Trip Report Feb 21 - Mar 1 2009
My wife and I along with four friends (two couples) bareboating through VIP.

Saturday, Travel Day
We departed from Springfield, MO (Airport, Tire Center and Hair Care)...just kidding. I love being able to get to the airport 20 mins from my house, arrive an hour or less before the flight is scheduled to leave, unload baggage at the curb and go thru security in five mins. Our friends departed from Kansas City and we met up with them in Miami, where they had a six hour layover. Ouch! Our layovers were a couple hours each in DFW and Miami. You guys were right. MIA layovers are a little sucky, but we made the best of it.

The flight to STT was uneventful and arrived on time, but late in the evening - 10:15pm I think. We flew first class…on points…couldn’t afford it and wouldn’t pay for it otherwise…so time went by comfortably. It was a little awkward sitting up front with our friends in back.

We skipped the "Welcome to BVI" Cruzan shot <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> just inside the terminal doors. Walked around the corner toward the baggage claim and saw our driver waiting for us. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Got all of the bags ok...checked a duffel each and a soft cooler with meat and beach towels. Found Smitty, our driver, then helped him load our bags and climbed aboard the van.

Some in our group were a little hungry, so we asked Smitty where we could get something to eat. He was not friendly and made little…make that No effort to advise us, or to even just politely tell us we were out of luck. Not a very hospitable introduction to the ilons. After experiencing the wonderful cab drivers in Antigua last year this was a surprise.

We arrived at Compass Point Marina, where VIP is based, for our first night sleep aboard. It was after hours and all was dark and quiet, but we quickly found our welcome packet and our boat with no problem.

The boat was a 48' Jefferson...what we refer to as a sedan bridge. Yep we’re Stinkpotters <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />. One main aft cabin that was very roomy and two cabins up front that were more compact. It was advertised as having three en suite heads. We discovered that only the aft cabin had an en suite head. The other full head was just aft of the forward most cabin and a "captian's" head (manual head only, no shower or sink) just aft of the full head. The galley was roomy and well equipped as was the rest of the boat.

We provisioned our beverages through VIP (Captain Morgan, beer, water, more Captain Morgan, vodka, mixers and a little more Captain Morgan). We were excited to get aboard and have a couple of cocktails, but no provisions were to be found. No water…No nothing! We were all tired, dehydrated and some were even hungry on top of that. There was however, a bag of ice in the freezer, so I grabbed several glasses and filled them with ice. As a rule, we don’t drink the water on our boat and I don’t know how well they take care of these charter boats. At least we would have a drink in the morning.

Sunday, Day 1 – Provisioning and Getting Underway
I woke up early, enjoyed a long cool drink of water and went above. Nobody up and around in the marina except a rooster somewhere. The VIP folks showed up and got us our provisions. Apparently there was some miscommunication and instead of being placed on the boat they were placed in the office where they were locked up last night. Not good, but not a big deal. We all showered at the marina facilities and had a good breakfast at the marina. Things were looking up.

After breakfast the girls headed across the harbor in the dingy to get provisions while the guys got started with the chart and boat briefings. The chart briefing was pretty good. We were instructed on how to grab balls (sorry) and we talked about good overnight spots. We were told about a guy that ended up on the hard the week before after a mooring ball failure off of Jost Van Dyke. We saw a picture and heard about a hole in the hull. Not good.

The boat briefing was a little unsettling. We all have boats very similar to this one – except for the head (macerator pump vs. holding tank) – so this was easy. It was unsettling because the batteries were dead and this boat had only been back in the marina for a day or two. We were reassured that once charged, the batteries would be fine. I wasn’t real confident, but figured if we had problems we would be taken care of. After charging for awhile one battery was strong enough to start the engine and after awhile longer the other one was as well.

The briefings were over, the girls were back and we were ready to shove off. We were piloted out of the harbor, pointed in the right direction and turned loose. I was a little surprised at the low level of instruction given. Maybe they could sense that we were competent. Either way we were on our own and on our way.

It was mid afternoon and we didn’t want to rush, at least I didn’t, to do anything. We crossed Pillsbury Sound and checked out a couple of spots off of St. John…couldn’t find a ball at the first couple of spots, but finally did in Francis Bay (I think). I should point out that I’m no navigator and I didn’t always pay attention to where we were, where we had been, or where we were going. I was there to relax.

