TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Trip Report 01/07-01/14-LONG

A group of 11 of us were scheduled to come down to the BVI. Five of them being newbies. We had a beautiful Saba 50 reserved with BVI Yacht Charters. After the hurricane, we communicated with them about the boat and if we should cancel. BVI Yacht Charters said that the boat Liberty was just fine and all was good. We kept in contact with them several times throughout the months and got the same answer that all was good. Fast forward to six days before our trip, they told us we could not use the boat, as it was not ready to sail. They said the lifelines were not installed and we could not take the boat. They had a boat that we could use for five days but it would not work with our flight and hotel schedules, and then offered another boat that did not have enough room for the 11 people.

We were in panic mode and very frustrated with BVI Yacht Charters. We have used this company exclusively for all of our charters. When we reached out to them I wish they would have been honest. I can’t blame them too much as they obviously need and want the business. We will look around next time we go.

All of that being said, we reached out to a boat broker and she gave us several options that were available and would fit our group. We ended up with a boat with Navigare Yachting. A 2017 Lagoon 450 F. They are located very close to the airport on a very small dock. The staff were so kind and helpful.

Six of us went to Puerto Rico for a few days and relaxed and partied it up in San Juan, while the other five flew into Tortola directly. We all did a sleep aboard the night before. I am the planner of the trip so I made different meals/froze meats ahead of time to take down with us. It also helps since my dad is a cattle rancher and I have access to some great quality meat.
On a side note- I had been down to Puerto Rico a few weeks earlier to do some Humanitarian Work with my family through WINGS OF HOPE PUERTO RICO. Check them out if you have time. They are doing great work for the people in Puerto Rico. All is not ok still down there, especially in the remote areas. We spent a day making food bags and sorting through donations, and then another day driving and delivering food, water, and donations to people that live out in the remote areas. This was a real eye opening experience to see that these people still do not have power, running water, or access to necessities. It will be an experience I will never forget.

Back to the trip report…

We rented a car and did grocery shopping, liquor pickups, and other random errands. Everything is fully stocked in the stores that you would not tell they just went through a hurricane. The roads and the houses on the other hand are a different story. It was so devastating to see all this destruction. The resilience of the people and their positive attitudes were just unbelievable. What a strong and optimistic group of people that live down there.
Day one we had a Navigare Employee motor us out of the bay as there were sunken boats and debris in different areas. Once we got out he was picked up, we raised our sails, and off we went to snorkel at the Indians.
(I am not an educated sailor and I don’t know all the rules and terminology. I am the organizer and travel planner. So please forgive me in the rest of this report if I’m not technically correct or not saying things right )
We got our sails down and were getting ready to get mooring ball at The Indians when our captain couldn’t get the port engine/propeller to work or do anything. He couldn’t steer very well or get us where we needed to go. We got out away from the mooring balls and someone jumped in to look at what was going on under the boat. Our propeller was gone! Sometime from sailing from the base and to The Indians it had fallen off.

We took out the jib to get us into the mooring field at Norman for the rest of the day/night. I kept thinking to myself “all these boats are going to think we are idiots for coming into the mooring field like this!” We finally got a mooring ball and enjoyed swimming, drinking, and just relaxing the rest of the day. Navigare said they would be out later that afternoon but then they said the next morning at 9:00am. No worries at all since we were in paradise!

The next day (after we now had a propeller) we headed over to Jost Van Dyke to Great Harbor. We got caught in a short rain storm but it ended quickly. We had lunch at Foxys with a limited menu but everything was GREAT! Employees were awesome, gift shop open, fast wifi, and the manager (I can’t remember his name) came over and talked to us for a while-very nice guy! His ice machine was being repaired; otherwise he would have sold us some ice. He showed us where we could get water, fuel, and ice across the bay the next morning. We ended up walking down to another little bar where they happily sold us ice. After a quick swim and a Carib or two, we sailed off to Diamond Cay.

We saw on Facebook that the B-Line Beach Bar was open but no one was over there so we went ashore and the devastation of the two establishments there was so sad. There is also a big trash pile burning as well. We hiked to the Bubbly Pool and it was a completely new experience. All the vegetation was gone but the newbies had a great time regardless. I love watching the surf break here from the boat. We swam and enjoyed dinner on the boat. This evening was quite spectacular as our fisherman of the group was catching a lot of fish this night, as well as, these glowing shrimp type animals in the water. I have never seen them down in the islands and they were EVERYWHERE! For over an hour the entire crew was in awe looking at these glowing organisms in the water. Someone did some research and said they were some type of shrimp that when scared or excited have a glowing excretion. If this wasn’t enough beauty for one night, we were lucky enough to be there during the meteor shower and saw a lot of shooting stars. This is a night I won’t soon forget.

