Anchored in Adventure
The Basics
The boat: Phoenix, a 2020 Fountaine Pajot Saba 50
Crew: Captain JT (instructor)
ASA Students: Jeremy, Brenna
Courses Completed: ASA 101 (Basic KeelBoat), ASA 103 (Basic Coastal Cruising), ASA 104 (Bareboat Cruising), ASA 114 (Cruising Catamaran)
Day 1: Anchored in Adventure
Jeremy and Brenna are all about family adventure with their two daughters, Lila and Emelia. One day they hope to get the girls certified to sail but this trip was all about Jeremy and Brenna learning the ropes while their children enjoyed the vacation side of things! The family met Captain JT at Compass Point Marina. They got to know their captain and did a boat briefing. From there, everyone chose their cabins and got settled in!
Day 2: No Time Lost
The crew grabbed breakfast in Compass Point, loaded up their snorkeling gear and were ready to set sail! They took turns at the helm to get a feel for the boat and response of the helm, and do some maneuvers under power. Once through Pillsbury Sound, the students raised the main sail and unfurled the jib. The couple took turns at the helm to practice steering a course on all points of sail while their other half used the winches to trim the sails. It was a great time tacking back and forth between St. John and Jost Van Dyke for practice! Before stopping for the day the students learned how to steer the boat using the engines and then picked up a mooring in Maho Bay. SUPs were dropped in the water, snorkel gear was put on and the crew went for an adventure around the bay looking for turtles, snorkeling along the shore line, and visiting the beach!
Day 3: Speedy Sailors
Dad (Jeremy) took over breakfast duties for the hungry crew and made a delicious spread of eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, and toast aboard Phoenix! Then, everyone took a morning swim, made a passage plan, and headed out. They raised the sails and made their way into the Narrows – a narrow piece of water between St. John and the BVI islands. With stronger winds, it made for good practice on the jib for the crew. The crew was doing an amazing job keeping the sails trimmed and holding a course which resulted in some very good speeds between 8 and 9 knots. The family celebrated the success with a snorkeling session. Lila and Emelia were really good at spotting turtles and diving off the bow of the boat; they did it for hours every day!
Day 4: Souvenir Day!
It’s not a vacation without souvenirs! The crew spent the morning at the Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center, where they picked up some shirts, maps, and other goodies for friends back home. Once they were back on board and making a passage plan, they realized they would be in for quite a sailing adventure. The winds were expected to be up to 30 knots! This was a bit much to sail in so the crew motored up wind with the idea that they could sail downwind later with less apparent and practice some more jibing. The plan worked and they turned around at Sandy Cay and sailed back to Lovango Cay. “The group really loved it here as the water was so pretty and they saw all kinds of fish and soft corals,” Captain JT said.
Day 5: An Unexpected Learning Moment
Learning to sail isn’t just about getting a hang of things under good conditions. Crews also need to know what to do when the unexpected happens. For this crew, it meant dealing with a leach line that became stuck in the spreaders! Everyone worked together to get the line free and furl the jib. While it wasn’t ideal to have issues with the jib, the crew proved their ability to communicate under pressure and fix the issue quickly. They continued sailing on and then ended the day snorkeling along Yawzi Point and enjoying cocktails on the flybridge!
Day 6: A Snoozy Start
“Everyone slept in a bit. I think the week of sailing, ,snorkeling, and sun was starting to show,” Captain JT wrote in his sailing log. “It was a good feeling to wake up without an alarm.” However, the late start didn’t slow this crew down! They sailed past Frenchcap Cay, jibed and made their way to Great St. James Island, speeding along between 6-7 knots. Along the way they did some two-point fixes to track their progress.
Day 7: See You Soon!
This sailing trip may have come to an end but as Captain JT said goodbye, he looked forward to hopefully receiving a phone call in the future from this family for their girls’ ASA courses! Fair winds to an amazing sailing family, anchored in adventure!