Virgin Island Charter

[s/v Faith]

I am planning for my Virgin Island Charter coming up in a couple weeks.

The boat is a little larger then Sailfar size, it is a Jenneau 43 DS... but the extra space will be needed since it will be Rose and I, my mother, my aunt, and my dad.  :o 

   Dad has sailing experience (raced one of the first Tritons in SF bay late 50's early 60's) but I am pretty much going to have to keep everyone happy, safe, and make this a good trip.

  I have been to St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John in the past (on the big boat).  The Charter is 21 days, (6 May to 26 May).

  Tentative plan;

Road Town, Tortula BVI....
The Bight (?) Tortula (somewhere close)
Spanish Cay
St. Thomas Charlotte Amalie
St. John
St. Thomas Magens Bay
St. Croix 
Jost VaNDyke

  I know Tim just got back, I would be very interested in any advice or help with the float plan.

Thanks guys.


Here are some waypoints I found online;

BVI Roadtown, Tortola N18 24.84 W64 36.115

BVI Bight, NormaNIsland N18 18.960 W64 37.40

BVI Cactus Point, Gorda Sound N18 31.05 W64 22.30

BVI Baths, VirgiNGorda N18 25.80 W64 26.88

BVI GreeNCay N18 27.40 W64 42.50

BVI Peter Island, Greatt Harbor Point N18 21.80 W64 35.20

BVI Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost VaNDyke N18 26.30 W64 46.00

BVI Bitter End, Gorda Sound N18 30.144 W64 21.608

BVI Foxy's Great Harbor Jost VaNDyke N18 26.547 W64 45.101

BVI West Point N18 23.014 W64 45.343

BVI Nanny Cay, Tortola N18 23.721 W64 38.141

BVI Necker Island N18 31.60 W64 21.50

BVI Marina Cay N18 27.657 W64 31.797

BVI Cane GardeNBay, Tortola N18 25.705 W64 39.866

BVI The Indians N18 19.900 W64 37.752

BVI Little Camnoe Pass N18 27.524 W64 32.408

BVI Monkey Point N18 27.926 W64 34.269

BVI Sandy Cay N18 26.113 W64 42.750

BVI Soper's Hole N18 23.142 W64 42.756

BVI Foxy's Taboo, Jost VaNDyke N18 27.042 W64 43.408

BVI Trellis Bay, Tortola N18 26.907 W64 31.918

US VI Charolotte Amalie, St. Thomas N18 18.874 W64 55.731

US VI Magens Bay, St. Thomas N18 21.668 W64 55.509

US VI Ram Head, St. John N18 17.90 W64 42.20

[Tim]

Craig, I apologize for not posting earlier. Wow 3 weeks that is great! Here is a map of the way we did it.



We went straight from Road Town to Norman Island we stop at the Indians which turned out to be some of the best snorkeling though it is hard to pick up a temporary mooring there.  Right away you need to be aware that picking up moorings requires getting there early, even decent places to anchor are hard to find.

We skipped Peter Island on the way out but "Little Harbor" there had the nicest anchorage of the whole trip IMO. Since you have so much time, I highly suggest staying 2 or 3 days in the good places.

I won't bother talking about any of the tourist/bar/restaurant places as the quidebooks can do that.
Heading up Virgin Gorda we spent a night on anchor out in front of Spanish Town, but unless you want to go in there I would not bother.
There is a lot at North End Virgin Gorda so plan on a few days there.

We didn't sail to Charlotte Amalie but stayed there on the way down, lots of interesting things, but watch yourself there.

If you can go to Anegada do so, restaurants are expensive, and if theTrades are blowing hard the North East beaches are rough, but quite a place.

Marina Cay was interesting, but we only stayed one night there, there is a lot more to see around there.

On Little Jost and Green Cay was our second favorite spot. Great snorkling and hiking.

Definitely worth a stop at Sandy Cay.