I have to admit I was a little anxious about the whole mooring ball situation. Just prior to leaving home I read a thread about the adventure of grabbing a ball and maneuvering in a mooring field. We never had a problem and only twice failed to grab a ball on the first shot. I guess all of those visits to Party Cove at Lake of the Ozarks paid off.

It was a great first night…very calm…and oh do I love waking up on the water, especially warm water. Ahhhhh!!

Monday, Day 2 – Check in to BVI
We dropped the ball fairly early that morning and headed to Sopers Hole to check in at customs, and pick up our kayaks, floaties and phone from Island Surf & Sail (These Guys Are Great!). After clearing customs, a quick stop at Jolly Rogers and dropping the stuff off at the boat we went across the harbor so the girls could do a little shopping. Our first en masse dingy ride went off without a hitch. It began to sprinkle just as we got the last spot at the dingy dock, but only lasted a bit and was very light. After shopping a little we headed to Road Town for…you guessed it, more shopping.

At Road Town we didn’t see any open balls until we got back by the Moorings facility. We didn’t realize that our chosen ball had a no trespassing sign on it until we had it hooked. We made a quick decision to tie up anyway. A couple of us stayed with the boat in case it had to be moved. The entire excursion lasted about 30-45 mins. I guess the shopping wasn’t that desirable due to the cruise ship folk.

After Road Town we headed across Sir Francis Drake Channel, past Peter Island to Norman Island for our second night. The Bight. We got a ball, closest to the shore, about half way between Pirate’s Bight restaurant and the Willie T. This became our M.O. and seemed to work quite well for a smooth night.

Once we were moored we dingied around to the caves and chose to beach the dingy since someone didn’t bring their water shoes. Bad Idea! Now I did say that we have a lot of boating experience, but what I failed to mention is that we have no dingy experience and no experience with beaching any kind of boat. Anyway, we beached the dingy and tied it to a boulder on shore. We then went snorkeling.

It was neat to see the caves supposedly related to “Treasure Island”. Very cool. The snorkeling was pretty good and I enjoyed it even though it’s not my thing. I started to get cold even with my shorty wetsuit on, so my wife and I headed back to the dingy. When we got back the dingy was swamped…should’ve known that would happen. When the others got back we got it drained and headed back to the boat.

That night we had a nice dinner at Pirate’s Bight and really started to relax and feel like I was on vacation. Ahhhhh!! After dinner, we went to see what the Willie T was all about. It was very subdued which was fine and it was neat to see the famed party place. We saw the photo albums and I thought, “This place is like Party Cove”. We met a very nice guy there…crap, I forgot his name…anyway; he and his wife had taken a hiatus and had been living in the ilons, on their boat, for awhile. He recommended a few places to go and things to do including Marina Cay. After a few drinks we called it a night.

Tuesday, Day 3 – Marina Cay
Before leaving the next morning, we unloaded trash and took on ice (forgot the Dove bars) thanks to the Deliverance girls. What a deal. They were very nice and this was the first, but not the only, good business opportunity I saw in the ilons.

We headed out into Sir Francis Drake Channel travelling east…passed the north shore of Peter Island, Dead chest and Salt Island…then turned north at Cooper Island heading for Marina Cay.

If I remember right, the preferred approach to Marina Cay is from the south, but we came in from the north. It was a piece of cake…maybe it’s different for sailboats. It was still early in the day when we arrived at Marina Cay, so we got a ball up close to shore again in the calmest water. We had lunch at the Marina Cay restaurant and then the wife and I got comfortable at one of the little huts on the beach and cracked a book while the others toured the island and snorkeled. Later that afternoon I went up to the little house at the top of the hill to answer some email and ended up talking to Michael Beans for a little while about goodsamaritanofhaiti.com among other things. Neat guy / interesting story...things aren't always what they seem.

We went to Happy Arrrrr and sang pirate songs, had a few cold Caribs, a shot of Pusser’s and a good time. Our dinner reservations were for 7:00 so we missed the end of Michael’s show. Dinner was great. The service was great. The day was great! Ahhhhh!!

Wednesday, Day 4 – Trellis Bay and more Marina Cay
We got up and took the ferry over to Trellis Bay so the girls could do a little more shopping. I wanted to get a bite to eat so the boys and I sat down a Cyber Café. The food was ok, but the service left a little to be desired…grouchy people. We were all a little let down by Trellis Bay.

We caught the ferry back to Marina Cay and had lunch at the restaurant again. Then I hung out on the beach and read while everyone else took a dingy trip to find some snorkeling spots. Later, I got a big Pain Killer and went up the hill to check email and read. I love that little house.

