Please pardon any spelling and gramatical errors
Well, what can I say. Another sailing trip to the BVI. This is our 6th one. Can we ever get enough? Never
Charter company: The Moorings. We have always done well with the Moorings. Boats are clean and well maintained, never once had a creepy crawly roach.
Boat: Caitlin , 332 Beneteau
Crew: Bob - Captain, Carole - First Mate, Galley Wench, etc.
Dates: October 20 - Nov 2
Thanks to the Moorings anniversary special the price was awesome.
All our past trips we have taken a captain along but not this year. We worked hard this spring and summer to build our sailing skills. We both got certified in Basic Keel Boat and Basic Coastal Cruising. Bob also got his Bareboat certification. He is currently working on a navigation course. We sailed a Pearson 37' this summer around Long Island Sound. Getting loads of practice.
Islands we visited
Norman Island, The Bight, first and last night
Virgin Gorda, the Yacht Harbor
North Sound
Anegada for 2 nights
Trellis Bay
Jost Van Dyke 2 nights
Restaurants
Eclipse...more on this in report
Mariner Inn for Breakfast...typical breakfast menu, good food, nice atmosphere and very convinient
Bath and Turtle for dessert only, Key Lime Pie, one piece was plenty for the two of us
Anegada Reef Hotel...more on this in report
Big Bamboo for lunch, food was great and so is the beach
Ali Babba's, great food, service slow, we were bummed Corsair's was closed
Soggy Dollar for lunch, good service, food and atmoshpere
Let the journey begin
We travel from NYC. We decided to go via San Juan to save money. Won't do that again. Our 630a Delta Song flight was fine. Love the trivia game they have on the entertainment system. Forget about Liat though. We ended up with 6 hours at the San Juan airport. Flight was delayed and then canceled. All other flights on any airline to Tortola and St Thomas were sold out. Thankfully, Liat was able to get a 10 seater Fly BVI plane to take us to Tortola. There were lots of storm clouds so the ride was a bit freaky. Due to the strong head winds it took us almost an hour. We sat right behind the pilot so the views were great when not flying through clouds. I did take a shot of Vodka before take off to calm my nervous. Although, wishing I had another about half way through the flight. The landing was very cool. Neat to see the runway as we landed. I only wished I had taken a picture.
Finally, we arrive Tortola, late but arrived none the less. We grab the transfer to the Moorings and check in. Find there is no water pressure, I guess no shower then. We planned on meeting our friends Ant, Dawn (Oasis Salon) and Dane (their 16 month old son) for dinner. They live in Roadtown. Called and left a message that we finally arrived after the 6 hour Liat fiasco. We head to the bar for our first BVI cocktail. Sipping our 2nd cocktail. We are surprised, our friends have shown up at the Moorings. Their son is beautiful. They were off island last year when we vacationed, so we have only seen pictures of the little guy. We head to dinner at Eclipse. Dawn's brother Andy owns the restuarant. We had a wonderful time. The food was great as well. We head to bed by 1100p.
Today is the day we set sail, yippy. Water still not adequate for a shower. Oh well, roll with it. Sit through the briefing. The weather is unsettled. Lots of strong wind over 25 knots, gusts even strong with 8 ft swells. We really don't want to delay our departure. So we decide to motor to the Bight. We arrive by 230p and grab a ball. Time to relax! After the crazy travel day, no shower and the crazy weather we need to relax. I grab my book and stretch out in the cockpit. Bob relaxes with a cocktail. In no time I'm napping. It felt wonderful. Life is good. We really wanted to snorkel the caves but the water was just too rough.
After our rest we head to Pirates. Cocktail time! Bob buys a red pirates flag to don our boat for the rest of the trip. A great way to spot our boat from a distance. We then bumped into some people we met last year at Pirates. Doug, Bobbi and Kim from Michigan. Let the fun begin. A group of gals from Switzerland decide it was time for a Pirates tattoo. Of course Bobbi, Kim and myself decide we need one too. After some cocktails and quite a few laughs. We plan to met at the Willy-T later for us ladies to earn our t-shirts. We decided to keep dinner easy so we make nachos. Later on at the Willy-T we ladies earned our shirts. We jumped from the lower deck. The upstairs deck is way too scary. I'm not too keen on heights. Even the lower deck freaked me a bit. But I was determined not to whimp out. Can't believe I actually did it.
The next morning we bid adu to our Michigan friends. Winds finally settled. We have a fun but long sail to Virgin Gorda Yacht harbor. We call in for a slip, no problem plenty of room. Bob backed the boat into the slip like an expert on the first attempt. Secured at the dock, we pay our fee then celebrate our first day of sailing with a cocktail on the boat. Then to the Bath and Turtle for another before picking up a few thiings at the grocery store. We take advantage of the very nice showers at the marina. Dinner on the boat, then Key Lime Pie at the Bath and Turtle. Caught a few innings of the ball game too.
