Pre-trip planning:<br><br>This was to be our eighth bareboat charter in the area. All our prior charters were out of STT. It was our intent this time around to attempt to utilize a Tortola-based charter company. We checked with several companies and with a number of owners. There was no owners time available for our timeframe. After comparing several monohulls in the mid-40's, the best option, considering price, age of boat, and other amenities, appeared to be a repeat charter with VIP on St. Thomas. Other advantages of using a STT-based company include ease of travel, excellent self-provisioning options, and easy access to St. John anchorages. The main <br>disadvantage is the additional BVI customs fees for U.S. flag vessels.<br><br>I made our air travel arrangements with Bestfares.com who appeared to have to lowest fares at the time: Albany, NY to St. Thomas for $488 RT plus taxes & surcharges.<br><br>Day 1, 6/26:<br><br>Up at 4:45 for a taxi pickup at 5:45. Breezed through airport security at Albany. US Airways flight to PHL departed on time; however, PHL - STT leg was delayed 45 minutes for a late arriving crew. (Noticed in another recent post that this occurs with some regularity). While waiting at PHL, chatted with a gentleman who was concerned about missing the last ferry to Road Town, where he had prepaid for the night's accommodations with the Moorings. As it turned out, our arrival in STT was only about 20 minutes behind schedule. Picked up a rental car from Avis, then off to the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort, where we checked in and left the <br>boys to enjoy the pool & beach while we picked up provisions at Plaza Extra. Also, pre-ordered meat and fish at Marina Market to be packed and frozen for pick up in the morning. We enjoyed a very nice dinner that evening at the Blue Moon Cafe.<br><br>Day 2, 6/27:<br><br>After a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel, we were off to VIP's charter base at Compass Point Marina to drop off crew, luggage, and provisions. Made one final brief provisioning swing for perishables (meat, fish, produce, milk). Dropped off the rental car at Caribbean Auto Mart where the folks were was kind enough to give me a ride back to the marina. When I returned, the crew had completed stowing provisions, beverages, and luggage, so we were ready for boat and chart checkout. Went over the boat systems, checked the water tanks, and took a quick peek at the charts (this was our eighth charter so a detailed briefing was not necessary).<br><br>Our boat was a Jeanneau Sun Oddessey 45.2 named YOLO (You Only Live Once), 3 cabins, 3 heads, large comfortable cockpit, twin wheels, good ventilation below. <br><br>We left the dock and motored east through Current Cut, which separates St. Thomas from St. James, then hoisted the sails. Our first evening's stop was Francis Bay on the NW coast of St. John. The mooring ball pickup team missed the first two tries, probably because the helmsman did not yet have a good feel for the boat's behavior. They batted 1000 afterwards, though, finishing 20 for 22 overall! Francis Bay is an excellent overnight stop with dozens of mooring balls, a nice beach, good snorkeling, and always a great breeze for sleeping. It also was the stage for several "stupid human tricks." First, in the course of picking up a mooring pennant, the boat hook managed to get bent. Next, while garnishing the first batch of painkillers, yours truly realized that I was sprinkling on garlic rather than nutmeg! Finally, while attempting to attach the barbeque to the rail, we dropped the nut which secures the clamp to the rail you-know-where! Fortunately, we had planned burgers that night, so plan B (skillet on the propane stove) was employed.<br><br>Day 3, 6/28:<br><br>After breakfast, we made a call to the charter base to explain our dilemma with the grill. They sent a new mounting kit for the grill to the Sopers Hole ferry dock, which, conveniently, was our next stop. Off to Sopers Hole, then, to check into BVI customs and pick up our grill hardware. Back to the boat for a quick lunch, followed by a nice sail across the channel to the Bight. Tidied up the boat, attached the grill (without losing any hardware overboard), and went snorkeling along the east side of the Bight. Returned to frosty painkillers, properly garnished this time with nutmeg, then fired up the grill for dinner. There were quite a few boats in the Bight, but things were very quiet othwrwise. Did not hear any noise from activity at Pirates or Willy T.