But we needn’t lament the loss of the kind of local charm that makes you think you might have discovered a place because a highlight awaited us at dinner that night. The Tipsy Shark restaurant, which had about six tables inside and more on the beach across the street, was easy to spot with its colorful sign and brilliant fuchsia bougainvillea growing across the front. Grouper, caught by the owner Renee’s father Singh, was fresh 

 

and all we needed to do was pick our preparation. It all came with a medley of delicious vegetables and salad, which we learned were grown in Singh’s garden just behind the restaurant. So prolific is this garden, which Singh created by making loads of compost and mounding up soil to make raised beds, that he also provides vegetables to other local restaurants and even the Rite-Way grocery store. 

The whole evening was the best possible cap on a sailors’ getaway. As if to remind us of the less favorable side of sailing, the following morning found us pounding into 6-foot waves and wind over 30 knots as we slowly made our way back to the base. 

As we walked down the dock, we talked with a group of charterers who decided to just stay at the base that night given the nasty forecast. It was probably the right call and certainly no sacrifice given the base’s glow-up, but I hope they got out the next day for a nice long sail. It’s still the best part of the BVIs. 

For more information on this charter, visit www.moorings.com.