Virgin Islands Trip Report
June 12 to July 3rd, 2007
This was our first charter in the Caribbeans. We are experienced sailors with many years of experience sailing San Francisco Bay, twice sailing the 500nm from San Francisco to San Diego, and many cruises with our Hunter Legend 37. up the cost of Southern California, Catalina, and south to Ensenada.
We selected Conch Charters, based on inputs from friends, and information obtained at the this website.
Conch Charters fleet is of older boats. We chartered a Jeanneau 40, about 10 years old. We took advantage of their promotion - pay for one-week of their mid-season rates and get two-weeks at low season. Low season starts June 16, the date we selected to start our charter. We were also able to sleep aboard the night before of charter starting date.
We selected to do our own provisioning, instead of doing through the charterer. As we discussed later on, we did the provisioning at the Riteway, after some investigation in the websites mentioned above. The total cost of the provisioning was $1200, including a very large supply of drinks: 144 cans of beer, 17 bottles of wine, six bottles of rum, one of tequila, 1 bottle of margarita and bottles of painkiller mix, lots of fruit juices (pineapple, passion fruit, mango, orange, etc for our cocktail mixes), many sodas, and 15 gallons of drinking water.
On our Way
We departed San Diego 11 June late at night, arriving in St. Thomas around 15:00 after a long wait in Chicago and San Juan. The airport is about 20 minutes from Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the US Virgin Islands. Our hotel, the Galleon House Bead & Breakfast is located in the downtown area. St. Thomas landscape is dotted of steep hills, of volcanic origin. Our hotel was located on top of a very steep hill, requiring a lot of effort to move our luggage through many steps. The effort was worth it; the view of the surrounding area and the harbor was excellent. We spent the next two days and half sightseeing Charlotte Amalie and the eastern part of the island, the town of Red Hook. Taxis are expensive and you are charged for as many persons traveling. We soon discovered an open taxi/bus that is mainly used by the locals. They only do some fixed routes. These charge only $2.00/person/ride no matter how far they go. We used them to our trips to Red Hook and to Coki Beach.
St. Thomas was formerly a Danish colony, purchased by the USA in 1917. The street names are all in Danish language and the cars drive on the left side of the road, the way the Scandinavian countries drove at that time. The same usage is in all Virgin Islands, British and US. What is strange you cannot find a single British made car with the steering wheel on the right side of the car; so you drive on the left of the road, seating at the left side of the car… Charlotte Amalie, named after a Danish Queen, surrounds a large and protected bay and harbor. Two or three cruise ships are docked there almost every day, increasing the city population by several thousands. Three long streets, one of them the Main Street, parallel the waterfront, house the main stores and restaurants of the town. The stores all cater to the large number of tourists – jewelry, watches, dresses, and liquor. Rum is the most popular drink, with very low $7.50/bottle price.
Besides cruise ships, there are a large number of ferries and hydroplanes that connect St. Thomas to the other US Virgins – St. John and St. Croix, and to many of the British virgins (BVI). The ferries are not expensive; with them you can visit most of the island of the region.
We traveled to Road Town, Tortola, BVI, on the morning of June 15. We were rested from the long flights that brought us there and the ferry ride gave us an overall view of St. Thomas, St. John, and some of the BVI. It was a wonderful morning ride with a high-speed powered catamaran, very comfortable. The trip lasted about 1 hour and the cost $20/person.
As soon after our arrival in Road Town we stopped in the offices of our charter, Conch Charter, in the Fort Burt area of town. We left there our entire luggage and went to town to take care of the provisioning for our 2-week charter. We had checked in the Internet at
www.b-v-i.com where best to do the provisioning. This was at the main Riteway supermarket, nearby The Moorings charter company marina. The very complete provisioning list provided at the Riteway website
http://www.rtwbvi.com/Provisioning%20List.PDF helped us to check most of what we need
We did our two-week provisioning in a couple hours at the main Riteway near The Moorings. After filling seven shopping carts we handed them to Janet Duplesis, who takes care of provisioning and she delivered the provisioning directly to our boat, by the end of the day. It should be noted that it is much more expensive, lots more, to do the provisioning through the charter companies.
