Since we sailed back here earlier this month there have been a number of reminders of our first visit to the BVI's almost 20 years ago. The almost constant trade winds and short distances between the islands make for some great day sails with lunch stops taken in idyllic settings and then moving on to safe overnight anchorages. The places are pretty much the same although there are far more boats about and more shore side villas.

The snorkelling is the best we have experienced since we arrived in the Caribbean and we had a great sense of Deja Vu when we dropped off the back of the boat at a spot called the Caves to be greeted by a large Barracuda floating silently below the boat. This was an exact rerun of my first snorkel swim 20 years ago when I was confronted by a large fish that seemed to be all teeth!! I came out of the water like a Trident missile only to be told by the skipper that the Barracuda would not harm me and to get straight back in and swim towards it and it would swim away. I told him that he should bloody well get in and swim towards it. I now know better and this time as I swam towards it, it quietly swam away.

Last time we were here at The Caves we were able to take the dinghy into the smallest cave and get a shot of the Catamaran through the cave entrance. We were fortunate to be able to repeat the shot all these years later but this time with Curious in centre frame.

WE also spent a couple of days in Soper’s Hole at the western tip of Tortola, the home base for our 50ft catamaran, “Kuralu”. We did not expect to see her still here after all this time and after talking to the locals, learned that Robin our skipper, had only left the BVI’s a couple of months before our arrival.

When compared to modern day Cat’s she looks really dated but at the time was the bee’s knee’s!!!