The Traveling Duo's Indulgence: British Virgin Islands

Last week, I was fortunate enough to travel to Virgin Gorda with my parents, my wife, and about 15 family law attorneys from Michigan. My father goes on a networking/conference every year with family law attorneys. This year, the Traveling Duo was fortunate enough to make the trip as stowaways.

A boat bringing provisions from the dock

Virgin Gorda is the third largest island in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and is very hilly, narrow, and sparsely populated. The rugged landscape (due to the volcanic soil and rocks) makes for an absolutely spectacular drive, no matter where you are going on the island. Some parts of the island can only be accessed by boat which makes the most mundane chores an adventure.

View from an open-air cab - traveling from Gun Creek to Spanish Town

Arriving to Virgin Gorda itself was no small feat. We flew from Puerto Rico to Beef Island, which was one of the prettiest descents I have been a part of. As the plane came careening around one side of Beef Island, the left wing was so close to the rolling hills I was able to look into some houses. One of the houses sat atop a rolling green hill which towered over a secluded beach about 100 feet below that melted into the clearest blue water you have ever seen. We were amazed and kept looking for large fish through the crystal blue water. It was a landing that spawned "Ooh's and Ahh's" from the small plane of no more than 25 people.

The ride from Beef Island to Virgin Gorda

Once we landed, we walked across the street, past some chickens, to "the dock" and hopped on the North Sound Express. They loaded our luggage as the sun was dipping beneath the hills and between islands. We motored between islands from port to port as the sky went from a collage of colors to a thick blanket of stars. I saw not one, but two shooting stars on that hour long boat ride.

When we pulled up to the Bitter End Yacht Club after what seemed like a trip to the planetarium (I would have gladly accepted an amateur astronomy class on that boat ride) we grabbed dinner and crashed from a full day of traveling.

Since we showed up late at night, we didn't get a chance to soak in where we were. It was too dark and we couldn't get our bearings. The next morning we woke up to this:

My dad with his guitar, ready to jam on the beach

We immediately packed our snorkels, books, guitar, and a cooler of beer and headed for the beach. On our walk there, we were told that most people who visit the Bitter End Yacht Club (BEYC) do not actually stay on the island, rather they sail to the BEYC, sleep on their boat, and take a dingy to shore and drink at the bar, eat at the restaurant, or use the pool and beach (hence all of the sailboats in the photo above). This blew me away. I'm no sailor nor have I sailed anything bigger than a Hobie Cat (which I ended up crashing and swimming back 1 1/2 miles), but some people we met had sailed from Holland to the BVI for the whole winter. Other people sailed down from Virginia, St. Thomas, and even Hoboken, NJ.

The BVI is a sailor's paradise because you do not need typical nautical navigational skills because every island is so close together. You can see from one island to the next so all you need is a map and some common sense to get from place to place.

Me and the wife on the Tiara

We celebrated my father's birthday while we were down there. He requested we visit a remote, boat-access-only island called Jost Van Dyke, which was featured in Kenny Chesney's music video for his 2002 hit song "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem." The music video included a scene at One Love Bar where it is common for patrons to pay with wet bills.
We rented a 15-seater Tiara speed boat and on my father's request we visited a bar made famous by sailors called Foxy's. Foxy's had pretty good Caribbean style food and even better libations. When in the Caribbean, it seems like every bar has their own mixed drink specials along with the typical classics. I try not to stray too far from the classics. Rum punch is my personal favorite while in scorching hot weather, so I feel confident when I say that Foxy's had the best rum punch. It was tasty as hell, not too sweet, and got me pretty drunk (after 3 of them).

Foxy's about to order a rum punch

Mom Driving the Tiara

There are enough beaches in the BVI that everyone can have their own. After wandering around Jost Van Dyke for a couple hours, we decided to drive the boat to a secluded beach and go for a swim/snorkel. We were the only ones on this beach and there is no better feeling in the world.