TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Trip Report 3/10-3/18/2024

This was our 10th charter trip down to the BVI and our 9th with TMM. As always, leading up to the trip and at the base, TMM is a top notch organization and their customer service is the reason we return year and year.

Our crew of 8 (4 of them new to the BVI and 2 of those completely new to sailing/boating) arrived from different cities into STT within 1/2 hour of each other, retrieved checked luggage, and sought out our taxi driver (arranged by Chill Out Charters). Private water taxi by Chill Out went smoothly and we arrived at TMM for our sleep aboard. This was our second experience with Chill Out and we'll definitely use them again.

At TMM our boat (Artemis - a 46' Lagoon) was ready and our provisioning order from both Riteway and Caribbean Cellars was on board. After unpacking a bit and verifying the Riteway Order (they hit about 90% accuracy this time which is better than last!) we headed to Club 1972 behind TMM. We were the only people there other than the owners who were at the bar. Bartending at Club 1972 was none other than Mic from Soggy Dollar! Food was good, drinks were cold and you can't be the location if you're chartering with TMM.

Next morning the ladies headed to the small Riteway at TMM for fruits, vegetables and last minute items. For a small store they have a pretty good selection. Guys stayed on board for the briefing. We had a very efficient crew and boat briefer and we were off the dock by 9:30 am!

First stop was the Bight at Norman. (Tried Boaty Ball for Cooper for 1st night but no luck). Tried to get a ball at the Indians on the way over but everything was full. Took the dinghy to the caves to snorkel - never seen so many people snorkeling. Two boats full of day trippers. Drinks & jumping at the Willy T and dinner on the boat.

Next morning, Captain had us off the ball at 7:30 am and we headed for the Indians. Part of the crew snorkeled while the others made breakfast. Great snorkeling this trip! After breakfast we're off for a long sail to the North Sound.

We had booked a ball at Bitter End for two nights so we were able to take our time and had a great sail day! Arrived at Bitter End, found our ball and we all went ashore to explore the shops, bar, etc. We had hoped to eat at BEYC but they were booked solid both nights we were there. I've never seen so many big yachts in the North Sound before. The Rum Runner boat found us and we enjoyed drinks & meeting Drake the pup! We dinghied over to Saba for cocktails, the tarpon feeding, and dinner. Weirdly there were 2 guys with snorkels on in the water during the tarpon feeding. It made the tarpon a little shy and really took away from the spectacle. Dinner at Saba - while the food was good, the service was really lacking. Our server seemed totally indifferent and not interested. Oh well - we'll make a different choice next time.

Next morning we took the water shuttle to Gun Creek where we met up with a taxi to take us to Hog Heaven and The Baths. The taxi was pre-arranged with BEYC staff and was great. Hog Heaven is always a favorite. This was the first time we taxied to the Baths and we'll definitely do it again. (I know we could have rented a car but nobody wanted the responsibility of driving so it was a great fit for us). Baths were crowded even though it was afternoon and we thought the cruise ship folks would be gone. Back to the boat for dinner.

Up early and off to Anegada the next day! Great sail and we made it in just under 3 hrs! Took Sherwin's conch & snorkel trip (always a favorite), then over to see Ann & Andrew at Tipsy's. They've got all sorts of games and things to do - hula hoop competition was a big hit - haha!! We ate at Wonky Dog that night and our crew said it was the best meal they've ever had :-)

Next morning we're off to Cane Garden Bay with a stop at Monkey Point for snorkeling and lunch. It was cloudy and we had a few rain showers so only 2 of our crew snorkeled while the rest of us made lunch. After lunch we continue on to Cane Garden Bay where it rained on and off so our we cancelled our plans to go to Bananakeet for the sunset. Took the dinghy ashore, re-provisioned, and back to the boat. Spent a rainy night inside with tacos for dinner.

