Sorry for the length of this trip report. Too much fun to condense it! If you muddle your way through it, it's fairly interesting.

Also, my apologies to the people in the forum that I didn't get to see in BVI. I looked for a few of you to no avail. We also had to alter our route and weren't able to make it to Cane Garden Bay. We'll get it next time.

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Friday evening - The charter crew of Donna, Nancy, Gene, and Michael piled into the Suburban and set course for Larry's house. We stopped by his marina on Allatoona Lake to see the work he'd done on his cruiser. We also take a sunset cruise and ate dinner at Little River Grill. With a long day ahead of us, we returned to the dock, moored the boat, and departed for Larry's house.

Saturday - We departed Larry's house at about 8am and arrived at the airport at 8:30am. Larry dropped us off and headed home. We ate breakfast in the airport (A concourse). The plane departed for St. Thomas at 10am. We arrived in St. Thomas at about 1:30pm. We retrieved our bags from the BUSY carousel and found our driver (holding a Moorings sign with Michael's name). We loaded our stuff in his taxi and took the short ride to the ferry terminal to got our tickets. We grabbed lunch in the restaurant above the ferry terminal during our 2 hour wait for the ferry. After boarding the ferry, we had a beautiful 45 minute ride around St. John to Road Town, Tortola. We retrieved our bags and cleared customs. Again, another driver is waiting for us with sign in hand. We took the ride to the Moorings marina where we checked into the Mariner hotel. After unpacking and taking a short rest, we made our way to the marina to check out the boats and find some food. We stumbled upon a nice buffet-style dinner option right there at the marina. After dinner, we retired to our rooms for much needed sleep.

Sunday - We're all up early, eager to get the day started. After breakfast at the buffet, Gene and Michael attended the captain's briefing at 8:30am. Donna and Nancy retrieved the Moorings-supplied cell phone while we're in the briefing. After the briefing ends, we check with the reservations desk and find that our boat isn't ready yet. Gene and Michael listen in on a vessel walkthrough for another 372 power cat. At about 1:30pm, our boat is finally ready. Bobby's delivers our provisioning package. We loosen the lines and made our way into the harbor. Big problem ... no steering to the port side. Michael calls the Moorings service guys and they immediately send a tech out to meet us in the harbor. The tech returns the boat to the dock and makes the repair. We depart again, headed to Jost Van Dyke. This was a departure from our original plan. The gal from Moorings suggested we take this path to avoid traffic from other charter boaters. After a bumpy ride to Great Harbour, we find a mooring ball and secure our lines. We board the dinghy and head to shore. It's already dusk (and Sunday) so most everything on shore is closed or closing. We settle into a table at Foxy's for dinner. The food was good and the atmosphere was terrific. There was a man playing live, acoustic music during dinner. He was great. Foxy's is as cool as advertised. I bet it's rocking on a Friday or Saturday night. After we finished at about 10 pm, Gene (our designated dinghy driver) takes us back to the boat ... with a few swerves and near misses along the way. The Firewater clearly impaired his vision. After securing the dinghy, Michael heads up to the fly bridge to look at the stars. Everybody else settles in to reading or playing with their iPads in bed.

Monday - Michael was up before the sun. He witnesses a dramatic and beautiful sunrise. Everybody else is up by 7:30am or so. After eating a light breakfast, we dinghy back to shore to checkout the Great Harbour beach in daylight. Other than Foxy's, there's honestly not much to see. We did grab some (mediocre) baked goods from the local bakery. After purchasing a few t-shirts, we head back to the dinghy dock. Gene secures a 'local' kids help with adding air to our dinghy. It was slowly deflating. After returning to the boat, we loosen our line and head towards Norman Island. We altered our plans for a 'clockwise' route because of rough northerly swells. Cane Garden Bay would have been a rocky mooring in those conditions. After another bumpy passage, we arrive at Norman Island. Again, we had no trouble finding a mooring ball. Once we secured the boat, we turned on some music and relaxed for a while. Donna and Michael decided to take the dinghy to the caves for a bit of snorkeling. The dinghy ride and snorkeling was great fun. The seas were rough and reboarding the dinghy was a challenge but we had a terrific time. After returning to the power cat, Donna and Michael showered in preparation for dinner. While lounging on the fly bridge before dinner, Michael was approached by a man in a dinghy from an adjacent power cat. He asked if we had any trouble with the breakers not working while the generator was running. We had indeed experienced the same problem the day before. Michael had opened the gen casing and reset the breaker on the genset. The man tried the same fix and it worked. He and his crew were thrilled. Michael cooked hamburgers for dinner. After dinner, we ventured to Willy Ts for some evening fun. We witnessed an Australian being thrown from the main deck. We also got to see video from past experiences at Willy Ts. Crazy place. We departed Willy Ts and headed across the harbor to visit the Bight. We met a sweet gal there who made us some terrific Bushwackers. After visiting their gift shop, we boarded the dinghy and headed back to the boat. Once lines were secured, everybody migrated to bed.

