TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Favorite BVI memories

As you oldtimers know, we haven't been to the BVI nearly as much as SXM. which is our 'home away from home', but we have had some really good times.

But thought I might start a new thread here about the old times.

Some favorite memories--

Circa 2005?? No idea.. Watched the Superbowl on Cane Garden Bay at Stanley's, with a TV on the beach, drinking whatever... Stumbled back to the Elm and watched the rest of the game and went to bed. Have no idea who was even playing, but watching the big game on the beach? Priceless.

Circa?? No idea. BIG TTOL party on Little Apple Bay. I have a TTOL flag at home with tons of signatures on it. Need to bring it in here and see if I can scan it in and post it.

So, tell us about your favorite memories, with pictures, if possible!!

Certainly the couple of big TTOL beach parties on Little Apple Bay..have been considering reviving that! The first time Candace, my girlfriend at the time, spotted CGB from the top of the hill in 1984.Absolute favorite was my surprise 60th birthday party with friends coming to Tortola for a week long party ,surprising me by showing up at different places every day. Candace worked for a year on that and it was beyond amazing ( love to hear from some of you who were there).
One of the funniest..me proposing to Candace as we strolled along CGB on a perfect moonlit night..this after we had broken up and then got back together. I asked her to marry me..and she just laughed and said "I'll have to think about it.."and walked off..for a drink at Quito's. Two weeks later at a party back in LA she turned to me and said "Are you going to fu##ing marry me or not!"

Watching NFL playoff game (Brett Favre - Vikings circa 2009, 2010) on the barn wall in front of the old BEYC pub (the one with the foosball table and pool table). Didn't like the final score but the BVI weather beat everything back home.

Our favorite memories include myett's happy hours with Kapeye featuring Manpot alternating with Brian Neale then off to hear the Elmtones or Quito.

Lots of favorites but our 1st trip to Tortola and the BVI was in 2002 for my 50th Birthday. We stayed at LBBR in one of the waterfront upstairs units and loved it. I went to the hardware store near Sopers and bought a heavy duty pvc tub with a rope attached. That would be our “cooler”😂 Went to the market in Sopers bought two sandwiches and some wine and ice.

Found this small cinder block empty shack at the end of Long Bay that apparently been a “restaurant” called Nathan’s. There was a round plastic table and some chairs inside so I set up our lunch there👍 We were tucked back in the trees so no one knew we were there.

From there discovered Smugglers Cove and Patricia😋 Also met Bob Dennison’s Grandson Matt I believe who ran a “bar” in the old lobby of the long gone hotel there. Able to see the limo the Queen rode in and it was in decent shape.

Went to the BVI Steak&Chophouse as well as Stanley’s👍👍😋

Man I could go on and make this a book! All this because of an article in the now gone Caribbean Travel & Life magazine that had an article about a place called Tortola that I knew nothing about. I still have that magazine👍

Loved the Kapeye happy hours..and really loved being a part of it..party at Myett's every Tues, Thurs and Sat..

First trip was 1996, continuing regularly through around 2006. Highlights from back then include:
- spending a day at Smugglers Cove talking with Bob, having Nell make us some hot dogs for lunch. I still have a Smugglers Cove Beach Hotel t-shirt in the closet.
- Dinners at Palm's Delight waiting (and waiting) for our delicious food while knocking back a few Palm's Punch. One of the group didn't make it to dinner, and took a "nap" in the Montero while the rest of us ate.
- BBQ ribs at C&F in Roadtown, wondering where the taxi driver was dropping us off back in the dark streets but then having some amazing food
- Taking an unofficial water taxi ride from CGB over to Jost for the day, and stumbling our way back thru CGB for a drunken dinner after making memories all day.
- While on Jost, spending hours sitting at the bar at Soggy Dollar talking with KC, covering subjects all over the map between playing bass guitar all the way to child rearing philosophies.

My BVI journey started in May of 1998 when I visited for the first time with 5 of my college buddies immediately following graduation. From that moment on, the hook was set. This summer was BVI charter number 14 for me. My kids have been raised with sailing charters as our family tradition, steeping a new generation in the joys of the BVI and its people.

Favorite memory from that very first trip......the first time I laid eyes on White Bay, JVD. A very different SDB experience than what is common today. Just a handful of boats in the anchorage, my first ever Carib beer in-hand, friends that are my closest still to this day, and the beauty of God's creation all around.

A couple of photos with plenty of TTOLers. I think first one is from a restaurant in Apple Bay, 2005 and the other is definitely Leverick during a TTOL flotilla, possibly 2009.

In 2005 my parents talked us into Cane Garden Bay. They had been staying there for years. While there we saw a pamphlet about Anegada stating you could walk the beach for an hour and not see another human. We took the ferry over for the day and fell in love. 15+ trips to Anegada as it became our new home. Our last was in 2023.

One highlight was while sailing in 2019 along the south drop I caught the biggest fish of my life. An 80 lb Cobia. Even though we did some amazing things while sailing, the fish is a memory I will hold forever.

That's classic Candace! Those TTOL parties at CRC were great. That's where I first met Glenn Ashmore in 2005. I knew he was building a boat and I asked him when it would be finished. He said, "Well, I'm about seven years into a five year project." I almost fell down laughing. It would be great if you revive those parties.

Hurricane Irma changed my life!

I unfortunately can't find pictures but I met Manpot(Mal) in 2009..we stayed at shifting sands and had Saildoggy next to us before our sailing vacation. I met both Mal and Saildoggy via TTOL.

Mal and I had a brief conversation on the beach...

Years later I recognized him again as we were going into, and he was coming out of, Gene's bar and Grill.

TTOL is amazing

The restaurant was Palms Delight👍

Thanks Rick.

