BVI Bound

Submitted our travel request through the BVI travel portal today. Paid the $175/ person. Of course they update the site shortly after. I'll give some updates as we hopefully navigate to the BVI on Monday.

Received approval for BVI entry this morning while in air to Atlanta. My wife received hers around midnight last night.

Good luck, xrayman67. Thanks for posting your experience. It's very helpful as we depart 5/29 for our charter.

We rode the 4 pm Smiths Ferry today. 50 passengers. Things processed surprisingly quickly. We were on our boat at 6pm. Sunsail

That is very encouraging to hear after the nightmare stories this weekend! Thanks for reporting!

Glad to hear it, fingers crossed that you get your day 0 test in a timely manner!

We are hopeful ! The boat next to us arrived by ferry last night and received their final approval about an hour ago. They were still at the dock for their own reasons. We plan to sail out in the AM!

Adrian, have a great time. Thanks for the ferry update. Certainly better than the past weekend.

Were they giving tracker devices to fully vaxxed guests?

Yes, phones. No armbands. Still have to return to police once cleared.

Sitting in Benures Bay in quarantine.

really nice...hope to be there June 14th but nor for long...:)

Kim and I just got released from quarantine 26 hours!

Nice...we arrive on a Monday as well and hopefully it will be that quick...

We're here until 5/30. Hope to see you here!

I just want to thank everyone who contributes to this forum and the staff at Sunsail! I have been stressed to the limit reading the horror stories on fakebook! This forum always gave me hope! Looking forward to our time in de lions! Thank you again!!!!

Monday Jun 14th....so we have time. thanks again

Be down on Saturday. Curious how many other boats were in Q with you at Benures Bay. And thanks for the great picture!

3 others boats. Plenty of balls available. Water is crystal clear.

All great information and thank you for sharing, Heading down there tomorrow.
A few tips on the BVI Gateway authorization procedures.
If possible, do not start your application until you have ALL the necessary documentation because you can Not just go back in and Add your RT-PCR test results. You have to wait until someone reviews your info. and at that point they send you a link to go back in and add your test results. This part took 36 hours. If you get into a bind time wise, Lynette Harrigan w/ the BVI Tourist board is a Godsend! The woman works day & night and there isn't anything she cant remedy via email. We'll be on one of the Moorings 53PC's until 5/29, hope to meet some of you during our travels.

Thanks...I look forward to your review of the 53PC and how you find Moorings base camp

Thanks for the info, Nanchip. We leave 5/29. Do you have Lynette Harrigan's email address? Hopefully we will not need her help, but would appreciate having her email address handy.

She responds very quickly to her Facebook Messenger requests. I'd recommend using that instead of expecting her to monitor something additional.

she sounds like an angel! and I see people tagging her and messaging her at all hours and even Sunday's, she needs a raise!

Completely agree especially after watching what she and 1 other lady are doing for the islands

I received my first response within minutes of emailing her, that is her preferred mode of communication.
She had my issue remedied and my authorization in hand within 5 hours, she's amazing!
Lynette Harrigan, Email: lharrigan@bvitourism.com
Tel: +1 (284) 494-3134

Hi bailau-I'm not sure of the Moorings base camp in the BVI's but we chartered (2) of their 51's out of St. Lucia last year and while the base was fine, the equipment not so much. I'm a strong believer in 2nd chances though so we're giving them another shot, that and their 53 is quite intriguing. We've been working with Marine Max for the past 5 years in the BVI's and I can say without a doubt they are a top notch outfit.

Laura, you are 100% correct in regard to Lynette working at all hours. That poor woman emailed me at 9p yesterday and also advised me she works until 1am nightly, she wasn't even complaining about it.
Cheers to Saint Lynette-

Went to police station in Road Town today and turned in the tracking phones. Process took about 5 minutes. They just wanted to see our passports and email of quarantine release on our phones. Headed to Peter Island today.

were you able to go to the station across from the ferry dock or the one a little out of town next to a school?

Never been to St Lucia but are frequent flyers at Moorings BVI and the 514 PC and for better or worse Moorings is the devil we know. Just curious as to if BVI Moorings base is back up to speed as they let go of a lot of people and just brought them back...have a good trip

We went to the station by the school.

Lynette Harrigan also monitors the BVI Alive group on Facebook and so tagging her on a post there will often get a quick response.
Another resource is Henrietta Alexander - she monitors activity on the BVI Abroad group on Facebook and has also been a lifesaver.
I think they both must work incredibly long hours and they have been truly amazing.