There are a lot of day stops we were not able to do because of the winds (15 to 20+) the whole time.

Here is a link to some photos;

http://www.pbase.com/morningdove/bvis

You are going to have a wonderful time.

[ntica]

whaooo... great crusing area. have a nice trip!

[s/v Faith]

Wow Tim,

  THanks for the great post.  I really need to 'get smart' on what I plan to do.... I had hoped to have more done by now (is nto that always the case?)....

... You mention a cruising guide, which cruising guide did you use?

[Tim]

Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands, 14th edition

http://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Guide-Virgin-Islands-14th/dp/094442886X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335190622&sr=8-1

[s/v Faith]

Thanks Tim, I just ordered it.  I hope it arrives in time.

I also have the Fodors guide, but it is more of a tourist type book...

So much to do, so little time.... so different from a delivery or cruising on my own boat.  Much harder to anticipate what I need to do to prepare.  On a delivery it is just about getting the boat and crew there safely.... on my own boat I am good with just taking things as they come.  On this trip there is a lot to think about, and try to plan for...   I am probably making myself more crazy then I need to.  Thanks for the help.

[s/v Faith]

OBTW,

 I set up a page on SPOT to track the progress.  I learned from the Delivery to Cartegena, Colombia that the SPOT messenger location track only shows up for 7 days after the messages are sent.

Link to SPOT messenger tracking page to see where we will be.

If anyone here would not mind posting a couple screen shots of it while I am gone (6 May - 27 May) I would appreciate it.  Thanks.

[Tim]

If anyone here would not mind posting a couple screen shots of it while I am gone (6 May - 27 May) I would appreciate it.  Thanks.

Gladly

Regarding the prep for the charter. Make very very clear what to expect on the boat, don't assume ANYTHING.  (I don't think this advice pertains to any particular company either)

[s/v Faith]

If anyone here would not mind posting a couple screen shots of it while I am gone (6 May - 27 May) I would appreciate it.  Thanks.

Gladly

Regarding the prep for the charter. Make very very clear what to expect on the boat, don't assume ANYTHING.  (I don't think this advice pertains to any particular company either)

Sounds like a delivery trip.  I am bringing most everything other then pots and pans and linens... which they mention.  I am bringing charts, although they are supposed to be on the boat.

I will bring tools, even though it means checking an extra heavy bag I would rather do that then have to sit and wait when something breaks.

I have been to St Croix, St John, and St. Thomas before, so I have a little idea of what to expect, but the cruising guide should be helpful.

The boat is coming from Conch Charters, anyone had any experience with them?

[marujo_sortudo]

Here's my contribution...

In general, eating out and provisioning are both expensive.  Lots of groceries seem to come from the US.  Fresh veggies were not that impressive.  Finding street markets was difficult, too.  Rum is very cheap.  You'll find out the hard way if you let the natives mix your drinks and consume them like you're at home :)

You'll see a lot of badly captained charter boats.  Don't be surprised to see: boats weaving through a mooring field with a dinghy on an 80' painter and their anchor hanging 20' off the bow.  Then watch as they manage to get both dinghy and anchor caught on separate boats/moorings and complain about offers of help to free them. Drunk dinghy operation is a given, esp. at night in certain harbors.  Expect to see at least a few crazy, irresponsible, and possibly dangerous examples of seamanship.  Don't even get me started on sail trim! :)

There's usually a 1-1.5 knot current driven by the trade winds so you can usually take that as a given in your navigation.  The seas bounded by the islands are lake-like and swells there are greatly reduced.

Coming to Virgin Gorda, I would anchor at Spanishtown and then hop over to the free day use moorings at the Baths early.  Exploring the baths in the morning is great.  You don't need shoes, but I recommend bringing your snorkel gear ashore as there are some great spots to snorkel there ... unless the seas are really up.  Spanishtown and the environs are pretty quiet, but we had a great time exploring the area on foot.