Up early the next morning we motor to the Baths and grab a ball. We have our breakfast while enjoying the beautiful surroundings.
We snorkel for about half an hour after breakfast. This is our first swim and it was great. We always hike up the hill to Mad Dogs. This years was no different. We pack our stuff in a garbage bag and dinghying to the rope. Then swim to the beach with our stuff nice and dry in the garbage bag. Up to Mad Dogs for Painkillers and to enjoy the view and lovely breeze. Back at the boat I make sandwiches for lunch and then we are off to North Sound. Awesome sail. We grab a Saba Rock ball so we can get the free water & ice. We had gotten coupons from the Bitter End for 2 free cocktails and free use of the pool at the Norwalk, CT boat show. I head to the pool while Bob has the Moorings check out our dinghy motor. It has been tough to start and a bit sluggish. Much to my disappointment the pool is closed for maintaince, boo hoo. I was looking forward to a nice dip in the pool. I head back to the Mooring outpost to break the bad news to Bob. We'll save the coupon for next year. The dinghy motor starts better but still sluggish. Well, at least it works. We head back to the boat for a bit then use our drink coupons at happy hour. Yippy, the bar is open. We also swing by Saba for a cocktail and to pay our mooring fee. I remember Josie the bartender from last year. It always nice to see familiar faces. I spend a little money in the gift a shop too. We enjoy the evening on the boat having dinner and stargazing.
Another early rising since we are sailing to Anegada today. We will spend 2 nights. We are first to Saba to fill up our tanks and get ice. The gardener Ronnie Peters invites me upstairs to show off his gardens near the guests rooms. I accept and they are lovely. He has done a lot with a small space. We have a wonderful sail to Anegada. It was so clear we could see the grey specks of Anegada over 7 miles out. We have been to Anegada 4 other times but this time we are responsible for the boat. We drop the sail as we get close. We slowly motor as we search for the channel markers. They are there somewhere. Bob spots the red first, as he watches another boat heading into the channel. We feel a bit more relaxed now. We slowly make our way in and grab a ball. We did it!. We head to ARH to make dinner reservations for the evening and book a car rental for the next day. Back to the boat for lunch and relaxation. After a little reading and down time, it's back to shore. We go to Potters for a cocktail. We sit at one of the tables near the water and enjoy the moment. We see our little Caitlin with it's pirate flag flying. We head to Sue's gift shop. Located down the road as the other building is being renovated. There is also now a wonderful grocery store across the street from the ARH entrance. We spend some money at both. Back to Caitlin with our stuff. We decide to cool off with a swim around the boat. We also have fun doing cannonballs off the stern. Alas, time to get ready for dinner. We both do a quick hosedown at the stern shower. Nothing like an outdoor shower. We dress a bit for dinner. Cute little skirt and top for me. Bob where's khaki shorts and a polo shirt. We dinghing in a bit before 700p to enjoy a pre dinner cocktail. We chat with a couple from Lake Tahoe who we met at Saba Rock the day before. They are on a huge crewed cat. Their chef joins us as well. Their boat looks very cool. It's 730p and the lobster awaits. I just love the al fresco dining on the beach. The lobster is a little rich for Bob so he has choosen the Mahi Mahi. Much to my surprise there are 3 halves of lobster on my plate, one large and 2 small. Perfect I pass along one of the small halves to Bob. He shares his fish with me too. Everything is so wonderful, the food, the setting, the weather. After dinner we dinghy to Potter's. We have one drink and call it a night.
The next day brings lovely sunny weather. After breakfast we pack up some stuff for our day ashore. We plan to do the Anegada beach tour. Hit the west end before heading over to Cow Wreck and Loblolly. We are cruising along the road and Bob has this idea to check out a beach just before the west end. We see tracks heading off the road. We follow the tracks but Bob decides to keep driving even though the tracks end. I did say "are you sure we should keep driving this far in?" After checking out the beach and taking some pictures we attempt to depart but guess what the truck is stuck. We dig around the tires but no go. After about 45 minutes. We resign to the fact that we have to start walking to get assistance. Well, the lord was with us. We had just passed the road which heads to Cow Wreck, Loblolly and Flash of Beauty. And here comes a truck heading our way. It was the angel of Anegada. He was going to the Anegada Reef and had a truck that could tow us out. About 20 minutes later the vehicle was free from the sand. And we were on our way. Our angel never asked for any money but of course we paid him for his assistance. And thanked him over and over again. What a wonderful place Anegada is.