Update:
Arrived today. Entry is still a bit convoluted but they’re working out the creases. A full nasal lobotomy, lots of documentation and an hour later we were able to leave EIS.
Even though you’ve received your BVI Gateway auth. Be sure to bring your RT-PCR results, you’ll be asked for them a few times.
For those who are vax’d but paid the $175 entry fee online, they will either refund your $70 upon arrival or you can use it for the exit test. I emailed the Covid response team before we left the US and already have our exit test scheduled.

The scoop on the tracker band= they really are paper concert bands, the tracker itself is provided very nonchalantly in a small wet bag. We were told to just keep it aboard and plugged in...

Now for the good news, they told us to just return the tracker itself to the airport when we head home. No need to make an extra trip to the police station!!
Moorings base camp- 4-5 Q boats on our dock with lots of empty slips. All in all, boatloads of Very content travelers.

Seems like it's different depending on who or where you come in. We arrived Monday via ferry. They were very straightforward that the phone- tracking devices must be returned within 24 hrs. to a police station. The accompanying paperwork stated we would be fined $25/day for not complying that would be charged to the card on file.

Thanks..>I would be curious as to your wifi. Moorings is indicating they now have Wifi on the boat. I have always (unfortunately) needed and got the Renport upgraded one. Can you let me know what you have and how good it is? Trying to figure out if it is on par with Renport upgrade

We are on a Sunsail. At Cooper now. Wifi on boat is included last 2 trips. Been streaming music for 3 days!

Which boat...LOL

Thanks

Dark n story! Wife got an Old Fashion! Great drinks and service at Cooper! Headed to VG tomorrow. Everyone is very happy people are here!

Cool...I was thinking which boat in the picture I sent of the Cooper Webcam. Great name for a boat

Have a great time my friend

Flag pole is pointing at us! LOL! Happy hour at Cooper. Wife got a little shopping done. Bacon cheeseburgers on the the boat! Headed to VG tomorrow. Long Bay or North sound, we'll see. Having a great time!!!

Awesome...and as a bonus I know you internet is working great brother...

I look forward to your trip report bc it sounds like I am following the same course in 3 weeks

As long as the stars are aligned, it's a great time to be here!!!

Sounds awesome, enjoy!!!

Tracker- perhaps xrayman is correct in regard to the arrival location criteria. We flew into Tortola and no one in the tracker line received any paperwork and the return instructions were basically “just don’t take it home with you”.

Provisioning-I’ve always provisioned from two places just to be safe, Riteway and Caribbean Cellars. Riteway, although they do charge a fee, remain spot-on! Caribbean Cellars substituted almost every item on my provision list, without notification
.
WiFi-We are all AM am work-hounds And couldn’t take a chance of not having Wi-Fi so I ordered the Renport.

Lots to learn about this 534, sweet piece of equipment but already sensing a few quirks w/ the electronics. Less storage than the 51 but we do love her wide beam and the party palace on the upper deck. Heading to Cooper after an 0800 briefing.

so you have Renport on top of the boat wifi?

Yep, got both.
I know the boat WiFi is spotty in a few places and we have to be able to communicate in the mornings so unfortunately It wasn’t an option for our group. For most people the boat WiFi should be sufficient though.

We are in the same boat figuratively so will add Renport as well. I assume you just got that at base in their hut as opposed to ordering in advance?

No sir, I preordered it online and it was delivered to the boat upon arrival, super easy!
Different packages to choose from, we didn’t opt for service on land because only mornings are critical for us.

Perfect...thanks my friend

Does your tracker look like this?

We didn't receive any instructions other than to charge it and keep it with us. None of the indicator lights ever came on. I was fairly sure it was dead. It came in a plastic bag (not in photo).

No instructions here either.
Our tracker looks exactly like that, except when we plug it in, it throws red/green lights by the battery indicator.
Yours is Probably dead, another couple on our dock had the same issue...

I plugged it in as directed but none of the lights ever came on. Some seem to work, others not.

6 boats on the ball tonight at Leverick.

24 hours for Q release.
That’s us on the ball @ the far left in the Leverick Bay pic.
Lobster quesadillas at the Leverick Bay restaurant were amazing, they’re open until 8pm

Kuddos to Sunsail for service. Called at 2:30 letting them know the dingy prop was slipping. 5:00 and I have a new prop! Dining Upstairs at Leverick tonight.

Hoping to head to Anegada tomorrow but may wait until Monday due to some incoming weather. Took refuge at Oil Nut Bay for the night, marina is filling up. The Marina restaurant NOVA is open, need reservations, nice open air bar and lots of activity. They have an overnight special for $2/ft and a breakfast buffet w/ music @ 10:30a tomorrow. We went to their Beach Club today and talk about some cool pools, love this place, don’t miss it!

Do they have any mooring balls?

Sure do, their mooring balls have OK coverage.
However..., we opted to stay here on a whim and once we averaged the cost of our generator ($5/hour) and added the mooring ball cost we’re actually staying At the dock for free.

I've thought about going to Oil Nut Bay during our upcoming July trip but with a mono that draws 5'9", I'm not sure I want to work through the passage.

You won’t have any issues with 5’9”. The passage will carry that and is well marked. I would check with your charter company and make sure that you are allowed in Eustatia sound. It was redlined by most companies. I believe however many now allow it if you stay in the marked channel.
G

We came through Eustatia Yesterday, lowest registered point was 4’ so I have to assume with the offset it had to be 6’. Agree with George, checking with your charter outfitter would be wise.
Went by Saba yesterday, doesn’t appear to be open but they did have a job fair recently and there were placesettings out on the tables...opening is slated for October, fingers crossed.

Glad I saw this. I’ve never been to Oil Nut Bay but it’s on my bucket list. I was never sure about safe passage. Definitely going to research for July trip now. Does anyone know off hand if TMM allows?

We took a Boston Whaler down to Oil Nut before there was anything there.

It will carry at least 7 and probably 8 feet. The shallowest part is mostly right by Saba. I find the depth sounders on charter boats to often be calibrated incorrectly. I try and check the first time I am in reasonably shallow water. The dock guys at the charter companies often know the exact depth at the docks to check it also. Many seem to prefer to read depth under the keel and reset it from reading actual depth.

Thanks for the input about Oil Nut. I'll check with Moorings to make sure it isn't redlined and verify the depth sounder is calibrated. In 2018 it wasn't which made for an interesting anchoring experience at Anegada. Finally safely anchored between a couple of monos with our gauge reading negative numbers, and no, we weren't aground.

Currently in North Sound. Headed to Anegada this morning,but decided to turn around about 5 miles from North Sound. Weather was closing in quickly. Made it back to North Sound right before storm hit. Quickly anchored just North of mooring field at Leverick. Clocked 40 knot sustained at height of storm. It's not over yet.

I actually bring a weight and string to calibrate in dock as I dont trust anyone else...

We stayed put in ONB, a couple other boats grabbed balls here as well. Those squalls got serious for a while.
Heading to Anegada tomorrow, weather permitting.

As I type this the radar shows some nasty weather over the North Sound.
G

The last 4 hours.

Finally rewarded with this!

Good heads-up move Adrian! Did your storm warning come from your eyeballs, or were you making good use of technology?

Dan

Mostly eyeballs. Radar looked ok when we left NS, but lost internet shortly after leaving. I had watched for 3 hours and everything was drifting WNW. That changed and the whole system backed up. 2 other boats kept going. That couldn't have been any fun.

Water finally set down, Anegada has lots of boats on ropes and Perfect water.
Wonky Dog requires a reservation as well as your menu selection when you call in.
Xrayman, is that you, with the red pirate looking flag?

We are setting out for the BVI soon and hope to be on our boat tomorrow (Tuesday). Are there spare balls at Anegada?

We would like to spend a couple of days there next weekend.

Yes, there are quite a few balls @ Anegada, you should be just fine. Check BB on the morning of your departure And grab one then if it’s getting crowded.

Nanchip, yes, lol. Very nice meeting you today! Having dinner tonight at ABC. Wonky Dog tomorrow!

Thanks Nanchip and Xrayman, we’re headed down a week from Sunday and appreciate your good intel. We’ve been going for more than 20 years but alway nice to get the latest update as it is a bit different every year, especially since the hurricanes and now of course COVID.

This is why the Wonky Dog is a must in Anegada. Between my husband and I we demolished that monster of a lobster along with a few other tasteee items on their menu. They offer 4 sizes of lobster dinners, The one we ordered (left side) was the large.

Great meeting you as well Xrayman, what a fluke running into yall on the beach @ the ABC. I love their swings and enjoyed using the pool while waiting for lunch. What a gorgeous beach, that place has such great vibes-pure island magic.

Just arrived Road Town via EIS. We counted 9 separate steps to entry but all was smooth, and the nasal swab was as thorough and penetrating as others have commented. It will be great to get out on the water tomorrow on Niou Dem II.

I will try to pay back TTOL with any pertinent comments while here.

TMM does indeed allow boats to come up to Oil Nut Bay. We maintain the channel between Saba and BEYC and it's very well marked. I attached an approach map here for easy reference.

We advise any boat who has a draft of 6' or less that they are perfectly safe to come through that channel regardless of tide. We have 11 mooring balls ($30/night) as well as transient dock slips available ($2/ft). Full 2021 rate sheet attached as well.

Nova (the restaurant at the marina) is currently only open on Saturdays and Sundays, but if you are here during the week we will accommodate you at The Beach Club. Pretty cool deal right now as normally it is $95/person for a day pass to The Beach Club!

I'd highly recommend coming up and checking it out now as next season I imagine the day pass rate will be back in place.

-Dobbs

Thanks for this reply! Awesome information and I'm certain we will take advantage in July this year while there. Looking forward to it....

Great clarification Dobbs, Thanks again for your assistance while we were at ONB, you are truly are the informational guru when it comes to that part of VG; and fun to chat with as well!
Cheers till next time-Caribbean Dream II.

A friend just ate at the Beach Club and said it was fantastic!
G

We will have to give this a try next time!

Released after 23hrs. One other boat in Benures Bay just now

Great news!! We arrive Saturday (5/29) and are hoping for a similar testing turnaround.

Update.. Completely full Trellis! Trellis Bay is quickly filling up for the Full Moon Party tonight!

Nibj, if you were on Seaborne yesterday, we were on the same flight. Got released from quarantine after only 22 1/2 hours! Returned our monitor to the airport this evening. Paid Aragorn for lots of vegetables and fresh caught tuna, which is excellent. It’s very quiet. Full Moon party is only the market, everyone else appears closed.

Not sure About the full moon party elsewhere, but I do know that Cane Garden bay is a fun place to be tonight. “Paradise Bar & restaurant” in particular would be my go to, the food, atmosphere and service were all outstanding. Bar swings, bonfire and Lighted kayaks paddling around the bay all made for the perfect evening.

It was a good night at Paradise. I was sitting at one of the picnic tables having dinner. Were you at the table right in front of the sign?

Yes sir Jason, That was me sitting in front of that huge sign on the upper deck. Great breeze and such friendly service. They had me at mussels and bar swings...

Exit test- took it on Jost @ 8am yesterday Morning, received the results via email at 8 AM today. About 40-50 folks at the test site. In and out in @ 15 mins-BVI’s are really getting this contact tracing system down to a simple science!
Note: Check with the clinic you’re going to a few days in advance to be sure they have all your paperwork and reconfirm your appointment time. We were originally given a 1030a appointment time and when we contacted the clinic on Jost for directions they told us we had to be there at 8a because the vials were sent to Roadtown on the 9am ferry..

Trellis Bay full moon party was a bust. Maybe we are early nighters! Received our USVI entry approvals 36 hours after entry. Positive antibody test.

Saw one cat in Lee Bay tonight and there are two boats moored at Marina Cay. Most of the boats that were in Trellis last night have left. Aragorn wasn’t open last night - just the market. Not sure how long these places can survive.

We are one of the boats in Marina Cay (we were also on the Seaborne flight and got our tests quickly). We went to Lee Bay and tried to anchor but couldn’t get it to hold (seemed like a rocky bottom) so ended up in the more active area over here. So we left the bay to the cat.

The entrance to Lee Bay goes from mid 40s to around 12' depth in a hurry. It makes you want to try and anchor in small patches of sand amongst the rocks, but if you keep going it plateaus and changes to an all sand bottom with great holding that very gradually goes from 12' to 8' right off the (strangely) pebbly beach - flat water and a quiet anchorage.

So are the balls at Marina Cay in good shape?

Thanks for the info on Lee bay, maybe we will try again later in the trip. It is a lovely spot.

All I can say about the balls at marina cay is that both boats are still here this morning!

Nibj, look up the hill and wave. I will wave back.

Nibj, are you on the grey or white boat?

I tried to call Moor Secure to find out if they are maintaining the balls at MC. No luck calling from the US. Maybe someone local can check. The number is 284-494-4488. If the balls are not being maintained I would not use them unless you can go down and inspect the bottom shackle. If unmaintained those shackles might be about done!
G

We are coming June 5th for a 10 day trip. Will there be plenty of mooring balls available or do we need to reserve with Boaty Ball?

Plenty of mooring balls available. Most people are using Boatyball this year because they know they want a particular spot.

We’ve been lucky with the Boatyball FC’s. The mooring fields are definitely filling up but I think you’ll be fine in early June without pre-booking. We’re at the Baths now, pulled up 2 balls without hooks on them before finding one we were comfortable with.

I can’t imagine a issue getting Mooring balls anywhere this season. I have checked the web camp and have not noted anything beyond about 10% capacity.

I’d say a bit more than 10% but I think you’ll be fine winging it.
This was Anegada a few days ago, probably one of the more crowded spots we’ve been to in the past 10 days.

10 boats in Cooper this afternoon. That is the most I have seen in a year. Good news for the BVI.

Five boats at Marina Cay tonight. Plus the Cuan Law on a dive mooring. There have been quite a few planes taking off: InterCaribbean, Liat, Cape Air, Seaborne and private jets.

Long bay, Virgin Gorda tonight - one other boat. Very nice. Enjoyed snorkeling Diamond Reef - the coral is the best we have seen in the BVI (not that we are experts). More interesting fish here at Long Bay including very large barracuda and rays, turtle etc

Ratman and I met Mr. and Mrs. NIBJ down on the reef today. Glad to hear they had a good snorkel!

Trellis Bay filled up 2 nights ago. Several boats had to go to Marina Cay. That said, Full moon party was a no go. We did have a great dinner at Loose Mongoose! We have had no problems getting mooring ball anywhere, but we arrived at anchorages plenty early each day.

Anegada has 9 boats in the mooring field tonight. Lots of free balls.

Anyone know if Sandbox is open? It looks like north sound is our next stop.

We were there last Saturday. No one was there.

Love the new buoy system into the mooring field at Anegada. According to my Navionics map one red buoy is missing on the way in, but there are two new pairs of red and green buoys guiding into the mooring field. Takes any guesswork out of the arrival.

Great dinner at Anegada Beach Club. They have a free shuttle from the Lobster Trap on the mooring field. Very friendly and helpful.

Back home yesterday via ferry to STT then air to ATL. Used a positive Covid antibody test from CVS for USVI travel authorization. I will post a trip report in the next few days. We had a great trip and are looking forward to returning to BVI again!

Glad to hear it, looking forward to reading the trip report!

You could reach out to Gumption on FB and ask. It’s his Mom’s place.

Sandbox is completely closed. We anchored nearby today and took a dinghy over. Hopefully it will resume someday soon. It is a lovely spot and the buildings and grounds look neat. We even saw a pink flamingo in the pond behind!

About 10 boats at Leverick tonight.

PreCovid from what I saw the Sandbox only opened if there was a cruise ship in the North Sound. I don’t think they were open full time.

Thanks, Dobbs, for the information about Oil Nut Bay. We just spent a lovely afternoon at the Beach Club today and capped it by a nice dinner. The landscaping, pools and stone work are impressive, and the beach is one the prettiest I have seen. The swim up bar doesn't detract.

No connection, just a happy visitor.

Four cats moored at Marina Cay tonight.

Last night there was one boat, but not moored! As we sat down to dinner at dusk, I noticed a boat sideways against the outside of the reef, jib up. When they raised the mainsail it confirmed my suspicion they were stuck and trying to free themselves. Several calls to Scrub and VISAR, and they were finally freed maybe 75 minutes later. Must have been very scary, as they were banging kitchen pots.

Not sure what calls they made, but they were lucky we were here and spotted them. With a stiff breeze, it would have been a tough night out there.

Any idea how they ended up on the reef and or the boat name? Trying to understand the pot banging part, did they not have a radio or even cellphone onboard?
G

George, it’s a mystery. I suggested to Ratman we go out in our Whaler, but he declined. Coincidentally, it was a DYC boat, no idea the name. VISAR asked if it was a mono or cat, but it was sideways, so I couldn’t tell. We had to dial Scrub several times before they picked up, so who knows who’s around after hours.

The nice VISAR lady said, had they been calling on channel 16, she would have had a call from the US Coast Guard. She had phone numbers for all the operations folks.

My best guess is they were heading to Scrub under power, their engine quit and they drifted up against the reef. A couple boats passed them and kept going. They may have heard that a rescue was already being organized. I just don’t know.

Watched a Moorings boat go hard into the reef coming into Cane Garden Bay on Saturday. Heading directly for their mooring ball instead of using the channel. Actually backed off the reef, slightly changed course, and then drove right back onto it a second time! Very confused looking crew looking around and then finally noticed the 4 markers identifying the actual entrance....

OUCH! OUCH!!! First day? or Last Day? Or Both First and Last Day?

Jason-

We plan to go to CGB in about 10 days...any ideas as to what day(s) the bands/DJ wont be playing until the night if they still are post pandemic?

Looking for the best day to have some quiet late night...

Thanks

Bands are generally done by 10pm at the latest and there aren't very many of them these days.

I would keep an eye on Paradise Club and Myett's FaceBook pages for parties on the nights you are here. This Friday is a holiday so expect this weekend to have some noise on Friday and Saturday. If you come in 10 days, it will be during the week and should be quiet.

I was on the beach at 9pm last night and everything was quiet or closed.

sounds good my friend...it will be a weekday depending on weather and north swell...