An Endeavor to Preserve History
By Jane Bakewell
The British Virgin Islands has a long and storied history around boats and boat building. The story of the original sloops is a fascinating look into culture and history preserved. Today, on Jost Van Dyke, a replica built here of an original sloop – the Endeavor II, which has sailed these waters for years, is now on display at Foxy’s, Taboo Restaurant on the island’s eastern end. A quick dive back sheds further light on the culture of boat building in the Caribbean.
It seems natural in an archipelago of islands that a sea-faring trade would develop as the residents who farmed local provision and raised cattle wanted to extend their market. As early as the 18th Century, local boat builders in the Virgin Islands evolved a unique sloop known as “The Tortola Boat,” which allowed people to carry their products to island markets.
Between 1853 and the mid 1900’s the BVI became one of the four major boat building islands in the Lesser Antilles. Uncovering the history of these boats is one of the keys to also understanding the cultural identity of the islands. Shipwrights here produced boats sold to other islands, including the Dominican Republic.
No elaborate detailed plans were drawn up, certainly no computer models – rather a “rule of thumb” handed down generations. The Tortola Boat had unique features specific to these islands. That included a long overhang of the bow and stern. It also had a distinctive deadrise from midships called the “moon sheer.” The mast was placed on the keel one third the distance from bow to stern with a boom extending well beyond the transom.
One sees paintings today by local artists, depicting cattle clustered in these sloops sailing the islands. Amazingly designed, these sloops accomplished much of what modern freighters do today. The ingenuity and craftsmanship are a remarkable testament to the early islanders’ skills and abilities.
The Endeavor II sloop was a project birthed out of the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society with the help of Susan Zaluski, former Executive Director. The project involved the islands’ Primary School children as a learning experience, volunteer builders, along with Foxy and Tessa Callwood overseeing the project and helping to raise funds.
The idea was to expose the children to history, marine construction and a floating classroom to learn sailing. Foxy, owner and musical maestro of the popular restaurant in Great Harbour, has long been associated with the Preservation Society, as a “custodian of Caribbean history and a guardian of heritage.” Foxy serves as president of the nonprofit corporation and his spouse, Tessa as vice-president.
Detailed and painstaking work along with fundraising spanned nine years from 2004 until the christening in November of 2013. The hull was constructed upside down with a “cold molding” process. A laminated plywood frame was covered with strips of wood. The construction combined the traditional design of a wooden sloop with a modern fiberglass finish.
You might say, it was a REAL “endeavor”!
The Endeavor ll sloop competed in Foxy’s annual Wooden Boat Regatta held in late May annually, along with other local sloops such as; Moon Beam, Sea Moon, Intrepid and Youth Instructor. This was until Hurricane Irma blasted through the territory in 2017, after which the damaged sloop was shipped over to Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola for safekeeping.
Arriving back home to Jost Van Dyke in June, there are now plans underway to preserve and educate the public about historical sloops and their influence on the culture and shaping of trade in the BVI.
Endeavor ll is now safely birthed in a sand and earth dugout trench on Diamond Cay, on the eastern shore next to Taboo Restaurant. There are plans by the JVD Preservation Society to make it a cultural component of the island with a shelter constructed along with an Explanatory Board documenting the history of this replica “Tortola Boat.”
Work will begin late this fall on the project. “Give us until after the hurricane season,” Tessa laughed, knowing the force of off-season storms. One would not like to see the historic sloop sail off the island without a captain.
Next visit to Jost Van Dyke – head over to the eastern shore, grab a cold drink at Taboo and see Endeavor II – a replica hailing back to the days when traditional sloops were the commerce-carriers of our islands.