Finally, we are at Cow Wreck Beach. We grab a couple chairs on the beach and get a couple rum punches. What a crazy morning. Now we can laugh about it. We relax, take a swim and have a couple more cocktails. Cow Wreck is such a great spot. We decide to do lunch at the Big Bamboo. We bid goodbye to Cow Wreck and drive over to Loblolly. Grab a couple more cocktails and order lunch. We chat with a couple at the bar while waiting for our lunch. The food was really good. Afterwards we head to the beach to swim and relax some more. What a nice beach day we had. We stop at Potters for a cocktail beforing heading to the boat for the night. Dinner on board and early to bed.
Another glorious morning. Our plan for the day is to sail to Marina Cay for lunch and anchor in Lee Bay for the evening. Our sail began great but about half way the squalls rolled in. We finally dropped sails before the 4th squall hit. About a 45 minute motor from Marina Cay. So we did sail most of the way. Another shower came in just as we were secured on the ball. We made some lunch and by the time we finished the rains had passed and the sun was out. No more rain for the rest of the day. We made a trip ashore to the Pusser store and to have a cocktail. The weather for the night was going to be very windy and rolly so we decided to motor to Trellis for the night. A little more protected than Marina Cay. Lee bay would have to wait for our next trip. We hit the grocery store at Trellis and then stopped into De Loose Mongoose for Happy Hour. Dinner on the boat and then to the Last Resort for some entertainment. Watched a few people do some shots of tequila with the band. We were happy to just be spectators.
The drummer in the band looked just like Manny Rameriz (the baseball player, we are red Sox fans). The wind howled all night. We were glad to be on a ball. We checked a few times during the night to make sure we were still secure.
The morning came and the winds were still stong. We wanted to get an early start so we could get to Great Harbor on Jost before all the good anchoring spots were gone. It was the weekend of Foxy's Halloween party and Cat race. We had planned on snorkeling at Monkey Point but it was a bit rough so we passed on that. Boo Hoo, I love the snorkeling there. We opted to start off motor sailing with just the main up. We did eventually get the jib up and shut off the motor as we headed past Guana Island. We were cruising a long pretty well for a time. We got some big gusts so we dropped the jib and motor sailed again. Just before Cane Garden we put the jib out again and sailed the rest of the way to Great Harbor. Very nice sail from that point on.
We found our perfect anchor spot and dropped the hook. It held perfectly on the first try. Bob took a dip to make sure we were set. Made up some lunch before we headed ashore to check things out. Headed straight to Foxy's for a cocktail and to spend some money at the gift shop. Also, picked up some ice. A very nice lady at the ice house. Time to dinghy to White Bay to go to Ivan's. The ride is a bit bumpy but ok. With the dinghy safely secured on the beach, up to Ivan's. We are welcomed by a fun group from North Carolina. Sharon, Eugene, Linda, Andy, Matt, Jamie and Lynette just to name a few. Great people, what a blast we had. We partied the whole afternoon. Ivan even brought out his guitar and amp for a little happy hour music. We jammed along with Ivan using the various percussion instruments available at the bar. We got some video clips of our jamming with our digital camara. It was truly the best time. You can't plan stuff like that. Life just happens sometimes. It was getting close to 500pm. Bob and I wanted to dinghy back in the light so we bid farewell and promised to email pictures to Sharon and Linda (which we did).
Back to Great Harbor. Lots of huge Cats were now at anchor for the big race on Saturday. A few big cats were loaded with partiers enjoying themselves. We had dinner a shore at Ali Baba's since Foxy's was full. The food was really good but the service was very very slow. We weren't in a rush but we were really hungry by the time the food arrived. We had wanted to eat at Corsairs but they were not open. We swung by Foxy's for a couple cocktails and listen to the band before heading back to the boat.
Since the big Halloween Party was taking place on Saturday night we decided to spend 2 nights at Jost. We had a relaxing breakfast on the boat. We were not in a rush to get anywhere today. We moseyed ashore in the late morning to hit Foxy's gift shop once more and enjoy a wake up cocktail. It was almost 1100a so why not. We also needed to pick something up for dinner and get more beer. Our afternoon will be spent hang out at White Bay again. This time to the Soggy Dollar. Another bumpy ride. As we round the point we see a small cruise ship at anchor. "What the heck is that doing there?", we say. We are ready for painkillers. KC was doing a great job behind the bar. We chatted with a couple men at the Bar. One owns a house on St Thomas and they had come over on his boat for the day. We also met a couple from the cruise ship at the bar. They were very nice. The ship only holds 100 passengers and most of the others from the ship were at the far end of the bay. Lots of smaller boats anchored too. We order some lunch. Food was very good. After we eat we grab another painkiller and grab a couple beach chairs, take a dip and relax. We both nod off for a time. We see Matt and Jamie (from at Ivan's) and say hello. They too are just relaxing on the beach. Enough lounging for the moment we wander down the beach and stop at One Love's for a cocktail. Meet 2 couples here. Chris and Art, Shannon and I forget her man's name. Find out they are anchored next to us in Great Harbor on a Conch boat. They too will be at Foxy's party that night. Well enough fun, sun and rum. We take one last dip before we dinghy back to Great Harbor. Another great day.
