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Trip Report-Jan 27-Feb 4
#183372
02/07/2019 03:05 PM
02/07/2019 03:05 PM
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 57 Texas
CestLaVie
OP
Traveler
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OP
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 57
Texas
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Thought I would provide some general thoughts about our trip to BVI this past week without a detailed, daily travel log. Mostly a collection of the high points and general observations that might impact those making the same trek in the coming weeks and months.
We routed through Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas due to the lack of service to Tortola by our carrier (American). Olga's Fancy Hotel was quiet nice-clear, quiet and reasonably priced if you are not looking for a resort. If you are not a fan of stairs, however, Olga's might move down your list. No problem for us, but moving our gear up and down the multiple level of stairs was not the highlight of our trip. That said, we would be glad to stay there next trip.
Fast Ferry ride from CA to Road Town was, to say the least, sporty for the first 30 minutes. Once in the shadow of St John and then Tortola, ride substantially improved. We only wish the mood of the people at the Ferry, both in CA and in Road Town improved as much. After eight trips to BVI, I was surprised to find staff at most of the entry and transit points, at best, borderline rude. Equally, our "greeting" at the Moorings was equally less than welcoming. Once past the arrival desk, however, the mood of most of the Moorings team was considerably improved. Throughout our trip, we found the overwhelming majority of locals we encountered to be less than welcoming or friendly. We did have a couple of cab drivers in Anegada to be most gracious. Also, kudos to an older gentleman at the fuel dock at Great Harbor in Jost Van Dyke who gushed appreciation for our presence, noting "if it was not for you (cruisers), we (the locals) would still be living in total destruction." This was the first and only local we encountered who shared any genuine recognition of the tourist trade as it impacts their daily lives. Workers in most of the local shops and provisioning stops seemed almost put out that we were making purchases in their shops. Restaurant workers were generally a bit more friendly.
Our party of four couples thoroughly enjoyed the week on a Moorings 4800 that was in overall excellent condition, inside and out. No major issues with the boat throughout the week. The Moorings also had a 15 hp Yamaha on the dinghy as compared to the 9.9 hp version we had generally experienced in the past--made a real difference as we moved our load of eight folks through the various ports.
Restaurant prices throughout the islands seemed to have substantially increased their prices over our past trips. As noted in prior reports on this site, Pirates was grossly overpriced. $35-40 entrees under the tent on Marina Cay seemed equally stout. The bargain seemed to the the Friday evening BBQ at Foxy's. Wonky Dog was again the highlight of our meals. Not cheap, but definitely worth it.
For those looking for restaurants in St Thomas or Tortola, be advised that most of the better restaurants are closed on Sundays in both locations. French Quarter Bistro in Charlotte Amalie was the exception and we had a great meal there.
Liquid provisioning ordered in advance through the Moorings and Caribbean Cellars was quiet cost effective as compared to making similar purchases at RiteWay, Bobbies, and the local small provisioning shops. I would highly recommend that you order your water, beer, wine and liquor through your charter provider or Caribbean Cellars to the extent possible.
Grocery provisioning at both RiteWay and Bobbies at Cane Garden Bay was reasonably priced and the selections of almost anything you could want was extensive.
Moorings/anchoring--while at the arrivals ferry terminal at Road Town, we ran into a good friend who was in the departure side of the facility. He advised that every ball was taken early in the afternoon in every port he visited the week prior to our arrival. As we sailed Monday afternoon, however, we found ample room in Norman, Marina Cay, Great Harbor Jost Van Dyke, and Norman at the end of our trip. Cooper and Anegada mooring fields looked like a Walmart parking lot on a friday evening. We saw the BoatyBall moorings at Cooper and Anegada, but as noted in many previous posts, not a snowball's chance in Hell that you could reserve one. We passe up Cooper due to the lack of moorings and space for anchoring and ultimately had to anchor at Anegada.
Watching the weather the week prior to our arrival, we had concerns about stronger than usual winds and bigger seas. However, the gods were smiling on us our week and we had the most pleasant weather and winds encountered in our eight visits to the islands.
Bottom line, we had a blast and will be back sooner than later.