<br><br>Day 4, 6/29:<br><br>Following breakfast, we motored aound the corner to the Caves for snorkeling. It might be my imagination, but is seemed like the mooring balls there were about 10 feet apart and any boat which moored alongside us was at least 100 feet long! Anyway, the snorkeling was great, as usual, and there was no accidental "rafting" at the mooring site. After a short sail up the channel, we picked up a ball at Great Harbor, Peter Island for the night.<br><br>Day 5, 6/30:<br><br>Another short sail up the channel to Cooper Island. Took the dinghy ashore for some quality beach time. Later we dinghied over to Cistern Point for snorkeling. Mooring balls at Cooper were all taken before noon which resulted "interesting" entertainment later while watching the "Anchoring Olympics." Dinner aboard, again.<br><br>Day 6, 7/1:<br><br>Nice breeze for the sail to North Sound. We saile from Cooper Island to east of the Dogs on one tack. Stopped at Leverick Bay to visit Bucks for some additional provisions. Since it was the Territory Day holiday, no deliveries had been made that day. Consequently, some grocery items were limited. Motored over to Saba <br>Rock for the night. Topped off the water tanks and picked up a bag of ice both of which are complimentary with a mooring rental at Saba Rock.<br><br>Day 7, 7/2:<br><br>We had planned to depart for Anegada, but the early morning weather looked questionable. So we opted to hang out in North Sound for one additional day. Spent some time at the beach near the Sand Box on Prickly Pear Island and otherwise did some serious limin'. <br><br>Day 8, 7/3:<br><br>Departed around 8:00 for Anegada with a nice 20 knot breeze. Saw the first trees about an hour off Mosquito Rock and pulled into ARH an hour later. Over to Cow Wreck for snorkeling and lunch. Dinner that night was at Neptunes Treasure - nice people, good food.<br><br>Day 9, 7/4:<br><br>With our rental car, we drove out to the north shore. Our first stop was at Lavenda Breeze, George Brown's beautiful villa, which overlooks Loblolly Bay. We had a delightful visit with George who was also kind enough to give us a tour of the house. It was a unanimous 8 thumbs up for my family and I would highly recommend this house to anyone who wants to rent a very comfortable property on a quiet island with magnificent beaches. After our visit with George, we went to Big Bamboo and pre-ordered lunch for a 1:30 seating. We then enjoyed snorkeling at Loblolly until lunch time. Our lunch entrees included: conch stew, sauteed triggerfish, grilled ribs, and, of course, grilled lobster. All dishes tasted great. We went back to the beach after lunch and a couple asked us if we were the boat flying the TTOL burgee, which they recognized. They turned out to be Fred and Barbara from Knoxville, TTOLers who were moored alongside us at Setting Point. I did not recongize their boat earlier as their charter company switched boats on them at the last minute. We also bumped into George at the beach and continued our earlier visit. Since we had such a huge luncheon feast at Big Bamboo, we had a light dinner that night aboard YOLO. <br><br>I should mention at this point that upon return to the Anegada Reef Hotel on our way to the boat, we receive a friendly greeting from the late, great Lowell Wheatley. Our family was quite saddened to learn of his accident after we returned home.<br><br>Day 10, 7/5:<br><br>Sailed back to North Sound, with a stop at Leverick Bay for laundry and a few provisions. Motored over to Saba Rock for the evening. Dinner aboard, once again.<br><br>Day 11, 7/6:<br><br>Topped off the water tanks at Saba Rock, before departing the sound. Had a quiet downwind sail to Marina Cay. Went snorkeling off the south shore of Great Camanoe where we saw a spotted eagle ray. Went ashore for the famous happy hour. We were disappointed to learn that Michael Bean was not playing. According to my wife, the cost-reduced painkillers were not as good as mine (sans garlic). Dinner aboard, once again.