Posted By: JlarsBVI
Trip Report- January 22nd-31st - 02/08/2017 06:01 PM
Seven of our group flew to STT and took a ferry over to Tortola and the other two flew on Inter Caribbean Airways to Tortola. No one had any problems and with a free bag and a $90.00 each way ticket price on Inter Caribbean Airways, I think that is the way to go!
My mom and I being the planners we are did lots of meal prep at home over Christmas. It also helps that my dad is a cattle rancher so we have access to some awesome meat! They declared everything and did not have to pay anything, so that was another plus! Took many notes from people on here. Did taco meat, hamburgers, chicken, and steaks.
We chartered Karisma (Lagoon 440) with BVI Yacht Charters. Unfortunately, this catamaran was not up to par with every other charter we have done with BVI Yacht Charters. They cleaned the catamaran again and tried to fix a few things before we left, including the trim on the interior stairs that was coming off on several stairs. I could just see someone tripping and having an accident after a few too many painkillers. I do admire that they tried to fix things and make it the best as possible.
We had three in our group that scuba dive several times through Dive BVI and really had a great experience with them. Something we did find out is that the majority of groceries and alcohol had the best price at the Riteway. We usually shop at One Mart and get our alcohol at Caribbean Cellars. For the things we wanted to drink, Riteway was 15% cheaper! We will be heading there next time for sure. We got several fish at the Fishing Complex and they were awesome.
After our sleep aboard, we headed off to Cooper Island. We love snorkeling there, happy hour, and several really loved the rum bar. It was a great first day for all the newbies.
The next day we sailed over to Leverick Bay where we had reserved a slip with Nick and a rental car. All was great and how it should be. Leroy on the dock was very helpful. We absolutely LOVED exploring Virgin Gorda by car. My dad used to be a truck driver and handling the manual transmission on all of those steep hills was a breeze for him. Loved all the lookout spots, walking around Spanish Town and picking up those that scuba dive, the Copper Mines, and The Baths. We got to The Baths at around 3:30pm and there were literally eight other people there. We are going to do it this was from now on. We made the loop and stopped at Hog Heaven. We LOVED it up there. The view was incredible and you could see Anegada and The North Sound below. In my opinion, this bar had the best painkillers of anywhere we stopped on the trip as well. We all pretended that we could see Obama below. We finished up to get back to the dock before 7:00pm when Leroy said they closed, but they closed early so we made other arrangements for ice. We will definitely be back!
Early morning sail to Anegada was next and it was a smooth and easy sail. We got there early and Dean was waiting for us. We loaded in the open truck dropped him off and then started our journey. One thing we noticed is there has been a lot of work done since we were last there. There is a nice platform to observe the flamingos, at the Conch Island area there is a covered area with information and details, and the road to the North of the island is finished. Great improvements! We stopped Flash of Beauty, Loblolly (our captain loves the conch stew here), and Cow Wreck. Not many people at all and it was a great day. We only snorkeled at Flash of Beauty because the current/swells made it very hard. Always one of my favorite snorkeling spots though.
We sailed to Marina Cay next as the divers had to be at Scrub Island for their next dive. We explored the island, had some drinks, and enjoyed a nice quiet day. Several of us went over by Great Camanoe, tied up to the line, and snorkeled a bit. Some great underwater life there. A couple in our party tried to get in the dingy the way of the woman did in the video that has was shared here several times. One in our party could not do it, but one person did it on his first pass! He just held on, ducked his head, and kicked back. There was even a couple there in their dingy who witnessed it. Later that night we saw some big power yachts and we decided it was Obama again.
We were planning on going to Cane Garden Bay the next day, but last time we were there, the swells were so rough it was miserable. It did not look like it would be a fun night so we went over to Diamond Cay. I LOVE this anchorage. It is so beautiful and peaceful. We hiked over to the Bubbly Pool and there was yellow tape still up from the accident that happened a few weeks ago but a taxi truck drove through them all to bring his passengers closer to the trail. Everyone enjoyed the bubble pool and because I am Mr. Safety, I made sure no one was up climbing on the rocks or boulders. We snorkeled and saw a couple rays. Several of us went over to the B-Line Beach Bar and the vibe was fun. Played some corn hole and had a great time.
Norman Island was next with a stop at The Indians. We were lucky enough to get there when another boat was leaving and grabbed their ball. This is the best snorkeling I have seen at The Indians. The water was so clear and the sun was shining. It was fun to see all the fish, rock formations, an eel, and some lobsters. It was a snorkeling highlight for sure. We went and grabbed a ball close to the Willie T and on that was close to the Southern shore. Several of us decided to go on the hike up the hill and the others wanted to stay at the bar, which is really looking good now. We hiked up to the helicopter pad and then saw two trails to the west. We took the one to the left and kept walking and hiking. Beautiful scenery and nature. We were not quite sure where it would take us but we saw some other hikers coming the other way lead by a tour guide by one of those small cruise ships. He told us to keep going and that it would take us back to the main trail. That was good to know! Next time we will take the right trail and make the loop, as it will not be as steep of hills to climb, so we will be going down more than a steep incline. If you like hiking and seeing the island this hike is worth it! We went to the Willie T and all the newbies had a great time. Two in our party jumped off three times! Most of us went back to the boat and then to bed, but three in our group wanted to keep partying it up so they were there until the late hours of the night.