Tuesday - We were all up fairly early. Good sleep is tough to come by in the small beds on the 372. After another light breakfast, we released our lines and headed up the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Our first stop was at the Moorings facility in Road Town to get another dinghy (the first one refused to hold air) and have the service tech look at the starboard shower drain. We took that opportunity to fill the boat with water and dump our trash. After departing Moorings, Michael set an easterly course up the Drake channel. We had two options in mind: stop at Trellis Bay or continue up the channel to the North Sound. Both are secure anchorages and the wind was predicted to be rough for a couple more days. Once we got near Trellis Bay, we did some soul searching and decided to continue up the channel to the North Sound. We decided that if we needed to be holed up for two days waiting for the swells to subside, that's the place we wanted to be. It was slow going in this vessel. Cruising speed at 2300 rpms was around 8.5 knots. Once we made our way to the top of Virgin Gorda, the seas made a turn for the worse. 5-6 ft seas turned into 8-9 ft seas. Plus, it started raining hard as we made the turn to the north entrance to the sound. Michael stayed at the helm while everybody else ducked for cover. After the short storm subsided, we made the turn into the safe waters of North Sound. Calm waters were never more welcomed. After surveying the harbor, we decided to search for a mooring near the Bitter End Yacht Club. Luckily, we found a ball near the back of the mooring field. We secured our lines and took a breather. Later, we ventured into shore to checkout Bitter End. What a beautiful facility! They have two nice restaurants and some really cool shops along the shoreline. We grabbed dinner and drinks at the pub. Later we enjoyed a local band playing on the beach. Tired from our long day, we finished our last drinks and headed back to the dinghy. After threading our way through the mooring field to our vessel, everyone retired to bed with books and iPads.

Wednesday - Still smarting from our rough passage the day before, we decided to stick with our current mooring for another day. There's so much to do in the North Sound, we certainly didn't have trouble finding interesting diversions. We took the dinghy to shore around 10am. The gals had a spa appointment at 11:30am. Gene and Michael seized that opportunity to check out the pub at BEYC. They ate a terrific lunch and drank some beer. They also ran into our friends from Norman Island (the ones with the gen problem). They graciously bought us a beer at the pub to thank us for our timely advice a few days earlier. After lunch, we took a short tour of the yacht club. Once Donna and Nancy were done with their spa treatments, they ate lunch at the pub and walked through the BEYC facility. After they finished, we boarded the dinghy and made the short trip to Saba Rock. We all toured the very cool (but small) resort. We walked the circle around the rock and ended up back at the bar. gain, we ran into our new 'gen' friends. This time, we talked to them for while. Turns out they're from Canada. Great people. We all enjoyed terrific happy hour specials at the Saba Rock bar. Around 6:30pm, we departed Saba Rock and headed back to our boat. Our Canadian friends told us they might come back to our boat for more drinks later but it never materialized. We were all pretty tired. Michael cooked smoked sausages and hot dogs for dinner on the boat. After dinner, we all headed to bed.

