July, 2005
We chartered a
Lagoon 380 catamaran for 10 days
of island hopping in the BVI. This was all my wife's idea... she had been in Tortola, BVI in the
summer of 2004 and loved the place. She suggested that we charter a catamaran (because they heel less than
a monohull sailboat when sailing) and come back in the summer of 2005. What could I do, say no? [grin]
Fri July 15: motoring out of Nanny Cay Marina, Tortola
Fri July 15... our first night on the boat is spent on a mooring at "The Bight" (a small anchorage) on Norman Island. We take the dinghy over to Willie T's restaurant for dinner and drinks.
Sat July 16... our first full day on the boat! We motor a short distance to Soldier Bay on the other side of Norman Island and grab a mooring ball. We snorkel about an hour or so before heading out again. I've had enough of motoring this boat... I want to sail it!
Sailing near Norman Island, BVI
We enjoy a nice two hour sail in steady 8-10 knot winds and calm seas. We head for Salt Island where we can snorkel over the wreck of the HMS Rhone. We snorkel in the general area of the wreck but don't see it in any great detail. It is somewhat disappointing. We motor a long way around Cooper Island to Manchioneel Bay where we take a mooring ball and eat dinner on Cooper Island.
Sunday, July 17 ... Wake up and sail to the Baths on Virgin Gorda where we take another mooring ball. (In a moment of temporary insanity, I fail to bring a camera with me when I went ashore. Our only pics are taken from the boat. More pics of the Baths here)
The Baths, Virgin Gorda, BVI
After leaving The Baths, we motor to the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour to stock up on ice & t-shirts and have a drink in the bar there. [grin] We leave the marina and motor over to Little Dix Bay to spend the night. We grill hamburgers on the charcoal grill. They tasted great!
On board "Romance"
Monday, July 18 .... We motor out of Little Dix Bay and sail 12+ miles to Anegada Island (tallest point on the island is 28 feet high). We take a taxi to Loblolly Beach to swim and snorkel. The boys use a magnifying glass to burn a message in whatever drift wood they find on the beach. At the bar, we meet another couple from the county we live in... Howard. Small world, huh? We have a great dinner at the Lobster Trap (only two other parties at the restaurant tonight).
Loblolly Beach, Anegada Island
The bartender on the Loblolly Beach says that if we find a small piece of driftwood, we can borrow his magnifying glass to burn a message into the wood and then nail the sign somewhere on the bar. The boys have a great time with this.
signs on the bar, Loblolly Beach, Anegada Island
Tues, July 19 .... Our dinner friends from last night motor by us saying they've lost their dinghy and think they've spotted it on the beach about a half mile away. They ask if I'd give them a ride over to see if it is their dinghy. A few minutes later, we've rescued their dinghy. We leave Anegada Island and sail back to Virgin Gorda. Along the way, we manage to snag a lobster pot while sailing at 5+ knots. Once we could stop the boat (dropping sails and running port motor as needed), I dive into the water and free the rope from the keel and prop. Luckily, it did not have to be cut. We get sails back up and continue to Leverick Bay where we spend the night in a slip (oh, how decadent!), charge the boat's batteries, fill water tanks (about 115 gallons at 14 cents each), get ice, etc.
Leverick Bay Marina, Virgin Gorda
Weds, July 20 .... We enjoy a LONG (18 mile) sail out of Leverick Bay to Jost Van Dyke. Most of the ride was broad reaching, almost running downwind. Boat does not sail well downwind. I sail closer to broad reaching and gybe the boat a few times to get to JVD. Our first stop on JVD is a small island (Sandy Spit?) where we anchor out, swim and snorkel. We then motor sail over to White Bay and the Soggy Dollar Bar. Had some problems getting anchor to hold in White Bay. We have dinner on shore and meet a young couple from Puerto Rico/Miami.
Sandy Spit, Jost Van Dyke, BVI
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke
Dinner on White Bay
Thurs, July 21 .... We are in White Bay and in no big hurry to leave. This really is a wonderful spot to spend some time. We enjoy Painkillers and the hammocks at Soggy Dollar Bar (so called because one has to swim ashore to get to the bar). We dinghy "around the corner" to Roxy's for lunch and pet their dogs. Once back on the cat, we sail to Cane Garden Bay and reach 7 knots boat speed (really moving!) on the 90 min ride. We anchor and go ashore to one of the more crowded and commercial beaches we will see in the BVI. We do some grocery shopping and stock up on ice before eating dinner at Big Banana Paraise Club.
Petting dogs at Roxy's, Jost Van Dyke, BVI
Fri, July 22 .... Motor out of Cane Garden Bay around the corner to Brewers Bay. Chart says the Bay has buried power cables and not to anchor there. Melissa takes kayak to shore while the boys and I stand by on the cat. She is in search of some good knowledge on whether we should anchor or not. She talks to the bartender and gives the all clear sign... we drop the hook to go ashore on dinghy. Have cheeseburger lunch at Brewers Bay Bar before sail away headed for south side of Tortola and Sopers Hole Marina. Starboard engine continues to act up and quits completely just as we approach channel to Sopers Hole. I have Kyle drop the hook while I call the charter company. One of their guys gets to the boat about 45 mins later to check it out. We get to a mooring at Sopers and eat dinner at Pussers Restaurant.
On the beach at Brewers Bay, Tortola, BVI
Sat, July 23 .... First order of business is to get boat up to water dock where we can fill the tanks again. This maneuvering is somewhat tricky given we have only the port engine. Once the tanks are filled, we are off again around the tip of the island to Smuggler's Cove ("But, that's not on any chart!") where we snorkel and have great grilled chicken lunch on the beach and painkillers. In a few hours, we motor back around tip of Tortola and through the channel before hoisting the sails for a great ride over to Norman Island. Privateer Bay and the Caves. We explore caves briefly from dinghy and make plans to see them more thoroughly in the AM. Cook spaghetti on the boat.
Sun, July 24 ... Wake up on mooring ball at The Caves on Norman Island. One of the two kayaks is missing! I left both tied up (with a good half hitch knot) on the swim ladder. The motion of the water must have loosened the knot. Levi and I dinghy around looking for the kayak but cannot find it. I call Horizon to report the kayak missing. Henry says he may or may not look for it depending on how busy he is today. As there was nothing else we could do, we go snorkeling in the Caves. We see more beautiful fish and really enjoy the swim. Mid afternoon, we have great sail to windward and get to Cooper Island where we take a mooring and eat dinner.
The Caves, Norman Island, BVI
Monday, July 25 .... our last day on the boat. We wake up on the mooring at Cooper Island and decide to motor a short distance back to Salt Island and the wreck of the RMS Rhone. We wanted to snorkel on it one more time hoping to see it in greater detail. We get over to the wreck area and pickup one of the remaining mooring balls. I see a powerboat anchored nearby running a compressor to charge up dive tanks. Levi and I dinghy over to this boat and talk to the guy on it. He tells us EXACTLY where to look for the wreck. Melissa, the boys, and I get our snorkel gear on and swim just about right on top of the wreck. We can see it in fantastic detail. It was impressive! We can see divers below us.. maybe 40 feet down. A bit later, we motor over to Deadman's Bay (a private resort on Peter Island) to swim and snorkel. Around noon, it is time to pack it all up and head back to Nanny Cay. We motor (with jib out) the 6 miles back to where the trip started.