characteristics of this cruising ground. First - the presence of the barrier reef and the numerous cays translates to great stretches of quite shallow waters. Second - the most common entry on your chartplotter reads: " Unsurveyed waters; use caution, " and the current cruising guide is aspirational at best. Having said that, the reasons and rewards for cruising the waters off Belize are numerous. Better than two hundred reasons. ELEVEN THOUSAND VIRGINS Upon returning from one Caribbean excursion to report his fi ndings to Queen Isabella, Columbus described a chain of islands with reference to a legend about Saint Ursula and eleven thousand virgins. While this proved to be a bit of an exaggeration (the British Check out this St. Vincent and Grenadines vista then watch " Pirates of the Caribbean " again. Look familiar? Virgin Islands comprise only about forty members), this wealth of potential anchorages along with the appeal of those anchorages has resulted in the BVI's reputation as one of the Caribbean's premier charter destinations. Visit quirky bars (Soggy Dollar and its infamous " Painkiller " cocktail), soak up some history (Drake laid in wait here before attacking the Spanish Armada and Norman Island was reputedly the inspiration for Stevenson's masterpiece, " Treasure Island), savour delightful and surreal landscapes (the Baths at Virgin Gorda or the Indians off Norman). Best yet, you're talking line-of-sight navigation, the protected waters of Drake Passage and short romps from anchorage to anchorage if you'd rather laze on a mooring ball than harden S E R V I N G T H E U S A N D B R I T I S H V I R G I N I S L A N D S Bareboat Charter Experts Your Personal Let us helpyou plan the perfect Caribbean vacation! Contact our Concierge TeamTODAY 340-776-8492 Virgin Islands Yacht Charters 18 CANADIAN YACHTING | OCTOBER 2021 charters@viycstt.com www.virginislandsyachtcharters.comhttp://www.virginislandsyachtcharters.com