FP Owners Rendezvous BVI 2024

Our video: 

From the picturesque Beef Island airport, a cab took me to Nanny Cay, just a few miles the other side of Road Town, the capital of the BVI. It was already late and Waypoints Yacht Charters’ base had been closed for a few hours - but the brightly lit Tanna 47 Ojala was waiting for me on pontoon C. Alone on board for the first 24 hours, I got my bearings and installed my indispensable “remote office”. The first challenge for the itinerant journalist in me was to solve the Wi-Fi problem (see editorial); not so easy in the BVI, where the prepaid Holafly e-Sim card proves inoperative - but fortunately reimbursed afterwards. I adapted to the coffee table (a larger, lifting tabletop is available as an option) by raising my keyboard and mouse on top of the cardboard box of my “traveling screen”... I could have sat in the cockpit, but there was no wind and it was very hot in the harbor. So I made the most of the air-conditioning, since we were connected to the pontoon. Obviously very efficient in these sweltering tropical conditions, but unfortunately also very noisy. As for the rest, this recent catamaran was impeccable and perfectly prepared; I opted for the starboard aft cabin. A good choice... except when the generator was running - but I couldn’t have known that! I promise that’s all I’ll say about the Tanna: the week I was about to spend aboard would confirm the undeniable qualities of this model (see inset).
24 hours after my arrival, Romain Motteau, Managing Director of Fountaine Pajot, joined me on board; the next day, it was Jay Pennington’s turn, Operational Manager of Waypoints’ American bases, to bring his bag aboard; Jay took over the aft port cabin - it has direct access to the cockpit, which is very practical when you’re signing on as Captain!

Day – 1 or 1 ?

Arriving early for an event that brings together a large number of multihulls has its advantages: you can take part, for example, in a long-awaited photo shoot. While Fountaine Pajot usually provides generous photo and video productions at the launch of each of its new models, there was a bug with the Tanna 47, released at the end of the Covid-19 period. In fact, it’s the only model in the brand’s catalog whose exterior photos are limited to a few shots at anchor, with the Ile de Ré bridge in the background... The aim of this upcoming release is to shoot some beautiful photos and videos under sail. For the occasion, Romain Motteau, Managing Director of Fountaine Pajot, is in charge - or rather, at the helm: for this outing, he has chosen to use Dragonfly, one of the most recent Tanna 47s in the Waypoints Yacht Charters fleet. Romain is supported by Laurent Fabre, vice-president of Atlantic Cruising Yachts, and my Captain Jay to maneuver the catamaran as best as possible. A few extras are also on board. The sky is divided between clouds and sunny spells; the sun is already high in the sky as we leave port, but the trade winds are already well established. We’re ...