Captain’s Log: Sampling the USVI’s Comfort Foods
The Basics
The boat: 2018 Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40 Catamaran
Crew: Captain JT
ASA Students: Alex, Austin, and Stephanie
Courses Completed: ASA 103 (Basic Coastal Cruising), ASA 104 (Bareboat Cruising), ASA 114 (Cruising Catamaran),
Day 1: Starting Strong
All three sailors come to the Go Sail Virgin Island charter with sailing experience! Stephanie and Austin have chartered boats with friends before but always relied on someone else to be the captain. Now, they are ready to take to the helm themselves. Alex has grown up on boats but now he’s ready to jump into the sailing world, specifically!
Day 2: A Loop Around the Sound
The crew woke up to find turtles swimming in the water so before beginning their sailing journey— they jumped in for a quick swim! Afterwards, the crew tacked their way east, sailing to Sandy Cay and then turned downwind to practice jibing. They completed the day’s sail with a loop around the Sound and made it back to moor at Honeymoon Beach in Caneel Bay. Snorkeling, VHF radio use discussions, and knot tying practice completed the fun-filled evening.
Day 3: Charts and Navigation
On the second full day of sailing, the crew took on the task of charting their own course! They made a passage plan to Magens Bays and then practiced jibes on the way to St. Thomas. The crew made their way back to Magens Bay, taking turns at the helm and operating the windlass. The day was a true success and after anchoring, the crew celebrated over cocktails and fajitas!
Day 4: The Ups and Downs
The crew started off the day by performing daily engine checks before jumping right into man-overboard (MOB) drills. It didn’t take this group long to master the skill—every student successfully recovered their MOB on the first try! Next up, the crew tackled some very temperamental winds! They would reef the main more than shake the reef as they tacked their way upwind. However, the crew did a great job navigating through the winds’ ups and downs and even had time to practice a three point fix north of St. John. They located their position within a 10th of a minute compared to GPS!
Day 5: Sampling the USVI’s Comfort Foods
The US Virgin Islands doesn’t just have great seafood— it’s known for some pretty great comfort foods too! The crew decided to have a bit of a sailing food tour day with a few USVI comfort food highlights. Up first was Lime Out, the USVI’s famous floating taco bar. To work up their hunger again, the group swam and snorkeled before returning to the boat and ordering pizza from Pizza Pi— a pizza kitchen on a sailboat!
Day 6: Heading Back to Compass Point Marina
After a full week of sailing adventures, it was time to sail back to Compass Point Marina and say goodbyes! The crew packed up, exchanged contact information, and shared their favorite memories of a sailing trip they would never forget. Until next time!