Sailing is not a matter of life and death-it is more important than that
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Re: Trip Report-Jan 27-Feb 4
[Re: CestLaVie]
#183373
02/07/2019 03:13 PM
02/07/2019 03:13 PM
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 57 Texas
CestLaVie
OP
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OP
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 57
Texas
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Sorry for the followup post so quickly, but forgot one item that seemed relevant to this report. We made the trek to the Baths on Tuesday of our trip. We were fortunate to find a park service mooring, but discovered that changes have been made from our previous visits related to beach access. In the past, we have been able to get the dinghy to the shore, drop off passengers, and then head back to a dinghy corral. This past week, we found no way to get the dinghy though the designated swim area, thus requiring all our crew to swim from the dinghy corral to and from the beach. Next, we were faced with the reality of the way of accessing the path through the boulders that lead to Devils Bay. In the past, one could head directly to the boulder field for a round trip visit to the Devils Bay area. This trip, we learned that the high volume of the demon hoards heading to the Baths from cruise trips has resulted in a new one way trek. One must now walk up a substantial hill to the top of the Baths area, then pass through a ticket area, then down another hill towards the Devils Bay end of the Baths. That then allows a one way path through the boulder field to the beach where we started. Not being aware of this new configuration, we failed to take our national park receipt that came with the charter. Fortunately, the cruise ship crowd was light that day and the ticket office was closed, thus allowing us access to the trail with no additional fee.
Sailing is not a matter of life and death-it is more important than that
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Re: Trip Report-Jan 27-Feb 4
[Re: CestLaVie]
#183401
02/07/2019 06:21 PM
02/07/2019 06:21 PM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359 Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
JasonHelmbrecht
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359
Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
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Which of the better restaurants did you find closed on Tortola on Sundays? I've not had this experience. I consider the following great restaurants on Tortola that are open on Sunday: Gene's Bar & Grill, Brandywine Estate, Red Rock, Sugar Mill, Banana's, Da Coal Pot, Fantasia by Giorgio's, Taste of India. The only place I know of that's closed is Rooftop by Brandywine.
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Re: Trip Report-Jan 27-Feb 4
[Re: JasonHelmbrecht]
#183402
02/07/2019 06:44 PM
02/07/2019 06:44 PM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,678 An island state of mind
tradewinds
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,678
An island state of mind
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Which of the better restaurants did you find closed on Tortola on Sundays? I've not had this experience. I consider the following great restaurants on Tortola that are open on Sunday: Gene's Bar & Grill, Brandywine Estate, Red Rock, Sugar Mill, Banana's, Da Coal Pot, Fantasia by Giorgio's, Taste of India. The only place I know of that's closed is Rooftop by Brandywine. Don't forget the Elm!
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Re: Trip Report-Jan 27-Feb 4
[Re: tradewinds]
#183406
02/07/2019 07:14 PM
02/07/2019 07:14 PM
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 922 Virginia
charlie
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 922
Virginia
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Hmmm....did you and your crew greet everyone with a polite "hello, how are you today?" as an introductory remark? That is the first thing we say to anyone and everyone, including an empty front room at a small shop. Once at Village Cay marina's restaurant we were being treated by the best service, but a couple at a table next to us were rude, impolite, and expected service as if they were in some place in some big city like New York. Duh! No wait person came to their table and they were completely ignored. Heck, I didn't blame them, we ignored that rude couple too. Being polite to one and all is, in my experience, the basic key to friendliness and interaction in the Virgin Islands and everywhere else...So, hello, how are you today?
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Re: Trip Report-Jan 27-Feb 4
[Re: charlie]
#183407
02/07/2019 07:17 PM
02/07/2019 07:17 PM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359 Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
JasonHelmbrecht
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359
Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
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Hmmm....did you and your crew greet everyone with a polite "hello, how are you today?" as an introductory remark? That is the first thing we say to anyone and everyone, including an empty front room at a small shop. Once at Village Cay marina's restaurant we were being treated by the best service, but a couple at a table next to us were rude, impolite, and expected service as if they were in some place in some big city like New York. Duh! No wait person came to their table and they were completely ignored. Heck, I didn't blame them, we ignored that rude couple too. Being polite to one and all is, in my experience, the basic key to friendliness and interaction in the Virgin Islands and everywhere else...So, hello, how are you today? Good advise! Always say Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Night when you enter a room. Even if the room appears empty, someone is probably listening.
