Sailing from BVI to Guatemala (FULL DOCUMENTARY)

Setting out on an ambitious 1,400-nautical-mile offshore voyage across the Caribbean Sea is a formidable undertaking for any cruising crew, but tackling it as a maiden bluewater crossing aboard a newly acquired catamaran elevates the stakes entirely. In this demanding offshore expedition, the family behind Sailing Big Lost departs their slip at Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, charting a direct course west-southwest toward the protected hurricane haven of Rio Dulce, Guatemala. Joined by professional delivery skipper and offshore coach David Langlois from the Boat Life Program, the crew must rapidly transition from dockside refit chaos to high-stakes bluewater seamanship as they race the summer weather window across the Caribbean basin.

Departure Prep at Nanny Cay and Scrambling Before the Weather Closes

The days leading up to lines-off at Nanny Cay on Tortola were consumed by overwhelming humidity, sweltering cabins, and a relentless mountain of ship’s spares. After acquiring their cruising catamaran, the family spent nearly a week sorting through locker after locker of random hardware, filters, lines, and dismantled gear left by previous owners. To ensure their maiden passage would be handled with seasoned guidance, they brought aboard David Langlois, an experienced professional captain tasked with evaluating the vessel’s systems, training the crew on watch-standing protocols, and sharpening their offshore routines.

Complications arose almost immediately on the foredeck. Connor and David tackled the ground tackle setup, wrestling with a brand-new Rocna anchor and a secondary ground tackle system. After hauling over $2,400 worth of heavy chain from the local marine chandlery, they discovered that the links were improperly sized for their windlass gypsy, forcing the crew to reconsider their bow configuration under blistering heat. While the kids, Maddie and Benny, sought shelter in the air-conditioned salon, weather reports prompted an urgent shift in schedule: an ideal downwind sailing window opened up toward Central America, offering rare fair winds in the Caribbean summer. Connor’s partner rushed into Road Town on Tortola to complete a high-stress logistics run—clearing customs at the ferry terminal to retrieve previously impounded spearguns, completing vessel registration name paperwork, and filling carts at the RiteWay Food Market to stock weeks of provisions.

Passage Telemetry and Route Milestones

Navigating from the northern Leeward Islands through the Mona Passage, along the southern coast of Hispaniola, past Jamaica, and into the western Caribbean demands disciplined navigation and constant watchfulness. The table below outlines the passage milestones, waypoints, and logistical checkpoints logged during the 1,400-mile journey from the British Virgin Islands to Guatemala.

Deep Downwind Seamanship and Rigging Management Under Wing on Wing

As the catamaran rounded Puerto Rico and entered the open waters of the central Caribbean Sea, favorable easterly trade winds settled in behind the transoms. Running directly downwind presented both relief and rigorous mechanical challenges. To maximize hull speed without running diesel engines, Captain Connor and David set the boat up in a classic wing-on-wing configuration: poling the Genoa out to the port side while pinning the main boom firmly out to starboard with a dedicated preventer.

Downwind sailing on a cruising multihull requires constant diligence. A sudden wind shift or helm distraction in rolling following seas can trigger an accidental gybe or wrap sails in the rig. Because the helm could not be left unattended for extended periods, Connor and David maintained strict rotating shifts at the wheel day and night, snatching brief naps and keeping high watchfulness on sail trim. When shaking out sail controls, the crew learned the finer nuances of rig tuning under load—carefully easing lazy bag lines to avoid tearing canvas when hoisting the mainsail, and managing Genoa sheet fairleads to prevent excessive flutter and chafe.

Mid-Caribbean Mechanical Troubleshooting: Generators and Galley Systems

Hundreds of miles from the nearest port of call, self-sufficiency became paramount. While maintaining seven to eight knots under sail, routine engine room inspections revealed that the drive belt on the primary 9 kW Northern Lights diesel generator was severely notched and on the brink of snapping. Because the engine alternators were dedicated exclusively to the starting batteries, the house lithium bank depended entirely on generator cycles to power the vessel’s navigation displays, freshwater pumps, and refrigeration.

Operating their secondary 20 kW auxiliary generator burned significantly more diesel, threatening their fuel reserves and potentially forcing an unscheduled bunkering stop in Jamaica. Working quickly in the hot engine bay, Connor and David replaced the damaged belt with a spare from their inventory, successfully restoring efficient house charging and allowing the boat to bypass Jamaica altogether. Shortly thereafter, an accidental circuit breaker trip on the cockpit icemaker knocked out power to a galley condiment refrigerator. The crew scrambled to troubleshoot wiring behind cabin bulkheads and under Maddie’s berth, quickly transferring perishable provisions to backup coolers to prevent food spoilage before tracing the electrical fault.

Offshore Encounters: Cayuco Fishermen and Blue-Water Harvests

Days into the deep ocean crossing, life aboard settled into the rhythmic cadence of offshore voyaging. Between rolling squalls that rinsed salt from the deck, playful pods of dolphins surfaced alongside the bow wave, lifting the spirits of young Benny and Maddie after bouts of seasickness and boredom. Spotting Portuguese man-of-war siphonophores trailing translucent tentacles past the hulls added to the vivid reality of bluewater wilderness.

As the catamaran crossed into deep waters off the coast of Honduras, an unexpected spectacle emerged on the horizon: dozens of local artisanal fishermen operating small open wooden dugout canoes, known as cayucos, miles away from visible land. The fishermen approached the sailing catamaran across the swells holding up freshly harvested spiny lobsters for barter. The cruising crew marveled at their presence so far offshore, deducing that larger mothership fishing vessels anchored nearby must tow the small cayucos out to the continental shelf banks each morning. Not long after, a strike on the trolling line brought aboard a vibrant Mahi-mahi. On the aft deck, David gave Connor a hands-on masterclass in offshore fish cleaning—carefully demonstrating how to extract clean fillets along the backbone without puncturing the stomach cavity, saving the roe, and preparing fresh ocean fare for the galley.

Shelter at Isla de Guanaja Before the Final Run to Rio Dulce

After clocking 1,225 consecutive nautical miles from Tortola across demanding seas, the welcome silhouette of Isla de Guanaja in Honduras’s Bay Islands rose above the horizon. Rather than pushing directly through the final 250 miles into Guatemala, the crew elected to drop anchor in the calm lee of the island to give the children a chance to swim, decompress on uncrowded beaches, and allow the adults a full night of uninterrupted sleep following an intense squall line the previous evening.

The stopover offered time to reflect on a remarkable maiden voyage. David Langlois’s offshore coaching had turned a high-stress delivery into a transformative educational passage, equipping Connor and his family with practical seamanship skills in emergency rigging, diesel maintenance, and open-ocean navigation. Refreshed and confident, the vessel prepared for its final push across the Gulf of Honduras to clear customs over the historic sandbar at Livingston and motor up the lush jungle canyons of Rio Dulce to sit out the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season.

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