Poor Christopher Columbus.  Now that my colleague Wendy Case has exposed the celebrated explorer and his crew as being responsible for the spread of syphilis, here's another reason to think ill of him.  According to The Rough Guide to the Caribbean,  Columbus named the 100 little islands and islets that make up the Virgin Islands "Las Virgenes" because after the Spanish wiped out most of the native people, the lands were in pristine condition and ripe for colonization.  So much so, that they reminded him of the legend of Saint Ursula, a fourth-century European princess and her army of 11,000 virgins, who were raped and killed by a Hun prince and his followers. NICE.

But he was right about how pretty and delectable these little sandy spits are, many of them so small, they are home to a single hotel or restaurant/bar.  That's why they've become such a popular sailing destination, especially the British Virgin Isles, which are less touristy and more exclusive, in part because they are more difficult to get to.

Direct flights from the East Coast to the US Virgin Isle (or AVI) St. Thomas is your easiest point of entry, but try to get off this toxic monstrosity of shopping malls and fast food via small charter plane or ferry as soon as possible.  Suffice it to say, from what I saw the last time I was there, it's the perfect stop for massive, low-end cruise ships and the kind of people who frequent them.

St. John and St. Croix are the other USVIs.  The names don't necessarily indicate this, as along with St. Thomas, they were purchased for $25 million dollars from the Dutch in 1917.

Meanwhile, the rest of the inhabited isles are British, including the oddly named Beef Island, The Dog Islands, Fallen Jerusalem Island, and Mosquito Island (someplace I should probably avoid, since they love me too much).

I am flying on American Airlines from JFK in New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico at 8am, the to Tortola at 3pm, then taking a ferry and arriving on Virgin Gorda (that means "fat virgin") at 6pm.  Do the math on that: nine hours.  In the same amount of time, I could hop a direct flight to Europe or South America.

But of course, psychologically, the Caribbean is easier (since everyone speaks English) and less foreign, as even the BVIs use the US dollar as their main currency.  For whatever that's worth these days.

Do you have a favorite Virgin Isle?  Tell us.  I'll be reporting from the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda as soon as I can find a Wi-Fi connection.  Stay tuned.