When deciding how to best illustrate our Virgin Island Sailing experience, I found it easiest to create an acronym using the letters from the name of our boat:
F-R-E-E-D-O-M
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Freedom at anchor
in front of "The Baths"
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F is for family and food.
One of the most important reasons for booking this vacation was spending time with family. One must understand that the Freedom staff had its work cut out for them.
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The Dawson family consists of many different personalities, likes, dislikes, etc. There are 4 separate families that make up the members of the Dawson family.
Bruce and Pat are the parents of all 3 sons. Jeff is the oldest son. He is married to Laura and they have 2 children: Cooper who is 10 and Emily who is 12. Cris is the middle son and he is single. Scott is the youngest son and is married to Kama. The trip fulfilled an opportunity for the Dawson family to experience sailing and the BVI’s together. |
As we all know, food is a great way to bring people together. SaraJane was an amazing cook. The Dawson family has some very picky eaters. For example, Cris will not eat any vegetables. The Dawsons also have some health concerns. Cooper has a fatal nut allergy and cannot have any contact with nuts. Bruce is diabetic, which demands a certain type of diet. SaraJane was able to provide amazing meals that met all of our “food issues”. SaraJane prepared 3 meals and a snack for us everyday. She made Cooper feel special by creating “special” desserts, just for him, when the desserts she made consisted of “nut dangers”.
R is for relaxation.
Every vacation should provide a bit of relaxation. There was time to watch movies, play games, read, walk the shores and bask in the sun.
There was no pressure from staff to do anything but it was clear that they would provide any type of entertainment we requested. All we had to do was ask. |
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Aaron, the First Mate, made sure that none of us had to attend to any “chore-like” activities. The cooler was always full. Dishes magically disappeared and were clean. There was never an empty toilet paper holder. Our rooms were always tidy. Aaron made sure all of these things were done but we were never inconvenienced. It was like magic!!!
E is for entertainment.
The staff of Freedom chose entertainment that was fun for all.
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At Marina Cay, Cooper was able to boast about having an island named after him. The boys defeated the girls in a game of ladder ball. Captain Richard pulled Cooper, Emily and Kama around on the “Big Banana”. What a ride!! In the evening, we were musically entertained by Eric Stone, who played a nice mix of tunes.
At Leverick Bay, Pirate Michael Beans entertained us at the Happy ARRR!! Cooper and Emily competed in a conch-blowing contest. Cooper actually won a prize for his age group. He was also “knighted” for his conch blowing abilities. We all had fun trying to keep the beat with the table “shakers”.
On Jost Van Dyke, the Soggy Dollar was a great place to enjoy a few painkillers, play tree hook and enjoy the beach. Don’t miss this place! |
E is for education.
Captain Richard taught an astronomy lesson that the kids raved about for days. The special laser Captain had allowed specific astrological objects to be clearly identified.
Captain Richard outlined our trip on a map of the islands and provided an itinerary of events. This was a great souvenir and a huge help with writing this essay.
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D is for discovery.
There were so many firsts, especially for the kids. They experienced snorkeling for the first time. The picture guides on the boat were a fantastic prelude to snorkeling. We were all able to educate ourselves on the ocean life we would see.
The ocean life was beautiful. We accidentally found a hermit crab in nature. We thought it was just a beautiful shell until the crab decided to take a walk in our hands. |
O is for outings.
The hike from Bitter End Yacht Club to Birus Creek Resort was fantastic.
We came across a horse sanctuary that saves old racehorses from being put down. The keeper of the sanctuary took time to talk to us about the horses and his care for them. We saw many beautiful flowers, an iguana and a flamingo.
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The Baths at Virgin Gorda are a natural spectacle that’s beauty can only be understood by experience. SaraJane packed us bagged lunches that we enjoyed after our hike through the Baths. |
The “Bubbly Pool”, on Jost Van Dyke was another chance to hike and see the beauty of the islands.
The ocean crashes through large rock formations to create a bubbling of water that we all enjoyed. A short climb to the top of the rocks provided another perspective of the “Bubbly Pool”.
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M is for memories.
Everyone in the Dawson family came away with memories that will last a lifetime. My personal favorite was listening as Cooper filled out his survey of the vacation. His favorite thing being “driving the dinghy”. His suggestion for the boat being a cuss jar (for his uncles not the Freedom staff). His least favorite thing was “sand in his beach shoes”. What a wonderfully different perspective a 10 year old has.
Note: Kama Dawson and family chartered The 60' Trimaran "FREEDOM" in April 2011 with in The British Virgin Islands. The adventure was booked through Virgin Island Sailing LTD. We can't wait for these great people to come back!
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