Posted By: Rush
Trip Report March 10-17 - 03/23/2018 01:59 PM
As most other posts have commented, the BVI was beautiful, people were welcoming and we are so glad we went. This was our first trip taking the kids (10&13) with us as the bareboat skippers and they had a blast. We were on a Moorings 4000 Catamaran (Lasso The Moon) – great boat. We head back for 2 weeks in late May and can’t wait!
Trip Details:
Airport was in great shape. Customs was fast and easy. Flew in on Intercarribean around 6:30 Friday night. Drive from airport to the marina was as advertised, a little rough (although it was getting dark so we could not see everything). The Moorings base was in phenomenal shape and the service was efficient and incredibly friendly. I suspect this was possibly the busiest week since Irma, and everyone seemed happy to have the traffic.
Set off the next morning to Norman and picked up a ball in the Bight. A nice dinghy ride and drinks at the restaurant and dinner aboard. The restaurant was in good shape and busy. Looked like some activity going on next door to repair Pirates Bight, but I did not get a time frame on when it would open.
Long sail on day 2 to the North Sound – good opportunity to work on our skills with decent 6-7 foot rollers and a few tacks. We had planned to check out the Baths that morning, but during our chart briefing, they indicated that it was probably going to be red-flagged due to the current swells, but more importantly because the giant ones the week before had washed out all of the sand from the beaches. We decided we would save it for our next trip – probably drive from Leverick unless really calm. Went through the Dogs and thought about a snorkel, but a little bit rough. Both of my girls got some time at the helm on this sail and it was exciting seeing them get into it.
Wonderful afternoon and night at Leverick with dinner upstairs. Resort looks fantastic and people are incredibly friendly. Store is very well stocked for provisioning. Only regret was that I did not get to meet Nick and Monica (who I have heard so much about on this forum) – hopefully will be able to in May.
Next day we cabbed to Gun Creek and took the ferry to Oil Nut Bay (had made prior reservations for lunch). As others have indicated, they are very welcoming and you have full use of their spectacular facilities and toys. After paddleboarding, snorkeling (saw a bunch of turtles), relaxing by the pool with great drinks, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and headed back on the ferry around 4:15. We got back to Leverick in time for Happy Arrr with Michael Beans. What a blast! Lots of fun dancing with the girls, singing along and enjoying the show.
Set sail early the next morning to Anegada. Good winds and decent seas. Got there plenty early to have a choice of mooring ball, although it filled up that day. We opened up Cow Wreck prior to noon and got to chat with Ann. She indicated that it has been slow of course, but they are taking it one day at a time. The bar, the beach, and the surroundings were as beautiful as ever. In general, the water was a little stirred up everywhere that week due to the big swells from the prior week. But still gorgeous.Awesome sunset on the boat then a great dinner at Potters that night and enjoyed dancing with my wife and daughters to the fun music played by the DJ.
We set sail the next morning for Cane Garden. Really nice easterly winds pushing 20 knots, so we had a great sail averaging 8+ knots with high speeds close to 10. We were eager to see what CGB was like and were excited to see a very calm bay when we got there, knowing that it can be tough with northern swells. Lots of rebuilding going on particularly with the new hotel. A few beach bars were open and we went to our favorite Myetts for drinks and apps. We saw some folks use the dinghy dock and walk around. But we had heard it was in rough shape so we just beached our dinghy.
It was a great afternoon at CGB, and we knew better, but got suckered by the calm waves, so decided to stay the evening. Smarter sailors would not have made that mistake. A little after midnight, we were a rocking and a rolling. I felt terrible for the monohull on the ball next door – while taking a peak outside around 2 am, it looked like he was up all night. Most boats were out of there pretty early the next morning, trying to avoid some of the surfable waves. Lesson learned!
We headed to White Bay on JVD. It too was a little rough, but we had no interest in spending the night there. Soggy Dollar and Hendo’s looked awesome. After a couple of pain killers and lunch, and made sure all of our family and friends saw us on the webcam, we headed out to Great Harbour. Arrived around 3 PM and not a ball to be found. We found a decent anchorage spot and saw many others pass by over the next couple of hours looking for somewhere suitable. It was a crowded evening. Enjoyed a drink at Foxy’s, which was in great shape, then back to the boat to cook aboard.
The next morning we headed back towards Norman to focus on some snorkeling, as we had not done as much as we would have liked. We were at the Indians by 8 and had no problem getting a ball. Plenty to see – a little chop, but nothing too rough. Then off to the caves which were great. A nosy barracuda welcomed us as we came out of one of the caves. We then grabbed a ball and went ashore to enjoy a drink and the beach. We took a late afternoon dinghy ride to the Aquarium and spotted a couple of turtles among other things.
We enjoyed one last meal aboard with a great sunset, hating that we would be leaving the next morning. Bright and early departure back to the Moorings Base the next morning. We arrived by 8 AM and they were very efficient in checking us in. Everyone there was hustling and bustling and they were working hard to turnover boats which was great to see. I assume it was another busy week ahead.