Our last day we went to Peter Island. Last time we got a mooring ball on the west side next to the cliffs. We loved the snorkeling and the shell beach right there. After we experienced both of those this trip, we thought the wind and boat rolling was a little too much for us. We motored over to the East side of the mooring field and got a ball there. It was a great choice. Some of us decided to take the dingy to shore and take the trail over to the Peter Island Resort. This place is NICE. We walked around and the staff said we were welcome. We walked over to the beach, explored the dock, and walked around the premises. We got a couple drinks at the bar and decided to head back to the boat. We stopped and asked an employee at the desk about mooring balls and the dock. She said the mooring balls are $45.00 a night (their website says $65.00) and that you need to reserve them. She said you have access to the beach, bars, pool, and other limited areas of the resort. Our group thinks it would be a great stop for us on the last night next time.
While we were floating behind the catamaran this big boat came in and anchored in Great harbor. Its name was Venus and we found out it was the boat Steve Jobs commissioned and built. We took the dingy around to get a closer look. It was really neat.
We turned in the boat and had two rental cars waiting for us. We headed over to Sebastian’s on The Beach and we all thought it was a great step up from where we usually stay. Rooms were nicer than we are accustomed to down there and we had a suite overlooking the ocean. Sunday afternoon we went over to Soper’s Hole, had lunch, and shopped around at our favorite t-shirt shop. Sunday Night we drove over to Myett’s and had dinner and looked around since we didn’t get to stay there while on the boat. Monday we explored the island by car. Stopped in Road Town for a bit and we explored the new cruise ship terminal area. It is very nice and some neat shopping there. Made stops at Leverick Bay, Brewers Bay, and Cane Garden Bay.
Sebastian’s was a nice location for those that took the ferry to St Thomas. It wasn’t as close to the airport for the few of us that flew out of EIS. We all loved the price of Intercaribbean Airways and the free bag. No concerns there and we would fly with them again. We might stay closer to the airport next time.
Two of us got the full-face snorkel mask and we loved them. The only time we had trouble was when the swell/surf at Anegada was rough, we had a hard time breathing from working so hard, and it got a little foggy. Every other time they were perfect.
Everyone loved the music on my iPod from the selections people recommended on here a while back. They thought it was perfect BVI sailing music. All the newbies kept saying they understand why we all love coming down here and they cannot wait to come again.
Thanks to everyone for the helpful information, insider tips, and advise. The group thought I was the perfect Cruise Director and it was all in fact from all the information on here. Till next time!
My mom and I being the planners we are did lots of meal prep at home over Christmas. It also helps that my dad is a cattle rancher so we have access to some awesome meat! They declared everything and did not have to pay anything, so that was another plus! Took many notes from people on here. Did taco meat, hamburgers, chicken, and steaks.
We chartered Karisma (Lagoon 440) with BVI Yacht Charters. Unfortunately, this catamaran was not up to par with every other charter we have done with BVI Yacht Charters. They cleaned the catamaran again and tried to fix a few things before we left, including the trim on the interior stairs that was coming off on several stairs. I could just see someone tripping and having an accident after a few too many painkillers. I do admire that they tried to fix things and make it the best as possible.
We had three in our group that scuba dive several times through Dive BVI and really had a great experience with them. Something we did find out is that the majority of groceries and alcohol had the best price at the Riteway. We usually shop at One Mart and get our alcohol at Caribbean Cellars. For the things we wanted to drink, Riteway was 15% cheaper! We will be heading there next time for sure. We got several fish at the Fishing Complex and they were awesome.
After our sleep aboard, we headed off to Cooper Island. We love snorkeling there, happy hour, and several really loved the rum bar. It was a great first day for all the newbies.
The next day we sailed over to Leverick Bay where we had reserved a slip with Nick and a rental car. All was great and how it should be. Leroy on the dock was very helpful. We absolutely LOVED exploring Virgin Gorda by car. My dad used to be a truck driver and handling the manual transmission on all of those steep hills was a breeze for him. Loved all the lookout spots, walking around Spanish Town and picking up those that scuba dive, the Copper Mines, and The Baths. We got to The Baths at around 3:30pm and there were literally eight other people there. We are going to do it this was from now on. We made the loop and stopped at Hog Heaven. We LOVED it up there. The view was incredible and you could see Anegada and The North Sound below. In my opinion, this bar had the best painkillers of anywhere we stopped on the trip as well. We all pretended that we could see Obama below. We finished up to get back to the dock before 7:00pm when Leroy said they closed, but they closed early so we made other arrangements for ice. We will definitely be back!
Early morning sail to Anegada was next and it was a smooth and easy sail. We got there early and Dean was waiting for us. We loaded in the open truck dropped him off and then started our journey. One thing we noticed is there has been a lot of work done since we were last there. There is a nice platform to observe the flamingos, at the Conch Island area there is a covered area with information and details, and the road to the North of the island is finished. Great improvements! We stopped Flash of Beauty, Loblolly (our captain loves the conch stew here), and Cow Wreck. Not many people at all and it was a great day. We only snorkeled at Flash of Beauty because the current/swells made it very hard. Always one of my favorite snorkeling spots though.
