rainold, Peter Robinson from Robertson and Caine, and Moorings yacht sales manager Jean Larroux aboard, along with their wives. Jean joined the Moorings early on, and pioneered the concept of owners buying boats and putting them into charter. He and Tony spun some darned-good yarns about their early years in the Caribbean.

On Friday, we were on station and ready for the paddleboard race off the beach in Cane Garden Bay, where one last party was set for that evening. Our time, though, was coming to a close. Rather than stay with the crowd, we motored back around the island for one last swim at Diamond Reef, and then anchored in Trellis Bay for one last dinner and night aboard, close enough to the Moorings base for everyone to make their flights.

Two old saws come to mind when wrapping up this little tale. To be sure, all good adventures must come to an end, and so the 50th-­anniversary rally did just that. But “you can’t go back again”? I’m not so sure. All you have to do is charter a boat. Once you’re sailing, the BVI will take care of the rest.

Mark Pillsbury is CW’s editor.

Eying the Next 50

While the Moorings’ 50th-anniversary festivities naturally focused on what’s been accomplished over the past half-century, attention at the company’s base at Wickhams Cay 2 this past fall was decidedly on the future. Work to upgrade the sprawling facility—also home to the Sunsail charter fleet—had already begun when a pair of back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes leveled much of the BVIs in 2017. Hundreds of boats were sunk or damaged, along with offices, the hotel, bar and restaurant.

But while the storms caused a devastating interruption to ­businesses in the short run, long term, they wiped the slate clean, if you will, and provided an opportunity to fast-track significant upgrades, according to Peter Cochran, vice president of operations and Antony Stewart, technical director for Travelopia Marine, owner of the two charter brands.

In the marina itself, docks are being reconfigured and expanded to accommodate the growing number of large catamarans that are replacing the smaller monohulls that once dominated. Repairs are essentially complete to public areas of the base, and now attention has turned to modernizing and greatly expanding facilities for services such as provisioning and laundry, both key to the base’s ability to see 800 or more charter starts a month.

Across the street from the base, where the charter operations took over the old Tortola Yacht Services yard in 2009, a full-scale commercial shipyard has sprung up, thanks to a hundred or more contractors who were brought in from more than two dozen countries to get the fleets back up and sailing as quickly as possible. At the height of operations, the yard was packed with wrecks, but now that many of those are back in charter, talk has turned to new service docks, paint and work sheds, a renovated carpentry shop, and other service facilities.

Most impressive, I thought as I toured the upgrades, is that all this work is underway while guests arrive by the busloads to relax.

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Andromeda Crewed Charters

Marking its 30th anniversary as a dealer of Lagoon and Hanse boat brands, among others, Andromeda Yachts has opened a base on the island of St. Maarten, offering luxury crewed diving charters in Caribbean destinations including the British Virgin Islands.

Andromeda offers a fleet of sailing catamarans for charter, including a Sunreef 62, Fountaine Pajot Eleuthera 60 and Lagoon 620; a 92-foot monohull is also available.

Aboard the Sunreef 62, eight guests are accommodated in four air-conditioned cabins with en suite heads. Amenities in airy common areas include smart TV and Bose home-theater systems, relaxation areas in the forward cockpit and in the flybridge, and double swim platforms. Scuba diving and snorkeling equipment include six dive cylinders and an air compressor; the captain is a PADI-certified dive instructor. Rounding out the water amenities is a 15-foot dinghy with a 70 hp outboard for water skiing, wakeboarding and other activities.

Andromeda’s fleet offers all-inclusive five-star service by a captain and chef. French and Italian gourmet cuisine; on-demand vegan, gluten-free and special menus; custom wine lists; personal trainer and yoga trainer; and concierge services for guests are also available.

First-time clients are offered a 5 percent rate discount. Contact Andromeda for details.

Cruise the Exumas with Sunsail

Sunsail offers itineraries for sailing the Exumas with the opening of a new base at Palm Cay Marina in Nassau, Bahamas.

This gives bareboat sailors access to a pristine destination stretching 100 miles north to south through the heart of the Bahamas. The archipelago features anchorages along untouched beaches, year-round sailing conditions, and one of the largest protected marine parks in the world: Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.

Choose among the newest four-cabin additions to the Sunsail fleet: the Sunsail Lagoon 424 and Sunsail Leopard 454W. For availability, visit Sunsail’s website.

First Charter?

Eager to charter but don’t want to go it alone? MarineMax Vacations offers first-timer ­flotillas in the BVI in 2020.

The company, which in 2019 was named a Certificate of Excellence winner by TripAdvisor, is offering the flotilla so vacation sailors can explore the BVI in a group. An itinerary stressing maximum fun, relaxation and adventure is led by the experienced MarineMax Vacations team and a local guide. Guests will cruise aboard power catamarans. The inaugural first-timer flotilla was set to run from February 29 to March 6, 2020; the second is from May 2-8, 2020. Experienced mariners are also welcome. For details, visit MarineMax Vacations.

