The British Virgin Islands are one of those places that I love going back to over and over.  

WHY? 

Well, it is great to get out of Michigan winter, especially in Feb. or March, but mostly it is a fabulous spot for sailors.  The Sir Frances Drake Passageway, the many little islands with cute marinas, restaurants and barefoot beach dives, the sunshine and strong wind and blue water.  Ahhhh. 

The BVI’s are  a sailor’s dream.  

But recently I returned for my sixth trip to this island paradise with some trepidation. What would it be like after the horrible Hurricane Irma that hit Sept. 2017 damaging 85% of the buildings on the main island of Tortola along with damage to the smaller ones in the chain. 

The spirit and sense of humor were still there even if we saw signs of wreckage many places .  Silly stuff and island laid back spirit weren’t dampened.  Loved it all. 

But we did see disturbing damage.  Some of our  favorite spots to tie up, shop, eat and enjoy are barely functioning.  Soper’s Hole is one—in the past a thriving spot for boaters—now with only one coffee shop open.  Other businesses are coming but apparently slowly.  

Here are just a few examples of the devastation.  

We enjoyed other areas that have bounced back and are as lively as ever.  Probably busier as boaters like us return.  We loved going to Leverick Bay to see Michiganer Michael Bean perform his Pirate Show.  Always a hoot.  

It was sad to see the Bitter End resort wiped off its prime island spot.  Folks who know the area would expect the hillside in the photo below to be dotted with small white cottages.  Gone.   We learned the big resorts like Peter Island, Little Dix Bay and the Four Seasons haven’t reopened.  Gotta be tough on the locals. 

We savored a dinner at Sydney’s, buying a lobster dinner along with t-shirts and hats advertised with a sign saying, “Proceeds go to Hurricane restoration.”   The folks in the islands continue to need help.

There were the usual accumulation of gorgeous boats,  cruise ships and many new boats in the charter system.  We noticed more catamarans than we remembered in the past.  Since they are  unusually wide, they work well for larger sailing groups.  Party Boats we call them. 

We had a variety of weather from squalls to rainbows, sunsets, strong wind to calm seas.  Our captain Roy happily fished one night when we went ashore, sharing that the moon was in the right phase for catching fish.  He was right.  He had a bucket full.   He was happy.  

Thank you Georgia Gietzen for providing some of these photos.  

For a pre-hurricane look at the British Virgin Islands here’s a blog post called  https://designdestinations.org/2012/03/british-virgin-islands-a-mecca-for-sailors/

And another one featuring Michael Bean.  The Pirate of the British Virgin Islands.