The next morning we headed over back to Great Harbor and filled up on water, ice, and drinking water. We then headed towards Guana Island. It was very rough sailing and the newbies enjoyed sitting on the net and being splashed through all of this. When we got close to Guana we realized the first mate didn’t secure both ends of the tie line to the boat so during the rough sale it fell into the water….Can you guess what happened??? It was caught in our propeller! It was windy and we could use that engine again to help us get to our mooring ball. We had two people get in the dinghy and lead us into the ball. After that excitement we all swam, relaxed, and some of us took the dinghy to Monkey Point and the beach to just explore around. It was a beautiful and calm night. The mooring field was completely full.

The next day we sailed to Anegada and got a ball there. Not many boats there. We got our reservations for The Wonky Dog that night and walked around. Most of us walked past the restaurants and just enjoyed a beach day. We all got ready and went into dinner. The Wonky Dog did not disappoint! We LOVE this place. The Bushwackers and the signature drink The Wonky Dog were hits. The next morning we got our truck and started to explore. We got a nice fresh shower from a rainstorm and headed to explore the island. Flash of Beauty was our first stop and we didn’t stay long. Pretty much everything looked like it was destroyed here, but looked like they were working on the building. Part of the group decided to walk up the beach to Big Bamboo while the others drove. Big Bamboo is looking good, and served an excellent lunch as always. The water was very rough and was not good conditions to snorkel in. We then made our way to Cow Wreck and things are looking good there. They are rebuilding things and the spirit and energy there was wonderful. We had a great time at all the beautiful beaches.

Next, we headed for Leverick Bay. We had reserved a slip and made reservations for the BBQ. Nick helped get a nice rental car for us as well. As soon as we got there, we went to check in for the rental car. You can tell there was damage here but I cannot believe how much progress and how many people were busily working on repairing things. I think this moment is what stood out to me most on this trip. The attitudes of the people and the work they are doing to bring Leverick back to what it was, was astonishing. Everyone was cheerful, working hard, and their spirits were infectious.

We got in the rental car and headed to the Copper Mine and The Baths. Driving through Spanish Town was devastating seeing all the boats damaged just all sitting there. This was my favorite trip to The Baths for sure. We hiked down and NO ONE was there!!! We took our time, went into every side path we could find and discovered some neat areas we have never explored before. Most of the time there are so many people you just walk through on the main path from beach to beach. Some of the group snorkeled and had a great time. Some of us got a drink at the bar and just relaxed in the water. After we were finished we met the rest of our group at The Top of The Baths and had some food (Great Conch Fritters!), swam in the pool, and ordered some drinks. A lot of work is being done here as well and is looking great. We drove around and stopped at Hog Heaven to show the newbies the view. Lots of progress is being done here and it looking GREAT! I can’t wait to stop here next time when it is finished. We got back and headed over to dinner for the BBQ. It was a good meal (The fish was everyone’s favorite), next time we are going to make sure we don’t do it the night after The Wonky Dog . The dancers and DJ was fun. Our group always brings glow sticks to wear when we go out and this night we gave them all to the kids. They loved them.

The last full day of the trip we headed all the way over to Nanny Cay to fill up with gas, as that was requested before we brought the boat back in. It was HOT here. We have never been here and when we walked around by the pool and beach side bar we decided this was some place we could end/start our vacation. From the looks of things I think the recovery is doing well here, but from never being here I can’t say for certain. I can’t remember the company that is there but some of the dock hands were very nice and let a couple of us walk around some power cats. After we filled up the tanks, we went over to The Indians. We snorkeled there and it was as beautiful as ever. We then headed to Great Harbor on Peter Island. Had fun relaxing and going over to the shell beach and exploring all the things that had washed up during the hurricane.

The next morning we headed back to Navigare. Our rental car was there waiting for us and six of us headed to the airport while the other five checked the boat back in as they were staying on Tortola for another two days. Four of us got delayed but we all made it home that evening.

