Jonathan, It may be heresy to discuss on this list but the Virgin Islands are looked on as an ideal sailing venue. The winds are steady, the waters not too rough, and the climate perfect for swimming. Trips from island to island can be covered in a few hours of pleasant sailing and there are usually attractive harbors at both ends. Rum is cheap. Charter sailboats in the VI are usually large enough to have all trawler amenities. Especially the new breed of catamarans. In addition, the price of chartering a sailboat is usually less than the price of chartering an equivalent trawler. I don't know why this is. It may be that there is more charterer competition or it may be the lower cost of fuel. Most important, sailors find joy in the process of sailing rather than the destination. The Virgin Islands offer that joy in a risk free pleasant environment. I'm very glad you enjoyed yourself so much but consider a sailboat next time. You may like it. Larry Z - - - - - The (Virgin Islands) trip was fantastic, with gorgeous scenery, beaches, cliffs, amazing snorkeling (turtles, rays, sharks, and a gazillion little fish), though the fishing itself was not that great. (I think we didn't go to the right places.) We were quite surprised at how few trawlers we encountered: 4 trawler type boats in the course of two weeks. Three were similar charters to our own, and the 4th was a beautiful American Tug. The trawlers were outnumbered by sailboats by probably 40:1. This was our first experience outside the U.S. coastal waters and we were puzzled at the dearth of trawling-type vessels. If anyone is interested in more information on our experience, please drop me a line. Jonathan Haas

I just returned from a week skippering a 46' Robertson and Caine sailing cat in the BVI. And we did sail most of the time, despite my reputation as a power cruiser, and despite having only one other also relatively inexperienced sailor in the crew. My previous modest cruising under sail experience has been in the Abacos, mostly on smaller monohulls. I found the BVI quite delightful, as Larry suggests. The big cat was delightful as well, with three couples on board. It could easily have handled four. 24 foot beam, nicely laid out, lots of amenities. It also sailed well in the 15-20 knot winds that were consistently ENE. The only bummer was that it cost more for a week than I spend for an entire summer in SE Alaska. Too bad my 26-footer can't realistically make it that far. Guess I'll have to revert to my cold water frame of mind and head north again. Would it be heresy to have a sailing cat for the islands, and a power cruiser for the PNW? Richard Cook New Moon (Bounty 257) "Cruising in a Big Way" lrzeitlin@aol.com wrote: > > It may be heresy to discuss on this list but the Virgin Islands are > looked on as an ideal sailing venue. The winds are steady, the waters > not too rough, and the climate perfect for swimming. Trips from island > to island can be covered in a few hours of pleasant sailing and there > are usually attractive harbors at both ends. Rum is cheap. > > Charter sailboats in the VI are usually large enough to have all > trawler amenities. Especially the new breed of catamarans. In addition, > the price of chartering a sailboat is usually less than the price of > chartering an equivalent trawler. I don't know why this is. It may be > that there is more charterer competition or it may be the lower cost of > fuel. Most important, sailors find joy in the process of sailing rather > than the destination. The Virgin Islands offer that joy in a risk free > pleasant environment. I'm very glad you enjoyed yourself so much but > consider a sailboat next time. You may like it. > > Larry Z