For all you folks that are just as BVI crazy as we are and enjoy reading trip reports, I'll give it my best shot. <br>Arrived at Beef Island and did not even put one bag (of 6) onto the customs check through thing. We were the last in line and our cab driver was waiting. He loaded the bags directly onto his cart, and the customs agent smiled and waved us on. We did not have any problems with the flights, connections (3 legs), baggage or anything on American. It was hassle free travel and we were on Tortola by 5:00 pm. Took the taxi to Nanny Cay where we would stay the night at the hotel and pick up our charter the next day. <br>Went to a little bar there, had the infamous Caribe and walked around looking for the boat. It was beautiful and we couldn't wait for the next day to come. Had a couple more Caribe's and took a taxi to C&F for dinner. Three of had ribs, one had shrimp. All were very good and the ribs way more than one person could manage. Back to the hotel turned on the AC and went to bed. <br>Next day up early, had breakfast at the marina and caught a cab to Riteway. We had the drinks and heavy stuff ordered through Ample Hamper. Riteway was OK, but I had remembered being more impressed 3 years ago. Couldn't find decent produce as the lettuce looked terrible, grapes were bruised and banannas way too ripe. We picked through the stuff and settled for less than what we were looking for. The meat selection was not good though we did get some killer filets and some deli stuff. Prices weren't too bad. Then onto Ample Hamper to get what we couldn't at Riteway. Bought pork loin, chicken, hamburger, bacon, sausage all out of their freezer. It all looked great. Before leaving I asked about our order and they said it had already been delivered. Back to the boat to unload, get the luggage, check out of hotel, etc. All went smoothly. Finally...we're off!<br>1st stop anchored at Norman and went to Billy Bones for some cold ones. Ours was iced down but not cold yet. Not much happening, most just limin' on the beach. <br>Next it was onto Peter to anchor at White Bay. This is a beautiful quiet anchorage. No more than 3 other boats joined us for the evening. Fired up the barbie and had some great steaks, baked potatoes, salads, and french bread. <br>Next day, up early and head to JVD. White Bay is as wonderful as ever! The painkillers at the Soggy Dollar were better than we remembered (if that's possible). And you know...you con't have just one! Walked along the beach, there were a few day trippers but not any crowds. Lunch on board, and then over to Great Harbour. Foxy was playing and there were only about 10 of us there. He was as entertaining as usual. Played some volleyball on the beach, and back to the boat for dinner...marinated chicken on the barbie and all the trimmings. Went ashore to catch the NCAA game on a little TV in a little bar (don't know the name) just down from Foxy's. There was a band at Foxy's and we were going back and forth between the two. Back to the boat around midnight. Met some great people.<br>Next day back to Nanny Cay (forgot something in frig at hotel) and then on to a quiet little lunch spot. After lunch and snorkeling pulled anchor and headed to the North Sound. It was a rousing ride! Seas were running high and salt spray was everywhere. We were drenched. I should mention somewhere here we chartered a 48' power yacht out of Virgin Traders and could really move. <br>Picked up a ball at Saba to take advantage of the free water fill up, and went ashore. There were 2 power boats out of St. Thomas docked there and this party had the entire hotel booked as well. They were all from Chicago and had been on a 10 day cruise followed by 5 days with these boats. They said these boats were real dogs whcih is why they were docked. One guy cam aboard ours to look around and was very impressed. Every night was a theme night and tonight was cowboys and indians followed by french maids the previous night. So, the rock was rocking early in the afternoon. We lunched aboard and went in for dinner. All passed on the buffet ($25 and we were not that hungry) and had popcorn shrimp baskets which were good. We moved over to the bar and enjoyed the band while challenging each other at the pool table. Went into BEYC the next morning for provisions and then headed to another quiet anchorage off Great Camanoe. There was a beautiful little beach here and the water was pristine. Lunch aboard with dinner plans at Donovan's on Scrub. They will pick you up in a water taxi even though it was not that far from our anchorage. Again, only about 3 other boats joined us for the night. <br>Donovan's food was OK, but not great. We then went into the bar to watch the final NCAA game with about 50-60 others. It was a lively party! Most everyone from the Midwest.<br>Next day over to Marina Cay for a quick stop, then Trellis to send an e-mail msg and off to Anegada. With power we made the trip in about 45 min. Went ashore and placed our dinner order and walked around. It is as quaint and lovely as we remembered from 3 years ago. The anchorage was full...no mooring balls left and we enjoyed the watching the dinghy traffic as all those that had gone exploring are now returning to their boats to get ready for dinner. It was pretty amusing![Linked Image] Went ashore a little early for cocktails and conversation. Met many really great people. The guys on the grills were jammin' big time as they sauced, turned, and smoked our meals. They had more choices than I remembered. They offered lobster, chicken, fish, ribs, and some other entrees I can't recall. We ate lobster and it was yummy. Hung out at the bar for awhile after, and went to bed early. Our dinner table was in the sand and we did get bit by some little bug even though we used the Off that was on the table. The only other place with bugs was CGB. <br>Up with the sun, and headed to White Bay on Iguana. Beautiful beach (one of the sites of the Sports Ill. swim suit issue) but can't go ashore as it is private. Nice swimming, and relaxing anchorage. Some of the folks in our party wanted more action though so we headed to CGB. Reminds me of a carnival. Several years ago we stayed in Arundel (house on the hill side) and went down to the beach every day and it wasn't near as crowded and dirty. There were tons of kids running around, as were cats, roosters and island dogs. Had lunch at Rhymers (terrible) and a few beers at Paradise. (Their food looked great) It was raining pretty hard so in between the drops we also had a drink at Myett's. The remodeling, additions, etc. here were fantastic. Back to the boat and trying to decide where to spend the night. The swell was pretty big in CGB and we didn't want to stay there. Headed to Norman, moored at Billy Bones around 5:00.