Spent months researching our first trip to the BVI. This forum was my go-to place for "local knowledge". The shopping list, packing list and boat checkout lists were excellent. We ordered staples online from Bobby’s and had no problem with the order. By the time I actually arrived I felt like I was in home waters. Found the 5640 Admiralty Leisure charts online. Also downloaded Weather Track for GRIBS, and iNavX and bought a BadElf GPS chip and a water cover for the iPad. Bought the Cruising guide and the BVI Pirate approach map to Anegada. I prepared a safety briefing for my family in advance. Reserved a 45 foot Bavaria from Horizon out of Nanny Cay last September at the Annapolis boat show to get the discount. Had Farr send me the polars and uploaded them to iRegatta (yes I am that geeky).

Had 6 people on the boat, 3 berths and 3 heads – good choice, the ladies were all happy ;-) Took American all the way to EIS as the ferry schedule thing made me nervous – glad I did. Ran into a guy at Ivan’s that told me a horror story of a late night ride to JVD from Tola on a boat with no running lights and no GPS after several missed ferries.

We arrived from MD (and family from CO) at 10:00 p.m. and the Horizon guys had a cab for us, taxi was $12/person crashed at Maria’s by the Sea after a long day of travel, nice and clean, easy to get to.

Day 1. Breakfast at Maria’s and a trip to Riteway Pasea for perishables and rum. Nice place. It was Sunday so only place avail for liquor. Arrived at Nanny Cay and went through paperwork. They are very professional; Chrystalline was very squared away on the paperwork and Giles on the boat checkout. BTW – he called JVD Jost with a “J”, as did every other local I spoke to. Under way by 2:00 with a beam reach to Norman. Nobody sailed before but my wife and I so that was fun bringing them up to speed. Got the last ball in Kelly’s Cove. Snorkeled a little. Then Painkillers, sipping rum for the skipper and a nice 20 year old Cuban cigar. Pushed the bimini back and yukked it up for hours under the stars with the fam I haven’t seen in a long time. Life is good.

Day 2. Everyone was up and at em. Nice breakfast and tried to find the caves on Norman. It looked like a dent in the cliff to me but the fam wanted to snorkel it, they seemed to enjoy it. I reserved a slip at Leverick as I wanted to make it to North Sound in one day and didn’t want to deal with coming in late and anchoring or searching around for a mooring ball. We headed up the channel and as the day went on the wind was bumping 25 kts. Tacking back and forth across the channel with the wind on the nose. Great time. Several squalls came through and the wind built to 30kts. Decided not to work the fam too hard so I motored most of the way – “discretion is the better part of valor” as they say. Even in a 45 footer it was a little rough. Nemo was making his presence known. Spotted a turtle in the channel with his head out like a periscope trying to see what the heck was going on up top.
I love coming into a new harbor. Turned the corner into North Sound and picked out the red roofs of Leverick Bay. Grabbed a slip and started to unwind. Michael Bean had the place hopping. Painkillers. Nice dinner on the boat.

Day 3.
Introduced myself to Nick, nice chap. Watered up, grabbed some ice. Poked across the sound to the Bitter End. Looked around for a mooring ball. Man those Cats come jamming in after those balls… We tied up and jumped in the dink and went around Saba rock to Eustatia sound. Had the beach to ourselves on Prickly Pear – it was a little sporty getting on to the lee shore with the swell. Family went snorkeling while my wife and I “relaxed” on the beach <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />. My brother lost his very nice underwater camera <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> took a water taxi and had the West Indian buffet at BEYC. Danced half the night <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

Day 4.
Sailed to Anegada. Aimed at the western tip on the map to clear the Two Sisters. Had a terrific sail with 20kts of wind on a beam reach. It was fun to identify Anegada from the little reef clouds on the way over. Lined up with the markers a couple miles out and set my bearing and start poked up in there. GPS on the boat goes out. It’s binoculars and trusting the map. Kim (Eagle eye) spots the markers right on target. As I’m closing in on the first buoy I see this cat to starboard rushing to beat me to the channel entrance. Really? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" />I poke along in there as I’m drawing 5’8” the Cat is right on my @ss. I turn hard left at the last green buoy poking up toward the mooring field. I see a ball and head for it. The Cat is WOT behind me to port trying to get around me through the mooring field to jump to the ball that I’m on course for. We’re on a collision course, him coming up hard behind me. My lovely wife offers the ball to them and points me to one closer to shore – btw tide is going out.. The “crew” on the Cat start giving me lip, Really? We tie up, depth gauge says I have half a foot under the keel and about 3 inches to go at low tide, it’s a new moon and I’m in the sand. Extra rum for the captain to calm down. Rude is one thing, rude and dangerous in tight quarters and shallow waters with boats and dinks everywhere is quite another.

Electric turquoise water, white sand beaches and deep green palm trees. The restaurant boats come over and sing us a song to advertise their culinary awesomeness – life is good again. Skipper calms down and we reserve a car and dinner at the Anegada Reef hotel. We all bomb it over to Loblolly and snorkel until sun sets. Nice little reef, swell is still up so a little murky.

Lobster dinner on the beach. Magical, the waves crashing, under the stars, we joke with the waitress asking if there is a better table! Heh, just kidding <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />. The staff are so sweet, everyone is so eager. My family is content, everyone has dopey smiles on their face. Night dinghy back to the boat. I had bought some Velcro wraps and reflective tape at Home Depot before I left the States. I stuck the reflective tape to the Velcro strap and wrapped it around the mast before we went to dinner. The massive handheld underwater flashlight came in handy to find the boat. Stood out like a sore thumb. Painkillers and a nice Dominican cigar. Zonked. All is right with the world again.

Will post more later…