Ten days aboard a Bali 4.2 exploring the BVIs and finally getting my formal certification after so many years of practical experience but no official license.
The boat: a Bali 4.2 (42 ft).
Bali catamarans have a unique and very cool feature: the back “wall” lifts up like a garage door, creating an amazing open space that connects the cabin to the stern of the boat, as you can see in the video below.
Our trip, day by day:
We slept aboard while still docked at Nanny Cay Marina, and after the boat walk-through in the morning we headed to Sandy Spit to meet Captain Brad and start my on-the-water certification process, the last step required to get the SLC license we’d need for our upcoming trip to Croatia.
Captain Brad was captaining another boat for a family and was able to test me while his other clients enjoyed the beach and water activities.
After a few tests at Sandy Spit, we all moved on to White Bay in Jost Van Dyke, where I was checked on a few more aspects of maneuvering, anchoring, and overall boat control. We spent the night there, letting the kids play with the dinghy and build more confidence operating it.
The next morning we headed back to the south side of Tortola toward Norman Island, where the final portion of the on-the-water assessment happened. After all the procedures were complete, we said goodbye to Captain Brad and continued on to Salt Island for the night, getting as close as possible to The Baths, our target for Day 3. The Baths have a limited number of mooring balls, so arriving early is key to securing a spot for the boat and going ashore.
We decided to have burgers for dinner and grilled them while anchored close to Salt Island.
We started the day with another nice visit to The Baths, an amazing park with gorgeous beaches and natural pools tucked between huge rock formations.
From The Baths we sailed to Fallen Jerusalem National Park to do some snorkeling and were lucky enough to see some incredible sea life, including a gigantic stingray and lots of colorful fish.
The funny (and slightly painful) story here is that I tried to fly my drone, and it failed to return to the boat and splashed down in about 8 meters (around 24 feet) of water. The small gray device was hard to spot and recover, but after several diving attempts I finally managed to find it and at least remove the plastic and battery from the ocean. The drone was permanently damaged, and I ended up having to buy a new one…
After Fallen Jerusalem Bay, we sailed to Cooper Island for the night and had dinner at Cooper Island Beach Club. We’d had our favorite dinner of the 2023 trip there with the Pratts, so we were excited to relive the experience.
We sailed from Cooper Island to Saba Rock and Bitter End Yacht Club. After snacks at Saba Rock (Eduardo’s favorite ceviche of the trip), we headed to BEYC for an amazing dinner with one of the most beautiful sunsets we’ve ever had the chance to enjoy, and we spent the night anchored there, a bit farther from the beach.
We started the day with Paula and Eduardo taking the ice bucket challenge.
From Virgin Gorda we sailed to Anegada, a short passage that turned out to be easier and faster than we expected. We had an amazing reach sail in about 20 knots of wind and entered Anegada’s shallow bay around 2 p.m., giving us plenty of time to go ashore, confirm our dinner order, have some fun behind the boat, shower, and then head to Lobster Trap for dinner with fresh lobster and a great bottle of wine. Another memorable family dinner.
We sailed from Anegada back toward Tortola, stopped for another great snorkeling session at The Dogs, and then spent the night at Great Camanoe.
We decided to take advantage of some great wind and go for a fun sail around Great Camanoe and Scrub Island, ending our day at Guana Island with another snorkeling session at Monkey Point and a quiet night by White Bay, one of our favorite spots from the 2023 trip.
After a short SUP session in the morning, a local showed up selling fresh (still-alive) lobsters, which we happily bought and saved for dinner later that day.
We sailed back to Sandy Spit and spent the rest of the day between Sandy Cay and Sandy Spit, with more snorkeling sessions, beach acrobatics, and a surprise visit from an incredible creature gracefully swimming alongside our boat.
For dinner we cooked the lobsters and ate while watching a large school of tarpon swimming behind the boat, attracted by the blue light.
We sailed from Sandy Spit to Norman Island for snacks ashore, and then continued on to a calm bay on the back side of Peter Island for one of the most amazing, peaceful nights of the trip. It was the perfect way to start wrapping things up, enjoying clear skies and quiet water.
On our final morning it was time to disembark. We sailed from Peter Island back to Nanny Cay Marina, topped off the diesel, and closed out another spectacular week of sailing and memory-making as a family – experiences we’ll carry with us for life.
There is nothing better than a friend with a boat 
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