Captain’s Log: BYOB (Bring Your Own Boat)
The Basics
The boat: a privately owned 2021 Neel 51 Trimaran
Crew: Captain Trevon (instructor)
ASA Students: Peter, Kat, Joe, and Ashley
Courses Completed: ASA 103 (Basic Coastal Cruising), ASA 104 (Bareboat Cruising), ASA 114 (Cruising Catamaran)
Day 1: New boat, new goals
Peter and Kat are the proud new owners of a 2021 Neel 51 Trimaran! They are looking forward to learning how to manage this beautiful (and big!) vessel with the help of Captain Trevon. Their friends Joe and Ashley are also along for the ride. They’re hoping to gain some additional sailing skills that they can use to better handle their 30 foot cabin cruiser on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in North Carolina.
After discussing their prior sailing experience, the crew set sail from Nanny Cay in the BVIs. This large marina provided a perfect spot for practicing the handling of the large trimaran in close quarters. Afterwards, the crew set sail to Cooper Island and by afternoon had made their way over to Marina Cay to grab a mooring ball for the night.
Day 2: Exploring the BVI
This crew not only wanted to sail– but also explore the BVIs during their sailing trip! After a sail around Baths, the students made their way to Cooper Island to spend some time snorkeling and exploring. In the warm waters, they were able to spot a shark, stingray, and plenty of reef fish! Once they had their fill of snorkeling the crew headed to shore to check out the beach club and a rum tasting room.
Day 3: Going our separate ways
The crew had a great sail heading west on a broad reach to Tortola and then over to Jost Van Dyke. Once they reached the island, Peter and Ashley decided to swim to shore from White Bay. The rest of the crew headed to Great Harbor to grab a mooring ball and then took a taxi to meet Ashley and Peter for a night of karaoke!
Day 4: Anchored in
Day 4 was all about anchoring! The crew headed east to Sandy Cay for a full day of practice with anchoring techniques. By afternoon, they were true pros and happily proudly sailed their way back to Nanny Cay to dock for the evening.
Day 5: A dinghy day
The students had a great sail out to Norman Island but once there— it was time to switch out boats! The crew decided they would like to take the dinghy around a cave on the island. Once there, they snorkeled the area before heading back to the boat for the evening.
Day 6: Until the next sail
The final sailing day had come too soon! The crew took a short sail on a beam reach back to Nanny Cay, now feeling confident in their trimaran sailing abilities. Everyone successfully completed their ASA sailing courses and Peter and Kat spent the afternoon cleaning up their boat and making sure it would be all ready for their next adventure in a few months.