CARIBBEAN CRUISING CLUB LTD.

Our week adventure with Caribbean Cruising Club held fond memories for two female sail mates and myself. The women spent the bulk of the days enjoying the sun, but each took the wheel for a spell. I was recently certified to charter a large boat on lake Champlain in Vermont near my home. I didn't want the stress and responsibility of being in charge on the ocean by myself.





Sailing for a week on Ragamuffin with Jo and Loren as Captain allowed me to relax and get the sailing experience I needed to feel confident about chartering a boat at some future date in the Caribbean. It was also nice to be able to kick off the shoes for a week.
Each day had certain rituals such as kneading and baking bread take place. It was nice to have a delicious breakfast and lunch prepared for us each day. we would then set sail for a new island, as the cat "Squeek" crawled into the safety of a side compartment. We would stop for snorkeling among the coral at a spot like the Indian's, The Caves or the 300 foot palm tree sandy island we called Gilligan's Island. Each spot revealed an array of different coral among the reefs. We snorkeled among the tropical fish appropriately named for their brilliance such as the Butterfly, Angel, Parrot or Trumpet fish. We glimpsed three foot Tarpon, Crabs, Lobster and a Manta Ray gliding along the sandy bottom near Marina Cay.

One of the highlights was spotting whales near Virgin Gorda. we sailed closer to observe a calf and mother flipping to the side and tail up before they dove down. I was on the bow with the women, camera in hand as the 30 foot calf swam under us from the bow of the boat. Then a rainstorm came in and the whales seemed like kids splattering in puddles as they flipped out 30 feet from our boat and headed away.

We had a chance to explore and stroll some of the serene beaches such as the one on Cow Wreck Bay in Anegada. The local beach bar restaurant was run by an island family that did everything from playing taxi to our dock, cook our gourmet meal on the grill and ring up a few T-shirts from the quaint little gift shop. It was obviously a place to kickback with hammocks, a dart board by the bar and the bartender's 2 year old running around behind the bar. we watched the sunset from our table with sand under us that connected to the beach by the ocean. During our stay the island generator went off and old lanterns were placed on each table adding to the charming atmosphere. The family service was so relaxed and comfortable that you couldn't help but slow down and give a sigh of letting go.

The next day we sailed to Cane Garden Bay, on the North side of Tortola. On the way we spotted flying fish and a three foot sea turtle swam by with head above the water heading in the opposite direction. Cane Garden Bay was where Jimmy Buffet lived and wrote songs. Loren pointed out the beach bar where he wrote a song looking out at the lights provided by GE in St. Thomas. It is easy to see why he fell in love with this spot. I am not sure if it was the beaches or the 200 year old Rum Factory on a back alley that kept him here. At $6.00 a bottle you might want to buy a bottle just to taste the nostalgia of the old barrels, sugar cane, and cobwebs in the old place.