7-Day Itinerary Suggestions/Comments/Critiques

Chartering through MarineMax May 17-25 (sleep aboard the 17). Our group will consist of my parents, siblings, and significant others all ranging from mid 20's to late 50's. This will be our first charter, but not first trip to the BVI.

Below is our itinerary thus far:

18th - Leave Hodges creek once done with chart briefing;Salt Island, Cooper Island for the night

19th - Baths; Savannah Bay; North Sound for the night

20th - Stay in North sound; Honeymoon beach; Vixen point; taxi ride/tour through Virgin Gorda; hog heaven; saba rock; bitter end

21st - Anegada

22nd - Cane Garden Bay; Sandy Spit; Great Harbour

23rd - White Bay

24th - Norman Island; Caves; Indians; Willy T's; Peter Island for the night

I realize that we will not be able to do all of the things listed for each day, but any do's and dont's or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Bottom line is we are looking to have a fun and relaxing time. Thank in advance!

Power Cat or sail?

Sorry. Power Cat 484

Too many times I've pulled in to White Bay for a day or overnight, and the crew has wanted to stay another night. With that said, you can catch a cab over the hill to/from GH to/from White Bay and check that off in one stop and free up some time. JVD has so much to see and enjoy, hard to do just one day there, 4 bays and each has its own personality. In North Sound, Saba Rock has a water taxi that will take you all over the sound for free, and you'll have your dingy too. I'd stay in The Bight over Peter Island, but that's just me. Pirates Bight is a cool place, and Willy T's can end up being a 'how did I get here?!?!!' stop, especially given your crew mix. But bottom line, RELAX, and don't count on following your itinerary! Stop and enjoy where you're at, and make a list of places for your next trip!

Thanks. What other recomendations do you have relative to Jost other than Grand Harbour and White Bay? I have Little Jost on the list if time permits, or we will make time to do so.

Has anyone ever done the ATV tour on Jost?

If you don't get to cooper by early afternoon, you won't find an available mooring ball.

JBord,

Just noticed you are from Louisiana, base on your abbreviated user name, I suspect we may share some limbs on our family tree. Your agenda looks good, I would take the following into consideration:

1. The current can be strong and visibility poor at Saly's wreck of the Rhone. If you are planning to snorkel or dive it, I suggest trying to get some Intel from folks who visit a couple days prior to your visit. If the conditions are bad it's not a fun stop.
2. Once you leave Cooper, I suggest going directly to Leverick Bay Marina. Stay in a slip if you have air conditioning, stay on a mooring ball if no AC. Ask Nick to arrange a rental safari truck for you and visit The Baths, Spring Bay, Savannah Bay, Hog Heaven. It is much less stressful doing this via vehicle than by boat.. Just remember stay left while driving and watch out for those dips and bumps in the road. Be courteous to others by pulling over to let them pass..
3. The North Sound is a lot of fun, we have spent the majority of our time there in past trips. Don't be disappointed if your plans chage once you get there, happens to us every time.
4. Don't go to Sandy Spit just prior to dusk, we did once and were attacked by the noseeums, it reminded me of South Louisiana marshes at dusk.
5. I would add a visit to the Bubbly Pool on JVD, I'm not aware of you can get to Foxy's Taboo via ATV but that might be a cool way to see a lot of JVD
6. Your last day seems to aggressive, I would slow down a bit and save some for the next trip.

Cheers,

Tony
Baton Rouge, La
BTW I have a few trip reports on our web site www.sailmardigras.com

Not true on a Monday in late May. However, I would suggest a backup plan such as Trellis or Marina Cay.

This is almost exactly what I was going to write: (from above) "Once you leave Cooper, I suggest going directly to Leverick Bay Marina. Stay in a slip if you have air conditioning, stay on a mooring ball if no AC. Ask Nick to arrange a rental safari truck for you and visit The Baths, Spring Bay, Savannah Bay, Hog Heaven. It is much less stressful doing this via vehicle than by boat." Remember to grab your park passes that are on your boat and hit the baths around 3p.m. and you'll usually miss a lot of the crowds. Fischers Cove (spelling?) has a good breakfast. And, you will love having the vehicle available....more fun...less stress!

Agree totally with Beerman about the slip at Leverick & car rental! Hog Heaven is awesome.
Are you thinking of staying overnight in White Bay on Jost? We did that last month in a 38' cat and it was really rolly. We swung around all night and kept bouncing off the mooring ball.
Julie

I'd re-arrange the days to end up at Leverick Friday night for the BBQ and Jumbies. It's unique and a lot of fun!

I suggest two nights at Anegada. Spend one afternoon at Loblolly and one at Cow Wreck. Also, a nice treat for everyone is a slip at Scrub Island to enjoy the amenities. Just my $0.02 worth.

Memorial Day is May 25 this year. Not sure if this causes an increase in boat numbers in BVI. Just thought I would mention it.

Not sure if any of your peeps are newbies, if so, I second the suggestion of the trip to the Bubbly Pool on JVD. Even in May when it may not be so "bubbly" it's a nice little walk and a unique place. Depending on the activity desires of your group, you may really need two days on Jost. I believe the ATV stays more in the White Bay area, but I've never done it so someone may speak up.

Your itinerary is perfect - for 10 days! I agree with others who would have you save some of your stops for your next trip. Remember, your hosts are on "Island Time." You need to be as well!

Thank you all for your replies. I have thought about visiting the baths, savannah bay, etc. by vehicle in the past and really like that idea. The question I have is would you recommend going straight to Leverick Bay from Cooper Island on day 1? I anticipate being away from the Hodges Creek dock and done with chart briefing, etc. no later than noon on the first day as we will be doing a sleep aboard the night before. Thanks again for your input!

You could get up to leverick the first day. Like I said before though, leverick is great on Fridays. Why not reverse the entire order of your itinerary? That would put you at leverick on Friday for the jumbies and would make Norman your first stop and Cooper your last stop.

I'm going to look into swapping it around so that we are in leverick on friday. However, I like leaving jost and norman for the end considering the group that we have.

However, I am liking the idea of getting to the Baths via car from Leverick. Are there any car rentals near Leverick, or do you have to take a taxi into spanish town to get a rental? Any recommendations are welcomed. Thanks