TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Cane Garden Bay

In the old days, we used to go in to CGB for a night. Always loved walking down to the old Callwood distillery especially. For the past several trips, we haven’t made this stop part of our trip, largely due to reports of rocky overnight swells. But we miss it and are headed to the BVI in late Februruary. So here are the queries I pose to your collective genius:

1. What can we expect in late February for an overnight mooring? Rolly or calm?

2. What is the state of post-Irma recovery like at CGB?

3. If we go, where to get dinner?

4. Is the Callwood distillery still running?!!!

How calm the anchorage will be is dependent on the north swell. A north swell originates off the eastern US and is well forecast several days ahead of time. No way at this point to even make a guess but check the forecast 3 days prior and it should be accurate.

Dinner should be available at Myetts/Pussers , probably Quito's and definitely at Rhymers.

1). No way of answering this question now
2). The bay is in good shape, with Quito's opening last week, most places are back up again. Tony's is no longer there, but most places have now re-opened
3). If you are there on a Friday or Sunday, go to Elm's BBQ. (I believe they are back open again). Best BBQ ribs, chicken and fish. The Elmtones usually play on those nights, they are fantastic.
4). I read somewhere that the Distillery is back up again.

Cane Garden Bay is in good shape. There have been several in water clean up activities with help from the military that removed 5 full size dumpsters of hurricane debris. The beach itself is back to normal.

Snorkeling out on the reef is good but not many people bother for some reason.

From south to north, here is the bar/restaurant updates: The Wedding Bar is gone, no sign of returning. Henley's beach bar is open with food, drinks, and chairs. The bar adjacent to the cruise ship bathrooms is gone. Myett's is open with food, drink, and chairs; renovation is still ongoing and they have transitioned the restaurant, bar, and gift shop to Pusser's. Tony's (Stanley's) is gone, no sign of construction. The Elm is rebuilt and is open with the Elmtones on Tuesday and Sunday nights. Rhymers is rebuilt and open with rooms, food, drinks, and chairs. Paradise Club is open with food, drink, and beach chairs. They often have events with music at night. Also, their "sister" bar, Irma Shack is open on the road side of Paradise Club. Quito's is open and has music many nights.

It's also worth mentioning the options off the beach in CGB: Columbus Sunset has the bar and provision shop open as well as their rooms. Bananas is a new restaurant and has opened across the street from the cruise ship bathrooms. There is frequently a food truck in the car park by the Elm. Bobby's grocery store has reopened since Irma and is better stocked then ever. The food truck across from Rhymers is open on Saturdays and has great food. I am uncertain about the bakery. The gas station is open with gas, diesel, propane, ice, and water.

Colleen, Totally agree about Elm's BBQ. Do you know if Tony is back at Elm's? When I was there in November Val told me he lost his house in one of the hurricanes and was not sure what he was going to do. Great guy and someone I looked forward to seeing each trip to CGB.

It is true the Distillery is back open. I just looked back at the post Irma pics. They were absolutely destroyed. Glad to see they are back up and running.

Oh, the Elm changed their BBQ to Tuesday and Sunday's....good to know.

I'm pretty sure but I'll double check and post again. I know it's at least Tuesday and Sunday. Could be Friday too (guess I'll know if I hear them tonight)...

Any insights as to the status of the mooring balls? On our last visit to CGB, there ample moorings, but I have not seen any updates since Irma. I can attest to the issues of being in CGB with a north swell- not a pretty picture even on a secure mooring. We made the mistake of confusing the forecasted wind direction with the direction of swell-a mistake you only make once. First clue should have been the influx of surfers the evening before😀

I don't have an exact count but I'd guess there are about 35 mooring balls currently. I've seen the boat out inspecting them in the last 6 weeks so I assume they are in decent shape. Still recommend backing down on them a little.

FYI - I saw 2 dolphins swimming thru CGB this week. They stopped by one of the catamaran's directly in front of Pusser's and put on little show for the folks on that boat. One jumped out of the water and flipped around. The bay is full of fish and bird life this week!

I moored there in October and they were in good shape and we had about 20 boats as company...also appreciate the North swell info as i have never been there Dec-Feb

Here is what you want to look for with regards to swell forecast. Below is the actual NWS forecast for next Tuesday and Wednesday. Note on Wednesday a swell starts to develope. Here is a link to the weather site. Tomorrow when they add Thursday to the forecast you will get a better idea if they expect it to increase in size or end quickly. By 3 days out this forecast gets very accurate. 2 days out take it to the bank for planning.

https://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?mz=amz715

TUESDAY
East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with
occasional seas up to 6 feet. Dominant period 10 seconds.
Scattered showers.

WEDNESDAY
East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet with
occasional seas up to 6 feet. Dominant period 11 seconds.
NORTHWEST SWELL around 4 feet. Scattered showers.

You can handle a 4 foot swell in CDB on a cat but the boat will move. Anything more than that will be bad news. I use 3 as my limit to overnight.

The Elmtones play on Sundays.

As said..The Elmtones play on Sundays at The Elm and do a great job..as I said in the other post ..dont look for them at "Puss-etts" anytime soon. Today there is very little swell so CGB would be fine as it was yesterday afternoon when we dropped by.

So sorry to read that Tony’s is gone, Stanley’s Famous Bar with the palm tree swing was an icon...

Columbus has rooms for rent again? I have been meaning to ask about the hotel. Last I heard they had not started to work on repairs yet.

Columbus up and running..

So is Val operating the hotel at Myett’s and Pusser’s the bar/restaurant? Rooms open?

Yes and Yes.

Thanks!

thanks, i am so happy to hear that.

We were in Cane Garden Bay for one night of our Charter (Wednesday the 27th of February)...Some of us went to Banana's and some went to the Pusser's. Both were enjoyed by all. There were lots of moorings available and it did not seem as busy as the other harbors we visited. I personally thought it was a great stop-beautiful sunset too! Also, thanks Jason for the tip on snorkeling the reef. We did and it was great.

Of the places around CGB open now I give "Quito's" my vote. We have not been for dinner but his lunch/ happy hour menu is very tasty, reasonable and inventive. I had beef and red bean soup the other day and it was terrific..IMHO.

Couldn't agree more, Mal! In fact, last wee I commented that the Wicked Tuna dish is now my favorite dinner on Tortola! Definitely not too be missed. We took a large group twice last week and had a great experience both times.

They also have the best happy hour on CGB now.