<br>Went ashore for great BBQ dinner, music and dancing.Met some great folks here too. I had said I was NOT going to the Willy T, but around 11 guess what?? Headed to the Willy T.Since it was our last night I REALLY wanted to get some shut eye. It was as crazed as usual...body shots, naked women, jumping off the top, and oldies but goodies music. Got back to the boat pretty late.<br>Got up early and headed back into Nanny Cay. We were anxious to get on land, and get to the hotel for a freshwater pool. Pulled into the gas dock and started filling up. About an hour later, we were still filling up...gas pump is on island time too. The charter yacht co told us to go ahead and go and they would call later with the damages ($$). Took a taxi to Tamarind (got there by noon), checked in and hit the pool. It was great. We had lunch and dinner here. The food is excellent. We had shrimp, cheeseburgers, salads, mahi mahi, rib eye steak, ribs, and fantastic desserts... chocolate peanut butter pie, and fresh lemon coconut cake...not necessarily in that order! This hotel is a sleepy little place, only 8 rooms, no locks on the doors, great bartenders, and friendly folks. I think there was only one other party staying at the hotel, and we had the pool prety much to ourselves. It is delightful and I imagine when word gets out it will be booked all the time. They allow the residents in the homes on the hillside to use the pool so we met some nice folks that came down for a swim. At dinner there were only 4 other people that showed up. It has only been reopened for about a year and will take a while to establish itself. <br>Virgin Traders had arranged a cab for us from here to the airport the next day at 6:30 am. We were all packed up and ready and stood around by the entrance at 6:25, 6:30, 6:35...starting to panic. Since Tamarind is an out of the way place there were no vehicles even going by...just the sound of roosters and donkeys in the hillsides. At 6:40 the driver came and we were off again. When we got to the airport for our 7:20 flight they said it was closed 1/2 hour prior to departure...and now we are in line and missed the cut. They then asked who was trying to make the flight and got us on with no problem. The trip home (3 legs) was OK until we got to Boston. There were storms in the east and they were cancelling many flights either because the planes could not get there, or could not leave. Finally after a 4 hour delay we were out of there. Home by 9pm.<br>I am sure I missed many other quiet little stops we made along the way as even though I got my pics back it is hard to remember. Since we were under power it was easy to move around, some days as many as 3 anchorages. In the 14 years we have been going to the BVI's some things haven't changed and in other ways there are signs of progress if you want to call it that. The new airport is welcomed by the belongers as tourism is so important to their economy though I thought it was an eyesore. We did not run into any cruise ship passengers anywhere even though we often saw boats in the harbour at Roadtown, a Windjammer at BEYC, and a Club Med under sail. I wouldn't fret it. <br>So...the next trip, power or sail? We have always sailed in the past and went to power this year. There is something to be said for both. The power was top notch...microwave, A/C (had to have in the aft cabin),a real freezer, blender, hugh walk in showers...just lovely...but also a HUGE fuel bill. And sailing...well you get a better hang of being on island time with the blue skies, white sand, soft breezes...<br><br>With regard to power charter, it is a different experience from sail which we liked very much. Virgin Traders is a top notch, first class operation. I can't say enough about the staff, the yachts, even the towels were folded into little shapes and 100% Egyptian cotton. You have a huge generator which is plenty to run a hair dryer, blender, microwave, A/C etc. There are 2 very large breaker boxes that turn on all the fun stuff and lights, DC current, etc. The engine room is below the salon and you could almost stand up in it. The boat we chartered was a 48' made in Tiawian (as are all their boats). There are 3 staterooms and 3 heads. The aft cabin is huge. All have queen beds. You can actually stand up and hang up your clothes in locker type closets covered in teak.There were tons of drawers for your clothes we never even used. The bath included a large vanity, sink, toilet, and cubby holes for your stuff. The shower is a walk in and is very large. We had a problem with a fuse the first day or so, but after that was replaced and we cranked up the AC the aft cabin was sooooo cozy I wish I had my down comforter from home. The other cabins are smaller, and they had hatches and of course got the wind from the bow at anchorage. They turned on the AC as well but kept the temp higher than we did in the aft.(You almost have to run the AC in the aft to be comfortable.) The other cabins (mid ship and bow had their own heads and showers and the showers were again unique from the head, sink, etc.) I can't rave enough about the yacht, obviously. It was superb! The boat holds something like 480 gallons of fuel and 300-400 gallons of water. We never felt like we had to conserve on the water...only filled up once at Saba where H2O was free and always had nice showers aboard. As opposed to sailing we used to go ashore for showers in between boat showers about every other day. (ie: plenty of water) The fuel cost $2.51 per gallon. Our check out bill for fuel alone was about $800, then add water and a skipper for 3 days and it was around $1300. The boat itself is about $1000/day to charter at high season....worth every penny as we had a GREAT time! I especially liked the fly bridge for cocktails in the evening and after returning from dinner ashore. You could easily get 6-8 people up there as there were plenty of seats and just enjoy the view from a higher level than a sail. There was also a nice cinstant breeze up there and one in our party slept there every night until the rain shower would come in the morning. We even found him asleep at the helm inside once and decided no one was going to be "asleep at the wheel" and moved some folks around so he had a real bed for one night. These other travelers were our 17 and 18 year old sons. Our skipper was a 23 year old Brit and we actually felt like we had 3 kids for the week. They were always looking for the babes ashore. It was a blast! <br><br><br><br>Susan <br> <br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 4/13/01 04:26 PM.</EM></FONT></P>