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Re: Trip Report-Jan 27-Feb 4
[Re: JasonHelmbrecht]
#183441
02/08/2019 09:10 AM
02/08/2019 09:10 AM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 800 Kannapolis, NC
ndfaninnc
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 800
Kannapolis, NC
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Hmmm....did you and your crew greet everyone with a polite "hello, how are you today?" as an introductory remark? That is the first thing we say to anyone and everyone, including an empty front room at a small shop. Once at Village Cay marina's restaurant we were being treated by the best service, but a couple at a table next to us were rude, impolite, and expected service as if they were in some place in some big city like New York. Duh! No wait person came to their table and they were completely ignored. Heck, I didn't blame them, we ignored that rude couple too. Being polite to one and all is, in my experience, the basic key to friendliness and interaction in the Virgin Islands and everywhere else...So, hello, how are you today? Good advise! Always say Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Night when you enter a room. Even if the room appears empty, someone is probably listening. Absolutely good advise. I can only attest to Anegada and Tortola, but both of our trips last year we encountered no bad attitudes at all. Completely the opposite.
Go Irish!!
Bill
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Re: Trip Report-Jan 27-Feb 4
[Re: CestLaVie]
#183453
02/08/2019 11:55 AM
02/08/2019 11:55 AM
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 57 Texas
CestLaVie
OP
Traveler
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OP
Traveler
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 57
Texas
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As a quick reply to the thoughts about the reception we perceived from locals during our trip to BVI. I have travel extensively through Europe, South America, and Asia, along with multiple trips to the islands and have witnessed the "ugly American" syndrome of far too many occasions, I can attest to the fact that far too many Americans visit foreign countries and expect the locals in those areas to speak English, serve American food, and bend to our customs. I, for one, am generally overly apologetic for not speaking the language of the locals and bend over backwards to accept the fact that I am the visitor, not the host. Added to that, our entire crew is from Texas, where we proudly welcome all comers. My observations on the less than positive experience we witnessed on this recent visit is a radical departure from our prior visits-thus the surprise with this reception.
As one brief example, three couples of our crew arrived at the ferry terminal in Charlotte Amalie. Traveling as couples, my wife and I approached the ticket counter together-something done in almost every setting at hotels, airports, or other facilities. The agent rudely snapped at us and told my wife to get back in line, that only one person was allowed at the ticket counter at a time. And yes, I had greeted the ticket agent with a polite and smiling greeting, as we were all happy to be there and headed off to our adventure in paradise. As noted previously, I was totally surprised with the "greeting" received at the Moorings reception desk. Again, we have used the Moorings exclusively for eight trips and have always found the staff to be welcoming. And yes, I greeted the staff member with a smile and a "hello" as we again thrilled to be finally at the first step of our trip. We received the same chilled service from the individual at the desk as we returned several times to wrap up some minor shortcomings in the supplies delivered to the boat. And yes, we tried to identify the shortcomings with a simple statement that we were missing a couple of items. We were not angry, demanding or otherwise "ugly American." We were attempting to get away from the dock and being held up by the missing items, so we did make more trips to the desk than we should have been required to, but we understand "island time" and tried to get with the flow. We did have an excellent boat briefing experience, as well as an excellent debriefing upon arrival back at the base, so I would not want to paint everyone in that setting with a broad brush.
At several of the stops for shopping for either provisions or clothing, we again experienced either no service or service that clearly reflected an attitude that we were more of a bother than a source of revenue. Again, this has not been our experience in our past eight visits. As I noted in the original post, I was extremely impressed by the gentleman at the fuel dock in Great Harbor on Jost who overtly stated his appreciation for our business and the role we, as charter boat visitors, played in the restoration of their community. We never expected the locals to kiss our rings and heap praise on us, but equally, we did not expect to be treated as a PITA.
It was not my intent to be overly critical of the locals, as this was one element of the report we made to reflect the overall trip. At the end of the day, we had an awesome visit and we will definitely be back ASAP
Sailing is not a matter of life and death-it is more important than that
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