Category: British Virgin Islands

The Caribbean Islands of British Virgin Islands

My first boat, Solitaire, and all of the subsequent one, were all either purchased in the BVI or had their home base there.  The BVI is perhaps the easiest sailing destination that I know of in the whole Caribbean. The waters are, for the most part, protected by the Sir Francis Drake Channel, and each anchorage hosts restaurants, bars and mooring balls. This makes it one of the biggest charter destinations in the world, particularly for Americans.

But the culture, government, and people of the BVI have long since been among the more wealthy of the Caribbean nations thanks to generous offshore banking laws. These, according to the World Bank, are in breach of international money laundering laws and the British Virgin Islands must clean up their act or face blackballing. This loss of income, coupled with the disastrous after-effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the results of the U.K. Commission of Inquiry and finally with the arrest of the ex-Premier minister in the USA on drug-smuggling and corruption charges, all have prompted me to relocate.

I think I’ve found a good new home for Zanshin in St. Lucia, and fellow cruisers report that I timed my exit well, the increasing prices and lots of new fees (without commensurate services) have driven cruisers away in droves.