We can’t wait for our next BVI adventure!!!

Thanks for the great trip report. Finding out from someone who has first hand knowledge of how things are down there is fantastic. Every one I read makes me think we have made the right decision to go at the end of April. We too have booked a Saba 50, this one is coincidentally out of Nanny Cay. You mentioned you didn't know the name of the company that is there. It is Horizon Yacht Charters. The Saba 50 they have is new this year so luckily it wasn't on site when the hurricanes rolled through. We have been chartering with Horizon since 2008 and have always been very happy with their service, the boats and Nanny Cay as well. We also love to stay at the Nanny Cay hotel the night after for a good wind down.

We were out in January for a few weeks. We have been sailing in the BVI for the last 15 years and this year was without a doubt the best trip we've had.

Thank you for taking the time to write this report. We are land-based travelers to the BVIs, and have enjoyed day trips on Aristocat in past years. We love reading these reports and getting a glimpse into the situation there. You had quite a trip -11 people, no boat 6 days before the trip (!!!), lost propeller, line wrapped around the prop...wow! Overall, it sounds like you had a great time and were able to visit many places.

Did you snorkel in Great Harbor? We always had nice snorkels there when we stayed at Peter Island Resort in past years. I was wondering about damage to the coral.

Did you happen to sail by or walk over to the PI Resort? I know its closed and we've seen a few pics from the air, but it was hard to tell the extent of the damage. Just wondering how it looks, are they working on reconstruction, and if the beautiful palms are still on Deadman's Beach.

Thanks

JlarsBVI - thank you so much for sharing. We will be in BVI in three weeks and I'm really struggling to find current information. We are traveling with newbies, so while we want to go there to support BVI, we also want to make sure the experience is great for our guests.

To you and Christo, since you've traveled to BVI since Irma I'm hoping you might be able to answer a few questions...

-Are most places accepting credit cards now? (Just wondering if the infrastructure is such that we will need to plan on having more cash on hand - which we prefer not to do)
-Are most places operating on limited hours? Will we need to plan on hitting the beach restaurants earlier and will we need to plan on wrapping things up earlier?
-I'd imagine moorings are not as full, but then maybe some are damaged? Just wondering if we need to be as concerned with getting to our moorings early like before.
-Any comment/suggestions/warnings concerning places to avoid at this time would be appreciated
-Any comment/suggestions/warnings concerning places most recommended to include in our itinerary would also be greatly appreciated
-Are there any former stops for fuel, water, ice that are not currently operational that we should know about?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

Great trip report with a great attitude!

Cheers, RickG

Hey Rick - looking at your sig - we will be down 6/9 - 6/22 — hope you guys get down!

Hi TheCoconutTelegraph,

Our experiences based on your questions below:

-Are most places accepting credit cards now? (Just wondering if the infrastructure is such that we will need to plan on having more cash on hand - which we prefer not to do)

We tend to use cash mostly anyway, but did use cards at Oil Nut Bay, Anegada Reef Hotel, Jeep Hire on Anegada, White Bay Jost and a few other places without any issues at all.

-Are most places operating on limited hours? Will we need to plan on hitting the beach restaurants earlier and will we need to plan on wrapping things up earlier?

We tend to start at dawn and finish not long after sunset (stay on UK time!) but we did have later evenings at Anegada and Foxy's both of which seemed to be back on normal timings. I think Norman Island was closing up a bit earlier than usual.

-I'd imagine moorings are not as full, but then maybe some are damaged? Just wondering if we need to be as concerned with getting to our moorings early like before.

In every mooring field we stayed in there were empty balls all day (and night) long. Even Cooper Island...people turning up at 5pm had no problems at all. Well except for the idiots who tried to save on the mooring fee by putting two 50ft cats alongside each other on the same ball...fortunately the chap collecting the fees set them straight before they smashed into the side of our boat!

When we went to The Baths we were the only boat in the field...same with Bitter End. Same with Marina Cay (some of the best snorkelling we saw over at Diamond Reef as its deeper than other spots). Norman always had loads of empty balls.

The only busier place was Anegada where people seemed to be staying for several nights on account of the Island being far more 'business as usual' than some other places. We arrived at 8am though so no issues! Others arriving later in the afternoon seemed fine, but I think the field was full by dusk.