TTOL usernames of those shown in the images... Manpot in both, Polaris, LauraTheTShirtGal and me hidden behind Mrs Jeannius at Palms Delight. Amurphy, HeatherlovesJVD, Jeannius, Monica and NickR at the back right and Saildoggie just shown back left. Sadly, Nick and Saildoggie are no longer with us but everyone else is still around but not necessarily still active on TTOL.

Belinda and I loved Palms Delight! Used to have their amazing Gingerwine Chicken and the “secret” off menu app at least twice a trip👍 I went back into their tiny kitchen to ask the ladies to show me how to make the chicken😋

Must have been the late 90's. We were sitting in our Whaler on the Trellis Bay Market dock, ready to head home. A large black SUV pulls up and a big guy comes running out, asking if we were going to the Last Resort. We said we were not, but he didn't accept that! He was the sargeant, and they had a suspect who worked at the LR and was accused of thieving.

The sargeant, a Jamaican, couldn't swim and didn't want to get in our boat. The suspect also refused. In the end a constable got told he had to go, and we were told we had to take him! Ratman sat in our boat in the sweltering sun, and I went in with the constable to take a statement. Makes me smile just remembering the whole absurd incident. We took the constable back to Trellis Bay and headed home.

Walker has the recipe on his website:

Ginger Chicken

Walker's recipe is right on..he cooked it for us and it was perfect.D'Coal Pot does it now , claims it Iona's recipe but its not quite the same...certainly not the same price!!!!!One other favorite..spending time with Quito at his bar hearing tales of the BVI's and life on CGB as a kid.A couple of his stories made it into my book ( with Quito getting credit!).The island is not the same with Q gone, living the high life on. Maui..

And I have the recipe from the ladies at Palms! 😋👍👍

An amazing night for anyone who was there..I know Mike and Jean Beswick will back me up..was when we took Steve Cropper and his family to hear The Elmtones at the Sunday Night Bar B Q.
Steve is the legendary Hall of Fame guitarist,songwriter and producer with his early bands "Booker T and the MG's", through backing just about every Memphis soul hit, co wriitng "Dock of the Bay', "Midnight Hour", getting the "Play it Steve " fshoutout rom Sam Moore on Sam and Dave's "Soul man"..and then much later from John Belushi when Crop was lead guiarist in "The Blues Brothers Band. "
Crop and his family were staying with us at CRC and The Elmtones heard he was in town. I told Crop that they would love him to join them but he said he just wanted to relax..that lasted til we got to CGB. I took him up to meet the band and Steve Davies had every one of his guitars on the stage.I watched Crop pick up each one then gather the band around him.
What followed was an evening of Cropper Memphis soul and other hits that, those lucky enough to be there, will never forget.
At the end of the evening Steve Davies, no mean player himself said "I just got a serious lesson in guitar playing".
I Hope the boys sill have the "Pick of the Crop" guitar picks Crop gave them.Crop passed last year leaving a legacy of amazing work,Keith Richards put it simply."He was the best man"
Candace and I were lucky enough to call him our friend for 40 years."Play it Steve!"

One of the best nights ever. I have video (not great quality given the technology in a digital camera at the time) of Steve, Steve and George. Unfortunately it's on my backup storage back in the UK and it'll be a month before I can get it posted.

But you still have the T shirt Crop signed that I spilled red wine on!!!

I do indeed. Still makes an appearance on special occasions.

Lerverick Bay…

Tito on the dock helping me back in a 40’ Moorings cat into a slip for my first time! “Take your hand off the wheel, Cap!”

Meeting Nick.
And next day he came down to our slip to thank us and wish us goodbye and great sailing.

I'm aging myself. First trip to BVI was a bareboat with assigned captain in 1979 with a group of 20 something girls! I remember anchoring in Marina Cay area, slipping overboard and gathering lobster for dinner

Many charters later we joined Saildoggie's Flotillas and entertained at a 'Luau' at Corsairs. Met a lot of TTOLers and Manpot at Stanley's that trip

What fun reading about everyone’s memories! Lance (sadly passed away) and I began our trips in 1994, after choosing Tortola from a Fodor’s Caribbean Guide. Last trip was in 2017. We stayed on the hillside at LBBR our first trip. Loved the kitchen smells wafting up in the morning. We spent made years staying at the Sandcastle. Such good times! I loved Palm’s Delight ginger wine chicken, and the key lime pie. The cook told me how to make it. Loved how the waves came up to the sea wall there from 2 directions.

Some great TTOL parties, at Mal’s, Sebastian’s, and dinner for all of us at Paradise Club. Celebrating Sabrina and Mario’s wedding trip. We ran into them on the beach the day we arrived, just as their photographer was taking pics. Davide was their best man. He told them we said hi (us in bathing suits) and they invited us to their reception on this lovely patio at Quito’s sister’s place. Can’t think of the name. Sabrina charmed all of us here on TTOL as she valiantly practiced her English.

Did anyone else go to The Secret Garden at Josiah’s Bay? Great food and atmosphere. Banana rum shots. Yum. Stayed at Tamarind Club a few times and enjoyed their bar and pool.

So many fun memories. I haven’t kept up here in years, but so nice to see some familiar names. Great that folks are still making new memories!

Tamarind Club is where Belinda and I met you and Lance in the pool! 🍷

Boy..do I miss you too..maybe think about coming solo and staying in my studio..I would truly love to see you

PerIwinkle, Great to see you on here again. Karyl and I don't get to go down there anymore but hold many wonderful memories of our trips and TTOL parties, both on island and here in the US. I don't post very much as I don't feel I have relevant info as it's been so long since our last visit, but I continue to 'lurk' if just to see what old friends are saying.

Cheers,
Fran