As experienced by a first-time charterer . . .
Wednesday, December 3And we’re off!!! Our very first charter, though technically I’m jumping the gun because today was a travel day and a night in a hotel, so we’re not boating yet.
Travel was pretty uneventful. We got up ungodly early but we made all our flights as did our luggage. The only excitement came from a middle-aged lady who decided to get unruly before take-off in Miami so we returned to the gate and booted her off! That circus almost made us miss our last connection, but we made it.
We booked into Mariner Inn and to our surprise got a marina-view room, having paid for the garden view. The hotel is undergoing some renovations with the rest of the Moorings base, but even as it is we found the hotel to be more than adequate, clean, etc., much to the contrary of some online reviews. There’s still way to go with the rest of the construction . . .
To end the day, we taxied to the Pub to meet Tom and Jan for dinner. Afterwards, we walked over to Pusser’s Company Store to check out the action and for a our first taste of the famous “Painkiller.” Anne and I walked home from there and spent some time walking up and down the docks at the base, marveling at the number and size of the boats.
Hit the pillow at 11.
Thursday, December 4I woke up around 6:30, a result of a 2-hour time difference from home and the excitement of getting on our boat today.
We walked over to the base restaurant where we were seated right next to the boats. We much enjoyed our French toast, mine with bananas, Anne’s with rum (one of her favorite food groups here).
I was to attend a 9:15 chart briefing, but nobody showed up (from the Moorings, that is). This set the tone for the rest of the day, where firm answers and immediate actions were hard to come by, but I had resolved to live in “ilon time” and not worry about the little things, so we wound up having a great day.
After breakfast, we knocked around and explored the little shops at the base. We found some T-shirts and a new Moorings cap for me. Not long after that, Tom and Jan showed up with Matthew and Lora in tow, and we all settled at the pool area for sun bathing and socializing.
Several beers and book chapters later it came time to attempt the 2nd chart briefing of the day (4:15). This time a briefer showed up and flew through a Powerpoint presentation in no-time flat. I had studied up on virtually everything he covered and that was a good thing because they provided no hand-outs. Definitely a suggestion for improvement in my most-charter survey.
With the briefer’s “approval”, we marched to Customer Service where we took care of the paper work and got our boat cell phone. Then some more waiting while the cleaning crew was putting the finishing touches on our boat.
While this was happening, the rest of the crew trekked to Tico’s to get our liquid provisions. They had an interesting story to share about shopping carts – one with a $50 deposit, the other abandoned on the road side with a roll of toilet paper in it (which they discarded!). After switching and shuttling, they arrived with a cart full of goodies but no beer!
Around 5:30, the same crew minus Jan headed to Bobby’s some solids. Also around this time, I was finally told that Broad Reach Two was ready for boarding! I managed to snag a boat briefer, which I’m told can be a challenge with Moorings. We marched down to the boat and got straight to business. The briefing was very good and thorough.
The grocery troops showed up and a mad unpacking / organizing party ensured. Not wanting to leave our boat (well, that may have been my feeling), we walked over to the Moorings restaurant and ordered entrees to go and took them back to the boat. Those were some slow-cooking burgers, though! We must have waited 40 minutes for them.
So, our first meal on the deck of our boat, followed by an assortment of drinks. Once the alcohol kicked in, it was a perfect time to do the crew boat and safety review (NOT!). We had some fun with it, but all in all it was a very useful exercise.
It having been a long day, we pretty much crashed after that into dreams of sun-and-sail days to come.
Friday, December 5Friday morning opened up with gray skies and intermittent drizzles. Everyone got up fairly early due to turning in so early. We made our first breakfast on board and were treated to Scott’s outstanding java. Though the drizzle continued, by 9:30 we couldn’t hold off any longer and said “anchors aweigh!”
As we were heading to the Baths, and the wind was from N/NE right into our face, we motored all the way there. It took us probably two hours. It gave me a chance to play with the instruments, particularly the chart plotter and the auto-pilot. Two very handy gadgets indeed!
Motoring under cloudy skies all the way, we arrived at the Baths and decided to grab our first mooring instead of slipping it at Virgin Gorda Yacht Club. We got the ball on the first try (woohoo!) and proceeded to divide into two groups to go see the sights.