Our charter sailboat, a Jeanneau 40, named Educated Ice was ready for us at 16:00, 15 Jun, one day before our charter started. We slept in the boat, at the Conch Charters marina that night.
Day 0 - Saturday, June 16, Norman Island, The Bight
After completing boat and chart briefings, we departed the Conch docks and made a short reach across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Norman Island. The wind was strong and we were heeling quite a bit. Suddenly Cida noticed that there was water on the floor, at the V-berth cabin. Checking the bilge we noticed there was no water there. Mystery! We reached the anchorage at The Bight, Norman Island, where we tied up to one of the numerous moorings. Moorings are available in most of the anchorages across BVI, at a cost of $25/night. Norman Island is rumored to be the site of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel, Treasure Island. At the Bight there are two restaurants: the Billy Bones ashore and the William Thornton III, a Virgin Islands classic, a floating bar and restaurant in a wooden trading boat. There was a bunch of people dancing at one of the decks of the boat when we motored with our dinghy around the Bight. At 1700 we had our Happy Hour with rum and a variety of mixes – strawberry, passion fruit, mango, pińa colada, etc. and margaritas. The rum hour became a regular daily event throughout the vacation. At twilight, we were enjoying a delicious dinner at the cockpit, illuminated by the moon and a sky full of stars.
Day 1 – Sunday, June 17, Norm Island, Privateer Bay
The day started with a nice breakfast of fruits, cereals, yogurt, cheeses, etc and a good cup of coffee prepared with a percolator.
After breakfast, we moved the boat from The Bight to Privateer Bay, just around the point. From there we snorkeled following the shore to The Caves, a famous formation where, it was said, pirate treasures were hidden. Later we brought our dinghy to one of the National Parks buoy and did more snorkeling in one of the BVI’s excellent coral reefs. It was not an easy feat for us, seniors, to climb back into the dinghy. Next time we have to bring a rope ladder with us!
Day 2 – Monday, June 18 - Road Town, Tortola, and Cooper Island
After breakfast we sailed back to Road Town to take care of our leak and some other minor issues. The leak was from our main water tank (we had two) and could not be easily repaired. So we closed that tank valve and used only the secondary tank. We proceeded to Cooper Island, Manchioneel Bay. It was a beautiful sail with strong winds. The winds during the entire trip were never below 15knts, mostly 18 to 22, and occasionally 25knts. The Jeanneau 40 sailing performance is excellent. We sailed always with full main and jib, even with 25 knots wind apparent, with little weather helm. Autopilot never disengaged either beating or with 7-8ft following seas.
It is a good idea to arrive early, particularly in season, so that you can pick up one of the overnight buoys (no anchoring is permitted at Cooper Island). Because we were in the start of the low season it was easy to find moorings.
Day 3 – Tuesday, June 19 - Virgin Gorda North Sound, Leverick Bay
We left early to be able to pick a buoy at The Baths. After a nice sail, beating against the E-SE wind, we arrived there, at the south tip of Virgin Gorda. The idea was to spend the morning and have lunch there. The plan was to get to the wonderful beach, explore the rock pools and the extraordinary boulders, where walk-throughs are lit by eerie green light. But… all the National Park day buoys were already occupied. We decided to move on to Leverick Bay at the North Sound of Virgin Gorda and, the next day, rent a jeep from there and make a day trip to The Baths.
We headed off to the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, so named by Columbus. From a distance, the shape of the Island is of a pregnant woman lying down. We sailed by The Dogs, a group of small islets, where boats often stop for snorkeling.
When entering the North Gorda Sound, you have to be very careful. Do not attempt to pass between Mosquito Island and Virgin Gorda. After rounding Mosquito Is. enter ONLY between the green and red buoys between Prickly Pear and Colauhoun Reef as there are big treacherous reefs at the entrance and all around. We entered with main up, with the engine on, as a routine matter of safety. We selected Leverick Bay among the several anchorages in the Sound. The decision was based on the information we got in this website.