<br><br>Day 12, 7/7:<br><br>Motored over to Monkey Point where we dropped the hook for snorkeling. Lots of cool fish. Had lunch, then sailed to CGB, where we were lucky to pick up the last available mooring ball. Went ashore to pick up a few provisions and had dinner on board. We were surprised that Rhymers grocery was out of a number of items, such as bread, milk, meats, and fish. Fortunately, Columba's, just down the road, had everything else we needed.<br><br>Day 13, 7/8:<br><br>Hopped over to Sandy Cay, where we went ashore and explored the nature trail and enjoyed the beach. Then on to Little Harbor JVD where we made reservations at Harris' Place for the Monday night lobster special. Cynthia Harris is a wonderful hostess who serves some of the best lobster in the islands. On Monday nights, she offers one-and-a-half lobsters at the usual price of a large single lobster. Dinner includes soup, salad, rice, garlic bread, and veggies. We ate so much I thought the dinghy would sink on the way back to the boat!<br><br>Day 14, 7/9:<br><br>Nice reach over to Leinster Bay on STJ. After lunch, snorkeled around Waterlemon Cay. Another quiet evening with dinner aboard.<br><br>Day 15, 7/10:<br><br>Motored "around the corner" to Mary Point on the north side of Francis Bay. Nice snorkeling at the point - saw a Hawksbill turtle. Motored around Hawksnest Point to Caneel Bay resort for lunch, then backtracked to Francis Bay to spend our final night aboard. A pair of dolphins provided some entertainment before sunset. Later we got another surprise when a ketch motored into Francis Bay around 9:00 pm, well after dark, attempting to find a mooring ball using flashlights. Fortunately, they succeeded in mooring the boat without incident.<br><br>Day 16, 7/11:<br><br>After breakfast, stopped by Trunk Bay to enjoy the beautiful beach and snorkel around Trunk Cay. Among other interesting species, we spotted a moray eel. After lunch on the boat, we sadly completed the packing ritual, then began our final sail back to the charter base on STT. After debriefing, Glenn, the owner/manager of VIP was kind enough to give me a ride to pick up our Avis rental. Returned to the marina to pick up the family, then off to the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort for our final night. Dinner that evening was at Sib's on the Mountain, based on an earlier recommendation from Ray Snow. Thanks, Ray, for the suggestion. Dinner was excellent!<br><br>Day 17, 7/12:<br><br>With time to kill after breakfast, we chose to visit Coral World, a very interesting aquarium-type attraction on the east side of STT. Made a stop for duty free adult beverages at Kmart (best liquor prices on STT), then took the scenic route to the airport, traversing many of the mountain roads on the island. Flights home were uneventful and with an early arrival in PHL, we were able to get an earlier connection to Albany, saving us a 1.5 hour layover.<br><br>General comments:<br><br>Weather: First 2 - 3 days skies were somewhat hazy with dust from the Sahara. After that it was the same old few scattered clouds with temps in the 80's, winds 15 - 25, and seas generally 2-4 feet. Zero nighttime rain showers for the first 5 - 6 days with a few scattered overnight showers thereafter. A few tropical waves crossed the eastern Caribbean during our charter, but they mostly affected the Windwards. While underway, I don't believe we experienced more than 15 minutes of sprinkles in 2 weeks. Nightime breezes were more than adequate for comfortable sleeping.<br><br>Observations:<br><br>On this trip we noticed that many dinghy and small boat operators (both charterers and locals) speeding through anchorages with little regard for the comfort or safety of others. In the past, we've usually observed this behavior on an occasional basis, but this time it seemd to be more common. At Monkey Point we noticed a "DTS" motorboat (escorting snorkelers) from CGB with its anchor in the coral - especially surprised that locals would do that!<br><br>As of this date, the NPS has still not started to collect mooring fees in U.S. waters.<br><br>Service and attitude - everyone who served us was pleasant and helpful. I've seen some negative comments here lately, but our experience was all very positive.<br><br>Food: Crew voted a tie for the best lobster: Big Bamboo and Harris' Place.<br><br>Thanks to all TTOLers for their participation. Information from this board helped make our trip another wonderful experience.<br>Thanks to JeffC for the burgee loan.<br>Thanks to GeorgePB for his hospitality on Anegada.<br><br><br>