TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Newbie itenerary - please help

For those who responded to my last post, thank you! I understand that it is impossible to learn everything I need to know without experiencing a bareboat charter, but through due diligence, I hope to put together an itinerary that maximizes the things we like to do (FYI - 4 of us - me and my wife and two daughters - 10 and 12). The only must we have from a scheduling standpoint is our 2nd day of 10 where we are meeting friends in White Bay (Jost). For mooring/anchoring, we are looking for beautiful bays that will not be rough for sleeping (June 15 to 25 charter). For the most part, we will also want something to do in the evenings (beach bar on shore, good snorkeling close by, etc.). Again, we have 10 nights and my daughters love St. John, so this is what I am thinking with a few maybe's. I would appreciate your feedback!

1. Cane Garden Bay (we are staying on Tortola on the 14th to get the boat as early as possible on the 15th)
2. Jost (if we get a ball or anchor over by Ivan's on the east end, can we spend the night in White Bay?)
3. Marina Cay or Scrub (which is better?)(we could stay at Marina Cay and go to Scrub during the day, or visa versa - my daughters would like the Scrub pool as a change of pace)
4. VG North Sound (would appreciate suggestions as to where to moor (Levericks seems to be a favorite)?
5. Anegada (get there early and rent car - Cow Wreck and Wonky Dog for dinner or somewhere else - we love sunset at beaches, so should we eat close to Cow Wreck if we stay late?)
6. Options (VG North Sound again or a bay on west coast of VG, etc. - again, would appreciate suggestions)
7. Options (somewhere on the way to St. John - Peter, Norman, etc.)
8. St. John (probably Honeymoon so we can take cab or dinghy to Beach Bar)
9. St. John (may stay in the same place, but my oldest has her mind set on Maho - away from shore for bugs if so)
10. Cooper (close to MarineMax base)

The only place we are missing is a quiet night in White Bay, Guana. If there are mooring balls there now and you think I should work it in, please suggest the location it should replace. My apologies for the length of this and thank you in advance for your help!

Steve

Your itinerary looks good. So many things will influence your decisions about where to anchor or get on a ball. I would not spend the night in White Bay on Guana. The shape of the island along with the prevailing winds make it a bouncy night. Go to Diamond Day, Focus taboo. Lots of turtles to snorkel with, good food. Have your list of wants, but be ready to change course. Most of all have a great time. The little things will take care of themselves.

3. if you do not take a slip, there is a service fee to use the pool and the amenities.

Actually they're no longer issuing day passes. If you want to use the facilities you have to get a slip.

We'll be down the same time as you to celebrate my 50th <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

2. Most likely White Bay is redlined for overnights by your charter company. You're better off picking up a ball in Great Harbour and taking a taxi over.
3. Latest reports are Marina Cay has been whipped back into shape, and we'll be stopping there in June.
4. I would 2 nights on the dock at Leverick. The kids can use the pool there and you can rent a car and tour the island, hitting the Copper Mine, the Baths, Savannah Bay & Hog Heaven. You can also call Saba Rock and they'll come pick you up in their free water taxi. They have a great Happy Hour and feeding of the Tarpon at 5pm.
5. We'll be doing Cow Wreck for the day and Wonky Dog for dinner. The sunset is great sitting on the back of your boat having cocktails.

I personally would do Cooper your first night and then hit CGB and Jost on your way back down from Anegada.

I would consider moving St. John further up in your itinerary - maybe right after Jost. This will accomplish a couple things.

First, with your current itinerary the last full day on the boat is going to be a long one. You will have to leave St. John, stop at Sopers and do the C&I dance, probably do a little shopping and grab lunch, and then book it over to Cooper (potentially directly into wind and swell) and hope there is a mooring ball left. We were down there during the same timeframe last year and mooring balls at Cooper were full by mid-afternoon every time we stopped there.

Second, your itinerary has you going going East along the North shore of Tortola, potentially into wind and swell. This is fine if that's your cup of tea, but most people prefer not to do that on a charter. June often brings lighter winds from a more Southerly direction and smaller swell, but that is not always the case. Half of our trip last year was in nice 10-15 winds and small swell, but the other half winds kicked up to 15-25 with 6-8' outside the channel.

One other thing is that changing it will push Scrub further down in the itinerary. I personally think the concrete playground is a better stop a little later in the trip when some of the more civilized (for lack of a better word) crew are getting sick of sand and beach bars. You can relax by the pool or in the hot tub sipping on a drink while your kids make laps on the slide all day.

Something like the following might work well:

1. Cane Garden Bay
2. Jost - Great Harbor
3. St. John
4. St. John
5. Norman or Peter
6. North Sound
7. Anegada
8. Scrub or Marina Cay
9. Cooper

Just an idea, but I think it ticks all your boxes and aligns well with C&I and various day stops along the way. It also gives you one free night which you could spend at North Sound, or somewhere else. I generally like to have at least one night unaccounted for to give us more flexibility. However, as others have said, your entire itinerary should be flexible and amenable to whatever comes your way.

snmhanson, that is a good thought. We are in a power cat, but I see your point regarding the north side of Tortola. Obviously, the wind will dictate. With a SE wind, this could actually be a more calm route, but I should be prepared to adjust if the wind is different.

tradewinds, I have seen others mention that White Bay may be off limits. What is the issue, dragging anchor? Also, would you consider mooring by Saba or is there a reason not to do this?

TIMRIM, I have a dumb question... if we decide to each lunch at Foxy's Taboo, but don't stay for the night, where do we leave our boat (dock or mooring ball?). I have been there, but it has been a number of years and I can't remember.

Thank you all!

Steve..Just park on a ball if one is available. They also have a good anchorage spot between the mooring field and the shore.