We sailed to Marina Cay next as the divers had to be at Scrub Island for their next dive. We explored the island, had some drinks, and enjoyed a nice quiet day. Several of us went over by Great Camanoe, tied up to the line, and snorkeled a bit. Some great underwater life there. A couple in our party tried to get in the dingy the way of the woman did in the video that has was shared here several times. One in our party could not do it, but one person did it on his first pass! He just held on, ducked his head, and kicked back. There was even a couple there in their dingy who witnessed it. Later that night we saw some big power yachts and we decided it was Obama again.
We were planning on going to Cane Garden Bay the next day, but last time we were there, the swells were so rough it was miserable. It did not look like it would be a fun night so we went over to Diamond Cay. I LOVE this anchorage. It is so beautiful and peaceful. We hiked over to the Bubbly Pool and there was yellow tape still up from the accident that happened a few weeks ago but a taxi truck drove through them all to bring his passengers closer to the trail. Everyone enjoyed the bubble pool and because I am Mr. Safety, I made sure no one was up climbing on the rocks or boulders. We snorkeled and saw a couple rays. Several of us went over to the B-Line Beach Bar and the vibe was fun. Played some corn hole and had a great time.
Norman Island was next with a stop at The Indians. We were lucky enough to get there when another boat was leaving and grabbed their ball. This is the best snorkeling I have seen at The Indians. The water was so clear and the sun was shining. It was fun to see all the fish, rock formations, an eel, and some lobsters. It was a snorkeling highlight for sure. We went and grabbed a ball close to the Willie T and on that was close to the Southern shore. Several of us decided to go on the hike up the hill and the others wanted to stay at the bar, which is really looking good now. We hiked up to the helicopter pad and then saw two trails to the west. We took the one to the left and kept walking and hiking. Beautiful scenery and nature. We were not quite sure where it would take us but we saw some other hikers coming the other way lead by a tour guide by one of those small cruise ships. He told us to keep going and that it would take us back to the main trail. That was good to know! Next time we will take the right trail and make the loop, as it will not be as steep of hills to climb, so we will be going down more than a steep incline. If you like hiking and seeing the island this hike is worth it! We went to the Willie T and all the newbies had a great time. Two in our party jumped off three times! Most of us went back to the boat and then to bed, but three in our group wanted to keep partying it up so they were there until the late hours of the night.
Our last day we went to Peter Island. Last time we got a mooring ball on the west side next to the cliffs. We loved the snorkeling and the shell beach right there. After we experienced both of those this trip, we thought the wind and boat rolling was a little too much for us. We motored over to the East side of the mooring field and got a ball there. It was a great choice. Some of us decided to take the dingy to shore and take the trail over to the Peter Island Resort. This place is NICE. We walked around and the staff said we were welcome. We walked over to the beach, explored the dock, and walked around the premises. We got a couple drinks at the bar and decided to head back to the boat. We stopped and asked an employee at the desk about mooring balls and the dock. She said the mooring balls are $45.00 a night (their website says $65.00) and that you need to reserve them. She said you have access to the beach, bars, pool, and other limited areas of the resort. Our group thinks it would be a great stop for us on the last night next time.
While we were floating behind the catamaran this big boat came in and anchored in Great harbor. Its name was Venus and we found out it was the boat Steve Jobs commissioned and built. We took the dingy around to get a closer look. It was really neat.
We turned in the boat and had two rental cars waiting for us. We headed over to Sebastian’s on The Beach and we all thought it was a great step up from where we usually stay. Rooms were nicer than we are accustomed to down there and we had a suite overlooking the ocean. Sunday afternoon we went over to Soper’s Hole, had lunch, and shopped around at our favorite t-shirt shop. Sunday Night we drove over to Myett’s and had dinner and looked around since we didn’t get to stay there while on the boat. Monday we explored the island by car. Stopped in Road Town for a bit and we explored the new cruise ship terminal area. It is very nice and some neat shopping there. Made stops at Leverick Bay, Brewers Bay, and Cane Garden Bay.
Sebastian’s was a nice location for those that took the ferry to St Thomas. It wasn’t as close to the airport for the few of us that flew out of EIS. We all loved the price of Intercaribbean Airways and the free bag. No concerns there and we would fly with them again. We might stay closer to the airport next time.
Two of us got the full-face snorkel mask and we loved them. The only time we had trouble was when the swell/surf at Anegada was rough, we had a hard time breathing from working so hard, and it got a little foggy. Every other time they were perfect.
Everyone loved the music on my iPod from the selections people recommended on here a while back. They thought it was perfect BVI sailing music. All the newbies kept saying they understand why we all love coming down here and they cannot wait to come again.
Thanks to everyone for the helpful information, insider tips, and advise. The group thought I was the perfect Cruise Director and it was all in fact from all the information on here. Till next time!