Dinner on the boat. We don our pirate costumes and head in for the big bash. Not as many people dressed in costume as we had expected. But enough to not feel out of place. The place was jamming. We grab a couple cocktails. Bump into Jamie and Matt hung with them for a bit. See Chris, Art, Shannon and her guy. We swing by their table to say hi. We hit the dance floor and see Manny the drummer again. Boy, he gets around the BVI. The costume contest is quite unorganized. Bob tries to participate but gives up. I think we hung until about midnight. We relax on the boat for a while before heading to bed. It was a fun night.
Morning brings another sunny day. We will spend our last night in the Bight. We get an early start. The winds are blowing well so we make good time to Sopers Hole. Grab a ball and go ashore for a bit. We shop and have a cocktail at Pusser's. We bump into Chris and Shannon at Pusser's and chat for a bit. They too are planning to go to the Bight for the evening. We left Soper's about 1200n and sailed all afternoon. Just enjoying the ride. We get to the Bight about 430p. By the time we grab a ball and get settled. It's a bit late for snorkeling. The caves will have to wait until next time. Instead we go ashore to Pirates and relax with a couple cocktails. Dinner and a relaxing evening on the boat.
Today we must return Caitlin to the Moorings. We wish for a couple more days but know we will be back. The weather isn't great so we motor back. Get rained on twice. I guess the BVI are sad to see us leave too. The sun comes out as we arrive the base. We have a 1245p flight to San Juan. So we don't have a lot of time to waste. I go to the grocery store to pick up a couple sandwiches while Bob does the boat check out. Before we know it we are at the airport in line at Liat. A very slow moving line. Any one on the San Juan flight is check in first. Well, there was no need to check us in first. The flight did not leave until almost 300pm. We were not surprised. At least we didn't have a connection to make in San Juan. We are spending two nights in San Juan. The weather was pretty clear. Very cool flying over the islands. Quick too, only a 20 minute ride.
Since we only have a couple nights we stay at the Sheraton in Old San Juan. We planned on exploring the old city the next day. A very nice hotel right across from the cruise ship docks. Our room over looked the docks. Neither of us took showers in the morning so we take a dip in the roof top pool. We have dinner at La Mallorquina. We both have local dishes and they were very good. Service was very good as well. We check out the casino at the hotel before heading to bed.
Since we only have one full day. We are up early to get the most out of our day. I had done some research ahead of time so we had an idea of what we wanted to see. I also researched restaurants so I had a breakfast place all picked out. We first visited the last remaining gate in the old wall, very cool. Next visited the Cathedral De San Juan. We wander up to the Plaza de San Juan. Visited the very compact Pablo Casal Museum located on the Plaza. Then to El Morro. The large fort at the tip of the old Town. That was very interesting with lots of neat photo opts. Plus being the off season we almost had the place to ourselves. We hit lunch at Sam's Patio, good food and nice casual atmoshpere. Went to Casa Blanca a very small Museum to represent Ponce de Leon's house. And even fit in a little shopping. Happy hour at the hotel's outdoor bar where we watched the cruisers heading back to the ship.
Well, the town was hoping tonight. 2 more cruise ships came into port to enjoy the San Juan night life. We dined at the Parrott Club for dinner. Sat in their upstairs outdoor terrace. Good food and very good service. A bit pricey but it was our last night of vacation.
People everywhere! Swung by the casino again for a hoot. Used up any coins we had in the slots. We aren't gamblers.
Up early again to enjoy our last morning. Did breakfast at the same place as the day before. We wondered up to fort just behind our hotel to get a few more photos. We enjoyed our stay in Old San Juan. So much history and wonderful architechture. The people were freindly and the food was good.
Our return flight on Delta Song was on time. Played the trivia game for most of the trip back. I was even the winner of one of the games. That score turned out to be the highest score of all games played on the flight.
Another wonderful trip with great memories. I've put together a DVD of our pictures set to music. We love watching it. It will hold us over until our next trip.
