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#153277 01/22/2018 10:21 PM
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Just checking info about the resort at Oil Nut Bay. We're considering motoring over from Leverick Bay for lunch.
It appears that they haven't welcomed bare boaters in the past, but now are?
We'll have a 42' Cat, and hoping we can dock for the afternoon, or anchor out and dinghy into the marina.
Anyone have experience boating past Saba Rock to Oil Nut Bay?
Any input about lunch @ the resort?


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CaptnAndy #153300 01/23/2018 09:45 AM
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Been there many times. There's a bouyed channel from Saba Rock to Deep Bay (marina location), though the first pair of red & green markers are missing just east of Saba Rock. Just past Saba and to the north of BEYC the channel gets a bit shallow with coral heads at 6-7' and possibly shallower. Take it slow and don't stray too close to BEYC shoreline. Once past BEYC the channel widens and you have plenty of depth.

The marina docks are now open. Call ahead to the restaurant to make a lunch reservation and to secure a free daytime spot at the marina. They prefer you to dock instead of anchoring if going ashore. 2 of the 3 piers are being used for boaters. There 3rd pier by the marina building is still partially damaged and being used by the employee shuttle boats. Northernmost dock has a T that can accommodate one 50'+ boat and it has ~200' long side tie up. The middle pier has a T that can accommodate two ~50' boats.

If they know your arrival time they'll send an employee (very likely Ian) to the dock to help with lines and then transport you by golf cart to the beach club and back to marina by~4:30 pm as most employees leave at 5 (given him a nice tip).

Overnight marina rates are $5/ft. Meal and drink prices are comparable to Pirates Bight at Norman.

CaptnAndy #153307 01/23/2018 10:34 AM
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We visited on three separate occasions this month. Highly recommend! Very friendly staff, great place to spend some time.

They have hobie cats, SUPs, snorkel gear etc on the beach for you to use (free), the lagoon is FULL of green Turtles, rays and sharks. Fabulous snorkeling.

Swim up bar, several lovely pools...showers...etc. Nice food, great painkillers.

We left the yacht on a ball at Bitter End (the pennants have been removed so takes a bit of extra effort!) and took the dinghy round to their welcome dock...they met us there with a golf buggy and drove us the rest of the way (not thats its very far!).

They dont like you anchoring...it destroys the sea-grass which the turtles so enjoy!

Christo #153320 01/23/2018 12:02 PM
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Thank you for the great information! With Scrub Island closed to visitors,(more or less)
Oil Nut Bay sounds like a great alternative!! I think we'll plan a lunch stop, and spend the afternoon there!

The pools, the water sports, and the snorkeling sound fantastic!


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CaptnAndy #153331 01/23/2018 01:33 PM
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Just to add...you do need to make a reservation. You can contact Jade or Scarlett on: reservations@oilnutbay.com both were extremely friendly to us and even made a point of coming and introducing themselves when we got there.

Food was good too. The menu changed each day we went back and they even allowed us to take pizzas away with us when we left, which made a nice easy dinner aboard in a completely deserted mooring field.

The balls at Saba Rock still have their pennants on by the way...as do the ones at The Sand Box (neither place has anything other than rubble ashore). We just prefer being off Bitter End despite the extra hassle of no pennants.

One of the days we were there old Dickie Branson and his entire entourage came over from Necker on kite-boards/RIBs/Hobie Cats and a few other aquatic vehicles. They still made room for us at lunch and I hasten to add treated us in exactly the same way as his crowd!

If you go snorkeling, head over the left side of the lagoon toward the edge of the swimming zone...that seems to be where the turtles hang out. You literally can't miss them...we saw dozens. Very unafraid and happy to be observed from a polite distance. There is also a huge sunken tree (carefully placed by Irma) which has become home to numerous fish (we saw huge Porcupine Fish, Smooth Trunk Fish, Scrawled Cow Fish and a big Nurse Shark). If you're lucky you may also see a Spotted Eagle Ray.