We paired up with Tom and Jan and got beached by Matthew. Discovered fairly quickly that we were on the wrong beach and had to recall the dinghy. The second try bore better fruit and we were on to the Caves.
What a site! You can view any number of pictures and you won’t get a true appreciation of these amazing rock formations. We snapped a ton of pictures until the camera ran out of battery – for the trip, as we came to discover soon: I had accidently grabbed our daughter's camera charger which looks identical but isn’t!!! So now we have to rely on our ship mates for our trip pictures. Bummer!
From the Baths, we headed down in the general direction of Trellis Bay / Marina Cay. This gave us an opportunity to raise the sails, and on a beam reach we got up to 8 knots. The crew did a good job for its first effort, and the coordination and efficiency were to improve greatly over the next couple of days.
Matthew did most of the helm work until we go to Marina Cay where I took over. Once we again successfully hooked up to a mooring ball, we went ashore on the island to find a whole lot of nothing, supposed on account of “off-season” (until the end of the year). Back to the boat for drinks and hors d'œuvres which were superb.
We caught a tender from the Marina Cay dock to Last Resort and had a fabulous dinner. To me, the best part was the chocolate moose with Baileys on top, OMG!
The trip back to the boat was a little harrowing, as all eight of us got in the dinghy to cross the bay in a brisk breeze. Scott and I had followed the tender with it to Last Resort, because we were not assured a return trip on the tender. With the exception of some drenched clothing, we made it OK, though. Scott’s headlamp saved the day.
A few more drinks and a bunch of Oreo cookies on the boat, and the party petered out. Tom tried his hand in journal writing, after Anne handed each couple their own pirate notebook, but it got silly in a hurry. Nothing more to say about that.
Saturday, December 6First true sailing day. Again everyone got up fairly early, to sunshine this time. We all took dips in the ocean to wake up and then fixed various renditions of breakfast.
In short order, we got cleaned up and organized to start our trek. Given North Sound of Virgin Gorda as our destination, it was to be long day of tacking due to the prevailing wind.
We put a reef in on the main before getting in open water as the wind turned out a solid 15-17 knots, being closer to 17-20 in the afternoon. We made several long tacks, resolved to sail all the ways instead of taking the easy route of motoring. All the guys had a chance at the helm. It wasn’t the easiest introduction to helmsmanship since we were trying to make as much headway as possible while contending with chop across the bow and due to cats’ well-known poor pointing capability – 50 degrees off the wind was doing well.
When we got to Mosquito Island, we decided we had had enough. We had sailed about 25 nm over 4 hours, so we dropped sail and motored into the sound mindful of the red and green markers. We took a quick tour of the environs and picked up a ball at Biras Creek. We swam a little and enjoyed some afternoon snacks, then decided to relocate to Bitter End Yacht Club which was a little more centrally located. Paid for the ball and found out that the pub by the beach would be showing the Oklahoma – Missouri game on TV, a very dear thing to Lora especially.
We spent the rest of the evening at the pub enjoying bar food, drinks and the football game. Some of us pooped out early and took the first dinghy back to the boat. The second load was not far behind as the game got out of hand pretty quickly (in Sooners’ favor). Another drink or two, and we were all out, but not before Lora almost lost a wind catcher that Scott saved in a nick of time as it was drifting fast past the stern.
After a solid day of sailing and tooling, I’m very pleased and comfortable with the boat. Because of lack of heeling as an indicator, I’m definitely shy to push the boat / rigging anywhere near their limits. Coming about has been painless, no need for an engine or even back-winding. The twin screws make the maneuvering a breeze.
Sunday, December 7The new day dawned to nearly blue skies, and it only got better from there.
Before leaving the North Sound, we made a quick jaunt to Gun Creek where the local store caters to a full range of grocery needs. This gave me a fun chance to practice docking, particularly with the gusty cross-wind blowing over the dock.
We navigated out of the sound with full sail. By now the crew was fully proficient in raising both sails and we were on our way in no time. Everyone knows his job and position to go to. Pretty neat! Matthew did most of the driving while I enjoyed the ride sitting next to Anne and journaling.
We headed to Savanna Beach on the south end of Virgin Gorda, having gotten some valuable navigation advice from the marina manager at BEYC.
With early preparation, directionally-strategic approach and great care the entry to this coral—lined beach was a breeze (even with no markers). It made me conclude that these waters and corals are not a particular challenge, as long as you read the maps, plan and keep your eyes open. That really applies to chartering in general. The “credit-card captains” often referred here must be people who just don’t pay attention, plain and simple.
