Virgin Islands - British & USA

We arrived in Virgin Gorda after a 3094nm, 19day + 22hr crossing from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The passage itself was mostly fun, and we had really excellent weather for the crossing. The only negatives were that we had more nitnoid problems with boat systems than we had on any other crossing or passage, and despite passing through rich fishing grounds, we didn’t land a single fish during the trip.

Once in the Virgin Gorda, we cleared in with His Majesty’s Customs and Immigration officials, very near to the marina. It was straightforward until I mentioned we had a dog aboard, then all stop. Apparently, we had missed reading somewhere that all private vessels with pets aboard must clear in at Nanny Cay, Tortola, about 2 hours away. Before moving the over there, however, I spoke with the Department of Agriculture Veterinarian by phone. Firstly, he said that since we were already cleared in, he no longer had authority or jurisdiction over our entry. Secondly, after reviewing the documents I sent him by phone, he said everything looked in order. However, to officially clear Saylor into the BVI, we would have to go to Nanny Cay. Since Tortola was in the midst of big regatta, there were no transient spots available. So, at the end of the day, the vet allowed Saylor (and us) to stay in Virgin Gorda under the radar. I checked in with him every day by WhatsApp, and I informed him when we departed the BVI for the USVI.

While in Virgin Gorda, we split time between repairs and maintenance that needed to be done right away, and R&R from the crossing. We brought an electrician aboard who found a loose connection in the start/stop circuit that had been the source of the genset’s frequent stalling. We also found used parts for the spinnaker pole track that had been ripped from its mounting on the mast 2-3 days before arrival.

After a couple of days in Virgin Gorda, we said farewell to friend/guest crew, Kate Morgan, who had taken up sailing specifically to make the crossing with us. She was definitely value added during the passage, and we were sad to see her go. But she off to spend some holiday time with her parents in Antigua, and then to the Galapagos, before returning to her doctoring with UK’s NHS.

From Virgin Gorda we made a long daysail to St. John, USVI. There we rendezvoused in the national park anchorage with our good friends Rene & Babs Apel, cruisers we first met in Menorca in 2020. We also spent an afternoon and evening with my distant cousin Morag Miller, and her husband, Tom. They have a holiday home on St. John, and they just happened to be there in early April, escaping the cold of Columbus, Ohio, where they live.Les mer