{"id":73887,"date":"2022-04-28T15:08:20","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T19:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=73887"},"modified":"2023-05-07T00:02:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T04:02:00","slug":"a-new-beginning-for-bitter-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/sponsored-post\/a-new-beginning-for-bitter-end\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Beginning for Bitter End"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style><div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/\/1ZHQiymwhm4?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When Richard Hokin arrived on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands 30 hours after Hurricane Irma passed on September 6, 2017, he wasn\u2019t particularly shocked. He fully expected that his <a href=\"https:\/\/beyc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bitter End Yacht Club<\/a> had been destroyed. After all, the BVI island had endured a Category 5 storm with relentless 180 mph winds\u2014and a storm surge that wiped out anything the gusts had spared.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was correct: What was essentially a pile of rubble greeted him where the resort, which had been in his family for 44 years, once stood. There was one surprising thing though. The oldest fleet member was missing. What had happened to the faithful boat that predated his family\u2019s ownership of Bitter End, the one that was integral to its development in the early days and still loyally served the resort? Where was <em>Reef Sampler<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/LaurenHokin.Onboard.1980s-860x645-1.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Lauren Hokin\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/LaurenHokin.Onboard.1980s-860x645-1.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/LaurenHokin.Onboard.1980s-860x645-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/LaurenHokin.Onboard.1980s-860x645-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Lauren Hokin aboard <i>Reef Sampler<\/i> in the 1980s.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Bitter End Yacht Club<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201c<\/strong>The fact that the boat had disappeared was kind of mysterious because some of her superstructure had washed up on Prickly Pear Island, which is right next to us. But there was no sign of the boat,\u201d Hokin says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Irma hit, <em>Reef Sampler<\/em> was approaching its 50th birthday. In need of a platform for fishing, diving, exploring and picnicking, the Hokin family commissioned the 34-foot downeast fiberglass hull from Webber\u2019s Cove in Blue Hill, Maine, to be finished at Essex Boat Works in Connecticut. Named for the family\u2019s favorite pastime in the vibrant Virgin Islands waters, <em>Reef Sampler<\/em> was delivered in 1969.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler1981-860x645-1-e1651172144160.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Reef Sampler\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler1981-860x645-1-e1651172144160.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler1981-860x645-1-e1651172144160-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler1981-860x645-1-e1651172144160-768x576.jpg 768w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Named for the Hokin family\u2019s favorite pastime in the vibrant Virgin Islands waters, <i>Reef Sampler<\/i> was delivered in 1969. Here she is circa 1981.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Bitter End Yacht Club<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe started out as our family\u2019s just-messing-around boat in St. Thomas and eventually became the workhorse for Bitter End,\u201d Hokin says. \u201cShe hauled most of the building materials from St. Thomas up to North Sound in the early days when we were just starting to remodel and expand, and then she was our principal source of fun there. We\u2019d take off and go over to Anegada for the day and go diving or go out fishing. Our life really centered around the boat<em>.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Reef Sampler<\/em> rode out Irma holding on to the heftiest mooring. As it turned out, it never let go. In early 2018, the UK Hydrographic Office, conducting its first BVI survey in nearly a century, discovered an anomaly in its soundings. Further investigation by Sunchaser Scuba revealed <em>Reef Sampler<\/em>\u2019s hull, sitting neatly upright on the bottom of North Sound, still tied to the sunken mooring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler.1970s-860x645-1.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Reef Sampler 1970s\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler.1970s-860x645-1.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler.1970s-860x645-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler.1970s-860x645-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\"><i>Reef Sampler<\/i> served as a platform for fishing, diving, exploring and picnicking throughout its life. Here it is in the 1970s.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Bitter End Yacht Club<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p> <p>Abandoning the boat in this watery grave was never an option. \u201cNext to me, she\u2019s the oldest member of the Bitter End crew,\u201d Hokin says as he readies for his 82nd birthday. \u201cI wasn\u2019t going to walk away from her\u2014we\u2019ve been together for over 50 years. How do you walk away from someone or something that\u2019s been important to your life? And not just to my life but to the whole Bitter End lifestyle, which is what defines us.\u201dUsing air bags, it was floated and dragged onto the beach. Then, Hokin had an idea.