Anyway, Savanna Beach was simply glorious, everyone just loved it! We anchored successfully on the first try; when I dived the anchor, I couldn’t even see it in the sand! We had a scrumptious lunch compliments of Tom and Jan and spent a couple of hours on the beach, doing a little swimming, snorkeling, drinking, sleeping, tanning – you know, the Caribbean usual.
But all fun must come to an end, so we packed up, raised sail again and headed downwind to Cooper Island. It was Scott’s turn at the helm, all the way down to Manchoneel Bay where we once again picked up a mooring ball.
I went ashore to pay and find out about the restaurant, and to my chagrin discovered that they were booked full for the night! OK, so tonight’s our burgers-on-the-grill night. With a true team effort, the meal on the grill came off without a hitch, and all of it was delicious.
After dinner, we realized that we were getting really low on ice, so Anne and Lora decided that surely Cooper Island would provide us some, despite the fact they are not in the business. So we pile up in the dinghy (I’m just the driver – now I know how the get-away car drivers feel) and scoot over to the restaurant dock. I stay behind so as to maximize the power of flirt, and sure enough, in about 20 minutes they come back with drinks (which they bought) and the biggest bag of ice (which they did not buy) plus any number of invitations and proposals from the single guys at the bar.
Monday, December 8Well, it was bound to happen.
This morning we had our first boating mishap, but we survived it without visible scars or damage.
The morning opened up with partly cloudy skies and very gusty winds in the bay. We did a little planning and decided to head to the wreck of the Rhone first and then make a noon stop at Soper’s Hole.
OK, so we’re ready to go. The boys release us from the ball, but due to slight miscommunication I did not realize we were loose. Alright, no big deal, I figured it out within seconds. But since the boat behind us had already left, their ball was right behind our stern, because we were still dragging ours way back in the strong gusts. Having been released from the ball, we quickly started drifting backwards and, without me noticing, right over the other ball. When I put the engine in gear, immediately I noticed that I could not engage the starboard engine, and my first thought was “Crap, the engine conked out!” A few seconds later, as I’m attempting to maneuver us out of there with one engine, we come to an abrupt stop. Only then did it dawn on me that we had snagged the mooring pennant in our prop! The good news amid the bad was that at least we weren’t drifting into anyone else, because we were firmly stuck.
So, long story short, Scott jumped in the water with his snorkeling gear, Tom following a little later, and about 15 anxious minutes later they managed to untangle the line and we were free – and started charging toward the next boat behind us due to the wind! But now we had both engines back and were able to bolt out of there without further incident.
Once clear of the boats, we unfurled the jib and took a leisurely run to (what we thought was) the wreck of the Rhone. Here's where it gets kinda embarrasing . . . The original log entry reads as follows:
"We made the short trek quickly in fresh winds of 15-20 knots. While it is clearly marked on the map, it wasn’t nearly as obvious on the water until we got close and noticed the half-dozen or so mooring balls. There was also a lone boat at a ball, and they turned out to be Lora’s football game buddies from BEYC. I dinghied over to them to get the skivvy on where exactly the wreck was located. While the seas were pretty rough, Scott, Amy and I ventured out for about 20 minutes, and it was a pretty cool site, even though everything was much grown over."
Only upon further inspection of a dive-site map that Amy was perusing the next day, I came to realize that the wreck is actually very near Salt Island, just southwest of it, whereas we were at another dive site just east of Dead Chest. While I had thought that the wreck would be more discernible based on the cruising guide description, the mooring field confused me and I accepted our football friends’ assurances that we were in the right place. And this was their 2nd day on the site – boy, they must be disappointed as well, if they ever discovered their error. Oh well, just another thing to do FOR REAL next time we go.
In the “true bummer” category of things, we kept hearing VISAR and U.S.C.G. radio chatter about two separate incidents of lost divers/snorkelers, one of them actually by the Rhone.
From there, we headed downwind to Soper’s Hole with full sail in continuing fresh winds. The sailing was superb as we reached 9 knots during the gusts. Since the sun was also out, the crew thoroughly enjoyed the ride lounging on the foredeck, and nobody admitted to any degree of sea sickness.