Moorings Adds a Power Cat

The Moorings has added a new luxury power cat to its fleet. The Moorings 534PC, built by Robertson & Caine, features a watermaker, solar panels, blue underwater lights, electric grill, dinghy lift platform and expansive lounging pads. It accommodates up to nine guests in four air-conditioned en suite cabins. The cat is ready for charter in the BVI in May 2020, and in the Exumas, Bahamas, in fall 2020. For details, contact the Moorings.

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Explore Belize Barrier Reef with Crewed Options
Try a flotilla or wellness charter along the world’s second-largest barrier reef, and combine it with an array of land excursions from Belize Sailing Vacations.

Fully crewed and captain-only options are available from the base in Belize City, where the family-run, full-service yacht charter company has offered all-inclusive sailing vacations since 2001. They also teach the American Sailing Association instructional curriculum.

Choose from a fleet of eight catamarans, including a Fountaine Pajot Saona 47, two Lagoon 500s, four Leopards (44 to 47 feet) and a Lagoon 44.

Vacation packages include captain, chef, gourmet cuisine, standard open bar, cabins with en suite head and shower, and equipment for snorkeling, kayaking and fishing. The charter rates include land transportation from the Belize International Airport to the base at Cucumber Beach Marina. Gratuity and hotel and sales tax of 10 percent aren’t included; peak week pricing also might apply.

Situated on the western border of the Caribbean Sea, Belize’s reef and some 450 islands are teeming with marine life. Diving excursions to the Blue Hole and other atolls beyond the barrier reef are available via puddle-jumper flights from San Pedro and Placencia. Charter itineraries to Rio Dulce, Guatemala, are also available. Inland excursions include tours of Mayan temples, tubing and canoeing through caves, horseback riding and zip-lining. For details, consult the website (belizesailingvacations.com).

Dream in the San Blas Islands
Dream Yacht Charter has partnered with San Blas Sailing to offer crewed and by-the-cabin charters in the pristine Panamanian archipelago noted for its indigenous Guna population. The ideal season to sail is between December and April, when the waters and winds are calm. For details, consult the website (dreamyachtcharter.com/destination/panama).

NW Explorations adds Canada
NW Explorations, with headquarters in Bellingham, Washington, has expanded operations to two sites on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Canadians Ross and Evelyn Tennant, the 16-year-old charter, brokerage and service company now provides maintenance at Canoe Cove Marina, North Saanich, and at a second facility at Port Sidney Marina, in Sidney. The company specializes in Grand Banks, and other trawler-style vessels available for charter and purchase. For details, consult the website (nwexplorations.com).

Moorings Adds Oceanis Model
The Moorings has added a Beneteau Oceanis to its charter fleet: the Moorings 46.3. Beginning in December 2019, the new Beneteau monohulls will be available for charter in the Caribbean in the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, and Martinique. With many features of a large sailing yacht, the monohull strikes a balance between comfort, luxury and performance. The Moorings 46.3 features a spacious layout with three en suite cabins and a convertible saloon, sleeping up to eight guests. It also includes a large forward master suite. For a complete list of amenities, ­consult the website (moorings.com/yachts/sail-fleet/monohulls/46-3-3-cabin).

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Windjammer Sailing Lives On

Island Windjammers offers fans of the tall-ship chartering experience six- and 12-night itineraries throughout the Virgins, Leeward and Windward islands of the Caribbean. With all-inclusive per-person rates, the company—which was formed in 2008 by veterans of the former Windjammer Barefoot Cruises—operates with a fleet including the schooner Diamant, the triple-masted Vela and the motorsailer Sagitta. Diamant, just longer than 100 feet, accommodates 10 guests; Vela is 156 feet and takes 26 passengers; and Sagitta is 120 feet and hosts 24 guests. Rates are based on season, and include meals, beverages, cabin service, port charges and taxes, as well as snorkel gear. Cabins are air-conditioned, and feature 110-volt outlets and blow dryers.

Itineraries are flexible; guests have time to explore each port of call. Onboard activities include swimming and snorkeling from the ship, taking a turn on the rope swing, and using the ship’s paddleboards and kayaks. In addition to the traditional weekly cruise offerings, specialty theme cruises are offered, including Taste of the Islands Caribbean Cuisine Cruise, Rum Cruise, Solo Sojourns, Island Hops Beer Cruise, and Pirate Week. For details, visit islandwindjammers.com.

The Big 5-0

Five decades have passed since the Moorings was established by Charlie and Ginny Cary in the British Virgin Islands. The Moorings today is a globally recognized yacht charter brand. To mark its 50th anniversary in 2019, two rendezvous events take place in Croatia and the British Virgin Islands. The Croatia anniversary celebration is October 12-19, and the British Virgin Islands celebration is November 10-16.

Each of the events features a special itinerary, and a lead Moorings boat guides each flotilla. For details, visit the website. For more on the Moorings over the years, visit the website.

Le BOAT seeS 50 TOO

Inland waterways charter company Le Boat celebrates 50 years of self-drive canal-cruise vacations in Europe and in Canada in 2019. Le Boat launched in 1969, and the fleet has grown to more than 940 boats offering 18,000 cruises each year in nine countries around the world. Le Boat expanded to North America in 2018, opening in Smiths Falls, Ontario, on the UNESCO World Heritage Rideau Canal. In 2019, a second base on the Rideau Canal was opened at Seeley’s Bay, Ontario. For information visit the website.

