Maureen & Pete from BVI
My name is Pete, and this is Maureen. We live part-time in New York and part-time here in the British Virgin Islands.
Which Tiwal model do you have?
We have a Tiwal 3 and have owned it for about six years now, since 2019.
Where do you sail?
We sail in the British Virgin Islands, which are beautiful. We can pack the boat in the car and take it to different parts of the island, and we can even sail from island to island.
What was your experience before Tiwal?
In New York, we have a 30-foot cruising sailboat, but we don’t have one here, so the Tiwal gives us a way to get out on the water. We’ve also done some dinghy sailing in the past. I’ve been sailing most of my life, and Maureen has been sailing since we met, over 40 years ago. We sail for fun, not competitively.
The Tiwal sails, to me, are similar to a Sunfish. It moves along nicely, with a flat bottom that helps it plane well. The sail configuration is beautiful, with a batten sail and boom vang, and it has many controls. Maureen thinks it’s more comfortable than a Sunfish because it’s bigger.
Single-handed or double-handed?
Most of our dinghy sailing experience has been on Sunfish boats, generally double-handed.
We have a beach close to our house, so it’s easy to pack the boat in the car and bring it down. We have a reefable sail. We use the full sail most of the time, but we can reef it down when the wind is over 15 knots, which makes it great for heavier wind. We also get some swell, so it’s fun to ride up and down the waves.
It’s cool that you can bring it anywhere. There’s a protected sound area nearby that we can drive to if we want a more peaceful sail. We actually enjoy setting it up; we have a system, and it’s like a little puzzle. It takes us about 20 minutes.
How do you use your Tiwal ?
We sometimes pack a lunch and go out for a couple of hours. We even bring a paddle, but we’ve never had to use it because the boat sails so well.
Some of the islands here are deserted, and the only way to get to them is by boat. With the Tiwal, we can explore them and land right on the beach, which is pretty cool because otherwise nobody goes there.
What characteristics surprised you?
We’ve had three adults on the boat and it still sails nicely.
What is your best memory with your Tiwal?
Our favorite memory is sailing along and having dolphins chase us. We can also sail to Prickly Pear Island, which has a beach bar and restaurant, get a drink, and then sail back.
Where would you dream to sail with your Tiwal?
We also plan to take the boat on the car ferry from Virgin Gorda to Tortola to explore new islands there. That’s the best thing about it—being able to bring it to different beaches and explore all the islands and little harbors. Last week, we even sailed into an exclusive resort’s cove that you couldn’t access by car.
