By Lynn Fitzpatrick

When the pleasant waiter served me a grilled tuna salad and a Pain Killer, it struck me. I was in the next best thing to Paradise. Planes, trains, automobile and ferry rides were finally behind me. Steel drums played in the background and a marina chock full of sparkling clean Sunsail and Moorings charter boats twinkled as the sun set over Road Town Harbour in Tortola, IVB. I was on vacation!

Kicking back and enjoying the Sunsail and Moorings base in Tortola was easy. Our brand new Sunsail 384, a 38’ catamaran designed by Morrelli & Melvin and built by Robertson & Caine, was snug at the dock. The new boat had just been awarded SAIL magazine's Best Boats 2010 Award in the Cruising Multihull category and won Cruising World magazine’s Boat of the Year awards in the Best Multihull Cruiser and Best Import Boat categories. Everything was fresh and clean. Snorkeling gear, a kayak, fishing poles and the inflatable dinghy were stowed. My friends had arrived early and provisioned the boat and the shore power was on. The new icebox was chilling its way down to a freezing temperature and the air conditioners were keeping the humidity and heat at bay in our spacious cabins. I would reach Paradise the following day once we left the comforts of the base behind and were off on our own exploring the British Virgin Islands.

Fortunately, my adventuresome friends had a warm cruise in the Caribbean on their bucket lists and, more importantly, were willing to take their kids out of school to give them an once-in-a-lifetime learning experience. After a number of “thanks, but can’t do it now, how about after the holidays,” the crew list for Sunsail 384 was three women, an eight and a twelve-year-old.

It might as well have been Christmas. The anticipation about what lay ahead of us was killing us with excitement. We’d have breakfast on board. It wouldn’t be just any breakfast. My friends were happy to report that they had discovered a French bakery right near the charter base and quiche, baguettes, pastries and sausage would be part of our daily fare. Following breakfast, a Sunsail representative would review the Sunsail 384 with us and then we would receive an especially helpful overview of the anchorages and hot spots of the British Virgin Islands. It’s one thing to read articles in magazines and travel brochures, but watching a slide presentation that is complete with aerial photos and charts given by a knowledgeable sailor, was infinitely more helpful.

By 1100 we had slipped away from the dock were powering out of Road Town Harbour and past the cruise ship terminal and ferry docks. As we stuck our nose out into the heavy seas and high winds, we immediately decided to break up our long passage to Virgin Gorda’s North Harbor by ducking into some protected bays and coves along the way.

In theory, one person can sail the Sunsail 384, because all of the halyards, sheets and other controls are led to the helm station on the starboard side. It’s true, but even accomplished captains appreciate having the extra hands aboard, no matter how inexperienced, especially when docking or picking up a mooring. As our cruise from Sunsail’s Road Town base took shape and our teamwork improved and we overcame our lack of brute strength and experience by assigning tasks and talking through potentially tricky maneuvers well in advance of show time. The 20+ knot Tradewinds howled day in and day out for the entire week. While not the ideal sailing conditions for a crew of novices, everyone had a ball.

As the only person with sailing or boating experience aboard our Sunsail 384, I could keep an eye on everything from the helm station. I could even talk my crew through hoisting, reefing and dousing sails without having to leave my perch. Unfurling the genoa and hoisting and lowering the main sail were easy and our adjustments gave us the speed and stability that we desired. The twin engines simplified mooring and docking the boat given the strong winds. Each and every time that we dropped or weighed anchor the windlass worked flawlessly. The catamaran’s shallow draft allowed us to get close to some phenomenal snorkeling and dive spots.

There is so much to discover among the islands and reefs of the British Virgin Islands. Each and every time that we dove overboard or took the dinghy to a reef or beach, we were amazed at the marine life. Every spot was unique. In fact, our unequivocal favorite snorkeling ground was not mentioned in any of the reading material that we had scoured.

Getting on and off of the boat was simple. The transom on both sides steps down to a swim platform. The hinged swim ladder and the fresh water showerhead are on the port side. Whether we went for a quick splash, a long snorkeling adventure or a dinghy ride through a mooring field, we didn’t think twice about getting on and off the boat. Even the kids, who had never driven a dinghy before, were comfortable pulling up alongside the boat and passing lines and gear from one boat to the other.

Our Sunsail 384 was so fuel efficient that I didn’t hesitate to turn on the engines when I thought doing so would make the trip easier on the crew and the boat. We made the initial upwind passage from Road Town to Virgin Gorda’s North Sound under power and the fuel gauge remained on “Full” the entire time. It seemed that we could have had a very pleasant week powering around the British Virgin Islands without ever having to top off our tanks.

Missing five days of school meant that the kids had a lot of homework. Each one had reading assignments. The oldest had a long list of math and science lessons and experiments that could only be performed on a boat in the Caribbean. The only way that we could appease her envious teacher who had a classroom full of students waiting for the H1N1 flu shot was to give the sixth grader the job of 1st Mate. She spent a lot of time helping with the chart work and reading the GPS.

Between reading, doing their school assignments, taking sailing lessons, learning how to steer boats and read charts and gauges; snorkeling and taking photos of everything from pelicans to cuttlefish, our students were busy and happy. When the waves crashed over the bows or splashed up through the trampoline and sprayed and soaked them, they screamed and shouted as if they were on the best ride at an amusement park. Playing in the sand and swimming in the biggest and most colorful aquarium imaginable was a lot better than sitting at a desk and staring at a chalkboard.

There was no shortage of comfortable places for everyone to study or doze off. A testament to how fresh air, sunshine and hours of swimming can exhaust kids, they slept and napped in the special forward V-berths, on the more than full-sized mattresses, on the banquette in the salon, in the shade of the aft deck’s hard bimini top and on the bow trampoline.

The Sunsail 384 was the ideal vacation home for our group of five and could easily have accommodated additional adults and children. It was the first catamaran charter for all of us. The 11-year-old’s declaration, “Sailing rocks!” is a clear indication that it won’t be the last.

Look for additional articles about Sunsail 384 charter experiences in the February issue of All at Sea, the Caribbean’s Waterfront Magazine.