We set off the next morning for Little Jost and the Bubbly Pool. Enjoyed drinks at Foxy's Taboo before we headed over to JVD. Checked out White Bay to see if we could get a ball, but no such luck so we continued to Great Harbor. Once we got settled on our mooring ball, we headed into Foxy's and caught a cab over to White Bay. Would definitely do this again- $5/pp for the ride and the view of White Bay on the ride over is spectacular. Lunch at Hendo's Hideout and painkillers at Soggy Dollar before catching a cab back. There are some ladies at the dinghy dock with a tent set up selling homemade breads and cookies - rum cake & macaroon cookies are delicious!! Which lands us back at Foxy's for some rousing games of jenga, drinks and dancing before we head back to the boat for dinner.

The next morning we tried again on Boaty Ball for a ball at Cooper - no luck. Our back up plan was Norman - where we started. However we decided to head to Cooper early to see if we could get a FCFS ball. Arrived about 10:30 am and there were 8-10 open FCFS balls so Cooper it is for our last night. Everyone loved Cooper - from the coffee bar to the rum bar to the gift shop. We tried for a dinner reservation but they were booked so we opted for a lunch reservation. The food was so-so and the service was lacking. To be honest, they were busy and we weren't in a hurry, but trying to get our server's attention was difficult. Oh well. We had our last dinner on board that night - pizzas with all of our leftover as toppings.

Next morning we're off early to get to TMM by 8:00 am. Water taxi was picking us up at 9:00 am because 2 of our crew had an earlier flight than the rest. We opted to pay the $100 surcharge to have TMM fill the boat with fuel so we bypassed the fuel dock and headed straight to TMM. We were all off the boat - luggage, food, linens, etc - by about 8:15 am, had our debrief with plenty of time to spare.

Chill Out Charters had us back on St. Thomas at Red Hook and we sent 2 crew to the airport while the rest of us headed to Sapphire Beach for lunch and to hang out until 4 more crew headed to the airport. The captain and I stayed on another week at a lovely condo on Sapphire Beach.

All in all it was a great trip! We did things a little differently than in the past (taxi rides to Soggy Dollar and Hog Heaven/Baths and staying 2 nights in the North Sound) and it all worked out wonderfully. Already planning a 2025 trip.

Awesome trip report! Thank you.

Excellent trip report and thank you for sharing! We're heading out in about three weeks, so pardon my questions.

I was curious about your comment on booking a mooring ball at BEYC. Did you book directly with BE, or was that a Boaty Ball thing? I wasn't aware you could reserve moorings other than through Boaty Ball.

It doesn't sound like getting a ball at Anegada was an issue for you. Did you happen to notice if there were still FCFS balls available at the end of the day? Same question for Cooper, any balls left available at the end of the day, or did they all fill up?

It sounds like you were there in the middle of American spring break, so that might help explain the crowds.

Thanks so much for this report! Really helpful.

Thank you for the great report and insights on itinerary modifications that seemed to work out very well and could be useful for our trip down in July. I expect it will be less crowded overall but am wondering about "Christmas in July" impact.

BEYC will allow you to reserve mooring balls in advance but contacting them directly. I don't recall exactly how far in advance but I think it was at least a couple of months.

Thanks, CDavis! I wasn't aware of that.

You can reserve slips and balls 6 months in advance at BEYC.

Or more. We booked a ball and a slip for mid July already because of Christmas in July and the Puerto Rican Navy.

When did you book it? Their policy is 6 months in advance. .would be good to know if that has changed.

Yes to BEYC. If you go on their website, find the dock/marina page, and you can email them to reserve and pay for a ball in advance.
We arrived on Anegada about 10:30 am but had a boaty ball already reserved. I didn't really look to see what balls were available at the end of the day - too much fun enjoying Anegada. As for Cooper, they were all full at the end of the day.

After reviewing my reservation's we were withing the 6 months. Dumb luck , lol

CottageGirl, your trip report was great. Like you I've been to the BVI many times but you had some new spots for me to check out, like taxiing over to the Baths and Hog Heaven along the way. Thanks for a great report. Cheers!