What should I
expect on a Sistership trip? Check out this pictorial. All photos courtesy
of Kay Palmer , ‘Head Girl’ and photographer extraordinaire. Please
click on any of the images below to enlarge. |
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Your trip starts the minute you land at Beef Island International Airport
to be greeted by wonderful taxi man Collin who will whisk you off
to your hotel pointing out the sights along the way. Many of you choose to
stay at The Tamarind Club, a delightful hotel only
minutes from the airport.
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The next day Collin will transport you to
Nanny
Cay Marina , where your home for the next week, Beneteau
445 'Seabiscuit', is docked. |
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Let’s set sail with Lou, Capt. Pat, Patti, Bev and Kay.
After locating our safety equipment and going over the deck from stem to
stern we set sail. Patti ‘jumps’ the main halyard while Bev tails, then finishes it off at the winch.
We Be Sailin’! |
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During the course of the week learning the ASA curriculum we cover many
aspects of sailing and cruising including sail trim, knot tying,
navigating, mooring ball pick up and docking.
Congratulations Patti on a successful docking. |
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We practice all
points of sail taking turns both on the helm and trimming the sails , and the very important 'man overboard' drill. |
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| The 104 level
course covers boat systems including plumbing, engine and
electrical systems.
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Added bonus lesson this
week - time to refuel the engine. Patti fills the dinghy tank , while Bev and Lou take on the diesel
pump . Hey! It goes in the TANK, Bev! |
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As always on a boat you must expect the unexpected. Even the most
meticulously maintained boats have things go wrong when you least expect
it. Whether it’s merely a clog in the galley sink or something more
serious you must be knowledgeable and prepared to handle it. Oops!
No engine cooling water flowing - time to change the impeller in the sea
water pump. On one trip our steering cable jumped it’s sheave and we
quickly installed our emergency tiller and entered the harbor safely. |
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With all we learn we still have time to relax and enjoy
the beautiful BVI. |
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We soak in the sunset with a cold one at the end of the day. We eat wonderful meals
both aboard and ashore at Pomato Point restaurant on Anegada which has the best lobster in the BVI. |
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We enjoy the water and use our ‘sportscar’ to get us to
great snorkel spots. We practice for the conch shell blowing
contest. Kay is crowned ‘Queen Conch of Marina Cay. |
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In the BVI shopping comes to us! Local artist Aaragorn brings fresh
local fruits and breads, handcrafts from the Carib tribe of Dominica, and
the best T-shirts in the BVI.
Pearline brings jewelry, shirts and sarongs. |
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We sail, we learn, we study. We are well prepared when it comes time
to take our ASA exams. Congratulations! Everyone passed with
flying colors. |
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What a week! We’ve done lots of fabulous sailing,
learned so much, earned our ASA certification and had a ton of fun doing
it. We hadn’t even counted on the best part - the wonderful
camaraderie and lasting friendships that sailing together brings. |
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in the British Virgin Islands