Oh and Great Harbour Jost...I think did fill up by dusk, but only just. Certainly You didnt need to be scrambling around at lunchtime for fear of not getting one.

-Any comment/suggestions/warnings concerning places to avoid at this time would be appreciated

We did everything we usually do...but just planned to eat a bit more on board the boat. Cooper was still shut...Marina Cay was shut (but you could dinghy over and get great take-out from Trellis Bay to enjoy on the boat!). Peter was shut. Obviously nothing at Bitter End. We just enjoyed the same places in a different way. There was nowhere I'd suggest to avoid.

-Any comment/suggestions/warnings concerning places most recommended to include in our itinerary would also be greatly appreciated

Oil Nut Bay! We spent a few days there, loved it! Moored at Bitter End and took the dinghy round...but you can also get their shuttle from Gun Creek if the wind is up / you dont fancy the long dinghy ride! Lunch is good, the swim-up bar is so warm, the lagoon is full of Green Turtles and you can even grab a few takeaway pizzas on your way out to enjoy an easy dinner back aboard your boat.

George Dog - one of the few places that had very, very little damage to the coral.

Diamond Reef (moor at Marina Cay) - again, no damage to the coral, one of our best snorkels.

Anegada - spend a few days, rent a jeep, relax. Cow Wreck is as fabulous as ever, Loblolly is as beautiful a snorkel as ever...and the lobsters are as good as ever!

-Are there any former stops for fuel, water, ice that are not currently operational that we should know about?

Nothing at Bitter End obviously. We are only 2 so fuel and water lasts a few weeks easily so didn't have any need for a top-up. We did need dinghy fuel a few times and got this at Great Harbour Jost - where we saw others filling up with water and diesel. I gather Leverick is operational now too...but maybe someone else could confirm?

AquaGirl-We didn't snorkel in Great Harbor on Peter Island. We also didn't walk over to look at the resort. Before the hurricane we were going to spend our last night at the dock at the resort on Peter but we love Great Harbor as well.

Christo answered most of the questions, but here are some of my answers as well.

Are most places accepting credit cards now? (Just wondering if the infrastructure is such that we will need to plan on having more cash on hand - which we prefer not to do)
Most places we went to did take credit cards. The beaches at Anegada, Wonky Dod, Foxy's, and Leverick didn't but they got the ability to the next day.

-Are most places operating on limited hours? Will we need to plan on hitting the beach restaurants earlier and will we need to plan on wrapping things up earlier?
We ate most evening meals on the boat but from the look and sound of it the restaurants/bars on Anegada were open and lively late into the night.

-I'd imagine moorings are not as full, but then maybe some are damaged? Just wondering if we need to be as concerned with getting to our moorings early like before.
We didn't experience any damaged moorings.

-Any comment/suggestions/warnings concerning places to avoid at this time would be appreciated
No suggestions here.

-Any comment/suggestions/warnings concerning places most recommended to include in our itinerary would also be greatly appreciated
Anegada is a must! Leverick/The Baths as well. We loved Foxys.

-Are there any former stops for fuel, water, ice that are not currently operational that we should know about?
We tried to plan accordingly to where we could get ice/water/fuel and it worked well for us. Leverick had ice and water when we were there but no fuel.

Christo & JlarsBVI,
I can't thank you both enough for taking the time to share this! Your tips are a Godsend!
I will be sure and post our experience when we get back as well, as I'm sure circumstances will continue to improve daily.

All the best!

wow great to hear,,,,we sail next Wednesday on Nalu from TMM,,,,
last year we had a Saba 50 with 6 and a captain,, can't imagine 11 on a 50 let alone a 45,,
but you had a great time that's all that matters,,,,,
we were on the fence for quite awhile after Erma but we are glad we stuck with the
plan,,,
can't wait,,,, will be nice without the big crowds,,,
thanks for all the great info,,,

Jealous of your bioluminous and shooting star night! What a fabulous double whammy..

Christo-

That sounds like a great idea! We would love to do that on our trip later this month. However I've heard that the pennants have been removed from all the moorings at Bitter End to prevent their use. Any suggestions on where to moor otherwise if we wanted to dinghy to Oil Nut Bay? I know Saba Rock is closed for repairs- does anyone know if their moorings are available? We expect to overnight at Leverick so we'd just be looking for a few hours of mooring use within dinghy range of Oil Nut.