We liked Leverick for the showers, Pusser’s store (for the admiralty rum…), grocery store, and laundry facilities and there is some interesting snorkeling right off the dinghy dock Leverick also gives free ice with the mooring and there's a nice new fuel/water dock...
Day 4–Wednesday, June 20 -North Sound, Virgin Gorda
After breakfast we picked up our car, a jeep, at the Leverick Resort. The drive across Virgin Gorda is breathtaking; the mountainous isle has very steep roads with wonderful views of the sound, the windward side of the isle, the marvelous Savannah bay, the isle capital, Spanish Town, and the Sir Francis Drake channel. Our first stop was at Savannah bay, where charter boats are not allowed to enter because of its protected corals. Savannah is one of the loveliest beaches of BVI. From there we drove to Spanish Town, where we signed up for the rental jeep. We stopped at the large marina and had lunch there. Afterwards, we went to The Baths where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Located on the southwest tip of Virgin Gorda, the Baths are a most unusual formation of large granite boulders. The origins of these boulders are a geological mystery. These boulders form delightful hidden rooms lit by shafts of light, caves, with intricate passageways. Adjacent to the south of the Baths is Devil’s Bay National Park that can be reached from a trail that meanders across passages and caves of the Baths.
In our return to Leverick Bay we stopped at the Riteway store at Spanish Town for more beer and provisions.
Day 5 and 6 – Thursday, 21 June and Friday, 22June - Anegada
We left Leverick Bay, after breakfast to our sail north to Anegada. This isle is different of all others of BVI – it is not of volcanic formation, and hilly. Anegada is a coral atoll. Most charters do not allow boaters to go there due to the difficult navigation to enter its anchorage, not a bay just an opening in the coral. After talking with us, and reviewing our sailing resume, Conch decided we were experience sailors and navigators and gave us permission to visit the isle.
If you desire to get off the beaten track, Anegada is the place to go. The only all coral atoll in the BVI, Anegada is 13 miles long and 28 feet at its highest point. It has a population of 200.
Because the island is extremely low, the first sight will be palm trees. We kept a northerly course until we spotted the first red buoy marking the entrance of the channel. We proceeded carefully in the channel with depths from 7 to 9ft. In several places we had just 3 feet of water under our keel. We relaxed when we were secured to one of the moorings of the anchorage. It was relaxing to see some larger boats than ours there. The majority were catamarans that did not have a problem there, because of their low draft. Navigation issue: our Garmin chartplotter showed more sets of red-green buoys there than the ones in the channel. Our paper chart also was not accurate! There are several restaurants around the anchorage; the two largest ones, Anegada Reef Hotel and Neptune Hotel monitor VHF channel 16. Lobster and conch are the local specialties.
Anegada is an ideal place to relax. The beaches are huge and truly phenomenal. We took a taxi, it was a pickup truck with seats in the open, and went to the Loblolly Bay on the other side of the island. The beach is fabulous and the snorkeling absolutely amazing. It is one of the nicest of BVI.
Day 7 – Saturday, 23 June - Anegada to Leverick Bay and Marina Cay
We left Anegada early, watching carefully the channel buoys. Again the depth sounder indicated just 3 feet of water below our keel and the instrument sounded their alarm beep constantly. We felt relieved when we got out of the channel and in deep water. Our destination was Leverick Bay where we wanted to top off our diesel fuel tank, fill the water tanks, get ice, take a good shower, and have lunch. The sail to Leverick was wonderful, good winds, blue skies, and 85 degrees. After lunch we sailed to Marina Cay, a pretty anchorage off Scrub Island.
Marina Cay is a lovely little island, with plenty of mooring balls, a nice open restaurant and a tiny beach. American author, Robb White purchased the isle in 1936 for $50. He spent the war in the Pacific and later wrote the book “Two on the Isle”, which became a 1950 movie starring Sidney Poitier. We walked across the tiny isle and visited the Pusser’s store there.
