Although this is our 5th trip to the islands and our third bareboat, this is my first attempt to post a trip
report. We were aboard Camelia with TMM for a week. Captain- hubby Tom. First Mate and crew- wife Nancy.
That's it...it was just the two of us. Kind of a second honeymoon for our 25th Anniversary. We had a day on either end of our week long sail...so here goes:
Day 1- We took a 6AM flight from Nashville with connections in MIA. Arrived STT and had time to grab a taxi to the ferry dock, grab a drink at the bar above the ferry office then we were off to Tortola! The ferry ride was great and we enjoyed getting the wind in our hair on the upper deck and seeing the beauty of the islands unfold before us! Upon arrival in RT we took a taxi to our hotel, Fort Burt. We got an upgrade to a suite and it had a fabulous view of the harbor. We then decided we would like to go to Banakeet...took a taxi which provided us with a little mini tour of the island and beautiful sunset. Found out once we got there that we needed reservations. The hostess told us we could get "appetizers" at the bar, but the bartender said no and didn't even offer to serve us a drink...so another taxi ride over the mountain and we landed at "The Pub" which is a favorite from previous trips and just across the street from the hotel.
Day 2- Woke to our BVI alarm (aka Rooster). Saw a beautiful sunrise and watched a couple cruise ships come in. We enjoyed coffee on the balcony then headed to TMM to get the paperwork and orientation started. We got a few last minute things at the market next door and checked out of the hotel. We were off the dock around 1PM and headed for
Norman Island, the Bight. We did a snorkel from the boat along the northern edge of the bay. We saw lots of cool
stuff, pretty coral, the usual tropical fish along with squid, a huge puffer fish, balao, angelfish(?). After a
quick shower we headed into Pirates for drinks and dinner. Got some great sunset pics and then dinner was grilled
Mahi-Mahi (the best I've ever had anywhere!) Back at the boat we decided to sleep out under the stars and except
for the rowdy group on the cat next to us it was a lovely evening.
Day 3- After an early breakfast we headed for JVD. Had a great sail and decided to moor in Little Harbor. We
dinked over to Harris' to pay for the mooring and make dinner reservations. We met Cynthia who welcomed us like we were long lost friends. She showed us a special snorkel spot. Back at the boat we did a short snorkel from the boat and didn't see much...just lots of eel grass. Did see a few baracuda and some cool coral. We dinked to Harris' again and snorkeled from their dock...there are some sunken fish traps that have some coral growing on them. There were huge schools of little fish (reminded me of minnows) but not much else. Then, just as I was ready to get out of the water a small skate/ray swam directly under me and I about had a coronary! When we told Cynthia about it she said they feed it and call it Henry. Later that evening we enjoyed watching all the pretty lights on the shops and restaurants. Cynthia made us Bushwackers (which were fabulous) then we enjoyed a romantic lobster dinner on the deck of Harris'.
Day 4- We decided to spend another day at JVD so that we could go to the Bubbly Pool. This is one of the highlights of our trip. The walk to it is a little rocky but very easy...and once you get there the effect of the waves crashing in through the rocks is spectacular. We also hiked up the cliff beside the pool for some gorgeous
panoramic views and more pics. We tried to have lunch at Taboo but the water was off and so no food could be
served...also no bathrooms! We had a drink and then taxi'd back to White Bay had lunch at Gertrudes then just chilled on the beach in a hammock, took a walk down the beach, enjoyed watching the drunken day trippers trying to
get from the Soggy Dollar back to their boats! We got back to the boat and tried to make dinner and had a malfunction with the stove (they tell me it was operator error...but I'm not convinced!) So we had spaghetti sauce sandwiches. We played cards and drank a little wine and turned in early...all that fresh air, water and sunshine really wears us out!
Day 5- I woke up with what I thought was a cold but discovered that our boat was infested with MOLD and it was
finally catching up with me. It was the weirdest thing...at night I woud be hacking and coughing and by mid day I would be better...then it started again the next night. I had made the mistake of opening the door to the single berth in my cabin and got a huge exposure to mold...so for the rest of the trip I slept in the saloon or on the back deck. Anyway, we weren't going to let a few sniffles stop us! We sailed to Monkey Point and it was pretty rough. While attempting to pick up a mooring ball I got the hook stuck on the penant and somehow the hook got
bent then when I did get the rope loose it got wound around the propellor...thankfully not too bad, so there was
no damage to the rope, the propellor or the lucky person (ME) who got to swim down and untangle it. We did a
short snorkel but it was so choppy that visibility was low and so we had lunch and then headed for Marina Cay. We
arrived around 1:30PM and the mooring balls were going fast! We dinked in and paid for our mooring and made
dinner reservations. Took some pics and had our pic taken at the redbox on their webcam (I still have to look those up online). Then we dinked to Diamond Reef and did a long snorkel. This is probably our favorite spot in BVI. The coral and marine life are fabulous. We saw several large baracuda, squid, trunk fish,parrot fish, black angelfish, and a large school of blue tang. We chilled on the boat and watched all the different yachts and cats come in and try to find a ball or anchor. Like a moving boat show...there were some pretty nice ones! We dinked in for "Happy Arrr" at the library with Michael Bean...what a riot. Met some fellow TTOLer's and enjoyed another fabulous sunset...then down to Pusser's for dinner. The Blue Mountain Mud Pie was delicious and the perfect ending to a great meal. So, meanwhile back at the boat...as I was getting ready for bed the ceiling in my mold infested cabin fell down...we don't know how...there were no screws anywhere to be found and a chopstick had been wedged in somewhere to hold it up...so that's when I decided it would be safer to sleep in the saloon.