Flotillas with Med Sailing

Med Sailing Adventures has expanded its flotilla offerings. The company, founded by Jean and Mila De Keyser, started with multiboat trips along the Dalmatia coast of Croatia, and has expanded to the Balearic Islands of Spain and the Tuscany coast of Italy. De Keyser is an instructor certified through the American Sailing Association curriculum and can assist sailors in obtaining permits required for Mediterranean bareboat chartering. Med Sailing participants pay by the cabin; if they are a family or a group of friends, they can take an entire boat. For details, consult the website.

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There was certainly no lack of fine catamarans launched in 2019 that will soon be introduced to charter fleets around the globe and, in the years ahead, will shepherd many a happy crew on countless memorable vacations. French builders have seemingly made a cottage industry of placing roomy, well-appointed, comfortable cats into the charter trade, and this year they upped their usual ante with a host of new offerings from Bali, Lagoon and Fountaine Pajot. But when our judges were asked to decide which cat they’d choose among them all if they were off on a charter trip, their pick as the year’s Best Charter Boat was the Leopard 50, aka the Moorings 5000.

The renowned South African builder Robertson and Caine has been supplying cats exclusively to The Moorings and Sunsail fleets for many years now, and between longtime naval architect Alex Simonis and The Moorings’ own marketing maven Franck Bauguil, it’s a collaboration that has the process down to a science. Put another way, this team knows how to manufacture fun. Their new 50-footer will deliver it in spades.

“It’s already been ­determined that over the next five years there’s going to be 200 of these built, so there’s no question about the commercial viability,” said Tim Murphy. “They have a 15-year track record of following through with their plans; they know exactly what goes into the boats. It’s probably going to be built with 5,000 or 6,000 man hours. Robertson and Caine know precisely what they’re doing, and they do great work.

RELATED: Leopard 50 Catamaran Review

“Everyone involved did a really good job of following through on the design criteria set out for charter catamarans,” he continued. “The visibility and traffic all the way through the boats; the communication from the helm station down and back to the social spaces; the safety and comfort of the cockpit, saloon and staterooms — all these things are addressed and implemented very, very well.

“One of the themes we have are the different kinds of social spaces you can create on a cat, specifically one of this size. There’s the outdoor aft cockpit; inside the bridge deck, or in the saloon; forward of the coachroof; and up on the hardtop. Four spaces. The goal, specifically for chartering — when you have different couples, or groups of people like families — is having different spaces to have social interactions. And then, of course, there’s the component of sailing and running the boat. So the test is how all these different spaces interact. Of all the nominees, I felt the Leopard/Moorings was the most successful at developing each of these social spaces, and integrating them. There’s a flow in this boat through the living spaces that’s independent of the sailing functions. So the social spaces are really unified in that way. Not only that, but going up to the sun deck you have a dedicated stairway up to that area. It’s completely separate from the sheets and halyards, and the helm. Once you’re up there you’re surrounded by seating and rails, so you’re centered in that space the same way you would be in the cockpit.”

What more is there to say? Well, other than “pack your bags.”

See All Winners:
2019 Boats of the Year

Other Winners:

• Domestic Boat of the Year
• Import Boat of the Year
• Best Midsize Cruiser Under 38 Feet
• Best Midsize Cruiser Over 38 Feet
• Best Full-Size Cruiser Under 48 Feet
• Best Full-Size Cruiser
• Best Cruising Catamaran Under 50 Feet
• Best Cruising Multihull Over 50 Feet
• Best Value

The post Best Charter Boat: The Leopard 50/Moorings 5000 appeared first on Cruising World.

Electricity and water restored, anchorages safe and passable, St. Martin’s back in action after a brutal hurricane season. And with just about a month to go before the sold-out 38th Heineken Regatta March 2 to 4, The Moorings and Sunsail are reopening charter operations at a new location there — Marina Fort-Louis, before the end of this week — Thursday, February 1.

The mixed fleet of monohulls, sailing catamarans, and powerboats from the island’s French capital in Marigot are available for term bareboat and crewed chartering around the Leeward Caribbean islands and beyond. One-way charters are available on a case-by-case basis.

“Nothing could have prepared us for the devastation that September’s hurricanes brought to St. Martin but we couldn’t be more thrilled to invite charterers back to one of our most popular destinations, and from a brand new base location in a world-class marina,” says Josie Tucci, vice president of sales and marketing. New yachts are also expected soon in St. Martin as part of a $66.5 million corporate investment in the Caribbean fleet for The Moorings and Sunsail; the St. Martin fleet is participating in the Heineken.

Sailors receive 10 percent off charters from May 1 to December 14, 2018, if they book the St. Martin destination by February 28, 2018; the offer can be combined with the Captain’s Rewards loyalty discount for up to 15 percent off. This offer applies to bareboat sail and power charters only. For details contact the companies: moorings.com; sunsail.com.

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