We drove up to the service dock for water, gas and garbage unloading (with very friendly service, I might add). What a delightful, quaint place! All the boats, the brightly colored houses and rooftops, and the variety of shops. We had lots of fun knocking around, and at the end Amy came running to announce that she’d found the perfect boat for our next trip: Riptide, a 45-foot “cabriolet” cat from Voyage Charters. Wow, quite a layout, looks like a great room with a kitchen / center island in the middle – a real party deck! The only thing I was not crazy about was the interior helm station.
Saying goodbye to Soper’s, we took a nice, brisk beam-reach to Great Harbor in JVD. Inside the harbor, we had to make several attempts at setting the anchor under a watchful eye from our prospective neighbor. It finally set by the east shore in about 15 feet, a little closer to our neighbor than I would have liked, but it held solidly. The same could not be said of another motor yacht that lost power in addition, with the consequence of nearly (= within inches) colliding into a luxury mega-yacht downwind. The mega-yacht’s crew, however, was alert enough to avoid the disaster and helped the poor souls tow their craft to a shallow spot (right in front of us!) and re-anchored them to wait for a mechanic. They were gone before the night.
Can anyone handle more excitement in one day? Not without a drink (or four) anyway. So we made reservations at Foxy’s and started drinking. We also invaded Foxy’s gift shop in several waives and contributed a few hundred dollars to the local economy.
At the designated hour, we got our table at Foxy’s and proceeded to have a feast. While the plates took a long to arrive (but again, “ilon time” . . . ) and they didn’t arrive in synch, the food was outstanding. Before food, we all had a chance to say “hi” to Foxy himself who is full of stories and trivial facts about every town on the globe.
After dinner, the music from the bar beckoned and many of us cut the rug to the island tunes (or was it the 80’s hits?).
Tuesday, December 9The morning presented us with strong gusty winds, cloudy skies and frequent showers. A reflection of the weather, the crew had a quiet, even subdued, morning as everyone slowly went about their business.
Despite the weather, we were off the ball by 9:30, and initially planned to sail on a detour to Cane Garden Bay before rounding the West End on our way to Norman Island. Once underway, however, we quickly discovered that the required heading to CGB would take us right into the eye of the wind and would take a major chunk of the morning even with the strong winds. Giving up on that idea, we unfurled the jib only and still had a speedy ride to Soper’s Hole. The winds were now 20-25 knots and the waves were getting tall and long. They were quite impressive to behold as were reaching across them, hurling us to speeds up to 7 knots. An extended shower hit us in the middle of the leg, giving us a prelude of what was to come later that afternoon in the (Sr. Francis Drake) channel. Matthew and I even donned a raincoats.
We made another stop at Soper’s, this time for small provisions. The weather remained heavily overcast with showers, but we (I?) decided to press ahead. By this time, it was clear there would be no sailing since Norman Island was straight upwind and the winds were growing prohibitive, steady at 27-30 knots and reaching 37 at the height of the storm. That was some weather for about 2 hours there! The visibility was knocked down to about a mile and the waves were just slamming into the hull as we were struggling to make 2-3 knots slightly across them. I think I made some crew members a little nervous, but since we had no sails up and were in deep water we were doing just fine. Either way, the crew came out of it OK, and nobody got sick. I even heard some roller-coaster style “Wheeee’s!” from the cabin as we were running up and down the biggest waves.
As we got closer to Norman, the storm started to subside, winds calmed down to 15-20 and visibility returned. And the waves shrank as quickly as they had risen during the storm. Now our “cruising” speed had improved from about 2 knots to 5 and we found ourselves at the bottom of the Bight by mid-afternoon. We took a ball right up against the Pirate’s Bight jetty because I liked the calmness of the water as the wind was gusting and swirling even inside the bay.
First things first: we hopped in the dinghy and rode to Willy T’s to make dinner reservations. More lounging on the boat, and fairly soon the skies cleared for a beautiful afternoon. On the advice of Willy T’s bar tender, Scott, Amy and I got geared up for snorkeling and rode around the point to the Caves. Wow! The best snorkeling I’ve ever done! Granted, I haven’t done much, but even Scott and Amy were impressed. The colors of the rainbow on the living coral, the schools of fish, the hundreds of Sergeant Majors hovering right around you were just amazing! We also saw a handful of jelly fish floating around.
