TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands NYE - Questions Redux

Never done this in all my trips to BVI. Now have a crew that has asked me to skipper a boat to enjoy NYE at JVD. I would appreciate any insight. Am I correct that White Bay and Great Harbor would be "bumper-cars"? Would arriving early morning on the 31st be too late? Would a bow anchor in White Bay with a stern anchor on shore be a good rig to avoid swinging among other boats in the anchorage? Is the party mostly at Foxy's, or is White Bay also "hopping".

Hahahahahahahahahahaha.....

Last time I did this on NYE....
the dingy's at the dock - were about 20-25 deep
and at least as many across - and this is certainly an understatement - but my eyes cannot see further

and this was - at 5pm
and many partiers were "toast" at 6pm

Naked seniors doing cartwheels down the street at 9pm

How anyone ever found "their" dingy that evening, the next morning... or even the next week... is beyond me

But - fun it was

We have done it twice. Getting into Great Harbor is best accomplished before NYE, and getting out will be a challenge on Jan.1. It can be quite the circus.

One time, we moored at Little Harbor and took a taxi. The other time we moored at CGB where there was a shuttle. service to Great Harbor.

Always have a solid anchor watch and dinghy security team....

I wish I had a dollar for every #@!% anchor line I've tripped over on White Bay during the winter holidays. It's a mess already, and every additional anchor line just compounds the congestion. Then throw in the Christmas Winds knocking around everything in White Bay like toys in a bathtub.

I'd suggest maybe grabbing a ball in Little Harbor and taxi over to the action. Foxy's is where it all happens on Old Year's Night...White Bay during NYE day.

Old Years Eve on JVD tends to be more myth than legend. To each his own but have found many other enjoyable venues without the circus.

Ask the question of yourself, would you consent to take their money to drive them privately, in YOUR car, to Times Square in NYC at 8 PM Dec 31'st ?

If you want OYN on Jost, plan on getting there Boxing Day or maybe the day after... taking a mooring in Little Harbor late afternoon, and simply stay there for the week until the party clears.

Freaking FORGET about White Bay, and Great Harbor. No no and a thousand times no.

Love your boat. Love your investment. Just say no.

Diamond Cay and a taxi.

Cheers, RickG

Myth or Legend, I am still looking forward to 2-5 years out when we are retired and staying the majority of the winter at Sandy Ground. It used to seem like such a far amount of time away...

I did it two years ago with two Voyage 500s and had a fine time. Great Harbor was crowded, but we found a great spot in ~40' of water near the mouth of the harbor. One of our boats anchored there on the 30th late in the afternoon, and I came in and anchored next to them mid-morning on the 31st. I never saw any shenanigans wrt anchoring - all the boats were well behaved, though some latecomers wove through the anchorage looking (in vain) for a spot closer in. At about 3am a squall came through with winds sustained at 30+kts. I didn't witness a single boat drag. I would disagree with those who cry out about how dangerous is it and that you should "never" bring your boat in there on NYE. It's crowded, yes. Not dangerous.

There were certainly thousands of people on shore, but the dinghies were nowhere near "20 deep" on the dock. It seems that most people come over on ferries from WE. We had no problem tying up or finding our dinghy when we wanted to head back to the boat.

My only complaint would be, in fact, the number of people on shore. It makes getting a drink a 20 minute affair. There were some stumblers/amateurs bobbing around, but that can be said for NYE practically anywhere in the world that serves alcohol. Also, forget trying to get a meal ashore unless you've made reservations well in advance.

White Bay was crowded as well, but I didn't hear of anything bad happening.

Pro Tip Many of the NYE/OYE revelers will have been at JVD for several days, and just about none of them will be in the mood/shape to continue partying. As I said above, we anchored at the mouth of GH. On January 1st, as soon we saw the beginning of the exodus of boats from White Bay we motored over and snagged a ball directly in front of SDB. We practically had the place to ourselves until about 1pm, including a nice breakfast at SDB with some morning painkillers to take away the fog! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

Don't listen to the naysayers. If you want to have a good time, it certainly can be had. Just be prepared for crowds ashore and at anchor.

This was New Year's Day (Jan 1) in front of SDB. I'm the guy with the Santa hat, sitting with my wonderful wife <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

We went this year, for the first time. I've been visiting Jost about twice a year since 2002, both on charters and land based. We were land-based this trip, and paid a big premium for the privelege of being there that week. We even did Foxy's Upper Crust, since we had a pretty good idea this would be a one-and-done thing. Would I do it again? Nope. Why?

I love Jost because of the laid back, friendly vibe ... the times when you can have White Bay or the Bubbly Pool all to yourself ... and spending time with my island friends. NYE/OYN is not that time. People are everywhere (30 people at the Bubbly Pool!), and everybody's hustling to get a piece of it. There was nothing relaxing about that trip and it probably cost me 2x as much as it would in May or October. Too many people, and not the Jost experience I love.

JMHO

Felix

Interesting seeing the different viewpoints

New Year on JVD was once in Fodor's top 10
Checking moments ago - it was photo 12 of 22... which suggests if I checked further - it still will be

If coming to BVI for R&R - this might not be the stop for a quiet dinner that one particular nite
But - for a unique experience - it will not fail