Month: February 2022

One of the highlights of a trip to the BVI is a visit to The Baths – a granite boulder playground at the edge of the sea. We’ve visited several times before by boat, but for this trip we decided to go overland by taxi from Leverick Bay to see them.

We headed up from Leverick Bay almost to Gorda Peak and then down the spine of the island, with amazing views to the north and south. At its narrowest, the island is only about 1/2 mile wide.

The Baths (short for Batholiths) were formed around 70M years ago when hot lava bubbles forced their way up into volcanic layers that formed the floor of the ocean. Those layers later eroded to reveal large granite boulders created by the cooled lava bubbles. Wind and waves then rounded any sharp edges leading to what we see today.

After a few hours of swimming, snorkeling and scrambling, we headed back up island by way of Hog Heaven – North Sound’s BBQ in the sky. Ribs, beer and an amazing view were the perfect way to end the day!

Tortola celebrates the full moon with a big party on Trellis Bay and we didn’t want to miss it. So up early to get to the bay before all the mooring balls were taken. We didn’t quite get the very last ball, but it was close. Trellis was packed.

We enjoyed an amazing sushi dinner at Marche along with some cold Kirin beer. Highly recommmended!

After dinner we wandered, had a few cocktails, danced and enjoyed live music up and down the beach. A perfect evening!

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Hard to believe another week has passed. We have bounced around locations a bit, finally had some of the wonderful weather we had hoped for, and enjoyed some time with good friends.

After leaving Great Harbor, we headed to Diamond Cay on the east end of JVD. First stop was a hike to the Bubbly Pool. Not very bubbly when we visited, but a good chance for a natural jacuzzi.

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Just outside Diamond Cay is Sandy Cay, a beautiful 14 acre island with 3 different ecological zones. We hiked from beach to mangrove swap to volcanic headlands all within a 30 minute walk.

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The next day we headed to Cane Garden Bay on Tortola. Of course the nasty weather came back and we sailed through a bit of a squall. But the beach was as beautiful as ever. Conch and Mahi-Mahi for dinner.

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We filled up on water and did a bit of laundry in Cane Garden, and then we were off to Sopers Hole. Breezy but sunny, so we got a nice sail down the coast. The village is beautiful – all Caribbean colors. We met up with our friends Beth and Art for dinner. Omar’s has the best (only) Indian food on Tortola. And only 200 feet from our mooring ball!

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Saturday morning, we were joined onboard by our friends Sue and Chuck. Not all their luggage joined us, but eventually one bag was there, new clothes were purchased, provisions were provisioned and we departed towards Jost Van Dyke under cloudy skies (a recurring theme in case you hadn’t noticed). We enjoyed another wonderful dinner at Tipsy Shark, some more time on Sandy Key, a walk in a monsoon to White Bay, and our first Super Bowl on a boat. Our big 9 inch iPad screen was perfect for the big game.

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Monday morning we woke up early to clear skies and light winds. Perfect for tacking upwind to Norman Island. Time for snorkeling at the Indians! We enjoyed dinner on the beach with all our friends.

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After 3 days of rain, the weather finally broke and we headed out early to Jost Van Dyke. It’s about 28 miles, all downwind. And after all the storminess, a 4 foot swell pushing us all the way.

We made good speed under just the main. Stopped at Monkey Point for a quick lunch and arrived in Great Harbor just before 4pm. We had a reserved mooring ball which made a late arrival a non-event. Headed to shore for ice, a walk and some shopping.

Even 3 years later, there are signs of Hurricane Irma.

Our only purchase at the grocery was a $2 lighter. We still had two ribeyes in the refrigerator and they were about out of time. 20 minutes of futzing, 3 tries at a wind block and success! The coals were hot, the steak was cooked and we feasted.

Tuesday morning we took the dinghy into town for Christina’s fresh banana bread, then got out the paddle boards and took a spin around the bay. Mid-day, we walked up and over the hill to White Bay for lunch. It’s a beautiful stretch of beach with 1/2 dozen beach bars – lots of fun.

Back to the boat for washing up, blog writing and it’s off to dinner at The Tipsy Shark.

Our favorite place in the BVI (and maybe the world) is North Sound on Virgin Gorda. Great memories of trips to The Bitter End Yacht Club, evenings on anchor and great snorkeling. So it’s an early start and we are off – heading in to 20 knot winds and 6 foot seas! We choose to motor instead of beating into the wind all day. An easy passage, the only bad part is it’s too wavy to make coffee. Note to self, always have iced coffee ready.

Two hours of motoring and we’re in North Sound. Just in time for it to start raining. I’m in my swim trunks, so grabbing the ball is pretty much a fresh water shower. Once we’re safely on the ball, it REALLY starts pouring – like ‘somebody call Noah’ pouring. Hot coffee and scrambled eggs take the chill off and we hang in the cabin catching up on the world (and writing blog posts). Weather report says ‘unsettled weather’ – yep.

Finally, after an afternoon of pure soggyness the sun peeked out and we enjoyed a 180• sunset!

Dinner was going to be those damn steaks, but still blowing too hard to light the grill. Game time call and it’s Italian Night staring Pesto Pasta. Luckily the wine is still a good pairing….

We slept like rocks…unusual for a night on the dock. Melanie was up first and grabbed coffee and croissants at the French Deli. Wow do I love the French Deli! You should buy stock in the French Deli.

A boat briefing, another provisioning run (fruit, beer, cheese, pate, wine…) and we were off to Cooper Island, a quick 5 mile run.

Our first mooring ball pick up of any sailing trip is always an adventure – will we be speaking to each other once we’re hooked up? Will we need an intervention? But the sailing gods smiled on us and we grabbed like old pros!

Did I mention Melanie likes water toys? Two SUPs and a kayak are more or less filling up our deck. If we could tow a Hobie, she would be truly happy.

Manchineel Bay is a lovely sheltered harbor with balls for about 40 boats. The Cooper Island Beach club is great – rebuilt after Irma. We enjoyed dinner there our second night – conch fritters, roasted eggplant and chicken tiki masala. Absolutely delicious!

We enjoyed a second day at Cooper, a luxury we’ve never had on shorter trips. A bit of snorkeling and got the boat more settled. But North Sound is calling and we’re off early Friday!

The alarm went off at 4:30. Always good to start a trip in total darkness. A quick Uber to Logan and we were on our way. Melanie got us moved to the exit row – a nice score.

First stop, St Thomas. Just long enough for a quick lunch and then off on the ferry to Roadtown.

The ferry ride to Roadtown is about an hour. The Covid tests didn’t seem to slow down BVI customs from their normal glacial pace. A quick taxi ride and we arrived at our home away from home for February – Big Blue! Big Blue is a 35 foot Beneteau monohull. Only 3 years old and in great shape.

After a bit of unloading we headed out to our first provisioning stop – Rite Way. Water, paper towels, milk, coffee, … a long list. And Pussers rum! By the time we got back it was 9pm, so some charcuterie and cocktails was all we needed – no cooking tonight. Tomorrow morning, another provisioning run and off to our first destination, Cooper Island.