We spent the early evening consuming our dwindling supply of hors d'œuvres and drinks (always cheaper on the boat than in the bar!). At 6:30, we headed over to Willy T’s, to find virtually nobody there. Good thing we had made reservations! We consumed a fairly standard fare of bar dinner food, although I did much enjoy my chicken in curry and potatoes baked in a tortilla.
The rest of the evening witnessed Amy bussing tables (technically, the bar) and getting a “Sweet” tattoo with a Sharpie on her arm, while Lora found herself an admirer willing to finance her drinks until he realized she was married with the husband on board. We hung on by the bar rail watching the French cut up the dance floor before heading back to the boat.
Before getting back on board BR2, we said a quick “hello” to our mooring neighbors whom we had heard being hailed several times over the radio in the past couple of days. More drinks followed on the aft deck and silly banter especially by Lora and Amy who really thought we should go back to Willy T’s. We later welcomed Brian and Eva on board, a young couple dinghying around looking for a party. They were on a 40-foot mono on a 7-day get-away having met just five weeks ago. Way to go!
Wednesday, December 10The last day of our charter
After quick breakfast and little else, we left the ball shortly before 9 to head back to Road Harbor. I wanted to get an early start in case the waters by the Indians, just outside of the Bight, were favorable for snorkeling. They were, and we grabbed a mooring just on the west side of the rocks. Not quite as many fish / schools, but the variety of the living coral was very impressive, and I observed a ton of tiny fish foraging on the coral. On my way back to the boat I found myself nose to fin to a medium-size barracuda who had parked himself right under our aft deck next to the swim ladder. I checked him out for a good minute while he slowly drifted away. When Jan came back, she wasn’t nearly as keen to make his acquaintance!
Having again released off the ball, we headed straight up the east side of the channel on motor because I wanted our very last leg to be on sail but the wind was right in our face. When we got the west end of Peter Island, we changed course to Road Harbor and raised both sails for our last hurrah. The winds were nice (15-20) and gave as a 7-knot ride until we reached the markers by the cruise ship dock.
We collected all our belongings and tossed them on the dock, hauled out the last of trash and straightened out the decks and births before saying our last goodbyes to BR2. Then followed a quick check-out with a lady from customer service. Nothing lost or broken, not that she’d know, she never got up from her seat in the saloon and took my word for it. One last trip to customer service to get my liability deposit back, and just like that our charter was officially over.
EpilogueOverall, the charter was fantastic! 5 days is definitely too short. I can’t wait to get back. Here are some random thoughts on the charter, now that I’ve had some time to digest.
- Midweek departure is definitely the way to go. There were no crowds at the marina, which made everything easier: restaurants, check-in, briefings, departure, etc.
- Sleep-aboard is also a “must”. When all the briefings are done the night before, you literally have the entirety of the first day for cruising. It also gives you a chance to settle in, provision, and familiarize yourself with the boat. And the cost is equal or even less than staying in a hotel.
- Booking the boat a year in advance precludes taking advantage of the discounts that pop up 60-90 days prior to high season (20% off, 10 days for 7, etc.). Book the flights early, but wait on the boat – there will always be boats, there are so many providers competing for the business.
- Sailing grounds: BVIs are a nice and easy place to “get your feet wet”, as long as you use all the tools and keep your head up. Also, act deliberately on the “critical events” (mooring, anchoring, docking, raising sails). Even a green crew can come up to speed in a matter of day or two with half-decent prep.
- In order to keep things rolling, you have to (politely) stay on the Moorings staff for whatever you’re waiting.
- The Moorings mini-market was a surprisingly well-stocked for liquor, particularly for wines, very competitively priced, and the only place we could find Carib!
- Bobby’s: If you’re picking up your own provisions, the store is VERY BUSY between 4 and 6. It has somewhat limited deli, but overall lots of variety.
- Tico’s: Lots of wine, but somewhat limited liquor variety / selection.
- M4000: Our “clubline” was in outstanding shape: not a single issue throughout the charter. It has plenty of space for 8, the only place one can feel a little cramped is in the head and the throughway to the cabins. All aspects of it are easy to handle, even with just a captain and one crew. The instrumentation was first-rate.
- Clothes pins come in very handy! They are essential to being able to dry towels and swimming suits in the wind.
- Make sure that you have a can of Lysol for each head; makes things so much more pleasant!