Thursday - We again rose early and prepared for our departure from North Sound. Since we needed water for the boat, Michael decided to stop at Leverick Bay on the way out of the sound. As we approached the docks at Leverick Bay, we found it to be super windy. Michael made a strategic error and approached the docks from the windward side. The wind grabbed the boat and turned it sideways. A local captain boarded the boat and helped us right our ship into port. Michael was embarrassed but glad for the help. Two lessons learned: always approach the dock with the wind head-on AND straight drives require a lot of power to the rudder to execute quick, sharp turns. Next time, we'll know. We filled up with water, grabbed some ice, and took a brief tour of Leverick Bay. Since we were there before 11am, there wasn't much happening. We boarded the boat and left the North Sound. Our next stop was the Baths for some snorkeling and sightseeing. The seas were much kinder to us than our last passage through this area. We arrived a the Baths to find no available mooring balls. Michael kept the boat in a 'holding' pattern waiting for a boat to leave their ball. After 30 minutes or so, a boat finally left and we quickly grabbed their spot. Michael and Donna decided to snorkel to shore while Gene and Nancy opted to take the dinghy. The dinghy turned out to be a much better option as the swim to shore was considerably longer than Michael and Donna thought. Once everyone made it to shore, we hiked up the hill to the restaurant Top of the Baths. On the way, we met a nice local man selling t-shirts. He watched our snorkel gear for us while we hiked up the hill. We all bought a shirt from him when we came back down the hill. The view from the top of the baths was terrific. The trip up the hill was tough, though, because none of us had shoes. After eating lunch at the restaurant, we hiked back down the hill. At the bottom, Donna, Michael, and Nancy crawled through the narrow opening to see the 'inside' of the baths. Once inside, we found a beautiful grotto filled with sea water. So serene. We left the rocks, purchased our shirts, and started swimming towards the dinghy. Michael boarded first then helped everyone else tumble in. It was quite amusing. After a short dingy ride back to our vessel, we cranked the engines, released the mooring lines, and started our short ride to Trellis Bay. My preference would have been to make the longer passage to Cane Garden Bay. It was already about 4pm, though, and we were worried about securing a mooring ball for the night. After arriving at Trellis Bay we scanned the harbor for mooring balls. We found a couple near the shore that looked promising. We started weaving our way slowly through the mooring field. Suddenly, our progress was stopped. We had misread the chart and run up on the reef at the center of the field. I quickly powered my way off the reef and found a mooring ball away from the center. Luckily, there was no damage to the boat from our little misadventure. We secured our belongings, got dressed, and took our dinghy to shore. It was about 6pm by the time we reached shore and secured our dinghy. We were surprised to find most of the businesses on shore were closed. It was quite dead. Luckily, there were a couple of restaurants open. We settled into 'de Loose Mongoose' for dinner. The meal was quite good and the resident cats were entertaining. The 'house' drinks were also interesting and strong. On the down side, Mosquitos were a problem. We all used 'Off' on our extremities. After dinner, we boarded our dinghy and back to the boat. Tired from our long day, we all read for a bit and fell asleep.

Friday - We all woke early. It was another beautiful day in paradise. After some minor debate, we all decided to make our final stop Peter Island. Since it's directly across the channel from the Moorings base on Tortola, Peter Island is a terrific last stop for charter boaters. Trying to avoid the 'mooring ball' stress of the previous day, we left Trellis Bay early to make our way down Sir Francis Drake Channel to Peter Island. It was a pleasant ride down the channel. The 7-9 foot seas of earlier in the week had settled into 2-3 foot seas by Friday. We all enjoyed the sun, wind, and scenery. Michael studied charts during the trip, looking for the best cove to secure a mooring. The entire crew discussed the pros and cons of each option. Our first thought was the large harbor called Great Harbour on the channel side of the island. There seemed to be a mooring field and a nice, large bay for swimming. At the last minute, Michael decided to change course and look for a mooring inside Sprat Bay. The office and most of the accommodations for the Peter Island resort are in Sprat Bay. There aren't many mooring balls (4 to be exact) but if we could find one, we would be close to the restaurants and the pool. So, crossing our fingers, we navigated the narrow passage to the small cove. Our lucky week stayed true and one of the 4 balls was empty. We quickly snatched it up and tied our lines. Michael was uneasy about the depth in the cove. The depth gauge on the boat fluctuated between 3 feet and 5 feet. Since the draft on the boat was a little over 3 feet, this was worrisome. In the blue Caribbean waters, it looked like 2 feet of water. After some worrying and hand wringing, Michael donned his snorkel gear and circled the perimeter of the boat. Sure enough, we were in plenty of water -- at least 6 feet all the way around the vessel. Assured of a safe mooring, we all got dressed and headed to shore to check out this beautiful resort. In some of our travel literature, we read about this private island resort. Nothing we read prepared us for that beautiful oasis. Peter Island is a lushly landscaped paradise, manned by the nicest, most attentive staff in the BVI. We had a wonderful day lounging by the pool, drinking wonderful tropical drinks, and laying on the white sand expertly manicured beach at Deadman's Bay. Peter Island is truly the quintessential tropical paradise. As evening approached, Donna secured reservations for a guided Jeep ride to the crest of the mountainous island to watch the sun set over St. John. This excursion included a fruit and cheese tray. Just wonderful. Along with our crew of Michael, Donna, Gene, and Nancy, another couple joined. They were very pleasant and had great stories to tell. As it happens, they were from Donna's home town of Rock Hill, SC. Together, we all enjoyed a magnificent sunset. After returning to the base of the island, we took the dinghy back to the boat to change clothes. We returned to shore for our dinner reservations at the restaurant on Deadman's Bay. The concierge at the main desk told us we were welcome to wear our 'beach' attire to the restaurant. Luckily, we all decided to change into 'nicer' clothes. Beach clothes would not have worked at this place. The atmosphere was classy but laid back. The food was terrific (albeit pricey). After dinner, we walked back to Sprat Bay, boarded the dinghy, and headed back to the boat. Since we had little time to pack before our 10am required 'check in' time at Moorings, we all did some packing and cleaning before bed.