Road town.  Not as nice or as useful of a harbor as one might hope, but the little bit of the old town hidden behind the modern roads on Main (?) St. was quaint.  

Nanny Cay.  A nice enough marina if you're wanting one.  I don't think there's space to anchor, though.  Some old tortola sloops tied up at the end of the dock, including one over 100 years old.

Sopers Hole.  If you want to go here, come early and pick up a mooring.  Don't try to anchor.  There's barely any space at the head of the harbor, lots of wrecks in the northeast corner, and everybody who anchors at the head of the harbor seems to drag.  It's a skippable anchorage in any case.  There's a cruise-ship version of the islands ashore that doesn't cater too much to locals, but a short walk gets you beyond that.

Charlotte Amalie.  The first 3 blocks or so are touristy, but definitely consist of a veneer.  I've heard that some parts of town are dangerous, esp. at night.

St.  John.  Cruz Bay.  Quite touristy.  Lots of expensive places to eat, but there are some quite affordable places if you poke around and are willing to eat fried food or bbq.  If you want a bar that's been around a long time and a local joint, stop at Oolie's (sp?) just up from the dinghy dock.  A bit more old-school than the new, touristy stuff.

St.  John.  Maho Bay.  Lovely spot with lots of good exploring to do for the hiking and snorkeling inclined in nearby bays.  An eco-resort/fancy campground right there with good commissary for those seeking shore food. They have a SCUBA boat with dive instructors that goes out if anyone wants to do that kind of thing.  They don't like dinghies on their beach during the day, so come at night or go to the next beach over and hike over the hill.   A lovely little yellow sailfar-sized daysailer there that was built recently in the tradition of the Tortola Sloops.

St. John.  Waterlemon Cay.  Great snorkeling here, but substantial current.  I'd recommend it only for strong swimmers with fins.  The current moves counter-clockwise around the cay, so if you start from the beach further out, you'll actually find you can use the current to your advantage swimming out and of course follow the current around the cay.  There's a nice hike above this beach that leads first to one ruin and then to another church ruin on top of the hill.  Great view from the church ruin.

Norman Island, The Bight.  Great place to get out of the swell, but the winds tend to amplify in here.  There is space to anchor at the head of the harbor for 3-4 boats, usually.  Tons of moorings.  Aside from nearby snorkeling, Willy T's is the main reason to go here.  A crazy, unique bar on a boat.  Always bit wild, a bit varied, and usually a great little dance party.

Jost van Dyke.  If a northern swell is running, I hear that the bubbly pool is worth checking out ... a sort of natural jacuzzi.  On the main drag, down the street from Foxy's there is a nice rasta guy with a heck of a veggie garden he just started up and ambitions to start a restaurant someday.  If you chat him up and compliment him on the the garden, you may just get some veggies out of it.  Soggy Dollar and Foxy's are both quite popular, though neither is cheap (VI prices rarely abate anywhere.)  Foxy's does a big bbq buffet dinners some nights that isn't cheap, but does look and smell like a good deal.

Sandy Cay, the Indians, the Caves at the Bight ... all worth snorkeling and good reports on all.

[s/v Faith]

Here's my contribution...

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to write that out!  What a great post, I gave you a 'grog' but hope to be able to give you a real one in a tropical anchorage some day. ;D

[marujo_sortudo]

No problem!  Have a great cruise!

[s/v Faith]

Flying out tomorrow, thanks for all the help.  Will start the SPOT updates soon, pictures to follow.

[Tim]

Fair Winds, Will that be the same "Spot" address?

[s/v Faith]

Fair Winds, Will that be the same "Spot" address?

Here is the page, if someone would not mind it would be great if there were screenshots posted here every once and a while... the tracks only show up for 7 days and that would allow me to track the progress after the fact.

I have made a web page to track our progress on the charter to the BVI's.  Save this link if you would like to keep track of where we are.  Unfortunately, the information will only display for 7 days after it is updated, but it should give you an idea of our progress.  You can send the link to anyone who may be interested.