Day 8 – Sunday, 24 June – Marina Cay to Jost Van Dyke (JVD)
We left lovely Marina Cay and took the long route leaving Scrubb Is. in our port, rounding Great Camanoe, and passing between Guana Island (a private island) and the north of Tortola. The southern tip of Guana Island, Monkey Point, is known as an excellent snorkeling area.
We approached JVD, leaving Sandy Cay on our port side. The first anchorage is Little Harbor, where we stopped for lunch. It was very windy and the dinghy ride to shore was wet and refreshing. Remember the water temperature is around 85 degrees. In the afternoon we sailed to White Bay. It is the most western harbor of the south side of the island. The bay is small and shallow; reefs protect it, with red and green buoys showing the narrow entrance. It is one of the favorite places of the sailing community. The beach (another one) is glorious and the Soggy Dollar Bar a celebrity. It is purported to be the place where the Painkiller rum drink was invented.
Here is the recipe: 2 oz Pusser's® dark rum, 1 oz cream of coconut, 4 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz orange juice. Shake or stir ingredients, and pour over ice in a tall glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top, and serve.
Day 9– Monday, 25 June – Ocean sailing and Great Harbor
We decided to do some sailing north of JVD. It was the usual sunny and windy day. But it does not look so windy when it is hot and sunny! We left White Bay and motored carefully to its exit. Not much water under our keel. We sailed east hugging the south coast of JVD. Great and Little Harbors were in our port side. We turned to NE going by Sandy Cay, an uninhabited 14-acre paradise owned by the philanthropist Laurence Rockefeller, who has kept it in virtually pristine condition for the last 30 years, and Sandy Spit, a minuscule uninhabited island, directly 1 nm north of Sandy Cay. It is probably one of the most photographed islands in the Northern Caribbean and has been the background of countless commercials, since it really looks like the Robinson Crusoe’s place!
We sailed several miles north of JVD, enjoying the perfect sailing conditions, and then returned to a new anchorage, Great Harbor, at the foot 1000-foot high peaks. Great Harbor is a port of entry into BVI and the largest settlement on the island. There are no moorings in this harbor; so we anchored in about 25 ft of water. Ashore there are many bars, restaurants, and food stores. There you find the world-famous Foxy’s bar, restaurant and store. We made vegetable and fruit purchases at the Nature’s Basket, fresh baked bread at “Christine’s Bakery, and ice at the Ice House. The lady, at the Ice House, gave us some mangoes from a large tree in her garden.
Day 10 – Tuesday, 26 June - JVD to Cane Garden Bay
Regarded by many as one of the more beautiful anchorages of BVI, Cane Garden Bay is picture postcard material, with a white, palm fringed beach stretching the entire length of the bay.
We picked one of the several moorings available and started our dinghy exploration of the bay and shore.
There are many bars and restaurants in Cane Garden Bay and there is often entertainment at Myetts and Quito’s Gazebo, a classic Caribbean beachside bar.
We hiked around to the "rum factory," the Callwood Distillery, where some of the original 18th century buildings are still in use. You can bring your empty bottle there and watch as your bottle is filled from the original boiler, which still operates and produces the purest rum in the Caribbean. Sad to say, we found the distillery already closed.
Day 11 – Wednesday, 27 June – Cane Garden Bay to Leverick Bay, North Sound of V.G.
This day we reserved for our longest sail. We departed Cane Garden Bay around 9:00 and sail in a W – SW direction following the northern Tortola coast, with SE wind behind us. Arriving at the West End of Tortola we started our engine and furled our jib to pass through the Thatch Island Cut, between Tortola’s west end (Soper’s hole) and the Great Thatch and Little Thatch islands. We had 25 knots wind in our nose.
As we left the Cut, we started a course towards the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, tacking against the 25 knots SE wind. We were following the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Just 1nm to the south was St. John, US Virgin Islands. Our zigzag course brought us near Peter Island, Road Town, Cooper Is, Beef Is, and The Dogs. We arrived at the Leverick Bay, North Sound, around 18:00, having sailed about 45 nm. A squall, with heavy rain, welcomed our arrival at the Sound!
