Riviera’s 72 Sports Motor Yacht, Le Mercoeur, voyage of exploration around the 180-nautical-mile coastline of Mauritius wonders and its spectacular outlying shoal.
“The bitter end” seems hardly an auspicious term for a fun-filled gathering. However, for 12 Riviera families, it could hardly have been better.
They had all cruised to the Bitter End Yacht Club on the island of Virgin Gorda in the tropical Caribbean Sea for an exclusive Riviera Rendezvous, a weekend of fun, learning and relaxation organised by the team from Puerto Rico-based Riviera dealership Wally Castro Marine, including Wally Castro’s daughter Natalia and Javier Perello.
The club and resort are at North Sound, a large body of water that offers a protected, deep-water harbour on the north-eastern tip of the island and is known for its beautiful, secluded location accessible only by boat. The resort sits on 75 acres of land with more than a mile of waterfront.
The refreshing view of the marina from the yacht club.
The Bitter End Yacht Club’s name originates from a nautical term. A “bitter” is a post or cleat used to secure a mooring line to a ship or yacht. The bitter end of the line secures it to the bitter. So, when paying out or releasing a line it would be perfectly right to say, “I am approaching the bitter end”. The yacht club’s position at the end of Virgin Gorda mirrors this nautical concept, making it the “bitter end” of the island’s coastline before the open ocean.
Javier and Graciela Hernandez Rivera invited their five children to the event.
The sweep of beach at Bitter End and a fun family photo.
“We knew three other Riviera owners before the weekend but returned home with many friends.”
Eric Adler
“Along with a few girlfriends and boyfriends, there were 10 of us on board our Riviera 50 Sports Motor Yacht for the weekend,” explained Javier. “There is no surprise in her name, Cinco, meaning five in Spanish.
“The cruise from Puerto Rico takes about four hours and we must clear Customs before reaching Virgin Gorda. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are part of the US while Virgin Gorda belongs to the British Virgin Islands, hence the need for passports.”
Top right: enjoying the sun, sand and sports and, above left, dinner on the upper deck of the Yacht Club.
Marcia Cruz Correa and husband Francisco Bruno joined the Rendezvous to catch up with friends and simply to relax from their demanding careers as oncologists.
“I mostly drive our yacht and Francisco Bruno is in charge of anchoring and the dock lines,” said Marcia.
“We named our Riviera 46 Sport Yacht Fiat Lux, a Latin name taken from the Book of Genesis and meaning ‘Let there be light’.
“The run from home to North Sound is about 90 nautical miles which is quite comfortable. But we decided to split the voyage and stayed a night at Peter Island, one of a small line of islands between Puerto Rico and Virgin Gorda. There is a very good restaurant on the island.
“Simply being able to take time away is a blessing for us and we make the most of it – sipping champagne and chatting with friends on the aft deck of our yacht and simply people-watching. We all dock stern to so we can hop from the rear of one yacht to another. It’s a wonderfully social atmosphere. During quiet times we do puzzles.”
Enjoying a drink on the upper deck of the Beach Club.
“All the Rivieras were lit up with outside, saloon and underwater lights. It was stunning to look down on them.”
Javier Rivera
Eric and Terri Adler arrived at Bitter End with three of their four children and four-year-old granddaughter Catalina aboard their Riviera 645 SUV Knot Face.
“The name reflects my somewhat stressful career as a facial surgeon, with a nautical twist,” said Eric. “Our yacht provides a well-deserved distraction.
“The highlight for Terri and me was the reception cocktail courtesy of Wally Castro where we were introduced to Riviera owners whom we didn’t know,” said Eric. “Obviously for Catalina the highlight was beach days and sand-castle building!
“We knew three other Riviera owners before the weekend but returned home with many friends including Javier and Graciela Rivera with whom we have since caught up with for dinner.”
Fine friendships, fine food and fine tin drumming.
With all 12 Riviera families safely docked at Bitter End, they were welcomed with a Reef Sampler Happy Hour as the sun set. The offerings included bruschetta, shrimp wontons and stuffed mushrooms.
A lavish dinner was available on the upper deck of the Beach Club, providing a spectacular view.
“All the Rivieras were lit up with outside, saloon and underwater lights,” said Javier Rivera. “It was stunning to look down on them.”
The following day was filled with opportunities for different activities. The morning offered a two-hour course in Boating Basics while the adventurous were offered a range of water sports including e-foiling, sailing and winging, a relatively new sport similar to wind-surfing without a mast.
“I took the kids e-foiling,” said Javier Rivera. “It was so much fun.”
The beach was the centre of activity, from e-foiling to a barbecue lunch.
As the families moved from one yacht to another, the inevitable talk was of their Riviera motor yachts.
“Living on an island that sits between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, we need yachts that are built for our challenging sea conditions,” said Marcia Cruz Correa. “That is why we trust and love our Rivieras so much. The brand is a strong bond between us.”
A beach barbecue lunch brought everyone together on the waterfront to enjoy grilled mahi mahi, steak, shrimp and vegetable skewers or pork ribs with a range of side salads and sauces.
“Living on an island that sits between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, we need yachts that are built for our challenging sea conditions. That is why we trust and love our Rivieras so much.”
Marcia Cruz Correa
From learning knots to learning to sip-and-paint, there was always something fun and fascinating.
While the afternoon was filled with more water sports for the energetic, others were offered the chance to express their artistic personalities with a session of “sip-and-paint” on the upstairs Quarterdeck, providing inspiring views and plenty of time to chat.
The weekend wound down with a cocktail party, accompanied by the sounds of a steel drum followed by pizzas and tacos and a beach bonfire.
“A particular pleasure of these events is the family atmosphere,” said Marcia Cruz Correa. “There is no judgement. You own a Riviera so you are a member of the family.”
Click on the gallery to see the images
MORE RIVIERA NEWS
Learn how to set your motor yacht’s anchor and how to retrieve it with the advice of Riviera’s Final QC and Sea Trials Manager.
The 2025 display will also host the exclusive Riviera owners Festival of Boating education program across four days aboard a Riviera yacht and in a dedicated training hub, all based at the show from October 29 to November 2, 2025.
12 Riviera families enjoy an exclusive Riviera Rendezvous, a weekend of fun and learning on the tropical Caribbean Sea organised by the team of Wally Castro Marine.