That evening we grilled steaks on the boat and had a nice dinner with good friends. That’s what this trip was for. Ahhhhh!!

Thursday, Day 5 – Virgin Gorda and Leverick
Prior to our trip I had boasted about my inclination to get up early and how I would get up and take us to our next destination whilst all others aboard could leisurely go about their morning routine. In reality, this only happened twice; once I did it while my wife was in the shower. Bless her; she was a good sport about it. We did get an early start this day and it was a good thing.

I had read on TTOL about the crowds at the Baths, so we got there early and enjoyed most of the morning with little competition. We had to wait a few times for the tour groups to pass in the Baths, but no big deal. Very Cool! I really enjoyed this and could’ve stayed all day.

We had lunch on the boat, dropped our ball and headed to Leverick. I read and enjoyed a nap in our cabin during the 2-3 hour trip and woke up just as we were approaching the Gorda Sound entrance to the south of Mosquito Island. That entrance was red on our chart and it was a little dicey, but we made it without incident. We saw 4’ on the depth gauge for quite awhile, but we never scraped bottom.

We arrived at Leverick in the afternoon and tied up on the outside of the fuel dock. We just hung out and waited while a couple of boats were shuffled around and then we got in our slip and plugged in. This was a good stop for us as we were able to do a load of laundry and re-provision. That night we had cocktails by the pool and dinner upstairs at a nice restaurant...don’t remember the name (see cocktails). It was a little pricey, but I enjoyed myself.

Friday, Day 6 – Jost Van Dyke
I watched several boats, presumably sailing for Anegada, as we left Leverick and headed to Jost and marveled at the vast ocean. When we got to Jost, we went by Little Harbor and Great Harbor before stopping in White bay. There was only one ball left. It was a mooring ball with no painter. Hmm, could this be the ball that we heard about during our briefing? We rolled the dice here and tied up to the ball anyway. All’s well that ends well.

We did the whole Soggy Dollar thing. It was neat, but now that I’ve been there, done that and got the T-shirt I don’t have any need to go back.

We chose Little Harbor for overnight and it was great. I found myself enjoying the pelicans diving and the goats and roosters doing their thing. We had dinner at Sidney’s Peace and Love where we did the honor bar thing and hung up a T-shirt. This was a very enjoyable evening.

Saturday, Day 7 – Back to the USVI
Before going back to Sopers Hole to return the kayaks we made a much anticipated stop at Sandy Spit. How Cool! We dropped the hook and swam to this tiny slice of paradise that could be straight out of a movie. It has certainly been in a movie/commercial or two, hasn’t it? I walked all the way around the island – in about 10 mins – while the girls looked for sea glass. I also found a plastic coffee can with a little notebook in it. Someone had left it a few months ago and many others had left their name and the date of their visit.

Sunday, Travel Home
We had the alarm set for 4:45am, Atlantic time/2:45am CST…uhhhgg! We got up, showered and finished packing. We carted our first load up to the office where we expected the driver to pick us up. When we returned with our second load he was already there loading our stuff. Awesome! We loaded into the van and I don’t think a word was spoken until we reached the airport. We unloaded and received the unexpected, but not unbelievable, word that we owed $65 for our transportation. I had already tipped the guy $5 and handed him another $20…no big deal.

We got in line, checked in, went thru security and found a little café serving breakfast. Perfect! We got breakfast and then I walked around for an hour or so before our flight began to board. The trip home was uneventful and we walked in our front door around 7:45pm CST.

I’m ready to go back.

Epilogue

I went back to work Monday morning and after sitting at my desk for an hour or so, I began to feel slightly nauseous. I forget what the term is, but it’s like non-motion sickness. I snuck home real early that day and early most days that week. The office ran fine when I was out of the country; they could do okay with me at home sitting on the couch, going thru my vacation pictures and watching Caribbean Beaches on the Travel Channel for the umpteenth time. I just didn’t feel like giving up on vacation and didn’t really get up to full speed until Friday.

Now, two weeks later, I’m up to speed at work, starting to get back into exercise and dreaming of my next vacation. I would really like to cross the Atlantic someday. Maybe I’ll see if I can hitch a ride from England to the Caribbean soon.

Thank you so much to all who have posted on TTOL. I got a ton of good info and I think some of it helped my wife and our friends enjoy their time in the ilons just a little bit better too.

Cheers <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />
Joe <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" />