Hello All-

This Annapolitan is just back from a week starting out Scrub Island BVIs with Dream Yacht Charter. For those who are interested, here is a quick review of my notes-

We booked Owners Time/Short Notice with Jenny Goya. We got yacht Confluence (for the second time!) 2017 L420 A/C 4 Cabin 4 heads. By going this route -owner's time on less than 21 days notice through Jenny- we got the boat all in for about $4900 Saturday to Saturday.

Travel: $700 round trip for two from DCA to STT. We left DCA 7 am were on Tortolla by ferry 400pm. No problem!

DYC base: moved from Hodges Creek to Scrub Island. This is a great, wonderful thing- anyone who has been to both bases will know what I mean. Scrub Island is awesome!

The Yacht: My fifth charter with DYC, fourth through Jenny. Boat was impeccable. Clean, sweet, all systems go. I have never had a boat is less than this state from DYC BVIs. Blue Cocktail Bali 45 last time.

MAJOR CONCERN: At Moorings and now DYC, the butane/propane solenoid is completely disconnected. Is this a problem? I dunno, but it bothers me. I asked base manager Carlton J. and he said there is no law requiring the electric shut off. Carlton is a wonderful person and highly professional and competent charter base skipper. I have known him since he was at SunSail. So be forewarned that the little glowy switch on the electrical control board don't mean diddly- your propane is on unless you close the tanks-but it is pretty.

Day One: Norman after a shake down sail. Nice winds about 15-20 kts and if someone could tell me how to cleanly tack one of these beasts without losing all speed or going into irons I would be grateful. Arrive Norman about 4pm, maybe 5 mooring balls open the entire harbor. Poor ol' Willie T still there and you can almost watch the rust spreading. Coral at Caves not really rocking, perhaps storm damage.

Day Two: Cooper. Arrive after a ripping good sail about 400pm. Not a stinkin' ball in the whole place. Anchored in 30 ft off s/w part of anchorage. Anchor set, saw it was nice and buried. about 11pm, started dragging. Capt Van Dyk off private charter cat nearby heard me swearing and used his dinghy to come aboard. Capt Van Dyk graciously and courteously offered his assistance and local knowledge which I gratefully accepted. He got our boat secure and refused any tip. Thank you again, Captain!

Day Three: Leverick Bay: arrived about 2pm, about two balls available, soon taken. Used dinghy to cruise Gorda Sound. Very sad. Small inter island freighter beached between Biras Creek and Leverick. Bitter End blown away. Saba Rock- same. Prickly Pear- the same bomba shack is there, never have I once seen it open. New Branson home on Mosquito. Ashore for provisions, all good with pool, stores, gas, water. Happy to see LeRoy and Pencil still doing their thing on the fuel dock.

Day 4: Baths Early, overnight JVD: arrive Baths about 12000pm plenty of day balls. Cruise ship off the Baths disgorged- and we had one way traffic through the Baths, maddeningly crowded, long lines, people bunched up waiting to go through. JVD about 530pm after nice down wind sail. Cruise Great Bay looking for a ball- not one stinkin' ball. Chug over to White Bay. Every ball also taken. A French L380 on anchor handed to us a mooring pennant they had discovered. It well secured to seabed with concrete block as well as screw. No buoy but somehow they found it and passed it to us. Ashore- Hendo's, Soggy, Ice Cream Store, two or three other bars all doing a booming business. Perhaps it was Ivan's next to Hendos? All good White Bay!

Day 5: Cruise around to Great Harbor earlyish, about 1:00pm. No balls. Anchor in designated anchorage east side, lots more boats dropped hooks by us as the sun went down. Foxy's was jamming- but I was on anchor watch. Our holding ground was not so great. Don't know if Corsairs is up but in October they were hammering and sawing away.....got fruit, vegetables, and other supplies at the market.

Day 6: Scrub Island: Leave JVD early and motor upwind. Stop at Salt and Marina Cay. In slip by about 400pm. Ah........ showers, flush terlets and a swim up bar. Beautiful beach. All available at no extra cost to DYC patrons! Life is good! Eat our first meal ashore- $19 cheeseburgers not as paradisical as Peter Island Dead Man's Bar- but gotta stop living in the past, man! Peter Island Resort is gone, and wishing won;t bring it back!

Day 7: Up early. The normal amazingly inefficient scene at Road Town ferry and Customs. Next time, I will take a taxi to West End where the whole ferry/customs thing is so much more relaxed. The Road Town ferry shuffle can really harsh your mellow at the end of a nice trip!

Key Takeaways: 1)Have no fear of DYC Scrub Island. The boat, service, base, value all excellent; 2) the place was hopping. Every mooring ball taken, every anchorage, every day; 3) Cruise ships off The Baths are a sure buzz kill. The foot traffic from The Baths to Devils Bay was limited to one direction and absolutely impassable for an hour or two at a time; 4) The BVIs are back, Baby! Go, enjoy, have a great time! We did!

Another special shout out to Captain Van Dyk! Thank you, Sir. You pulled our asses out of the proverbial frying pan, and you did it politely and awesomely! We hope to see you again under more drinky circumstances!

Peace and Fair Winds to All! See You At the Cat Fight!

Aloha!