Bite Every Apple Twice

Amaris Sails the World

Great Bay - Peter Island, British Virgin Islands

3/29/2014

Bite Every Apple Twice

As a kid, my mother would often advise me to try every apple twice.  It seems i may have needed motivation after biting directly into the bruise of an apple to try the other side - where hopefully there wasn't another bruise.  9 times out of ten if i didn't like an apple on the first bite, it suffered of "water core" and my opinion would stay- bad apple.  That said, my mother is a bit sneaky sometimes, and this could have been a good ploy the stretch the fruit and veg - especially into a kid that just wanted bologna sandwiches on white bread with extra mayo (which coincidentally i still love).  Nonetheless, there was the 10% chance that I would like the second bit and finish the apple.

Oddly, I carried this bit of advice into life - often in conflict with the "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" proverb.  Somehow this was particularly true with dating.  I had to go through a few bad apples in my time - and most of them were given a second chance.

The British Virgin Islands seemed to need a second chance as well.  Originally, i was going to write a blog on how i disliked the BVI.  As it seems to be one of the world's charter havens, there are a lot of people who don't know how to use their boats.  I understand if I were plunked down on a boat (and often these are big cats) that i hadn't operated before there may be a little confusion.  But honestly some of the things i have witnessed...  for example, when pulling up to a dock in a relatively new boat - wouldn't you think that fenders might be a good option?  When anchoring, consider you need to drop the anchor not where you want to end up - but where you want to end up PLUS the scope you need for the anchor.  In addition, and likely of a larger pet peeve, we don't need to disco into a drunken stupor all night long (and then begin again the next day at noon).

So, with my second "bite of the apple" i have focused on the positive aspects of the BVI.  Great snorkeling, great weather (as the Brits say - it is quite "lovely"), and the continuation of the steady trade winds which do make for some great sailing.  In addition, because the inner islands and waterways are protected from the swell - the anchorages are quite protected and the sailing can be both spirited and-well dry!  I think we will just need to learn to find places that are not listed as a "must do" in all the guidebooks - There certainly are more than 7 anchorages here.