BVI Bound! The Next Leg of Our Southbound Sailing Adventure

At Honeymoon Beach in the Virgin Islands, the crew of Sailing Big Lost shifted off an unmarked mooring buoy to set anchor after an unannounced fee demand. Waking up to a local boat owner stating that “he owned it and we owed him 0 a night”—compared to the 6 nightly fee for official national park moorings in St. John—the catamaran dropped hook in the deeper anchorage. As the crew explained, “so we relocated off the private ball and just anchored here” to maintain safe swinging room away from boats on fixed moorings, where paying out 50 or 100 ft of chain requires a much larger pendulum swing.

After observing other boats monopolizing public moorings with unattended paddleboards, the crew reported the issue to the local Department of Natural Resources before shifting attention to essential logistics. Long-delayed equipment shipments had finally reached the freight terminal in St. Thomas, prompting a difficult small-craft transit across open water to collect the critical replacement gear.

Retrieving Freight and Marine Spares in St. Thomas

Collecting the freight required navigating a small inflatable dinghy across choppy water toward the commercial docks in town. The team had contacted Island Bargains multiple times to verify delivery, only to discover that the terminal was not situated at the airport as originally communicated. Instead, the cargo resided in an industrial zone along Subbase Road near Niski Shopping Center, where warehouse structures lacked visible street addresses and direct dinghy docks were unavailable.

Hauling a utility cart through unfamiliar commercial roads created friction among the crew during the search. As recounted while attempting to pinpoint the location of contacts Oselda and Rick, “Connor’s annoyed with me because he thinks I don’t get all the information or convey all the information” regarding the pick-up coordinates. Recognizing the distance from the water and the excessive volume of cargo for a folding cart, the freight company owner drove down personally to transport the crates directly to the dinghy.

The retrieved shipment contained essential machinery spares needed for upcoming passages south toward Grenada. Back aboard their Vision 444 catamaran, the crew unpacked an air lock system for the air conditioning, a replacement engine water pump for the port engine, a spare exhaust blower, and two Balmar alternators with regulators. With previous blower failures leaving the boat vulnerable, having another backup unit on board was vital, with the crew remarking, “Meaning now we have no spare” until the fresh unit was stowed. The boxes also yielded two snatch blocks, an engraved vessel specification placard for the navigation station, and branded sunshirts for Maddie and Finn.

Passage to Norman Island and The Bight

With mechanical spares secured, the yacht cleared out of the USVI and set sail on an estimated 3 hour passage toward Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands. Handing down the territorial courtesy banner, the crew prepared their yellow quarantine code flag for arrival into foreign waters. Entering the sheltered anchorage of The Bight, the crew bypassed the 0 mooring field to drop anchor in open water, establishing a comfortable buffer from the evening noise of the floating venue Willy T.

The anchorage offered a panoramic vantage of nearby Privateer Bay, sea caves, and the dive pinnacles known as The Indians. In the afternoon, the family watched dinghies shuttle visitors across the bay to watch swimmers leap from the upper decks of the floating barge. After rinsing off the deck salt and letting the kids unwind in the anchorage, the crew prepared the boat for an early crossing toward Virgin Gorda.

Squalls, Sargassum, and Heavy Headwinds to Spanish Town

The morning leg toward Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda proved grueling as an unsettled weather pattern moved across the channel. Motoring directly into heavy rainsqualls, the yacht encountered choppy waves and strong resistance. Vessel instruments recorded 25 knots of apparent wind speed on the nose, slowing forward progress to 5.86 knots as the twin engines drove through head seas.

Heavy concentrations of pelagic sargassum weed posed constant navigation hazards along the route. Dense floating mats threatened to foul the propellers, choke raw-water engine intake strainers, and lodge inside the speed paddlewheel. The crew closely monitored engine temperatures and exhaust water discharge throughout the passage. Radio traffic crackled with emergency alerts as the United States Coast Guard in Puerto Rico broadcast assistance calls for a vessel fire off St. Croix. Reaching Virgin Gorda without mechanical failure, the catamaran took shelter to wait for a Wednesday weather window with lower winds to motor across to St. Martin.

One Year Aboard and 5,000 Nautical Miles Logged

Safely anchored in Virgin Gorda within view of the Asian fusion restaurant Cocoa Maya, the stop marked a major milestone for the family. Exactly one year earlier, in July 2024, the crew had first departed these islands aboard their catamaran as relative beginners. Returning to the exact waters where their voyage began provided perspective on their evolution into self-reliant liveaboards.

Looking back across their voyaging log, the crew reflected on their progress: “we’ve sailed more than 5,000 nautical miles, visited seven countries, tackled endless boat repairs” while adapting to full-time life afloat. The family had navigated complex technical maintenance, weather routing, remote provisioning, and independent boat homeschooling for their children. Having developed confidence through persistent troubleshooting, the crew completed preparations to continue their southbound migration along the island chain.

Voyage Log and Equipment Inventory

Frequently Asked Questions