CaptnAndy #154603 02/07/2018 08:27 PM
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Does ONB have a daily use price for docking or do they have a mooring field?


Cruising the local waters here in SC and GA. Love the BVIs and miss the Tradewinds!
Steve27 #154605 02/07/2018 08:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Steve27
Does ONB have a daily use price for docking or do they have a mooring field?

No charge for day use at the marina if you're having lunch. The overnight rate is $5/foot.

There are no moorings. You can anchor in Deep Bay.

Christo #154608 02/07/2018 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Christo
Just to add...you do need to make a reservation. You can contact Jade or Scarlett on: reservations@oilnutbay.com both were extremely friendly to us and even made a point of coming and introducing themselves when we got there.



Hi Christo- wow glad you mentioned that! Are you saying you need a reservation to dinghy over from Saba for lunch at ONB? Was that for the main marina or for the resort and restaurant at the end of Oil Nut Bay?

We've pretty firmly added ONB to our Virgin Gorda itinerary later this month based on your awesome reports. My wife is a turtle nut!

Cheers!

Kupe

CaptnAndy #154629 02/08/2018 07:59 AM
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Hi Kupe,

Yes you need a reservation to dinghy over for lunch. You need a reservation to turn up to any part of ONB. The added bonus of this...is that they then pick you up in a golf-cart from the dock!


reservations@oilnutbay.com

Christo #154684 02/08/2018 09:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Christo
Hi Kupe,

Yes you need a reservation to dinghy over for lunch. You need a reservation to turn up to any part of ONB. The added bonus of this...is that they then pick you up in a golf-cart from the dock!

reservations@oilnutbay.com



Thanks Christo!

Great info and we are really looking forward to it! And so cool you were there when the Necker Island gang came by!!!

Cheers,

Kupe

Kupe #154709 02/09/2018 11:33 AM
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You can also call them at (284) 393-1000. Office is open from 9am~5pm. If you get the answering machine, leave your number and reservation request - date & time, size of party, dockage or ferry pickup needed. I have found they will reliably call you back.

In the past the restaurant opened for lunch at Noon, but it appears they may be serving a bit earlier.

CaptnAndy #154715 02/09/2018 01:07 PM
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When we were there, the bar opened at 11am. But they were happy for us to arrive earlier to spend a few hours chasing turtles around the bay in order to work up a proper thirst...

Christo #155016 02/15/2018 12:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Christo
Hi Kupe,

Yes you need a reservation to dinghy over for lunch. You need a reservation to turn up to any part of ONB. The added bonus of this...is that they then pick you up in a golf-cart from the dock!

reservations@oilnutbay.com



Hi Christo-

Can't remember if you told me or not. Did you leave your dinghy at the ONB marina and golf-cart over, or dinghy all the way back to the resort and lagoon? If so, was there a dinghy dock or did you beach your dinghy?

Thanks Christo!

CaptnAndy #155026 02/15/2018 09:01 AM
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Hi,

We left dinghy at the beach club dock (main reception dock), which is beyond the marina if coming from North Sound, so the furthest end of Eustacia Sound. They then picked us up in a golf-cart to take us the final 100 meters...not really necessary, but fun all the same!

The docks primary purpose if for larger tenders and their jolly-boats. On the far side there is a lower section that you can use to disembark a dinghy. Just be careful where you tie up...with the swell the dinghy can be sucked under the dock and damaged if you leave it in the wrong spot. We had no issues, but did just watch the dinghy for 5 minutes before leaving it to make sure...

There is a beach, but they dont want you beaching your dinghy on it. They dont even like seaweed on it...someone is constantly removing anything that washes up!

CaptnAndy #157227 03/21/2018 09:28 AM
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Curious how the dinghy ride was from BEYC... over a mile would be tough with 6 in any winds/chop! smile

Last edited by bkfitz; 03/21/2018 01:04 PM.
CaptnAndy #157229 03/21/2018 09:44 AM
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Bkfitz - I don't think i'd do it with 6 in the dinghy! It was fine with two of us, even with quite a bit of chop. Even managed to keep the pizzas dry and hot on the return trip!

