Keep in mind that you're not a prisoner of the sailboat when you go on a sailing charter vacation. The best part of the experience is the freedom to go anywhere you wish, at your own pace, and this includes going ashore for a variety of reasons:
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Hiking: St. John and many of the smaller British Virgin Islands are crossed by many trails through dense jungle-like cover or semi-arid dry scrub. Historical sites and rare plants are plentiful, and the fauna is, for the most part, friendly (Beware of psychotic attack donkeys!). |
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Provisioning: This is, in marine parlance, getting the stuff you need to survive out on your own. This generally includes the five major food groups - Beer, sugar, coffee, sodium and beer. There are a number of good grocery stores around, and for the most part we've been suprised by the affordability, although some things are absurdly expensive, while others are amazingly cheap. It's just part of the deal down here... |
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Shopping: Not to be confused with provisioning, this is when you are looking for things you DON'T need to survive out on your own, but will generally make you look better when you get back. The islands are full of kitschy little shops, and world-class jewerly and crafts. Go nuts. Here are a few places to look at... |
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Restaurants/Bar Hopping: A favorite pastime of many visitors to the region, numerous beach-side operations are available to quench your thirst and feed you well. The BVI seems to have more joints right on the beach, but there are plenty of easy-to-reach places worth stopping on the US side too. Here are some of our favorites so far: |
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