\u201cI have always had a bee in my bonnet about a beach bar\u2014and that a boat would make a really cool beach bar. This was the opportunity. We\u2019re starting from scratch [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/cruising-and-chartering\/bitter-end-yacht-club-reopens\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rebuilding Bitter End<\/a>]. We had the boat, and the boat was integral to Bitter End\u2019s story. I figured she\u2019s worked hard for us for close to 50 years; let\u2019s give her a place where she doesn\u2019t have to work so hard and everybody can enjoy her.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"452\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/TheReefSamplerBeachBar-860x486-1.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Marina Beach\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/TheReefSamplerBeachBar-860x486-1.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/TheReefSamplerBeachBar-860x486-1-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/TheReefSamplerBeachBar-860x486-1-768x434.jpg 768w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Now, <i>Reef Sampler<\/i>, freshly varnished and painted in its original hue, has pride of place on Marina Beach at Bitter End 2.0.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Bitter End Yacht Club<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Now, <em>Reef Sampler, <\/em>freshly varnished and painted in its original hue, has pride of place on Marina Beach at Bitter End 2.0. On its foredeck is a navigation table with seating for 8; along its sheerline aft, there\u2019s a bar for resting a drink; and within its cockpit is a fully equipped bar for serving. Above it floats tent fabric, shading patrons and protecting the boat from the weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s one of the new additions to the revived property. For the quiet reopening over the past holidays, everything a sailor needs was up and running, including the Quarterdeck Club with a panoramic second-floor lounge, the Watersports Shack, The Buoy Room a salty sailor\u2019s bar , and an expanded provisioning market that also offers prepared foods and a full wine-and-spirits shop. Opening soon are two shore accommodations called Marina Lofts, which extend alluringly over the water, and two more restaurants will be ready to serve by spring.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSamplerBar-860x645-1.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Bitter End Yacht Club\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSamplerBar-860x645-1.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSamplerBar-860x645-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSamplerBar-860x645-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Nothing encapsulate the spirit of Bitter End better than a beach-bar boat that started life as a vehicle for just messing around on the water.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Bitter End Yacht Club<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Re-imagined to be more closely aligned with Mother Nature, the new resort is both different and the same. \u201cWe knew we weren\u2019t going to build an exact replica, but we\u2019ve tried really hard to employ the character, vibe and lifestyle that define the place,\u201d Hokin says. Nothing encapsulates this spirit better than a beach-bar boat that started life as a vehicle for just messing around on the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler.Night_-860x645-1.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Reef Sampler beach-bar\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler.Night_-860x645-1.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler.Night_-860x645-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/ReefSampler.Night_-860x645-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The new <i>Reef Sampler<\/i> beach-bar is only one of the new additions to the revived property.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Bitter End Yacht Club<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not the only physical reminder of the past. The major docks survived the storm, and bits of memorabilia salvaged from the debris are displayed among the new buildings\u2014but <em>Reef Sampler<\/em> is perhaps its most evocative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think a boat is pretty close to a living entity. After 70 years of messing around in boats, I\u2019m absolutely sure boats have lives because they\u2019ve treated me well at times and also have had a few tantrums,\u201d Hokin says with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about the re-opening of Bitter End Yacht Club and stay up to date on new updates, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/beyc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">beyc.com<\/a>. To see more footage from Bitter End Yacht Club, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCE_Ggr12akifz8pc1CPHLEQ\/videos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">follow them on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The yacht club\u2019s original spirit lives on in its new beach bar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":73888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Kate Lardy","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"161","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":true,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":true,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","sponsored_label_style":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[161],"tags":[1601,849,1594,2443],"class_list":["post-73887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sponsored-post","tag-british-virgin-islands","tag-bvi","tag-sponsored","tag-sponsored-post"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}