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Horizon Trip Feb 23 - March 7
#187559
03/16/2019 04:19 PM
03/16/2019 04:19 PM
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Joined: May 2018
Posts: 32
pirate auntie
OP
Traveler
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OP
Traveler
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 32
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Hi, Wishing I was still on Wavelength sailing the BVI. Our first trip to the BVI since 2007. I'm thinking BVI 2020. Our first time bareboating with Horizon. Very pleased with Wavelength (40" cat) and Horizon.
Things we liked about the boat and Horizon Personal and pleasant service The facilities at Marina Cay Pre-night sleep aboard Boat was clean, spacious, good air flow in the cabins Two fridges and pull out freezer Electric winch Self tacking jib Two helms Sailed well Lots of storage No Bugs!!
Negatives Visibility of the opposite side of the boat Autopilot didn't work. Wasn't a huge issue for us though. I enjoy being at the helm. Disliked the automatic toilets. Portside toilet had sporadic issues intaking water. Kinda loud for night time flushing. Ran out of propane. Thankfully we were close to Nanny Cay at the time. John from Horizon did restock while we were under sail. Re-fuel on return. Nancy Cay fuel dock was under staffed on our return. And they only have room for two boats. An hour wait to refuel. Not much room in Hannah Bay. About 45 minutes in, two horizon staff boarded. Thankful my husband had helm relief.
We used Riteway for some of the provisions. Wasn't totally satisfied. Failed to let us know which items on our order weren't not available. Thankfully with the Riteway at Nanny Cay. We were able to purchase some alternate items.
Wine ordered thru Caribbean Cellars. We ended up having to pay cash for the order. Plus they brought one wrong bottle.
I would highly recommend Good Moon Farms (mentioned in the BVI Cruising Guide). Locally grown fruits, veg and locally baked bread. I could not pass up supporting the local farm. Free delivery too.
Truly amazed how much recovery has been done since the hurricanes. A huge credit to the people of the BVI. Thanking every one we encounter for being friendly and welcoming. Lots of lush greenery. Pockets of brown and dead vegetation. But this did not take away from the beauty of the BVI. The coral was definitely hit hard by the storms.
Our arrival was a bit frantic. Due to Delta flight delay out of JFK. It was highly unlikely we'd make the last ferry to Tortola. Thankfully my sister had arrived St Thomas the day before. She was able to arrange Dolphin Water Taxi. A thankful shout out to Dolphin! Highly recommend if you need a water taxi. Arrived Nanny Cay after dark. The cab driver was so kind to make sure we found the boat. As luck would have it, John from Horizon was closing up for the night as we arrived. He gave us a quick run down of the Nanny Cay facilities.
First three days the weather was a bit unsettled. More rain than normal. After that, very little rain. Winds for most of the trip were 15 to 20. Only day three blew 15 to 25. Perfect temps, high 70's. Long sleeves required while under-sail.
1st day Great Bay, Peter Island Decided to motored to Great Harbor on Peter Island. I think we all just wanted to get on a mooring ball and relax. Grabbed one of the last free balls. Willie-T for happy hour. Funny how we got our second wind at happy hour.
2nd day Baths and Leverick Bay Didn't do the trail due to the hoards of cruise shippers. Hiked up to the Top of the Baths. Lovely views. No Painkillers though. It was election day, no liquor sales allowed until after 6p. Just as we got the main up after leaving the Baths a huge squall blew in. It hung around for a awhile. We ended up motoring again, bummer. Anchored at Leverick for the night. No free balls. Anchor held well. Did a grocery run. Well stocked store.
3rd day Marina Cay. 25 knot winds delayed our sail to Anagada until day 4. Nice off wind sail to Marina Cay. Dinner Ashore
4th day Anagada! A woo hoo sail to Anagada. Got the last free mooring ball. Boat hook ended up overboard. Due to knot in mooring pendent. Recovered the boat hook. Successful second grab. Sam from Potter's came by in his outboard to give a warm welcome to Anagada. Singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning". Taxi to Cow Wreck for some relaxing beach time. Drinks at Potter's and dinner at Anagada Reef. Lots of laughs that night.
5th day Little Harbor, Jost Van Dyke We did the long sail from Anagada to Jost. Nice beam reach. The following sea gave a push and we made great time. No room at the Inn in Great Harbor. Motored to Little Harbor. Plenty of free balls. Many were taken by late afternoon. Taxied to Great Harbor for grocery run and drinks at Foxy's.
6th day Diamond Cay (my new favorite anchorage) Motored early to Diamond Cay. Had our pick of mooring balls. This was our first visit to Little Jost. What a beautiful spot! Hiked to the bubble pool. Had the pool to ourselves. Lunch at Foxy's Taboo. Loved it. Great menu and the Bartender was awesome. After lunch snorkel. Back to Taboo for happy Hour.
7th day The Bight Quick sail to the Soper's Hole cut through. Big squall after entering Sir Francis Drake channel. Motoring most of the way to The Bight. Plenty of free balls. Lots of boats in the harbor by late afternoon. Took the dinghy to the caves for a fun snorkel. Happy Hour at the new Pirates. Not a fan. Big price, small pour. A beautiful space but it could be a waterfront restaurant anywhere. Totally miss the rustic Caribbean beach bar feel of the old Pirates.
8th day Cooper Island 700a sharp made a boatyball reservation for Cooper Island. We departed the Bight early. To get in as much sailing as we could. Fun trip up Sir Francis Drake. Sailed all the way to Cooper. Arrived around 12n. Seems as though other boaters were paying attention to the "reservation required" on the Boatyballs. Snorkeled at Cistern point. Saw a green Moray Eel, very cool. Happy hour ashore. Cooper Island is lovely. A beautiful spot for our last night on the Wavelength.
9th day Back to Nanny Cay Down wind Jib only sail. Even with the hour wait for the fuel dock. We had time to shower before we vacated Wavelength. Shared the small issues at the debriefing. Spent 3 nights on St John. Stayed at Grande Bay Resort. Highly recommend. Beautiful accommodations and great location in Cruz Bay. Lovely views of the harbor. The highlight of the St John stay was snorkeling with the sea turtles at Maho Bay.
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