BVI Sailor Robin Pinfold Shares His Story

By Paul Carrell

Robin Pinfold is an energetic octogenarian who walks half marathons in the noon day sun. He is a nimble ole sailor who loves to sail, cook and be a part of his grandchildren’s colorful island life. He always has a story to share with us all, so I felt it was time to share his story with you.

*_{Kuralu Robin Pinfold’s home and day sailer at the dock in Soper’s Hole Marina on Tortola’s West End.}*

I met Robin and his family when I was running Soper’s Hole Marina in West End Tortola in 1989 and his boat Kuralu was based at the dock where it doubled as the family home and day charter business. His children Thomas and Tasha were very small and running around the marina all the time. One day I heard a howl and little Thomas had managed to ride his bicycle off the quay into the warm clear waters of the marina. He was not happy, although happily, he was fished out. But that is another story.

It is rumored however, that his first dip in the sea as a small tyke was in the cold clear waters of Bude, near Cornwall.

Years later he went to Ibiza where his illustrious sailing career began. Once as mate on a motor sailor in the Bay of Biscay, his captain saw the barometer plummeting and calmly said “prepare to meet your maker”.

Robin was born in Arbroath, Scotland, near Montrose on the east coast of Scotland. His father was a flying instructor for the RAF., so when his parents were abroad Robin went to boarding school, sailing was not an option at this time of his life.

Shortly thereafter Robin who was off watch awakened to a huge crash as the boat took a knock down which blew out the windows in the main salon, flooding the cabin. Using his adrenalin, he tore the salon table from the cabin console and used a Spanish windlass to lash it over the gaping holes to the keel stepped mast nearby. His quick thinking and actions earned him the respect of the captain and I am told he was amply rewarded for his efforts.

*_{Robin Pinfold’s early charter boat Elele. He later chartered his boat Kuralu in}*_{The BVI}_.

Later, while a mate on a small day sailer in Ibiza, he happened upon ELELE tied to the dock in 1981. The previous owner bought the boat to offer guests an “experience of a lifetime” but soon lost interest and like so many vessels of distinction it languished at the dock. Elele was built in 1901 and was a Whitstable Oyster Smack. She was a gaff rigged cutter, thirty-nine foot on deck but fifty-eight foot overall as the main boom overhung the stern by a yard and the pine bowsprit was an impressive nineteen foot over the bow. She was a versatile craft which Robin sailed for years.

*_{Elele, a 1901 gaff rigged cutter under sail.}*

While in Ibiza Robin met his future wife Caroline who became a master varnisher and an accomplished mate and partner. Over time, they met a Dutchman named Harm who owned a double ended schooner named Gasten which resembled Noah’s Arc and they decided to cross the pond and sail to the Caribbean in 1983. Fond memories of rum, freshly baked bread and other pungent aromas from Gasten still linger. Once in Antigua many of Robin’s mates decided to remain there, however Harm and Robin decided to sail on and ventured north to the Leeward Islands.

As years went by Robin sold Elele and returned to Europe where he made the transition to faster and more modern watercraft. In fact when he entered the first ARC race with two hundred and fifteen boats at the start line, Robin was in a fleet of seven, thirty-seven foot Snowgoose Prout catamarans, where Robin finished first in his class.

When Robin Pinfold returned to The BVI with his family in 1987 he was aboard Kuralu. The larger Quasar forty-nine foot Prout Cat, was his new family’s home, which they also operated as a day sail boat operating out of Soper’s Hole in West End, Tortola.

It was one of Tortola’s most popular day sail boats and many happy charterers remember sailing to Jost Van Dyke for a day of sailing and swimming at White Bay. As they sailed to Jost, his golden retriever Wez would sit on the bow acting as “first mate.” Once at anchor, Robin would prepare quiches from scratch while the guests were out snorkeling with Wez, who would climb the ladder back aboard the boat too! I’m told Robin received a $5,000 tip from a wealthy Venezuelan which has to be some sort of record in the day sail business.

That being told Robin is worth every penny as he continues to surprise us all with his wit, humorous acumen, and colorful past and future here in the BVI.