Crew of 8 on a 2005 Leopard 4700 from Conch Charters

July 15th:
5:55 flight from Buffalo to JFK, short layover but no problems making the plane. But unfortunately stuck on the tarmac for 2.5 hr’s which delayed our arrival to STT. 3pm ferry with Interisland Ferry with a 4:20pm arrival at Roadtown. Customs took a while but we made it to Conch docks around 5:15ish. I was a little worried as we had Caribbean Cellars deliver all our EtoH to the office in the afternoon and expected them to be closed. Bobbi, from Conch, was absolutely awesome as she had waited for our arrival so we were not dry for the night. Half the crew stocked the alcohol and the others went on a provisioning run to Riteway.

Although a little disappointing as we had initially arranged to be on a 2012 Leopard 444. Totally understandable as Conch also hoped to receive the 444 but Irma put a wrinkle in those plans. I was just glad that our plans of a 1 1/2 had not totally fallen thru with no vessel at all. That said the 2005 Leopard 4700(Sundowner) was great!!…VERY clean, maintained and handled well. We had no issues during the course of our charter.

July 16th:
Vessel briefing went well but we did find a feedback/soft alarm with one of the engines. Javid was quick to isolate and address and we were off to our first stop at the caves. Snorkeling was excellent and we spent the night at the Bight.

July 17th:
First stop, the Indians. The sea life was amazing as it is still one of the best snorkeling sites I have been to in the Caribbean(second only to Bonaire). Onward to Peter island and a visit to the new Willie T’s. My only complaint…both washrooms were closed.

July 18th:
Stopped at the Rhone for great snorkelling saw our first couple of dolphins. Continued onto Cooper Island where we lounged in the water for most of the afternoon, enjoyed the facilities and dinner ashore. Irma IPA is one of my new favourite craft brews!

July 19th:
Early rise and motor to The Baths where my crew enjoyed the sights and a few drinks at the Top of the Baths. Continued to North Sound and picked up a mooring at Vixen point where we enjoyed dinner aboard.

Friday July 20th:
Short motor past Saba and BEYC. Saba has made some progress but could see no progress at the BEYC…very sad as these were great places to visit in the past. I hope the future hold promise!! Ultimately made it to Leverick for fuel, water and re-provisioning. Moored the night and all of us enjoyed the Friday BBQ and Jumbie show. The BBQ buffet was excellent!!

July 21st.
Early departure from Leverick and set sail for Anegada. At mentioned, the red outer marker and the green inner marker are both missing but with a slow steady approach got us in safe. Sam, from Potter’s, arrived with his singing greeting within minutes…my crew got a great kick out of him!! Excellent day on the beach and ultimately had a great lobster dinner at Potter’s by the Sea.

July 22nd:
A morning downwind sail to Diamond Cay with 3-4 foot seas and 15-20 knots on a clear day was perfect. After a brief visit to Sandy Cay, we moored in front of the B-Line and enjoyed an afternoon of fun and beach games. Chicken pours some stiff drinks!

July 23rd:
Visited Great Harbour and had a few drinks at Foxy’s. A buddy asked Foxy to sign his copy of the new BVI Cruising guide which has his picture on the cover….he was tickled at this request LOL!. We finally moored in White Bay and enjoyed both Soggy Dollar and Hendo’s…although my fall over the volleyball net lines wasn’t pretty as both me and the ball were out!

July 24th:
Returned to Norman island with another visit to the Indians along the way..couldn’t get enough of the great snorkeling. The abundance of sea life and coral was impressive. Dinner aboard.

July 25th:
Sailed to Sprat Bay, Peter Island and enjoyed the beach and water. We did have a brief walk on the beach but it was obvious that Peter resort was closed(actually signs indicated no trespassing ..oopps)but it appears progress is on the way. Spent the night back at Conch Charters on the dock for an early next morning departure.

Overall it was a great trip. I think I have my newbies hooked!
This was my 6th charter in the BVI’s and 10th charter overall. I have used Conch exclusively in the BVI's. I have always found them to be excellent and have not had any serious concerns with any of their vessels…clean, well maintained and friendly responsive staff.

A big shout out to Cindy, Bobby, Mandi, Javid and especially Ben. Ben assisted us with the vessel briefing at the beginning and at the end of the charter. He was thorough, patient, informative and very pleasant…of course, he is a Canadian just like me..LOL!!!

I would be remiss if I didn't also give a shout out to Kevin Campbell for his taxi services on St Thomas. Easy to get a hold of and always on time!

Nice trip report! I should have written mine in the same style.

Bahahahaha...I must admit, I did read those comments on your post and tried to format differently. But probably toooo long for some :-)

Good to hear you had such a great time.we used the always great Kevin today on Stt....

Thanks for the feedback.