This is an old trip report from 2006 but seeing that I never posted it anywhere it still retains some newness. This recounts the middle one of our three BVI sailing trips since 2006.
This trip, from Dec 30 –Jan 11, 2008, was our second sailing trip in as many years to the BVI’s.
Our first trip was in Dec 06 and on our first night of the '06 trip we picked up a ball in the Bight. For dinner we headed over to the Willy T where a party was happening. As we were starting our week’s adventure there were about 12 fellow Canadians celebrating their last night. During the festivities that night we met Tom and his friends who were sailing with him. He was from my home town of Ottawa and we hit it off, drank rum and exchanged emails. The following summer we re-connected with him and accepted his invite to sail with him starting on New Year’s Eve 2007. The following summarizes our 10 days aboard Break N Win on that 2007-2008 trip.
Dec 30 2007 Getting there
Left Toronto 630 AM on US Air and met up with Tom, a.k.a Skipper, Break N Win, at Philly. He had flown in from Ottawa after his Christmas break back home.
Arrived STT on time; ferry to Road Town, cab to Fat Hogs Bay where Tom anchors his boat. Dinner at Emile’s pizza pub across the road from Pro Valor at Harbourview marina
Early to bed after a long day of travel
Dec 31 2007 New Years Eve
Waited for Bobby’s who had tried to deliver the night before while we were eating at Emile’s but we didn’t realize that we should be watching for a taxi. We had expected the brightly coloured Bobby’s van. No issues, we were provisioned and out on the water by 10AM on our way to Trellis Bay for New Years.
Wild sailing and by the time we got to Trellis after lunch every ball was taken and there was no room for dropping anchor. Turned around and went back to Fat Hogs Bay.
After dinner one of Tom’s local Canadian friends (an old geezer who single hands his 25 footer back and forth to Grenada) told us that he was driving to Trellis for the party. We rode with him and enjoyed the fireballs and fireworks. Wind was whipping the sparks from the fireballs all over the crowd but it did not appear that anyone was burned.
After the fireworks we started to walk out of the parking lot and Nancy stuck out her thumb. We got picked up right away by a young Indian guy who had his parents visiting with him. Piled in with Tom crawling in through the hatchback and got dropped off in Fat Hogs in no time.
Jan 1 2008: The Bight
Fast sail to Peter Island for some snorkeling off of Oceans 7 which looked deserted. After lunch headed to The Bight where we picked up a ball near the Willy T. It was pretty dead there that night so it was an early night again.
Jan 2 2008: The beatings will continue
Needed some more groceries so headed over to Sopers where Tom and Greg took a dinghy ride into the far reaches of the Hole part of Soper’s Hole, going under a bridge for cheap something…ice?
Then we were beating up the sound for the rest of the day but we only made it to a quiet area just off of Buck Island. Went ashore for happy hour drinks and again it was a quiet bar…where are the partiers? Ate ashore but nothing remains in Greg’s memory as to where and how good it was.
Jan 3 2008: The Coop
Leisurely crossing to Cooper Island for an afternoon of Snorkeling and drinks ashore.
Jan 4th: Cooper Island to Saba Rock and Leverick Bay Friday
Nice sailing day, winds 15 – 20 knots. We stopped at Spanishtown for some groceries. Continued on to the North Sound where we picked up a ball at Saba Rock and dinghied in for a drink. We then dinghied over to the Bitter End Yacht Club for drinks with the rich & famous. We must have been the only recognizable famous ones as we don’t qualify for rich.
We returned to Break N Win and motor sailed across the sound to Leverick Bay where Tom dropped an anchor in a neat little corner of the mooring field that we figure is too shallow for Moor Secure to install a ball.
We went ashore for showers and we met Nick the Leverick manager as we sat in the internet café. We later went in for the Friday night all you can eat Bar B Que. The band started as we ate and there was a huge crowd including at least 25 crew members from a mega yacht Party Girl that was tied up at the dock. For $25 Leverick is a great deal and we all went back for seconds. Tom has been to some “all you can eats” in the BVI’s where the servers told him that one serving is “all you can eat”. ..not the case at Leverick. Best deal in the islands, along with the biggest happy hour drinks that we found.
Jan 5th 2008 Saturday…Leverick to Anagada
We left right after breakfast for Anagada. It was another wild sail; winds at least 20 knots the whole distance. We dropped anchor around noon but felt that it was slowly slipping. We eventually switched to a ball.
Picking up a rental car we drove around to Cow Wreck for drinks and lunch (shark tacos) and then on to Loblolly Bay. Snorkeling was impossible at both beaches as the waves coming in were huge. We returned the car and made dinner reservations at Potters. Met a nice young British couple and Nancy and her exchanged Coronation Street updates since Canadian episodes are about 6 months behind England. Dinner was Ok…ribs for Nancy & Tom, Greg had lobster. We can now say that we have done it but would not repeat. Prefer Nova Scotian brand of lobster. Potters doesn’t take travelers cheques.
Jan 6 2008 Heaving to
We headed off to Marina Cay hoping to miss the storms on the horizon. This was not to be…we were hammered and had to heave to part way. The multiple storms just kept coming and we followed the middle of one all the way past Beef Island until it calmed down enough that we could drop the sails.
Max wind hit 33.7 k
Marina Cay showers were used but as there was no happy hour we did our own on the boat and rested up from the storms
Jan 7 Marina Cay to Cane Garden Bay
We saw dolphins just past Monkey Point…about 6 of them …on a slow downwind sail to CGB where we picked up some groceries before heading off to Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke.
We dinghied over to White Bay for drinks at The Soggy Dollar….our favourite bar so far. We decided to stay one more night just to go back to the Soggy $.
Before dinner we went in to Foxys for a drink. Foxy walked by and regaled us with his poems…about Toronto, Montreal Winnipeg and Hongcouver as he called it. We were amazed at how much he knew about Canada.
Jan 8 Soggy Beach Bums
Motored next door to White Bay where we picked up a ball and spent the day reading and tanning. We went in for drinks at Ivan’s and headed on to The Soggy Dollar. Dinner was ribs at Gertrude’s.
Jan 9 Back in the USA
We checked out of the BVI’s
No wind…heading off for St John USVI
Checked in with US immigration in Cruz Bay and then motored back to Maho Bay where we had been told there was a beach Barbeque. All there actually was were a ton of mooring balls and quiet.
The wind was nonexistent so it was a warm sleep. We relaxed, read & swam. Tom & Greg went ashore but found only 1960ish campers at Maho and several people with hairy armpits who should not have had them.
Paid ball fee via an honour system…a little boat is anchored in the bay with forms and a collection box.
Jan 10 Hooked on Sailing....
....but we had to motor to Red Hook. Winds were non-existent.
Had last happy hour aboard and while we were drinking we noticed a guy on the beach backing a horse into the water. He then had the horse swim out to the mooring field and around our boat. Very neat physio therapy for the horse.
Last dinner ashore with Tom at Molly Malone’s pub.
Quiet day reading…no swimming…Red Hook water was unappealing…plus horses swim in it.
Jan 11 Red Hook to Charlotte Amalie
Easy sailing…we stopped at Yacht Haven to re-fuel / re-water and then moved over near the open air market where we said our goodbyes to Tom at the dinghy dock.
Nancy and Greg were overnighting at the Hotel 1829. Spent the afternoon shopping. The next AM went shopping for one piece of cheap luggage that we used to haul back the shopping from the previous day. US Air back to Philly and Toronto was all on time.
Looking forward to the next adventures.
Photos are here for our 2006, 2008 and 2009 sailing trips:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63321157@N08/(you may have to copy / paste the link into your browser)
