Jost van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
Dawn on the first day of the New Year 2008 found us entering the famous Sir Francis Drake Passage into the British Virgin Islands. The sun’s light dappled the green of the islands with a golden-green luminescence. This archipelago is one of the world’s “capitals” for sailing enthusiasts since the wind is always steady and the islands on either of the passage serve as buffers. Sailing yachts shot out from shore to get a better look at the elegant Sea Cloud II, the grandest of them all. We sailed by Tortulla, the largest of the British Virgin Islands and the location of Roadtown, the administrative capital of the BVI as we headed for our destination of Jost van Dyke.
The archipelago of the entire Virgin Islands, including the British and American together, contain some ninety islands and islets with a total population of about 130,000. The English first settled these islands in 1666 and save a few years of contested ownership from the Danes, they have held them since. They remain an overseas territory of England. The strategic position of these islands became increasingly evident to the US during the First World War and so in 1917, the US purchased St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John from Denmark and these are American territories.
Homes hung from the sides of the cliffs in a riot of pastel colors. The prosperity of this archipelago is obvious from the elegance of the architecture alone. We reached Jost van Dyke, famous for the brilliant white of its beaches, at lunchtime. After another wonderful buffet lunch we Zodiac cruised into the coconut palm lined beach and began the day’s exploration. Our exact destination is aptly named White Bay, as the sand is as fine and brilliant as sugar crystals. Tom Ritchie led one group on a nature walk and Kimberly Goins led another hardy group on a walk to the adjoining bay, called Great Bay the location of the famous (or infamous) Foxy’s Bar, the home of the hurricane, an island drink with a knock out punch. Tom Heffernan and Mike Greenfelder went snorkeling with the rest of the guests. The snorkeling was some of the best I have ever experienced. We swam amidst shoals of fish so dense it felt as if one were in a snow blizzard: rases, parrotfish of every color, damselfish, were everywhere. Also everywhere were the pelicans that were diving so close that they came within feet of us. I also saw two reef sharks, one quite large and an enormous dazzlingly silver tarpon that might have weighed 200 pounds. We could hardly leave this beautiful place and stayed until 6PM.
At recap Tom Ritchie discussed the fascinating influence of Spanish pieces of 8 on the naming of the American dollar. Dinner tonight was a festive barbecue. The crew decorated the entire Lido with palm branches. We ate on the Lido Deck under the stars. One could not imagine a better day filled with rich opportunities for learning and exploration.
Dawn on the first day of the New Year 2008 found us entering the famous Sir Francis Drake Passage into the British Virgin Islands. The sun’s light dappled the green of the islands with a golden-green luminescence. This archipelago is one of the world’s “capitals” for sailing enthusiasts since the wind is always steady and the islands on either of the passage serve as buffers. Sailing yachts shot out from shore to get a better look at the elegant Sea Cloud II, the grandest of them all. We sailed by Tortulla, the largest of the British Virgin Islands and the location of Roadtown, the administrative capital of the BVI as we headed for our destination of Jost van Dyke.
The archipelago of the entire Virgin Islands, including the British and American together, contain some ninety islands and islets with a total population of about 130,000. The English first settled these islands in 1666 and save a few years of contested ownership from the Danes, they have held them since. They remain an overseas territory of England. The strategic position of these islands became increasingly evident to the US during the First World War and so in 1917, the US purchased St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John from Denmark and these are American territories.
Homes hung from the sides of the cliffs in a riot of pastel colors. The prosperity of this archipelago is obvious from the elegance of the architecture alone. We reached Jost van Dyke, famous for the brilliant white of its beaches, at lunchtime. After another wonderful buffet lunch we Zodiac cruised into the coconut palm lined beach and began the day’s exploration. Our exact destination is aptly named White Bay, as the sand is as fine and brilliant as sugar crystals. Tom Ritchie led one group on a nature walk and Kimberly Goins led another hardy group on a walk to the adjoining bay, called Great Bay the location of the famous (or infamous) Foxy’s Bar, the home of the hurricane, an island drink with a knock out punch. Tom Heffernan and Mike Greenfelder went snorkeling with the rest of the guests. The snorkeling was some of the best I have ever experienced. We swam amidst shoals of fish so dense it felt as if one were in a snow blizzard: rases, parrotfish of every color, damselfish, were everywhere. Also everywhere were the pelicans that were diving so close that they came within feet of us. I also saw two reef sharks, one quite large and an enormous dazzlingly silver tarpon that might have weighed 200 pounds. We could hardly leave this beautiful place and stayed until 6PM.
At recap Tom Ritchie discussed the fascinating influence of Spanish pieces of 8 on the naming of the American dollar. Dinner tonight was a festive barbecue. The crew decorated the entire Lido with palm branches. We ate on the Lido Deck under the stars. One could not imagine a better day filled with rich opportunities for learning and exploration.
