BVI 2015 Trip Highlights

BVI Fun Sail highlights:

My crew of 6 were adventurous to come sailing

Chris Rieffer & Tom Flint - first time on a sailboat, first time out of the country, celebrating their 25th anniversary.

 

 

Pam Vincent- incredibly good cook with a baking specialty 

Kiki & Margaret - Enthusiastic sailors, had lessons and enjoy the sport.

Jacob Saltzman - A very special joy and gratitude to my son who served as the very capable first mate! 

Stats of note: the Beneteau 473 is a quick (& affordable) boat...with winds above 20 kts all week, we flew around the islands: 7-9 kts regularly under dbl reefed main and 50% jib; 80 miles covered (not including tacking); 24 hours of sailing time over 6 days. 

Highlights: Deadman's Bay on Peter Island...like the BVI used to be, snorkel & lunch at the Cooper Island Beach Club, everyone learning knots, taking time at the helm & grinding winches, eating freshly baked scones-thank you Pam V, having Jake & Tom & Chris do such a great job as the regulars on mooring ball pick up and anchoring, having an on board wine consultant-thanks Margaret and despite a tumble into the dingy, the indefatigable sunny spirit of Kiki! 

Itinerary: March 7 - move onto boat & provision, March 8- Go to Trellis Bay to pick up Kiki & Margaret, lunch at the Loose Mongoose (great mussels), dinner at the Last Resort, March 9 - sail up Sir Francis Drake channel to Gorda Sound, pick up mooring ball at the Bitter End Yacht Club and dine at the Fat Virgin, March 10 - sail to Diamond Cay on Jost Van Dyke ~ set anchor ~ hike & swim at the Bubbly pools~dinner at Foxy's Taboo, March 11 - Drive to Soper's Hole for a few provisions, water & ice ~ then on to Norman Island~Jake & Claudia snorkel at the Caves ~ dinner at Pirates Bight, March 12 - sail to the Indians & snorkel~sail to Deadman's Cay on Peter Island and anchor~dinner aboard, March 13-sail to Cooper Island ~ pick up ball at western edge & snorkel~lunch at the Cooper Island Beach Club~sail back to ProValor charter base~dinner at Red Rock. March 14 - early cabs to ferry dock and off we go...except Pam who got an extra night at the hummingbird B&B.

The Boat - Beneteau 473

Here are 2 photos of the boat (I got these off the web...probably not the actual boat but its the same model and year).  One shows her sailing and one shows the cabin layout.  You can see the green rectangles are the beds and there are 3: 2 aft (rear), one forward.  They each have their own head (bathroom).  Most likely, Jacob & I will be sleeping in the salon (the table drops down, and you put cushions on the table top to make a big bed.  We will be sharing one of the bathrooms.  I suggest that we wait until we get on the boat and you can see what the cabins actually look and feel like.  As you can see, the V beth - that's the one in front - the pointy end - is a bit narrower where your feet go...might be easier for Pamela to be there as a single.  Just food for thought at this point.  We don't have to pin anything down.  Just more to keep you tantalized.  As soon as you have your reservations, please send me the flight info. & your passport info.  Skipper Claudia

What to pack

Packing   Soft sided luggage is preferred…hard sided bags can be difficult to stow.

Here is a very basic packing list.

Documents: Passport, medical insurance info, including contact phone #’s & your medications, US currency is used in the BVI, cash/credit card/ATM or debit cards are useful for replenishing cash. Credit cards are usually accepted.  Outside of RoadTown, ATM's are nonexistent.

Linens: Bed & bath are provided.  Beach towels provided by charter co. & they also will have a boat phone - you can give that number to friends & family for emergency use.  We'll get that info. at the boat briefing on the morning of departure.

Galley:  If there are foods you are especially fond of, you might consider bringing them.  Especially spices that you like to cook with, they can be hard to find. There is usually 2 or 3 burner stove and an oven in the galley.  If you have ANY food issues or preferences, please let me know as soon as possible. If everyone could bring 2 kitchen size trash bags, that will help.  No need for us to buy a whole box.

Clothing: Boat shoes/non-marking non-skid shoes, flip flops for the beach, swimsuit, long pants (1), shorts (2), long sleeve shirt (1), short sleeve shirts or tanks(4), light weight rain jacket. Clothing with UV screen is a good idea.  

Accessories: Sunscreen (30 SPF min), sunglasses (polarized & 100%UV) with lanyard, hat with hat clip, headlamp, small flashlight, pen, pencil.  Nice to use biodegradable shampoo so that when you bath in the sea, you leave no trace. Snorkel & mask - optional.  The charter company will provide good quality gear.  Here's a list of sunscreens that have been tested for efficacy and offer good protections (all are SPF 50): Coppertone Water Babies, Equate Ultra Protection, No-Ad Sport.

Drugs & Health:  If you are taking any prescription drugs, bring enough to get you through the week.  As skipper, it is a big help to me if you disclose any health issues to me before you arrive.  Its so important that I run the boat in a way that is safe and knowing about health issues helps me do that.  

Electronics: If you bring devices...there will be a 12v plug, like a car.  You might bring a battery pack with you too - gives you one more option for charging.  I will have my 'incase' battery pack with me for that reason.  You will be roaming, if you use your phone.  Beware.  You can generally get AT&T reception if you get anywhere near St. Thomas where AT&T has a tower but once you are on Tortola or out of range of St. Thomas, you'll be roaming.  I have T-Mobile and will be connected by phone & 3G nearly 100% of the time.

Optional: Whatever you need to entertain yourself...books, kindle, strap for climbing coconut trees. 

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/