Saturday - Everyone continued with the packing and cleaning from the previous night. Michael prepared the bridge for departure. Gene released the ropes and we idled out of the tight mooring field. Across Sir Francis Drake channel lay Tortola and the Moorings marina at Road Town. The seas were kind and the short, 30 minute ride was pleasant. It was a busy morning at the marina. Like us, there were many boats returning from charter. Michael hailed the dock on channel 12. The dock master ordered us to stay in a holding pattern adjacent to dock A. We held our position in front of dock A for about 30 minutes. A dock hand finally made his way to our vessel. He boarded our boat, secured his dinghy, and took command of our vessel. He wedged us close the fuel dock and a dock hand refueled the boat. Another dock hand walked Michael through the 'exit' process. After completing our paperwork and returning our Moorings-provided cell phone, we dropped our bags in the staging area at the reception desk. Moorings was having a boat show on their docks and we were all eager to take a tour of a few of the vessels. We found the larger power cat to be much better suited to our needs. It's a 4 cabin boat with much more saloon and deck space. Since it's a 4 cabin vessel, we'll need to get 2 additional couples to go with us next time to make that boat feasible/affordable. Donna and Michael also wanted to see some of the sailing vessels. After getting our fill of wishing and dreaming, we boarded a cab for the ferry dock. The ferry ride to St. Thomas was pleasant but bittersweet. We already miss the food and wonderful people of the BVI. At the St. Thomas ferry terminal, we made our way through customs, secured our bags, and boarded a taxi for our hotel. We had all decided to stay an extra night in St. Thomas ... Very good decision. Our rooms weren't ready yet so we walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch. While enjoying a great meal, we talked through our transportation options. Since we had an extra day in St. Thomas, we eventually decided a rental car was our best option. Taxis in St. Thomas are expensive. Donna graciously volunteered to go to the rental car counter at the airport. She found us a very reasonable rate on a small car. After securing the car and checking into our rooms, we loaded up in the rental car and headed towards Charlotte Amalie. There seemed to be lots of activity at Yacht Haven Grande, the large marina in town. We parked the car and walked towards the water to check out the action. As it happened, they were having a party for the crews in town for the big regatta. We looked at the large boats in the harbour and watched the vendors setup for the party. After a couple of drinks and a walk through the shops at the marina, we climbed back in the car to take a nighttime tour of the island. Since Donna was the only person with "wrong side of the road" experience, she was nominated to drive the rest of us around. She did a great job and we had a nice drive around the East end of the island. Tired from the long day, we made our way back to the hotel where we ate dinner at the Mexican restaurant on site. Gene immediately formed a camaraderie with a group of college kids on a sailing vacation. They swapped stories and Gene bought them all a shot of tequila. Michael limped to bed early and everyone else followed suit an hour or so later.

Sunday - We all took the opportunity to sleep in. Our flight didn't leave until about 4pm and we had some time to kill. However, we did want to take advantage of our rental car and tour the island again --- in the daylight. Donna suggested we eat lunch at a place in Charlotte Amalie her coworker suggested. We drove to Main Street, parked the car, and walked to the restaurant. It's a neat town but vendors harass you from every possible angle. We waded through the sea of salesman and ended up at . The food was as good as advertised. Great suggestion. After the meal, we stopped at a few shops on the way back to the car. Once we got on the road, I suggested we take a drive to the Red Hook area. I knew there was a marina and some stores there. It's the same general route we navigated the night before. It was a much nicer drive during the day and we all enjoyed the sunshine, warm breezes, and beautiful scenery. We arrived at the marina a little after noon. Gene and I walked the docks looking at boats while the gals perused the local shops. While on the docks, we had a face to face encounter with a nice sized iguana. It was getting late and we needed to start navigating toward the airport. As we left Red Hook, we spotted the famous Duffy's Love Shack. Cool. At the airport, Nancy, Gene, and Michael waited in line at the ticket counter while Donna returned the car. Nancy had to dump the coral she picked up on Deadman's Bay to get under the 50lb limit. Bummer. We checked our bags and made the bittersweet walk to the gate. It was nice to be heading home but we would all surely live here for good if we had the chance. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />