Video clip BVI Sailing Paradise

Itinerary

We’ll adjust this schedule to suit your interests and any weather issues.  There are rarely weather issues in the BVI…the wind blows steadily out of the East at 12-18 kts.  One of the reasons it is so loved by sailors.

Saturday March 7 – Arrive in Tortola, BVI.  Breathe deep, smell the flowers  & salty air, feel the sun, relax.   Check-in at Pro Valor charter base at the James Young Marina (JYCM aka the Chalwell Dock).   JYCM is just 2 miles form the Beef Is. Airport (EIS) that services Tortola.  ProValor is a small charter company and marina run by a couple from West Allis, Wisconsin - Cecilia Donegan & Jim Gulczynski.  I had a very good experience chartering with them last year for an ASA course that I was teaching. On arrival, we stow provisions and once we are all assembled, we’ll have a welcome reception and dinner at one of the nice restaurants nearby.   We will spend the night on our vessel at the dock.

Sunday March 8 – Complete vessel check-out and chart briefing.  We’ll leave by noon on Sunday and sail the north to Trellis Bay or Marina Cay.  We'll pick up Kiki & Margaret by dinghy.

Monday March 9 – Sail to Virgin Gorda, hike to the top of Biras Creek for a view of the Caribbean & the Atlantic.  Happy hour on Saba Rock to watch the Tarpon Feeding, Music at the Bitter End Yacht Club.   Maybe we’ll try dinner at the Fat Virgin, a sweet little affordable joint in the midst of a high-end yacht basin.   The next morning we sail to the Baths, a unique natural formation in the BVI consisting of thousands of smooth boulders, some as big as a house, strewn along the beach on the southern tip of Virgin Gorda.  You can explore the gaps that open into massive rocky grottos filled with seawater. Superyachts are staging there for an annual race and a friend of mine is racing on P2.  Its a spectacular site to watch these gorgeous yachts sail! 

Tuesday March 10 – We have a long & fast sail to Jost Van Dyke. We lengthen the painter on the dinghy so that we have a smoother catenary between Midnight Song & her dinghy. Chris, Tom, Pam, Jacob & Claudia hike to the Bubbly Pool and have a swim.  Margaret & Kiki walk to try & snorkel in Diamond Cay.  Then dinner at Foxy's taboo with rounds of rounds of drinks by Pam.  

Wednesday March 11 – Off to Soper's Hole for a quick stop: mostly a few provisions.  But we came when everyone else did, mid morning, and scrambled around the Hole trying to catch a mooring ball. A futile exercise that resulted in frustration.  We eventually pulled onto the dock, provisioning crew heads for the store and we wait...eventually the dock 'boy' comes, I get ice & water and the provisioning team returns, and we're off the dock.   In the meantime, mooring balls seem to open everywhere.  We sail off to Norman Island...24kts on the nose, Chris' migraine has turned into a wicked case of seasickness.  We reach the Bight at Norman Island, reputed to be Robert Louis Stevenson's inspiration for his book "Treasure Island".  We pick up a ball..no painter, on to the next painter...and Jake & I dinghy off to the caves for a quick snorkel before dinner.  Dinner on Norman Is. is ashore at "Pirates" a great little restaurant on the beach that has beautiful slightly more upscale but still a Caribbean beach front vibe.

Thursday March 12 – Up early and a quick sail to the Indians, a fantastic snorkeling area that is a national park.   Then off to Peter Island where we drop the hook at Deadman's Cay.  A quiet spot, slightly rolly with breaking waves on the beach-landing a dinghy is not possible in this sea state.  We try to go ashore to get a Red Stripe...and while boarding the dinghy, Kiki takes a little tumble and lands hard on her right shoulder in the bottom of the dinghy.  She is in pain and has difficulty getting back into the boat but with a little TLC from all...she starts to feel a bit better.

Friday March 13 – We have a beautiful, the day is quintessential Easterlies and we sail to Cooper Island where we’ll pick up a mooring on the far eastern end of the bay in close proximity to what turns out to be fantastic snorkeling territory.  We dinghy ashore for a lovely lunch at the Cooper Island Yacht Club, a quick tour of the gift shop and restock the Red Stripe - care package for Kiki.  We’ll sail as far and fast as the weather permits for one last glorious day on the water.  At 4pm we return to the ProValor dock, do a bit of packing and and then dinner ashore at one of our favorite restaurants, Red Rock complete with a champagne toast of Veuve, thanks to Kiki & Margaret.

Saturday March 14 – Pack, boat check out, shower & taxi to town to catch ferries etc.

About the British Virgin Islands

Just a 45-minute ferry ride from St. Thomas in the USVI, or a 30 minute plane ride from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the 55‐plus islands and cays (keys) that make up the British Virgin islands have two fantastic assets – accessibility and beauty.  Known for years as a "sailor's paradise," cruising sailors were among the first to realize this as a natural wonderland.  Days at sea are complimented by evenings ashore where small local restaurants line the coast.

Tortola is the largest island and the seat of government in this mountainous archipelago of islands.  Virgin Gorda, Ginger, Cooper, Salt, Peter and Norman, Jost Van Dyke are among the well known destinations with hiking, famous and occasionally infamous restaurants and bars and great snorkeling.  Dozens of smaller islands, some with resorts, some unpopulated, lie among these better known islands and Anegada, the only coral atoll in this chain of islands is at the northwestern corner of the Sir Francis Drake channel.   

The BVI is full of contrasts: protected anchorages in quiet palm‐fringed coves and spiraling sheer rock faces that drop to the ocean. The vegetation varies from island to island, due to rainfall, soil and sun. Lush areas support palms and tropical fruit trees like banana, mango and key lime, along with flowering hibiscus and bougainvillea.  A short hike up a hill may reveal varieties of cactus, wild tamarind and fragrant frangipani. The surrounding waters are deep shades of liquid blue, except on Anegada where the water is a luminous aquamarine color.  This diverse and fascinating environment makes this island chain appealing to divers, boaters, hikers and those that just want to relax in a soft rope hammock overlooking a white sand beach.  Sailing and snorkeling will be priorities but all the options are open.  This is meant to be a fun trip!  Your skipper is a qualified instructor and I enjoy teaching so we can do as much or as little of that as you please. 

BVI Travel Help

Travel help

Air
The least expensive air ticket from Minneapolis flies into St Thomas, USVI (STT).  From there I catch the fast ferry toRoad Town…approx. $45. one way.   Don't be tempted to buy a RT ticket even though you save money.  The ferry schedules are so erratic you might end up on a different ferry on the way home.

You can fly also into Beef Island (EIS) on Tortola but I never seem to find very well priced tickets to that airport.  This might be different from the East coast or other departure points.   Kayak and hipmunk are my favorite travel search engines.  They reliably and easily find the least expensive fares and they have nice apps too. They also direct you to the airline web site to buy tickets.  Booking directly with the Airline makes it much easier to deal with changes. 

Ferries

The ferries leave from a dock that is not too far from the airport (20’).  Here’s a link to the BVI ferries to look at the schedule.  You'll be taking the ferry from Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas to Road Town, Tortola.  Be sure to arrive in St. Thomas early enough to get the last ferry to Tortola.  If you can’t manage that, you’ll need to spend the night on St. Thomas and catch an early ferry over.  Arrive as early as possible to the ferry dock.  They fill fast and the schedules can be unpredictable and even change at the last minute.  Buying your ferry ticket ahead of time is a good idea too…they will board those passengers with tickets first and sometimes this is the difference between getting on and not.  I should write a book, well maybe pamphlet, about the Virgin Island ferries!

Accommodations
Sometimes flight schedules necessitate an overnight on either St. Thomas or Tortola.
Check TripAdvisor, there are lots of options and your own taste & price will guide you. Here are a couple of options that sound good.  