Christo #157248 03/21/2018 12:59 PM
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Ok thanks we'll be on a 46' mono (party of 6) so we wont be able to get any closer than BEYC and shuttling 2-3 at a time might be a hassle. I've heard (pre Irma) there was a water taxi that operates from Gun Creek but I'm not sure if that's something ONB did or if it was private. We'll reach out closer to our week to see if ONB has any advise.

Thx!

CaptnAndy #157249 03/21/2018 01:22 PM
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Bkfitz - there is an ONB run shuttle from Gun Creek. I think they charge $20 or so per person for it, but they take you right to the beach club. You can find out timings when you make your lunch/dinner reservation with ONB.

I believe it runs at set times. When we were there they walked around the club towards the end of the afternoon to gather up any stragglers and make sure they didnt miss the last shuttle home!

CaptnAndy #157277 03/21/2018 05:05 PM
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Could we take out 514PC powerboat over to ONB Marina and dock there and have lunch? Will they golf cart us to the resort?

Thx


Cruising the local waters here in SC and GA. Love the BVIs and miss the Tradewinds!
CaptnAndy #157282 03/21/2018 05:59 PM
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Steve27 - I don't see why not! Plenty of room in the marina when we were there. They offered to do that for us...but I wasn't keen on taking a 48ft mono through the shallows! Looks fine for a powercat from the charts...

Drop them an email, they were very friendly and helpful for us and I've heard similar feedback from a number of our friends.

CaptnAndy #157287 03/21/2018 07:04 PM
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Hi everyone. We were in the BVI's February 10-24th. An absolutely amazing trip. Oil Nut Bay is not to be missed. What an incredible day. Yes, you must have reservations. They will not let you on without.

Towards the end of trip,the weather and swells were quite active. We ended up spending 3 great evenings at Leverick. We were on a 48 powercat. The best decision for us was....take a short cab ride from Leverick to Guncreek. There is a free ferry to the resort (which is right there)! We arrived around 11 and left on last ferry at 4:44. Then just ferried back to guncreek, and taxied to Leverick. Actually, we taxied to Coco Maya...had dinner and taxied back to Leverick.

Had two incredible dinners upstairs at Leverick and manage to enjoy Michael Beane show.

Don't miss Oil Nut Bay. Have loads of fun. Wish we were back.

KKcopp #157296 03/21/2018 08:54 PM
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Originally Posted by KKcopp
Hi everyone. We were in the BVI's February 10-24th. An absolutely amazing trip. Oil Nut Bay is not to be missed. What an incredible day. Yes, you must have reservations. They will not let you on without.

Towards the end of trip,the weather and swells were quite active. We ended up spending 3 great evenings at Leverick.


Wow KK we were probably there at Leverick the same time- the end of your trip and beginning of our trip! We arrived Virgin Gorda aboard our Sunsail 38 monohull on the evening of the 20th to heavy rain, 12 foot breaking seas and 35+ knot winds rounding Colquehoon reef, and whitecaps throughout North Sound. Like you, we hunkered down and spent three days/two nights at Leverick (in a slip thank you Nick!). We measured 25+ knot winds at our slip both nights. There is no way a dinghy would have been safe from BEYC to ONB at any point during our stay for even one or two people.

