July 19, 2011
A combination sailing vacation and diving vacation is the ultimate vacation for enjoying two adventurous water vacations. Follow Jason and his friends as they explore the chain of dive sites in BVI.
A chartered sailboat and the expertise of Captain Terry promise a fun filled and exciting vacation for me and two buddies, Jimmy and Andre. We recently graduated from LSU and this is our reward before we hit the real world of jobs and responsibilities.
As Cajuns we have a love and respect for the water, and as Cajuns we are always looking for the next adventure. I think Captain Terry will have fun with the Bayou Boys.
Our floating hotel is a 50’ monohull with four berths, a spacious galley and salon. On our first day out Captain Terry teaches us the fundamentals of sailing, putting down an anchor and hooking a mooring ball. The winds are blowing, we hoist the sails and “Oh Baby”, the rail is in the water! Of course we are assured that we will not tip over because our keel weighs 6,000 lbs. The mainsail and ginny are both full and it feel as if we are flying. No engine sound, just the wind in our face and the sound of the water against the hull as we cut through the waves. Mon Chere, this is nice!
Today we are going to a have a dive boat pick us up from our anchorage at Peter Island and dive Truck Reef and Shark Point. In the 1950’s, in anticipation of a visit from Queen Elizabeth, there was “Clean for the Queen” campaign. The locals rounded up all of the old abandoned cars, loaded them on a barge and dumped them at the mouth of Great Harbour. This is a deep dive and intriguing for the steep drop off harboring massive black coral trees and several huge anchors. Large Tub sponges line the top of the wall.
Our next stop is Shark Point. The visibility is amazing due to the sites location in the open ocean. Follow the ridge and use this as a vantage point to view the schools of black durgon, horse-eyed jacks, and an occasional barracuda. We continue along a tunnel and come to a canyon and there are queen angelfish, whitespotted tile fish, groupers and butterfly fish. Swimming deeper along the ridge we run into a large jew fish and some nurse sharks. There is a maze of alleyways and caves that makes for exciting exploring.
Our dive boat returns us to our sailboat and we are all talking at once sharing the sights that we have discovered. Beautiful coral, so many fish we can’t count them and of course we all laugh at Andre as he met his first shark. We did not know the boy could swim that fast!
A ice cold beer, a shower off the back of the boat and we are ready to check out happy hour on Peter Island.
Tomorrow we will explore Painted Wall and Blonde Rock.
Captain Terry will customize your sailing charter according to your interests and wishes.
Check out the underwater pictures at sailwithwithterry.com and contact him for schedules and pricing at sailwithterry@gmail.com or 941 266 0296