All the tired crew enjoyed a rum happy hour, a nice and long shower, and a delicious barbecue.
Day 12 – Thursday, 28 June – Leverick to The Baths, sailing in the Caribbean Sea.
We decided to leave early, at 7:00 am. Destination – The Baths. This was our second attempt to find an available mooring there. These moorings are of the National Park Service for day use only; you pre-pay a fee proportional to your charter days at the start of your charter. Arriving there at 8:00 am we found all moorings occupied. Seemingly the boats moored there had spent the night, without having to pay the $25 for the private moorings throughout BVI anchorages. We tied up to a commercial buoy temporarily to see if any boats would leave. No luck! We decided to continue our day sailing towards the Norman Island, for some more snorkeling at the Caves. The route chosen was to leave the Sir Francis Drake Channel, and get to the Caribbean Sea, through the passage between Ginger and Cooper islands. The large 7 to 8 feet swells of the open Caribbean Sea gave us a roller-coaster ride to Norman. It was great fun steering with the folowing rushing waves. We went around the southern coast of Norman and moored at Privateer Bay. The rest of the day, and the following day, were spent in the now usual routine of our wonderful meals on board, the daily ration of rum drinks in our happy hours, swimming, and snorkeling. What a life!
Day 14 – Saturday 30 June - Norman Island to Road Town, Tortola
We sailed to Road Town, departing at 08:00 and arriving at 10:00 am. We had to wait a little while because the Conch crew was busy with other boats. At 11:00 we tied up at the gas dock, filled up with diesel and had Conch staff do our checkout – anything missing or broken, etc. There was a security deposit of $1000 for the dinghy and outboard that we were glad to get back!
Day 14 to 17. – 30 June to 3 July. – Exploring Tortola by land.
After the checkout we rented a car with Avis and drove to our hotel, Sebastian’s on the Beach, located at Little Apple Bay, in the northern side of Tortola. We took the hilly road, very steep, to our destination. The hotel was very nice and was just facing a beautiful beach. We could see, not far away across the water, the Jost Van Dyke isle we visited with our boat a few days before. We had some nice walks and swims on the almost one mile Long Beach, to the west of Little Apple Bay. This beach is very nice with white sand, palm trees, sea grape trees, and shopping.
In the two and half days we spent in Tortola we did extensive sightseeing, driving everywhere, in the incredible steep roads, equal or worse than the San Francisco roads. We even did some hiking at the Sage Mountain National park, the highest point of the isle.
July 3rd, early in the morning, we drove to Road Town ferry dock. The 7:00am Tortola Fast Ferry brought us back to St. Thomas where we caught our return flights home.
It was a wonderful vacation and one of the best sailing experiences we ever had. We saw many singing birds, marine life - all kind of fishes, sea turtles, lobsters, etc. Did I mention that rain squalls do not have preferred time to happen? It could be in the middle of the night, with all portholes and hatches open. Rushing to close them and soon the boat interior is like an oven.
Some of the things that helped me planning the trip and making it more enjoyable:
1. Information sources:
- The 2005-2006 Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands, Nancy and Simon Scott
- A cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands, Stephen Pavlidis
- Websites:
-
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=bvi2. Garmin charplotter with Caribbean chart chip.
3. Spending a couple of days in St. Thomas, prior to the charter, the ferry ride to Tortola, and a couple of days in Tortola, after the charter, driving around Tortola.
4. The very complete provisioning list provided at the Riteway website
-
http://www.rtwbvi.com/Provisioning%20List.PDF5. The very nice staff of Conch Charters
6. The wonderful sailing performance of the Jeanneau 40. 7. The constant 24 hour winds we had, never less than 15 knts
8. Our wonderful and congenial partners
9. Enjoying seeing the high standard of living of the native population.
Why did I not come here earlier to this sailing paradise? To compensate for the time lost I have already put down a deposit for a 45 ft Jeanneau for next Junesailing.
