The British Virgin Islands
by Candyce H. Stapen
 If you're in search of a laid-back boating getaway
where the snorkeling is fine and most of the time "dress for dinner"
means putting on a clean T-shirt, then head to the British Virgin
Islands. That's because within a radius of 80 nautical miles, the
nation's more than 60 islands (counting small uninhabited cays)
offer safe anchorage in hundreds of coves. In fact, pirates once
headed to these secluded inlets to evade capture and to bury their
booty on land.
Ever sing "Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum" on a long family car ride?
Legend has it that the ditty was inspired by the BVI islet where
the notorious Blackbeard marooned 15 of his fellow swashbucklers
along with one sword and a single bottle of rum. Most likely your
family outings will be more fun.
Tortola, the BVI's largest island, also sports
the Caribbean's biggest boat rental fleet. If you know how to maneuver
your own vessel, charter a bareboat and if you don't, book a multi-day
sail with a captain and a crew. The Moorings, based in Tortola,
offers both options. Either way you'll spend days with the breeze
in your face, gliding through the glistening turquoise waters and
anchoring offshore of sandy beaches where there are few others,
or maybe no one else at all. After dining on deck, admire the stars
as they pop and glow in a purple sky.
Yachties and beach lovers head to Jost Van Dyke
(population 150), about a 30-minute ferry ride from Tortola. The
Soggy Dollar Bar, named for the wet bills proffered by the
sailors who wade ashore, packs them in for lunch. Kids like the
sugar-soft sands and parents like swaying in one of the palm-tree
shaded hammocks strung along the beach.
If you want to learn to sail, then the BVI is the
place to be too. Even if you don't know your aft from your rudder,
there's hope. Vacation at the Bitter End Yacht Club,
Virgin Gorda, and you and your children can morph from landlubbers
to savvy sailors. One of the best places in the Caribbean for families
to learn the sport, the Bitter End Yacht Club offers an extensive
program of hands-on classes, year-round, (except when the rooms
are closed from mid-August to mid-October). Sign up for family lessons
or vacation during February break, Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving,
when the Bitter End, in cooperation with Sail Caribbean, operates
special kids' sailing camps for ages three to 12.
Use your newfound skills to sail to snorkel spots or go out
on the resort's guided twice daily trips to nearby reefs where you
can float among rainbow-colored schools of fish and glide by orange,
rust and purple coral formations. Dive enthusiasts hover at the
Rhone, one of the Caribbean's most famous shipwrecks.
Another popular BVI attraction: the Baths,
located on Virgin Gorda. These giant boulders strewn by the shore
require you to scramble over and squeeze through narrow spaces between
the rock slabs in order to access the small beach whose calm, clear
aquamarine water makes all the work worth it. Just be sure to visit
in late afternoon when the cruise ship crowds have departed.
Without mega-resorts, the British Virgin Islands offers a slice
of Caribbean life as it used to be when sailboats ruled and the
next adventure was wherever the wind blows.
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Great Places, Great Deals
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-Florida:  Amelia Island Plantation: A sprawling
resort with three-and-a-half miles of beach and
72 holes of golf offers an all-inclusive package
that bundles lodging with three meals daily, unlimited
golf on selected courses, children's programs,
nature tours, and bicycle rentals. Through March
3, 2007 rates are from $235 per adult, per night
for an oceanfront room with a two-night minimum.
Children under 15 are $115 per night. From March
4, 2007 through November 3, 2007, rates start
slightly higher and there is a five-night minimum
(888-261-6161; www.aipfl.com).
-Grandtravel: Organized trips for grandparents
and grandkids adds three spring break departures:
an 11-day Galapagos Islands trip, March 29 to
April 8; an eight-day Hawaiian package to Oahu,
Maui and Lana'i, April 7 to 14; and an eight-day
exploration of Greece, April 14 to 22. Special
activities are offered for grandkids (800-247-7651;
www.grandtrvl.com).
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*****
– Candyce H. Stapen is the author of
27 books, including National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family
Vacations.
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