Hi everyone,

It's hard to believe that I first posted in this forum on December 5, 2019…and our trip has yet to happen. But, dare I say, it looks like after rebooking the trip twice and our flights three or four times we might actually be setting foot in the BVI next week!

Since its inception our trip plan has evolved and morphed quite a bit. My partner and I will be starting off on our own for the first week, aboard a 31' monohull. Then, we will be joined by our good friends, another couple, for a second week. Finally, we will leave our friends to enjoy a week aboard alone.

None of us has ever been to the BVI. We are all in our mid to late 30s. No kids. We all share a sense of adventure, and a 27' cruiser here in Vancouver. We're all outdoors enthusiasts and enjoy camping, hiking, cycling, snorkeling, diving, good food and good times—and of course sailing.

Originally, this was to be our first bareboat charter. However, I have since skippered a charter locally when my partner's family visited and we needed a larger boat to show them around the Gulf Islands. Everything went smoothly and I enjoyed the experience very much.

I'm hoping to do as much anchoring as possible for maximum freedom, both from a schedule and location point of view.

So, given our three week timeline with the middle week overlapping, what are your suggestions? Some things I'm wondering are:

- How and where should we provision, without breaking the bank
- Our friends will be arriving by ferry from St Thomas, should we meet in Road Harbour or West End?
- Which clinic would make sense for us to get our PCR tests from? (I'm thinking Virgin Gorda, but open to suggestions and reasons)
- What are some of the absolute must see/do points of interest?
- Where/how should we rent SCUBA gear?

Some things I know we really want to see or do:

- Dive a nice intro site
- Dive the Rhone shipwreck
- Snorkel the spots with highest chance of wildlife (especially dolphins)
- Rent a Jeep or dirtbikes on Anegada and explore the island
- Kitesurf at Anegada
- Hike Mt Alma on Beef Island
- Hike North Shore trail on Tortola
- Eat good food (two of us are vegetarians)
- Sail!

For anyone who feels generous with their time and knowledge, I've put together this itinerary template to share your suggestions. Please, feel free to right-click on the sheet name at the bottom (starting with Suggestion 1) and make a copy for your own itinerary. Add any notes, names, contact info, whatever you like, anywhere on your sheet! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LeQD1IKbD4yQc0XorKg9SbMHBfxWMBZI-kJXvCPjMX8/edit?usp=sharing

We look forward to finally experiencing the BVI for ourselves, and maybe meeting some of you along the way! Thank you all for the countless bits and pieces of information I have picked up in this great forum over the last two years.

All the best,
B&M