The good news is we got to see two nights of Beans!!! The bad news is that with all the sailors hunkered down, ONB was fully booked and we couldn't get a rezzie for either day. So it is top of our list for next time! And thank you Michael Beans...you took two cold, wet sailors to warm and well-rummed in no time flat! pirate

CaptnAndy #157297 03/21/2018 08:57 PM
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Is it not advisable to take a 48 foot mono to dock at Oil Nut Bay? Just trying to make our plans. We have never been to ONB, but very excited to check it out. The Gun Creek Ferry is fine if neccessary.
Thanks for the information for me to relay to Captain. I'm sure he will confirm any of my info and then confirm it again!

bvichree #157302 03/21/2018 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by bvichree
Is it not advisable to take a 48 foot mono to dock at Oil Nut Bay? Just trying to make our plans. We have never been to ONB, but very excited to check it out. The Gun Creek Ferry is fine if neccessary.
Thanks for the information for me to relay to Captain. I'm sure he will confirm any of my info and then confirm it again!


Have your Captain refer to the current VI cruising guide by Nancy and Simon Scott (page 235-236 in the 18th edition). The marked channel from Saba Rock to the ONB Marina "is reported to carry 8 feet". Personally, I plan to survey it on our next trip aboard the Gun Creek to ONB ferry and only then will I consider it for our next trip after that.

Safe passages!

Kupe

Kupe #157308 03/21/2018 10:18 PM
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Hey kupe. We did arrive as well on the 20th! Stayed three nights and headed to Anegada early on the 23rd. Thinking we we to ONB the 21st or 22nd. Which ever day it finally cleared up. We were too on a slip..at the end next to sweet Tito❤️ A party of 8 from Chattanooga, TN. Cheers. Wish we were there now.

CaptnAndy #157371 03/22/2018 02:21 PM
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We just visited ONB on March 11-12. We made reservations for lunch and motored our 48 powercat to the ONB marina where they were waiting for us. We had no issues with the water depth but took it slow. They took us over to the resort on a water taxi and it only cost us a tip to get over there(5 minute ride). The resort is awesome and we had a great lunch and enjoyed their pool, pool bar and beach chairs all afternoon. The food was great and the drink service we received on the beach was second to none. We also had them make pizza's for our departure and they waited until the last minute to prepare them so we could take back to the boat. We stayed tied up to their dock that night and left out the next morning. We were the only boat in the entire marina. We were also able to fill up water tanks while there.

They informed us that bareboaters are welcomed on a temporary basis until the BVI's get back on their feet. I highly recommend a visit while they allow it. You will have to contact them to make reservation.

Best of luck!

CaptnAndy #157384 03/22/2018 03:14 PM
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Wondering if there is a deep water approach other than past Saba Rock. The marina has five 80' slips and a 100' T head so, while not for mega yachts, they must be expecting some pretty decent size boats.


Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
CaptnAndy #157387 03/22/2018 03:48 PM
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They sent me an approach map upon making the reservation. We came from Anegada and approached between Prickly Pear and Eustatia. Water depth never got below 10'. They also recommend approaching from North Sound between Saba and BEYC. They also show a deep water inlet along Eustatia Reef to the northeast of Eustatia Island. Marina is definitely set up for some large boats.

GlennA #157393 03/22/2018 06:25 PM
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Originally Posted by GlennA
Wondering if there is a deep water approach other than past Saba Rock. The marina has five 80' slips and a 100' T head so, while not for mega yachts, they must be expecting some pretty decent size boats.

We had a 90+ footer docked next to us in January, so they can indeed handle some large yachts at the dock.

There is an ocean entrance channel near the ONB reception dock. It's pretty narrow and you've got to make a quick turn to starboard as you enter Eustacia Sound so I doubt you'll see vessels much larger than that enter. There are some coral heads and I've seen a minimum depth of 7-8 feet.

KKcopp #157408 03/22/2018 08:01 PM
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Originally Posted by KKcopp
Hey kupe. We did arrive as well on the 20th! Stayed three nights and headed to Anegada early on the 23rd. Thinking we we to ONB the 21st or 22nd. Which ever day it finally cleared up. We were too on a slip..at the end next to sweet Tito❤️ A party of 8 from Chattanooga, TN. Cheers. Wish we were there now.


Oh wait were you guys the group aboard the Cat Hannah? If so I have some good pictures of you guys at Bean's show!
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