Route plan

1st time barefoot cruisers to BVI. We are experienced power boaters & renting 51 Powercat. Can someone tell me how long to get to Anegada from Roadtown?We are considering this for our first night anchorage.

Thank you

Be a long and unusual first day itinerary and one I never selected. With power boat it is certainly doable if you get off the dock early on. And of course it is always weather dependent. Last weeks swells would have made the journey untenable.

Depending on the amount of fuel you want to burn down I’d guess a little better than 3 hrs to a lil more than 4.5. Asking directions on google they have the ferry route and call it 48 kilometers.

Most charterers take off from North Sound or marina Cay or scrub and we always selected a closer mooring for our first night even though we owned the boat. Indeed when clearing the green Can out of road harbor my admiral and I’s Conversation was..”Right or left.”

If there is a special reason you want to be in anegada your first night it is only dependent on what time you leave the dock and your anchoring confidence. You cannot be underway after dark in a powerboat. The moorings fill up often by afternoon. Mid day sun helps with seeing coral heads if any markers are missing....and you would not be the first to miss the island entirely and head out in The Atlantic to backtrack and try to find entrance in failing light.

Listen to Will! Unless you have something really compelling to do on Anegada it’s a terrible first night stop. Nothing will flow from there trying to see the best places. If you are doing a sleepaboard the night before plan to be off the dock about noon. If not plan 3pm. The first day most people are tired and cranky. Plan on a short trip to somewhere easy.
G

I agree with George and Will. Anegada would be a great goal for mid-cruise, not first night. Perhaps consider an easy first day to Norman (with snorkeling at Indians and Caves enroute). Then the next day on to Cooper (with snorkeling or diving the Rhone at Salt Island). Then the third day on to Virgin Gorda, with late-morning at The Baths. Then an overnight at Leverick Bay (and hopefully Michael Beans if it is a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Jumbies if it is a Friday).

THEN, on to Anegada. From there, you will be working with easy following seas to Jost Van Dyke with snorkeling stops at The Dogs. Personally, your crew will thank you if you then take two nights to relax on JVD, perhaps one at Great Harbor and Foxys, and the next at White Bay and Soggy Dollar and Hendos.

Happy Cruising!

If you have newbies on board you will want to find a first night anchorage with as flat a water as possible. Let them get their sea legs a little. Anegada can be a washing machine. Granted you're on a powercat but it's still going to be moving more than you should want on a first night.

Lots of good advice.

I like sailing longer legs, but even with sailing crew (vs "when we gonna get there" crew), that is a long haul for first night. Many good stops you would be missing.

Plan: Mid charter, and based upon weather forecasts. Then get to Anegada early and spend most of 2 days.

I have done exactly that and with newbies on board. The day we departed from TMM there was no wind and so we motored direct to anegada. For the record, we had done a sleep aboard.

We had no issues with this leg.

Had there been 15 knots of wind, would I have done it. Not a chance. It becomes a long slog to windward.

Many head to North sound on the first night. That sounds like a similar challenge as getting to anegada.

So, it really depends on how early you get off the dock and the weather.

Having been to Anegada on a PowerCat it still is a long trek especially if you have never been there. Its best to hit the entrance at high noon for best visibility and no glare. Not sure what your itinerary is for the rest of the week but you sure are passing up some great places. If your not doing an early start (Spending the night on the boat the night before) you will be lucky to get off the dock by 3PM. There is no way you will make it to Anegada unless you push those throttles way forward and you will be paying for that leg heavily at the end of your trip at the pumps. We cruise the 51PC at around 9 Knots or 25oo RPM and sip the fuel. Like the folks before me suggested staying somewhere close the first night. We have always jumped off from the North Sound on Virgin Gorda. From there its only 14 NMs. Take a look at www.bvipirate.com for a good plan of how to navigate to Anegada. Its a lesson you will be glad you read. Hope you have safe travels.

Thank you

We are doing sleep aboard, but are now going to re-think our itinerary. Unfortunately we only have 5 days so will concentrate on Virgin Gorda & Jost Van Dyke area. Thanks for your advice.

Thank you

Steve27 made a very good point. You don't want to make your first entrance to the Anegada channel with late, low light. For our first trip there, we bought Walker's approach chart from http://shop.bvipirate.com/anegchart.html Even with experience, it is best to arrive there mid-day at the latest. Obviously for safety in identifying sea floor, but also due to the fact that moorings go fast.

Thank you

Thank you

As mentioned, RT to Anegada is a pretty long first leg - 26nm, and about 3h15m at an economical cruising speed.

Here's a 5-day itinerary that hits a lot of the highlights and some of the better snorkeling spots (if so interested)

Day 1: Assuming you can depart by Noon. If no significant north swell, RT to the Baths (10nm, 1h15m), then continue to North Sound (8 nm, 1h). Swim at Vixen Pt, Prickly Pear Island. Spend the night there or move to Leverick Bay for the evening. If north swell, then go RT to North Sound directly (17nm, 2h10m)

Day 2: underway by 7:30 am. North Sound to Anegada (14nm, 1h45m)

Day 3: underway by 8 am. Anegada to Monkey Pt, Guana Island (19.3nm, 2h25m). Snorkel stop if no north swell. Monkey Pt to Great Harbour, JVD (10.7nm, 1h20m). If north swell, then go directly from Anegada to Great Harbour, JVD (28 nm, 3h30m). Fill water if needed.

Day 4: AM visit to White Bay, JVD. Depart by noon for The Indians (10 nm, 1h15m), then to the Caves, and the Bight.

Day 5: The Bight to the Rhone (7 nm, 55m) or go to the Baths if you missed it on Day 1 (13nm, 1h40m). Continue to Cooper Island for last night (<2nm from the Rhone, 5nm from the Baths). If you have to return the boat to RT on the morning of Day 5, then it's only 7nm (<1h) from The Bight to RT.

Thank you for your help with itenarary. We are getting great information & going to have a few options to pick from. Feel this way if weather, etc. comes up we can adjust.