Speaking of Oil Nut, my cruising guide shows the marina for Oil Nut is actually at the eastern mouth of Deep Bay. Is that where you visited, or did you dinghy all the way back to the end of the marked channel at Oil Nut Bay?

Oh one last question- is that shuttle from Gun Creek a water-shuttle or taxi-shuttle?

Thanks so much for this great suggestion!

Kupe

Hi Kupe,

Bitter End have no pennants...but if you want something enough...it can be achieved! Wife in dinghy with the lines...dinghy tied to bow of yacht...slow approach...she passed lines through the ball and passed up to me...easy!

...or Saba Rock balls still have their pennants, so no issues tying up there as usual.

...or Sand Box balls, still have pennants.

...or anchor...anywhere!

We took dinghy all the way up to the beach club. Once you're half way up Eustacia Sound, you may as well do the extra 3 mins in dinghy! We did it in 20kt winds and no issues (12ft AB, 2 people, 15hp Yamaha). Perhaps with more people...the shuttle is best.

Gun Creek shuttle is a 30ft GRP boat with twin 200hp outboards. There is a charge...but its not much.

Hi Christo-

Great stuff! Yes, we've picked up a mooring without a pennant in the past as well using much the same technique. We arrived Anegada a bit late and it was the last mooring available. But in that case, it was simply a pennant that had been chopped off by a prop. Nobody had a problem with us using that mooring, and yep we still paid the 30 bucks (or whatever it was).

My concern is that in the case of Bitter End, the intent of removing the pennants seems to be to indicate that they are not for use at this time. So just didn't want to run afoul of the Bitter End folks, or anyone else who has had to close their mooring field.

Speaking of Oil Nut, I will ask this question at our chart brief, but is the buoyed Saba-to-Oil Nut channel open to charter boats? My charts show it carries 7 to 8 feet at low tide. To be honest, I don't think I'd try it, but just curious. I suppose one could then anchor in Deep bay and dinghy from there. Probably just better to moor as you did and dinghy in from Bitter End/Saba area.

We are all grateful for your great tips!

Kupe

Hi Kupe,

Here is our full story! ...The first day we picked up the Bitter End Ball, there was another boat on one of the other balls,,,so we thought we would follow their lead. After 30 mins we were hailed by the skipper of an Oyster 745 which was anchored neaby. He was asking for our assistance. He had just craned his RIB onto the deck (ahead of a passage to Antigua) with the help of two local guys and needed us to ferry them back ashore to BEYC in our dinghy.

We were of course very happy to help (the bottle of wine was appreciated but unnecesary!). It turned out the chaps we took ashore were none other than Bacchus (bar-manager from BEYC who we knew well from previous years) and his colleague. They were essentially acting as caretakers ashore ahead of the start of the rebuild. They suggested that the pennants had been removed as the balls are not being maintained...but had no issue at all with us using one. If it had been otherwise then we would have moved to anchor.

...i have no idea if that is the official word on them. But we were content with the assumption and spent 3 (separate) peaceful nights on that same ball.

With other places that are closed (Cooper, Marina Cay) people still came out to collect mooring-fees and we were only too happy to pay. If anyone had come out from BEYC then the same would have applied, but nobody did.

As for taking a yacht up to ONB marina...we were in a 48ft monhull and I wouldnt dream of attempting it on my own boat and we apply the same logic to the boats we charter! We saw people on large cats who went all the way up to the beach-club without issue. I cant see why you wouldnt at least go up to the marina in a charter cat up to a certain size...if you study the charts and electronic-charts then it would (in my opinion) be similar to entering the Anegada mooring field...if you know your onions, keep your wits about you then...no big deal. But who knows what the charter operators think!

I'd personally rather have the boat in North Sound somewhere and dinghy / shuttle up to ONB...just a nicer, calmer place to spend the night. But horses for courses...

Christo-

Love that story! You had us at Oyster 745...wow.

Alas, all your great tips are reinforcing how short our one-week charter this month will be (especially given losing the first night to the mandatory 6pm boarding and resultant sleep aboard in Roadtown). I could add another week just based on the tips in this thread!

Kupe

'Long enough' doesnt exist in the BVI!!!

Glad you had a good time JLars. Leverick Bay is a special place

Hey Nick- Sooo great to see you here! How best to contact you for a slip rezzie later this month? We need our Happy ARrrrrrr!