Well got back Monday night from 9 days bareboating the BVI’s with four of my buddies. First time I’ve been down there but certainly won’t be the last. The info on this site is priceless, there are many posts of helpful advice and iteneraries. Instead of giving a blow by blow trip report I thought that I would give more of an epilogue to our trip. Actually I want to plegarize from a book from a completely different adventure that I think captured the experience of bareboating the BVI’s.

“On the sea, you are not always aware of the pleasures of living a very simple life. When you return home, the everyday complications and problems hit you head on. The thing that you miss is the simplicity of life on the sea. Everything that you own and are responsible for, you are carrying with you. Each day consists of simple and challenging tasks. Each day has simple but rewarding successes. I guess being at sea is a break from the complications of modern-day life, a return to a more basic lifestyle that is enjoyable, at least for a while.”-‘Buen Camino”-Jim and Eleanor Clem

As far as any advice I would give. Well I’ve traveled a bit to various continents and have to say the quality of my experience has been directly related to the attitude I have towards things not going the way I think they should . First of all as a traveler I am in someone else’s culture and environment and I have to accept them. Just as you respect the weather, ocean and wildlife you need to do the same to people. We tend to make stressful situations worse with our attitudes. I had read that the locals in the islands can be rude or standoffish. I can see how someone might think that if they were waiting for the locals to take the first step in initiating conversation. My experience was that if I made the effort to speak and engage them it was received as a gesture of goodwill and an invitation for them to engage. They opened up with the big smile that just embraced you.
Thanks again to all that made our trip with their sage advice, and if I had to contribute anything it would be “Go with the flow”………………………..