I can’t say enough how great it was to be back and what great spirits and welcoming nature the local folks had. We are eagerly anticipating our next trip in May!
Trip Details:
Airport was in great shape. Customs was fast and easy. Flew in on Intercarribean around 6:30 Friday night. Drive from airport to the marina was as advertised, a little rough (although it was getting dark so we could not see everything). The Moorings base was in phenomenal shape and the service was efficient and incredibly friendly. I suspect this was possibly the busiest week since Irma, and everyone seemed happy to have the traffic.
Set off the next morning to Norman and picked up a ball in the Bight. A nice dinghy ride and drinks at the restaurant and dinner aboard. The restaurant was in good shape and busy. Looked like some activity going on next door to repair Pirates Bight, but I did not get a time frame on when it would open.
Long sail on day 2 to the North Sound – good opportunity to work on our skills with decent 6-7 foot rollers and a few tacks. We had planned to check out the Baths that morning, but during our chart briefing, they indicated that it was probably going to be red-flagged due to the current swells, but more importantly because the giant ones the week before had washed out all of the sand from the beaches. We decided we would save it for our next trip – probably drive from Leverick unless really calm. Went through the Dogs and thought about a snorkel, but a little bit rough. Both of my girls got some time at the helm on this sail and it was exciting seeing them get into it.
Wonderful afternoon and night at Leverick with dinner upstairs. Resort looks fantastic and people are incredibly friendly. Store is very well stocked for provisioning. Only regret was that I did not get to meet Nick and Monica (who I have heard so much about on this forum) – hopefully will be able to in May.
Next day we cabbed to Gun Creek and took the ferry to Oil Nut Bay (had made prior reservations for lunch). As others have indicated, they are very welcoming and you have full use of their spectacular facilities and toys. After paddleboarding, snorkeling (saw a bunch of turtles), relaxing by the pool with great drinks, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and headed back on the ferry around 4:15. We got back to Leverick in time for Happy Arrr with Michael Beans. What a blast! Lots of fun dancing with the girls, singing along and enjoying the show.
Set sail early the next morning to Anegada. Good winds and decent seas. Got there plenty early to have a choice of mooring ball, although it filled up that day. We opened up Cow Wreck prior to noon and got to chat with Ann. She indicated that it has been slow of course, but they are taking it one day at a time. The bar, the beach, and the surroundings were as beautiful as ever. In general, the water was a little stirred up everywhere that week due to the big swells from the prior week. But still gorgeous.Awesome sunset on the boat then a great dinner at Potters that night and enjoyed dancing with my wife and daughters to the fun music played by the DJ.
We set sail the next morning for Cane Garden. Really nice easterly winds pushing 20 knots, so we had a great sail averaging 8+ knots with high speeds close to 10. We were eager to see what CGB was like and were excited to see a very calm bay when we got there, knowing that it can be tough with northern swells. Lots of rebuilding going on particularly with the new hotel. A few beach bars were open and we went to our favorite Myetts for drinks and apps. We saw some folks use the dinghy dock and walk around. But we had heard it was in rough shape so we just beached our dinghy.
It was a great afternoon at CGB, and we knew better, but got suckered by the calm waves, so decided to stay the evening. Smarter sailors would not have made that mistake. A little after midnight, we were a rocking and a rolling. I felt terrible for the monohull on the ball next door – while taking a peak outside around 2 am, it looked like he was up all night. Most boats were out of there pretty early the next morning, trying to avoid some of the surfable waves. Lesson learned!
We headed to White Bay on JVD. It too was a little rough, but we had no interest in spending the night there. Soggy Dollar and Hendo’s looked awesome. After a couple of pain killers and lunch, and made sure all of our family and friends saw us on the webcam, we headed out to Great Harbour. Arrived around 3 PM and not a ball to be found. We found a decent anchorage spot and saw many others pass by over the next couple of hours looking for somewhere suitable. It was a crowded evening. Enjoyed a drink at Foxy’s, which was in great shape, then back to the boat to cook aboard.
The next morning we headed back towards Norman to focus on some snorkeling, as we had not done as much as we would have liked. We were at the Indians by 8 and had no problem getting a ball. Plenty to see – a little chop, but nothing too rough. Then off to the caves which were great. A nosy barracuda welcomed us as we came out of one of the caves. We then grabbed a ball and went ashore to enjoy a drink and the beach. We took a late afternoon dinghy ride to the Aquarium and spotted a couple of turtles among other things.
We enjoyed one last meal aboard with a great sunset, hating that we would be leaving the next morning. Bright and early departure back to the Moorings Base the next morning. We arrived by 8 AM and they were very efficient in checking us in. Everyone there was hustling and bustling and they were working hard to turnover boats which was great to see. I assume it was another busy week ahead.
I can’t say enough how great it was to be back and what great spirits and welcoming nature the local folks had. We are eagerly anticipating our next trip in May!