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Trip Report March 10-17 #157432
03/23/2018 09:59 AM
03/23/2018 09:59 AM
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 117
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Rush Offline OP
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Rush  Offline OP
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As most other posts have commented, the BVI was beautiful, people were welcoming and we are so glad we went. This was our first trip taking the kids (10&13) with us as the bareboat skippers and they had a blast. We were on a Moorings 4000 Catamaran (Lasso The Moon) – great boat. We head back for 2 weeks in late May and can’t wait!

Trip Details:
Airport was in great shape. Customs was fast and easy. Flew in on Intercarribean around 6:30 Friday night. Drive from airport to the marina was as advertised, a little rough (although it was getting dark so we could not see everything). The Moorings base was in phenomenal shape and the service was efficient and incredibly friendly. I suspect this was possibly the busiest week since Irma, and everyone seemed happy to have the traffic.

Set off the next morning to Norman and picked up a ball in the Bight. A nice dinghy ride and drinks at the restaurant and dinner aboard. The restaurant was in good shape and busy. Looked like some activity going on next door to repair Pirates Bight, but I did not get a time frame on when it would open.

Long sail on day 2 to the North Sound – good opportunity to work on our skills with decent 6-7 foot rollers and a few tacks. We had planned to check out the Baths that morning, but during our chart briefing, they indicated that it was probably going to be red-flagged due to the current swells, but more importantly because the giant ones the week before had washed out all of the sand from the beaches. We decided we would save it for our next trip – probably drive from Leverick unless really calm. Went through the Dogs and thought about a snorkel, but a little bit rough. Both of my girls got some time at the helm on this sail and it was exciting seeing them get into it.

Wonderful afternoon and night at Leverick with dinner upstairs. Resort looks fantastic and people are incredibly friendly. Store is very well stocked for provisioning. Only regret was that I did not get to meet Nick and Monica (who I have heard so much about on this forum) – hopefully will be able to in May.

Next day we cabbed to Gun Creek and took the ferry to Oil Nut Bay (had made prior reservations for lunch). As others have indicated, they are very welcoming and you have full use of their spectacular facilities and toys. After paddleboarding, snorkeling (saw a bunch of turtles), relaxing by the pool with great drinks, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and headed back on the ferry around 4:15. We got back to Leverick in time for Happy Arrr with Michael Beans. What a blast! Lots of fun dancing with the girls, singing along and enjoying the show.

Set sail early the next morning to Anegada. Good winds and decent seas. Got there plenty early to have a choice of mooring ball, although it filled up that day. We opened up Cow Wreck prior to noon and got to chat with Ann. She indicated that it has been slow of course, but they are taking it one day at a time. The bar, the beach, and the surroundings were as beautiful as ever. In general, the water was a little stirred up everywhere that week due to the big swells from the prior week. But still gorgeous.Awesome sunset on the boat then a great dinner at Potters that night and enjoyed dancing with my wife and daughters to the fun music played by the DJ.

We set sail the next morning for Cane Garden. Really nice easterly winds pushing 20 knots, so we had a great sail averaging 8+ knots with high speeds close to 10. We were eager to see what CGB was like and were excited to see a very calm bay when we got there, knowing that it can be tough with northern swells. Lots of rebuilding going on particularly with the new hotel. A few beach bars were open and we went to our favorite Myetts for drinks and apps. We saw some folks use the dinghy dock and walk around. But we had heard it was in rough shape so we just beached our dinghy.

It was a great afternoon at CGB, and we knew better, but got suckered by the calm waves, so decided to stay the evening. Smarter sailors would not have made that mistake. A little after midnight, we were a rocking and a rolling. I felt terrible for the monohull on the ball next door – while taking a peak outside around 2 am, it looked like he was up all night. Most boats were out of there pretty early the next morning, trying to avoid some of the surfable waves. Lesson learned!

We headed to White Bay on JVD. It too was a little rough, but we had no interest in spending the night there. Soggy Dollar and Hendo’s looked awesome. After a couple of pain killers and lunch, and made sure all of our family and friends saw us on the webcam, we headed out to Great Harbour. Arrived around 3 PM and not a ball to be found. We found a decent anchorage spot and saw many others pass by over the next couple of hours looking for somewhere suitable. It was a crowded evening. Enjoyed a drink at Foxy’s, which was in great shape, then back to the boat to cook aboard.

The next morning we headed back towards Norman to focus on some snorkeling, as we had not done as much as we would have liked. We were at the Indians by 8 and had no problem getting a ball. Plenty to see – a little chop, but nothing too rough. Then off to the caves which were great. A nosy barracuda welcomed us as we came out of one of the caves. We then grabbed a ball and went ashore to enjoy a drink and the beach. We took a late afternoon dinghy ride to the Aquarium and spotted a couple of turtles among other things.

We enjoyed one last meal aboard with a great sunset, hating that we would be leaving the next morning. Bright and early departure back to the Moorings Base the next morning. We arrived by 8 AM and they were very efficient in checking us in. Everyone there was hustling and bustling and they were working hard to turnover boats which was great to see. I assume it was another busy week ahead.