Just follow this link to see my location updates:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0yfq8kV8TzKUeXZRk6mgSOxW2uO9MK78z
If the link doesn't work, try copying and pasting it to your browser's address bar.


Thanks,

[Captain Smollett]

Here's a thread with the screen captures from the SPOT page, and hopefully Craig will include some stories there when he gets back.

http://sailfar.net/forum/index.php/topic,3661.0.html

[claire.giulini]

Hi,

We recently sailed in BVI under guidance of Offshore Sailing School & it's wonderful. We started from Tortola to Cooper then to Virgin Gorda & then to Norman Island. I have shared my experience on my Blog.

Have a great cruise!

[s/v Faith]

I know this is an old thread but since the question might come up for others i thought to provide an update.  There have been some changes you might want to know about.

  I am anchored in Lindburg bay right now on St. Thomas.  I have been down here since before Christmas and have had a couple of people coming girl from the airport.  Everyone coming in has used St. Thomas airport rather then Tortola even though it is nearby to avoid the hassle of transferring from one airport to another, there are few direct flights into the BVI's.  that is a shame because Tortola ( the beef island airport) has a great anchorage at Trellis Bay that is very convenient for the cruising Sailor to use.

  Anyway, here is the deal.  I have had two arrivals of folks to join me, and 2 departures.  All have come into Brewers Bay, and departed there of from Magen's bay via taxi.  My dad is flying in tomorrow, so I just went ashore to the Best Western close to the airport to check things out.

  I went in to the remains of the dock that appears on the google earth image.  The concrete walk leading to it is still there, but there I no way to walk up to the hotel without jumping over a guard rail and climbing up a steep bank.

  My intention was to go to the bar and buy a drink then walk over to the airport.  Additionally I thought I might look into a room for my dad for his last night here since he has to be at the airport very early to fly out.

  I went up to the desk, but they had several checking so I went down to the bar to wait.  I asked "Dominica" the bar tender about landing people ashore.  Not only did she say no, but there was a discussion of the authorities being involved if i tried.  She immediately called the manager, and was very agitated.  I told her I would be glad to talk to the manager, and left the bar to go back up to the front desk.  She did become more relaxed when I reminded her I had not sought confrontation, but had come asking how to get a guest ashore.  Apparently it has been quite a sore subject.

  I went to the desk and the manager made it very clear that under no circumstances could anyone be brought ashore, and that it did not matter if they were guests of the hotel or not.  I asked about the other Best Western (there are two of them in the bay) and she said she did not know about them, but that they were more expensive.  I asked her where I could put guests ashore and she said Crown bay was the nearest place. :banghead:  She also said the port authority had some objection to their landing guests ashore.

  So I jumped the guard rail, climbed down to my dingy and explored the area.  Lindbergh Bay Park is in the corner of the bay nearest the airport.  I tied up to the rocks there and timed the walk to the terminal.  It is an easy 6.5minute walk, going slowly as one might carrying bags.  The one draw back I that the sand beach does not extend to the park, but has a water sports business behind it.  There is room to get folks into the dink, but not ideal.

  So Lindbergh bay park is the ticket to avoid a cab ride.

I have anchored at Brewers Bay for two arrivals, both took cabs and paid $12-15 per person for a cab ride of less then 3 miles.  The beach it's self is nice, and you can cable your dingy ashore if you want to take the bus from the university into town for shopping.  I spoke with a man at the university who told me their dock was not open to the public, but that it might be an option after hours.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to update this for the sake of anyone searching out this thread in the future.

BTW, if you want to verify the status of this in the future the Best Western next to the airport is known as the "Carib Beach Resort" they are at 70c Lindbergh Bay and their number is (340) 774-2525.

Here is their web site, where I saw what looks like a dock;

http://bestwesterncaribbean.com/saint-thomas-hotels