oth had worked for twenty years as sports teachers in Switzerland. Simon (48) and his partner Sandra (41) both found that they had enough of life as an official, and proceeded to sell their house and all the other things that were part of their normal life. They then made their way to paradise, bought a luxury catamaran and since last year have been sailing through one of the most beautiful and exciting sailing spots in the world: The British Virgin Islands. There are around fifty islands in the north Caribbean, roughly 100 kilometres east of Puerto Rico and each have one thing in common: They are all far away from the mass tourism that plagues other holiday destinations. Even the local inhabitants are sparse. The largest part of the population lives on Tortola Island, who make up 14,000 of the total 17,000 inhabitants of the islands. The main town is Road Island, which has a population of around 4,000. Unpopulated islands were the perfect place for pirates and smugglers to hide their ill-gotten gains, but these days? Sea captains such as Simon bring tourists to the lonely deserted beaches where they can feel like the Robinson family for a few hours. Only one year in the business and already Simon looks like the perfect weather worn seaman. However he has been sailing in every free minute he had since he was 14 years old. Sandra uses her cooking skills to offer her guests real traditional Caribbean food. Stress and hectic do not exist for the pair under the warm Caribbean sun, as Simon says, "Time has no meaning here". He brings us to the coral island Anegada, which at its highest point is a mere eight metres above the sea level. Here it is possible to take hours long walks without meeting a single soul. An island full of nature and calm where if ones stays a bit longer it is possible to see the famous tropical sunset which turns the horizon into an amazing spectacle of colour! The second part of this nature tour continues under water: the island is surrounded by coral reefs, which make an inexhaustible playground for divers and snorkellers. You swim between fishes of a thousand brilliant colours on one side and on the other the shimmering coral. It is also possible to explore old shipwrecks, which lie on the ocean ground, brought there by rough seas or sunk by pirates.				It was Norman Island that apparently inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write his world famous novel "Treasure Island". The island is still famous for its wonderful snorkelling possibilities. On land there are no huge hotels, no masses of people and no package tourists. The guests stay in a small hotel complex, in individual bunkers, hidden under palm trees directly beside the beach. Paradise has its price: Whoever wants to "discover the small secrets of nature", must usually pay between 200 and 300 dollars per night. A unique luxury resort can be found on the island Gorda, which got its name personally from Christopher Columbus himself. The villa at Katitche Point is one of the most beautiful and spectacular and also expensive holiday homes of the islands. The crowning jewel of the hotel is its swimming pool, which hangs out over the coast up on the cliff. Regardless of the luxury, whoever wants to see the many beaches and bays can do so by renting a charter yacht or by island hopping and spending the nights on the beaches. So much isolation is not for everybody. The young surfer crowd meet every full moon at Bomba Shack's on Tortola. This small hut caters for around 2000 young people as party central. From the roofs hang Bomba Shack's trophies: Hundreds of underpants! Every girl that dances on the table and afterwards gives away her underpants gets her drinks for the rest of the night for free! The collection is impressive. Although the locals have their own democratic parliament complete with Chief Minister, the British influence is still very visible. For instance the black children still wear the classic dark British school uniform despite the heat of 30 degree in the shade. For breakfast there is sausages and rashers and of course the Queen is everywhere to be seen, with photos and paintings in nearly every shop and public building. Even the taxi drivers practice the British politeness. It really is the discovery of the "small secrets of nature" that make these islands so special. Sailors value the constantly blowing warm tropical winds, as do the surfers for their high waves. Divers love the fascinating underwater world available to them and in case the visitor gets tired of all the activity, it is always possible to find a quite place under the palm trees and stare out onto the ocean waiting for that feeling of quite joy. It is guaranteed to come.
Christopher Columbus gave the islands their name in honour of the martyr St. Ursula, who according to legend was killed along with 11,000 other virgins. Today the islands are separated into the American (St. Thomas, St. John) and the British Virgin Islands. Getting there: The British Virgin Islands are not reachable by direct flight. The easiest way is to fly to San Juan / Puerto Rico, and then with a propeller plane to Tortola. Journey dates: From July until the end of October is Hurricane season. It is not guaranteed that there will be hurricanes but it can get quite rough. The high season is from December until the middle of April. The whole year round is warm (24 to 32 degrees). Currency: The currency used is US dollars, which can be quite expensive for Europeans at the moment. Many hotels offer Europeans guests a discount for as long as the Dollar is so expensive. One has to ask however for such reductions. Important: It is not possible to exchange German marks. Package tours: Infinity-Reise-Consulting, Ulrich Bieber in München, Tel.: 089/538 9628. Island-Hopping with Hobbie-Cats: Heinz Stickl, best reached at www.stickl.com. Information: British-Virgin-Islands-Tourist-Board, Wallnerstraße 56 in 40878 Ratingen/Düsseldorf, Tel.: 02102/71 11 83. Also hotel reservations.