BVI Day #2 -- West End and Jost Van Dyke

What a great night's rest!  Surrounded by Soldiers Bay's green hillsides, twittering land birds, cooling breezes and gently lapping wavelets against the hull.  It was the nicest sleep of the whole trip, and always just that much sweeter after thirty-six hours underway.

Even after we dropped the mooring and set sail, we didn't rush. First we wandered a bit left to let Tom and Bette Lee look into the Bight where they were more impressed by the crowd of boats being mostly catamarans than they were of the notorious Willy T floating pirate bar, and we were more astonished at the huge new structure housing shore-based Pirate's Bite restaurant.  Then we wandered past the Treasure Caves (where more catamarans were tied up), and then back north for a fly-by of the BVI's  iconic rock quartet known as the Indians, where, you guessed it, even more catamarans were moored.  

We'd, of course, heard that there we're a lot of cats now in the BVI cruising fleet, but we simply hadn't expected it to the point of seeing almost no monohulls!  There has been a lot of idle banter on this trip, pretty much on a daily basis, about how Don and I need to get a catamaran of our own, and the BVI sure was proving a good palace to window shop.  "What about that one?" became a common refrain.  

We pulled into Tortola's West End to do the paper work with the officials, and then indulged in a nice lunch of chicken roti at Pusser's Landing.  But then, since Pusser's Landing is home base for Voyage Yacht Charters, another South African catamaran builder, the four of us moseyed down the docks for a look see.  Peter Jones, the fleet manager, was kind enough to show us their new 52 and their workhorse, the 44.  

Throughout our cruising years we've known three of the Voyage 44s -- Endangered Species, Wind Pony and Gotta Go.  The Voyage 44s are extremely sleek looking cats from the outside, and said to be good performers, but Don and I have always had reservations about their close interiors and the fore and aft berths that require the inside sleeper to climb over their partner.  Perhaps our reservation come from being such tall people.  We like a little elbow room.  

Peter , however, is very proud of his new models, particularly their very modern interior decor.  The 52 is huge, ideal for big charter groups, but the 44 still seems cramped, and while easy-to-maintains interiors is a very attractive concept, the result came across very sterile to us, especially after living on gracious Quantum Leap.

After our window shopping, we sailed on over to Jost Van Dyke where I had jockeyed us into position for the Friday night barbecue.  Don and I went in early to have a cocktail and see if we could find any one to visit with.  

Even though we had seen the much enlarged Foxy empire when we were back for Tiffany's wedding in 2003, it still struck us anew!  The boutique is now four rooms deep and packed full.  We each got a new T-shirt and Don got a new Foxy ball cap.  At the bar, during the daytime, operations move beachward to the outer bar, and the main restaurant area lurks in the dark.  Nobody urged us to walk back and see the micro-brewery, but micro brews are still on the menu.  The crowd seemed thin to us, just one barman serving and joking, and chattering away in Spanish, so not a local guy!

But, we were lucky because Foxy himself was there mingling and holding court, and with a little prompting claimed to remember us.  The Fox is looking older, but he works that to the max, with new gags about age. 

 

Which should not suggest he has retired any of his old material!  "Do you know what kind of dog that is?"  He has completely retired from singing his calypso news at the bar, and now says he only sings to his vegetable garden, his new hobby.  He pointed out his youngest grandchild, an adorable little boy about two, intently playing with a cell phone, who is Jemilla's third child!  Jemilla?  Jemilla was in elementary school last time we saw her!!!!!

Foxy's wife Tessa had gone to St John for the day.  We left her several messages but never caught up with her.  Most of the rest of the staff we did not recognize.  When we went next door, looking for our good friend Godwin, his house was closed up tight.

We walked the length of the beach and marveled at the proliferation of beach businesses, even though there was little activity anywhere except Foxy's.  Coolest new thing was JVDs own dive shop.  They we're filling tanks so I guess they have business.

But by 7:30pm when the barbecue started serving, the place had come full alive and we felt right at home.  Bette Lee was pleasantly surprised, I think, by the extensive salad bar.  (But let's be honest, any sailor can't help but gape at a giant bowl of fresh crisp romaine for Caesar salad!). I piled on the ribs (for which I confess to having had secret longings) and Don took ribs and mahi, which he pronounced excellent.  

There was live music, and when Don gallantly took my hand for a dance, we bumped into Belvyn, the young man who, when not dancing solo with his pole, would occasionally dance with me.  Belvyn is now older,  still working moving beer cases around, and still has that sweet grin.  After hugs, we asked him if he'd seen Godwin, and he spun on his heel and led us right to Godwin at the next bar over!

Foxy and Tessa are professional friends, but Godwin is a real friend.  I, of course, came to know him through our mutual friend Judy, but he may have been the first local person newly-arrived Don met in the islands when Judy took him to that first JVD New Year's event with old Tackless II packed with supplies for Godwin's booth!  Godwin was also the friend who came to St Thomas after Hurricane Marilyn with a cross cut saw to help Don cut away a post Tackless was hung up on that was actually depressing the hull!  We have dived with him, fished with him, and so much more.  And the first thing he said when he saw us was, "Wow, I haven't seen you guys since your daughter's wedding!"  He always did have a prodigious memory!

We whipped out Don's phone to show pictures of the kids and grandson, but, in the dark, totally failed to think of snapping any pictures!  I could kick myself, and have!  But I'll just say, for the many readers who have met him with us, that Godwin is looking great, very trim.  He is working at maintaining grounds for one of the vacation villas, running lobster traps, herding his goats, and cultivating  a large garden.  He was very proud to have won some awards for livestock and agriculture.  When we went back the next morning to try for a picture, he was long gone for his day's endeavors.