On our last 3 flotillas, we would spend the night before our visit to the Baths at Scrub (and last year in Trellis as Scrub was closed) and be heading out at 6am to cross over to get a Mooring Ball. On one visit, all the MBs were taken before 7am and for the other visit we snagged one of the last balls around the same time. On the third visit, we decided to skip the Baths altogether (we had all visited BVIs multiple times).

If the MB are all gone by 7am, it will be at least a 2-3 hours before one opens up. On our last trip we went into Spanish Town, docked and took a taxi ($10 per person each way -- typical BVI fare). The Top of the Baths is a nice place to grab a bit of food (breakfast or lunch depending on when you get there). FYI we docked our 45 ft Cat in ST for about 4 hours -- the docking fee was around $50.

Note: If you do not enter the Baths from the sea, you will need to bring the National Park Permit that you get when you charter from the yacht charter company. The permit covers your park entrance fees. I believe most charter companies include the permit as part of your charter cost but you will need to have it physically with you if you enter the Park at the upper entrance. Without it you will have to pay to go in -- after all it is a National Park.

If you decide to go in by dinghy, as mentioned above, there is a line you can pull yourself in to shore with from the outer dinghy line but with choppy water, you'll be getting mouthfuls of salt water and kicked around by the surf. Even when the line ends, you're still in 10 feet of water so you'll want your group to be comfortable enough to do the final 6 or 8 feet push to shallow water. There is also the added hassle of carrying a dry bag so you can bring cameras and maybe a dry t-shirt or wrap for when you are on shore. You'll want sandals or sneakers for crawling around the rocks and paths, too. All in all, the advice to go to Spanish Town or Leverick and commute by car to the Baths is sound!

BTW the outer dinghy line extends to beyond the park to the beaches in front of the private residences. All in all, the plan to prevent dinghys from getting ashore would do Rommel proud!

IMHO, the Baths is the BVI premier tourist spot and worth visiting. If you have newbies onboard, try to find a way to get there.

D