Tortola
Be prepared to pay over $100./night and lower your expectations about what you'll get for that price. Still, I'd prefer to overnight on Tortola than on St. Thomas.
RoadTown: near ferry dock Hummingbird B & B

Near Pro Valor: (east end of Tortola), James Young Harbourview Marina, their website is not up and running yet but they have a Facebook page JY Harbour View Marina.  Phone # 1-284-342-1808

Beef Island Guest Houses at Trellis Bay (part of de Loose Mongoose)

St. Thomas

Limited and expensive options.  I avoid it, if at all possible.  But if I do get stuck...I've stayed at Galleon House.  Enormous stair climb, aka stairmaster,  and tiny rooms.  Its close to the ferry dock.  Best thing to say about it.

Other resources

The local newspaper, Limin' Times is a source of info. and a peek into island life.  http://www.limin-times.com/

Fun Sail 2015 - Overview

We are chartering a monohull, Midnight Song, a Beneteau 473, from Pro Valor Charters on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).  Midnight Song has 3 double cabins and 3 heads. Your BVI guide and skipper is Claudia Dengler. You can learn to sail, tie knots, cook on a boat, snorkel, trim sails, serve as crew or just be a passenger.  

Schedule
March 7, 2015       1:00 PM (EST) Board Midnight Song at the James Young Chalwell Marina at Fat Hogs Bay on the East End of Tortola.

March 14, 2015      11:00 AM (EST) we are back at the Marina and ready to head back to our respective destinations.

The Price per person $1,595.  

What’s included?   The boat – a Beneteau 473

All breakfasts (Claudia’s homemade granola is on the menu) & lunches.  We'll find a new island and a new restaurant for dinner each night.

The charter company supplies us with: water, fuel, mooring fees, charter insurance, dinghy with motor, bath & bed linens, kitchenware, 7 nights aboard, National Parks fees, cruising permits, VISAR  (Virgin Islands Search & Rescue) fees and snorkel gear. 

What’s not included? Airfare, ferry tickets ($45. one way), dining ashore, alcoholic beverages, taxis, BVI departure tax ($10.), souvenirs, and personal incidentals.

Payment schedule

Sept. 10^th - $595 a deposit per person to get the ball rolling. 

October 10^th - 50% of balance due, $500.

January 10^th – the remaining 50% of the total amount due, $500.  

Credit cards, checks, bank transfers and cash are all acceptable forms of payment.

Whose coming?
Claudia Dengler, your skipper, Retired executive, USCG 50 ton Master Inland Waters & Great Lakes, OUPV near coastal, sailing & towing endorsements, ASA instructor for Basic Keel Boat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Charter, Navigation, Catamaran.  Sailing since 1968.  Owner (previously) of 3 sailboats.   Lead instructor at the SailAway Sailing School.
Chris Rieffer & Tom Flint - Chris owns the yarn shop where I buy yarn and knit.  She has made me the knitter that I am today.   Her husband Tom designed my business cards, as a huge favor, he's a marketing wizard with a speciality matters of technology and social media.  This trip is an anniversary present for them and btw they are awesome swing dancers.
Pam Vincent - While we are on the topic of knitting, Pam is a brilliant knitter, a fantastic cook, especially in the baking category, sings with Unitarians, wrote a wonderful mini-homily about her dog and spirituality and marries people for fun.
Kiki Johnson & Margaret Davenport - I've known these 2 the longest.  Kiki is a pediatric anesthesiologist in Northern California. A lover of four footed animals and a wonderful friend.  Margaret is her partner and is winemaker.  With any luck, we'll have a bottle of her wine on board.  They  have one child Sofie, a teenager.
Jacob Saltzman - is my oldest son (29) and lives in Northern California.  These days he is a student of a renown and visionary Austrian farmer named Sepp Holzer.  Jacob is a steward of the land and the 14 acres under his care in Petaluma are going to look a lot better when he is done with it. He knows how to tie a monkey's fist and is willing to teach you how to make one.  You can friend Jake on Facebook...he's got a lot of interesting stuff there.

We might be at the legal limit for the number of talented and interesting people you can put on one vessel!