TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Tortola 1977

Fun read, welcome and thanks!

God bless Uncle Bob and thanks for this..great memories..mine start in 1984..

1984 Manpot? I've been visiting the BVI since 2005. Guess that make me a newbie. Cheers

First sailed into Cane Garden Bay in 79

Thank you for posting - very interesting. Is the hotel they stayed at still in existence at Smuggler's Cove?

$6.50 one way??? What happened? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I wish I had taken more pictures back then. Unfortunately, film and processing cost the same as a couple beers. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

I spent quite a few nights anchored in front of the beach in Smugglers Cove - Bob would stand on the beach and guide us in through the reef or tell us via radio that the swell would be to0 bad for an overnight there.
Many an evenings cocktail with Bob and Nell was shared with them back in the 70's and early 80's and Bob would always come over for the Ham Radio Club meetings at Quarterdeck in Frenchtown STT. You left your money under the rock at the rickety bar on the beach at Smugglers and got the beers out of an ancient refrigerator that was always badly in need of defrosting - Bob told us when the power is out it defrosts itself so why hurry the process.
The hills of Tortola were all covered in small squares of fenced lots growing vegetables or grazing cows, goats or chickens. A real patchwork quilt look to the hillsides of varying greens and browns viewed from the sea sailing by.
Thanks for posting the article - a fun reminiscing read.
On my 1st West End ferry arrival I learned that a Tortola Breakfast was coffee and Heineken -- " hot coffee and cold cereal mon, start the day right"

Well...yes and no. The structure that is still clearly visible is the restaurant and kitchen. That's where Uncle Bob's 'Queen's Lincoln' used to be. And also the Honor Bar, which he still stocked (ish) up until his death. That building was used in the filming of "The Old Man and the Sea", and some of the facades that they built are still around, in various states of decomposition.

The hotel rooms were in three structures to the west, down the beach. You can still visit them..although they're in the process of melting back into the beach. It's easier to try to follow the path from the restaurant, although you still might need a machete to get there.

Bob and Nell's house is directly up from the restaurant, up a very steep driveway. It is also melting into the hillside. When Nell broke her leg, they moved down to one of the hotel rooms, and abandoned the house. Uncle Bob never moved back up, even after Nell's death.

I first arrived in Tortola to work on the Flying Cloud in 1977. I had my own charter boat by 1979. For those of us around during that time, Smugglers Cove was a very wacky, very fun place. It was the embodiment of 'Don't Stop the Carnival'!

Like the end of all expat stories in the Caribbean, the end of Smugglers Cove Hotel was a little melancholy. The Kids weren't interested in running the place, and Nell had issues with the demon rum. Nell once famously told me at a party: "The only good guest is a dead guest!" Uncle Bob, a teetotaler, lost touch with reality, and firmly believed he was still running a 'resort', as the walls crumbled around him.

There was no one on earth who didn't love Uncle Bob. His landscaper/handyman continued to 'work' for him long after Bob stopped paying him.

First trip down was in 1988. No kids, just me and the wife. Now 2 kids later and 10 or so trips, going back in June and treating some dear friends and in-laws. Can't wait. This won't be the last for sure!

I wish I'd read that before my first trip to Smugglers some years ago. He was not kidding about the burrs in the sand back there.

Brings back some memories from my first decade sailing in the BVI. That started in 1969 and included helping Ben Spock (he didn't use Dr. when he thanked us) tie up his boat in Road Town and enjoying a scratch band after dinner on Mosquito Island. Our favorite Moorings boat was the Morgan Out Island 41. Those were the days of block ice for refrigeration and anchoring at the Baths (with no wooden steps). Tony Snell briefly had a restaurant on Little Jost and the Bight was full if there were more than a half dozen boats anchored in the northeast corner. I remember suffering a flat tire one evening on my rental jeep and having a local stop to help me change tires. But I'm getting carried away with memories. Back to catamarans, A/C and mooring balls.

A sailing buddy in Wichita bought a CSY 44 in Tortola in 1977. We first joined him in 1978 and for many years thereafter. In 1978, the San Juan Airport was basically open air and always birds inside. There was a complimentary pina colada bar inside. We first took Air BVI DC3s to Eis. Later because of low fares took the Bomba Charger from STT to Roadtown. Later we used Native Son - complimentary rum punches on the trip - took 3 guys to serve, one each for the rum, punch, and swizzle sticks. We often took a dinghy from the CSY docks in Baughers Bay to UpstairsDownstairs (now Village Cay restaurant) for dinner. For years an old rusty big shipwreck was anchored in the middle of the harbor. Only thing in Cane Garden Bay was Stanleys Welcome Bar. Sydneys in Little Harbor JVD always had a pig roast on Monday nights. The Bath and Turtle always had a jump up on Wednesdays. We always went to hear Tony Snell at the Last Resort on Bellamy Cay. We always took a dinghy into the Baths and walked from the Yacht Harbor to the Olde Yard Inn for dinner. The Bitter End was about the only thing in North Sound - I don't think the Pirate's Pub was open yet but I think Bert et ux. lived there. There have been a few changes since 1978.

So how many folks here bought gas at Rhymers gas station?

My first trip was also in 1977 on a Moorings boat. Don't remember the boat. What I do remember were two glorious days in an empty North Sound. That and our water pump impeller failing as we came through the cut between Virgin Gorda and Moskito Island ( which was allowed at the time). I think there were only two boats anchored besides us at Bitter End, which itself only had the original six cottages if I remember correctly. No other boats to be seen anywhere!

Love reading these stories....it says a lot that so many people have kept going back year after year, despite all the changes -- how old is Soggy Dollar? Was there anything in White Bay back then?

Anyone remember White Cloud?

Do you mean Flying Cloud? The Windjammer ship?

Ah yes! The Flying Cloud aka the Flying Crud! This boat was around forever. We heard it is now part of a dive reef. Our first trip was to VG in 1987. We rented a Boston Whaler from an ex British navy retiree in the Yacht Harbor for $50 all day! Went to the Bitter End for rum grog lunch and much sightseeing. Those were the days!

Such a pity that Mike Burke's kids "ran" that company straight to hell -- all those ships just abandoned all over the Caribbean. We got married on the Mandalay - that was my first ever BVI trip in 2005. We were the last Windjammer passengers to cruise on that boat in the San Blas Islands in 2007. She's the only one of the fleet still afloat and was actually in the BVI last week -- saw her anchored out off of White Bay - it's nice that someone else has her. Island Windjammers are doing quite well too - started by a bunch of former WJ passengers - I think they have 4 boats now? I know they have at least three -- two of which I saw in the BVI last May.

You are right. Flying Cloud is correct. My 1st BVI trip was on her in about 1982. It was my 1st experience with scuba and I got hooked. The captain tried to snake my girlfriend so he and I did not get along. Fun trip though.

An addition to North Sound in 1978: Drakes Anchorage on Moskito - great food and the best tomato soup I ever had (apologies to Campbells).