The night of the 30th had Atmosphere in the harbour. On New Year’s Eve, the harbour hosted the stays’l schooner Westward. The Stad Amsterdam anchored in Soper’s Hole on the evening of the 1st.
Got out sailing yesterday as well. James & Tracy, George & Cathy, and i borrowed a Colgate 26 for the day. Got out for a swim at Benuire Bay on Norman Island, then over to the Willy T for lunch. Eating lunch, looked to see the Stad coming into the Bight to anchor for the night! Plenty of opportunities to view this great ship lately! After lunch (and well-rummed), we sailed back to West End on a long glorious reach into the sunset. Not quite the excitement of the spinnaker run we’d been hoping for, but a great sail home nonetheless.
My next planned-for sailing adventure is another circumnavigation of Frenchman’s Cay in the Dink (this time going the opposite direction), or a run around Steele Point to Smuggler’s… Can’t wait!

Sailed the Dink all over on December 31. Joined Tracy & James, Paul & Diana, and Jim & Diane for a la-di-da dinner at the Harbourview in Fat Hogs Bay. Afterwards, went out to Trellis Bay for their annual New Year’s Eve festivites. Fireworks at midnight, bandstands, dj’s, dancing, and rum. Three huge steel globes full of fire, one suspended from a crane way over the beach, the other two set on poles in the water, all welded and cut into cool dancing people shapes, cast weird and wild shadows. Kinda a Burning Man vibe. Ran into Tom, and asked, “Hey, guess what i saw out sailing this afternoon?” His reply came as a wild scream of excitement, “The Stad Amsterdam!”. All us tall-ship alumnus are pretty amped about there being such great scenery on the water lately.
Crashed at Carl’s in Towers that night, and woke up inside a jug of Bloody Mary, watching a wild parade as (seemingly) all the great ships, barques, brigantines, and three-masted topsail schooners in the BVI all came up or down the channel. Surreal!
Been some really trippy boats around. Traditional or not, it’s a great show.