Day 6- We motored over to Trellis Bay to meet with TMM for a new boat hook, stove repair and a carabeener for the
dink lift. While Tom did all that, I checked e-mail at the cybercafe and charged the batteries for our digital camera. We were back underway by noon and headed to VG and the North Sound...had a great sail and arrived in Leverick Bay in time for a long snorkel. There is a sunken boat there that was there the last time we were here and it's got even more stuff growing on it. We didn't see the baracuda that was guarding it last time, but did see lots of other fish. We then snorkeled along the shore toward Leverick Bay docks and saw at least 14 different starfish. After our snorkel we dinked in to pay our mooring and pick up a few provisions. We took the ferry to Saba Rock for dinner. The rock aquarium there by the gift shop is amazing...it had a huge lobster, moray eel, sea cucumber and urchins. Lots of fun to watch!
Day 7- We dinked to Gun Creek and took a ferry to Biras Creek for a tour and decided that it's a little out of our
price range for a land-based vacation. Back at Leverick we swam in the pool and then moved the boat over by Saba and dinked to a nearby beach on the east side of Prickly Pear. We saw a lobster under a rock and a few starfish,about 8 squid, lots of coral and conch. Back at the boat we had our own "Happy Arr" then went to BEYC to look around and resupply the Rum. Dinner onboard and played cards...another day in Paradise comes to an end.
Day 8- We headed out of the North Sound as some pretty impressive "boats" were coming in. There was a big celebration taking place to commemorate the completion of the new docks at Leverick Bay. We sailed toward Fallen
Jerusalem but it was pretty rough and we couldn't see a mooring ball so decided to bypass it and head to Peter
Island. We were overtaken by a short rainstorm with lots of wind (I called it our White Squall). We moored in Buttonwood Bay and after lunch and a nap we snorkeled and saw a large spotted ray, squid and tons of jellyfish. The jellies were all very small but clumped together in a large curtain and it was pretty freaky. The reef at Buttonwood is gorgeous. I have done "snuba" there in times past when Prospect Reef was still in operation. Now the beach is deserted but we did see them doing work on the dock so maybe there will be something up and running in the near future. We had what we refer to as "boat grub", basically trying to use up the last of our provisions as this was our last night aboard! :-( It was very windy all night long, I kept waking up thinking we would get blown out to sea!
Day 9- We woke early and after breakfast and a preliminary packing...we headed to RT and TMM base. Once back at the dock we got everything packed and offloaded and then took showers, called the kids and had a sack lunch made from the last of our provisions. I think the only thing I had to throw away was a 1/2 eaten box of cereal. I gave away the rest of our coffee and a couple lemons and limes and 1/2 bag of ice to a group that was just heading out. We stowed our bags at the ferry office and then did some shopping. Ferry ride back to STT was nice and even though we were sad to be leaving we know we will be back again someday! In STT we took a taxi to our hotel, The Green Iguana, just a few steps from Blackbeards Castle. It's run by a lovely couple, Michael and Linda, who are gracious hosts and made us feel very welcome. The rooms are simple but nicely decorated, clean, and quiet! We took a walk down the hill and Tom bought me diamond earrings as my anniversary present then we had dinner at the Green House...lovely to watch the activity in the harbor and to people watch on the sidewalk! We took a taxi back up the hill and watched TV for the first time in 10 days!
Day 10- We had breakfast in our room from some supplies I had bought earlier. We stowed our bags with the hotel
and then headed down the 99 steps again to do some more shopping. I got a new ring and then we walked back UP the
99 stairs and did a tour of Blackbeard's Castle and surrounding historical homes. We then walked back down the hill and had lunch. Michael, our host at Green Iguana, met us and took us to the airport. Going through customs
was super easy...no long lines, we breezed through and then spent a couple hours waiting to leave. After many hours in transit we arrived back home in Knoxville around 2:30 AM. DIF has already set in and we are trying to plan a return trip this summer. I don't think we will try to fly out of Nashville again...maybe drive to Atlanta or even go to Miami (visiting relatives along the way) and get a direct flight. I know we will also be alot choosier about what boat we charter and ask alot more questions. TMM was great but as far as Camelia is concerned she should be retired!!!