I can’t say enough how great it was to be back and what great spirits and welcoming nature the local folks had. We are eagerly anticipating our next trip in May!

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Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Rush] #157436
03/23/2018 11:01 AM
03/23/2018 11:01 AM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3
Lafayette Louisiana and Pensac...
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Wayfarer Offline
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Lafayette Louisiana and Pensac...
Thanks for the report - we are frequent visitors and charterers but have not been since the storms. Headed that way late May and early June and am happy to hear that progress is being made on rebuilding.

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Wayfarer] #157446
03/23/2018 12:27 PM
03/23/2018 12:27 PM
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 117
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Rush Offline OP
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Rush  Offline OP
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We will look for you there, Wayfarer. I am excited to see what else opens up by then. Sounds like Cooper Island Resort and the new Willy-T should be up and running. We also may take my in-laws to stay at the marina at Scrub for the evening and I think there pool should be ready then.

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Rush] #157459
03/23/2018 03:40 PM
03/23/2018 03:40 PM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 162
Nova Scotia, Can
Prospector Offline
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Prospector  Offline
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Posts: 162
Nova Scotia, Can
I appreciate all of the detailed information and very glad to hear things are getting busier for the BVI's, they have been through so much. We will be there in early May and are hoping to visit Oil Nut Bay as well. We figure we might as well take advantage of it while we can! IThanks


Kim
Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Rush] #157463
03/23/2018 04:10 PM
03/23/2018 04:10 PM
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 148
Bakersfield, CA
Bakoguy Online content
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Bakoguy  Online Content
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Bakersfield, CA
Thanks for the info. We will be down June 8th for two weeks. Can't wait!

Allen

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Rush] #157469
03/23/2018 04:48 PM
03/23/2018 04:48 PM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 150
Savannah, GA
bvichree Offline
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Posts: 150
Savannah, GA
Is the Aquarium a snorkeling site? I have never heard of it.

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: bvichree] #157471
03/23/2018 05:15 PM
03/23/2018 05:15 PM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,675
An island state of mind
tradewinds Offline
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tradewinds  Offline
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An island state of mind
The Aquarium is off of Virgin Gorda between Spanish Town and the Baths.

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Rush] #157486
03/24/2018 06:04 AM
03/24/2018 06:04 AM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,151
Ontario, Canada
warren460 Offline
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warren460  Offline
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Ontario, Canada
The aquarium is likely the op’s own name.

It too far to take the dinghy to Virgin Gorda to vist that dive site.

I wonder if the OP would describe the location. I expect it’s either angel fish reef of Kelly’s cove.


Last edited by warren460; 03/24/2018 06:06 AM.

Warren S/V Scuba Doo
Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show).

https://www.cyabrochure.com/ebn/2307/pdyrX/6642/4///
Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Rush] #157488
03/24/2018 08:17 AM
03/24/2018 08:17 AM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 130
sunbvi Offline
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What about Great Harbor on Jost van Dyke: Have there been no mooring balls or have they all been already occupied when you arrived?

We are looking for nice anchor spots on Jost van Dyke and if there are no mooring balls in Great Harbor anchoring would probably be much easier.

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Rush] #157496
03/24/2018 11:18 AM
03/24/2018 11:18 AM
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 239
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steve74 Offline
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I believe that some call Kelly’s Cove the Aquarium.

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: Rush] #157505
03/24/2018 03:02 PM
03/24/2018 03:02 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 463
Charlotte, NC
DEL Offline
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DEL  Offline
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Posts: 463
Charlotte, NC
Thanks for the report. Was a bit surprised at all the balls being taken at two stops (Anegada and Great Harbour, JVD). We have a charter next month and I was hoping we would be able to spend more time at day anchorages since I believe there are fewer boats to go around. However, the lack of shoreside facilities in the at BEYC, Saba Rock, Peter, Marina Cay and Cooper may be concentrating the number of boats at the remaining active spots. Any thoughts on this?

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: steve74] #157519
03/24/2018 08:54 PM
03/24/2018 08:54 PM
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 117
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Rush Offline OP
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Rush  Offline OP
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Joined: Jun 2017
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Yes. Kelly’s Cove. Thanks.

Re: Trip Report March 10-17 [Re: DEL] #157520
03/24/2018 09:15 PM
03/24/2018 09:15 PM
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 117
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Rush Offline OP
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Rush  Offline OP
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The Moorings base indicated that we should not have issues finding mooring balls late in the day, as things had been more quiet than typical years. But I think we may have hit the busiest week. We arrived at Leverick a little after noon and were the second boat, but by the evening there were only a few balls left. Similar no issues with Anegada, but by dinner, it looked like a pretty full field. Great Harbour was the only place that we did not get on a ball. Norman had plenty but again had a good crowd by their by evening. In general, since some of the usual stops are not available, I do think the other key stops may get a little more crowded. But I think still less crowded than previous years.


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