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(Click on the map numbers to
jump to that part of the literary or click on the island names for Island Info)
Island info
 What's Happening
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Saturday 25-Dec-99
 | R&A arrive BVI's - Fort Burt Hotel |
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Sunday 26-Dec-99
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27-Dec-99 Monday
| T&C/G&S arrive - Fort Burt Hotel |
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Day 1 Tuesday 28-Dec-99
| Pick up boat @ noon at Maya Cove |
| Sail north to Marina Cay near Beef Island for night |
| Visit Pusser's Marina Cay |
| Drinks &
entertainment at Pusser's |
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Day 2 Wednesday 29-Dec-99
| Sail to The Dogs, dive, snorkel & sail |
| Then to Virgin Gorda Sound North Leverick
Bay for
night. |
| Had drinks, a shower and got ice, some little groceries at Buck's
Supermarketty |
| Refilled scuba tanks/ filled an empty boat water tank |
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Day 3 Thursday 30-Dec-99
| Explored Virgin Gorda/Baths |
| Stayed overnight Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island |
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Day 4 NEW YEARS EVE Friday 31-Dec-99
| Early start |
| Work our way south through to Norman
Island to
start our New Years Party at a good mooring!! |
| Steak/Lobster/Shrimp night. |
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Day 5 Saturday 1-Jan-00
| Stayed here at the Bight dinghied over and snorkeled the Caves,
and partied again at Billy Bones and the Willie T
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Day 6 Sunday 2-Jan-00
| Up early to sail up and dive the Rhone from Lee Bay and dingy over the site. |
| Stayed overnight on Peter's Island Sprat Bay |
| There is a nice walk and view of Sir Francis Drake Channel here from
Deadman's Bay with the Baskin in the Sun Dive shop, showers here at the
resort |
| Refilled scuba tanks ON PETER ISLAND |
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Day 7 Monday 3-Jan-00
| Motored and sailed to Soper's Hole West
End Tortola for provisioning at Ample Hamper |
| Continued on to Little Harbor Jost Van Dyke for dinner and
overnight. We ate good lobster at Harris' Place |
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Day 8 Tuesday 4-Jan-00
| Sailed over to Sandy Cay and Sandy Spit for some great beach and
swimming time |
| Sailed back to Jost Van Dyke / Great
Harbor for overnight |
| Went to Foxy's |
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Day 9 Wednesday 5-Jan-00
| Sailed to Cane Garden Bay. |
| Stayed overnight here. |
| Good beach time here |
| Had drinks and entertainment this evening |
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Day 10 Thursday 6-Jan-00
| Sail to Trellis Bay |
| Stopped by Monkey Point to snorkel/dive. |
| Stayed overnight Our last night! |
| When to the Last Resort for drinks and entertainment |
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Friday 7-Jan-00
| Return Boat by Noon to Maya Cove |
| R&A fly home flight 1pm |
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Saturday 8-Jan-00
| /T&C/G&S fly home |
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Island Info
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| Deadman's Bay - This bay on the eastern tip of Peter Island is
a short sail out of Road Harbor that takes no more than an hour or two.
Once there, yachtsmen will find a long white sand beach at Peter Island
Yacht Club. Yachtsmen are requested to anchor in the Bay's Extreme
southeastern corner and should be aware that the area is prone to a
swell, especially in the winter months. This is Peter Island Resort's
idyllic palm fringed beach. It can be reached by boat or ferry from Road
Town. Anchoring can be very tricky, grassy bottom Peter is a great
island for taking a stroll. |
| Sprat Bay you can dock here for $50. or moor for $35. very
near Deadman's Bay |
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| Heading upwind from Deadman's Bay is Salt Island, once a regular
stopping off point for ships requiring salt for food preservation on the
trade routes. This is also the location of the BVI's famed Wreck of the Rhone
which sank off the island during a hurricane in 1867. At Lee Bay, just
north of the Rhone, moorings have been provided for those diving the
wreck in order to minimize anchor damage. Both Lee Bay and Salt Pond Bay
off the settlement, can be rough anchorages and are recommended for day
use only. |
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| Manchioneel Bay - located on the island's northwest shore is a
good lunch stop for those sailing upwind to Virgin Gorda. There is a
dock for dinghies, a beach for swimming and the Cooper Island Beach bar
serves lunch, dinner and drinks. Moorings can be had here for fees
but they fill up FAST. |
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| North Sound - The North Sound offers the yachtsman a wide array
of overnight anchorages, and a variety of good dining spots. The Sound
itself is found along the eastern tip of the island and is well
protected by surrounding islands, including Mosquito, Prickly Pear and
Eustatia. Boats over five feet in draft should use the Sound's northern
entrance at Calquhoun Reef; shallow drafts can use the Anguilla Point
entrance in calm weather only. Moorings for fees available at
Leverick Bay, Drake's Anchorage, Bitter End Yacht Club/Saba Rock Great dinner recommendation
was Rock Cafe and Sports Bar. |
| Cow's Mouth a 40 ft wide rift between 2 rocks, dinghy over for
snorkeling |
| Restaurant on Prickly Pear
Island (Vixen Point) is the Sand Box Seafood Bar & Grille,
they will pick you up from Leverick Bay if you make a reservation.
They serve lunch and dinner daily and have 10 moorings at $20.00 per
overnight. Lunch prices range from $7.50 to $10.00 for burgers,
sandwiches, pizza, pasta. Dinner prices range from $16.00 to $40.00
which is lobster. They also serve mahi-mahi, sword fish and Filet
Mignon. They monitor channel 16 and phone is- (284) 49 59122/23.
Moorings for a few hours can be had here for no charge. Or overnight for
fees. |
| The Baths - One of the BVI's most famous landmarks lies on the
southwestern shore of Virgin Gorda. The Bath's randomly placed large
granite boulders form small grottoes and pools on the beach's edge,
making delightful exploring and snorkeling. As with all these north
shore anchorages, a swell can prevent overnight anchoring. We picked up
a mooring at the Baths and only a couple other boats were there.
We were going to wait for Andiamo to arrive before heading
ashore, so we decided to snorkel from the boat. I was in first
(briefly) and saw one very small jellyfish. No big deal, we'd seen
them before. Everyone went in and we started snorkeling toward
shore. I was the last one in, and the others were well ahead.
Somehow, the other four - in 2 groups - had swum smack dab into LARGE
groups of jellyfish of various sizes. I was told they appeared as
a curtain ahead of Cyndi and Greg. I heard Diana ask for help, so
I took off like a bat out of hell for the boat (I have a problem with
slimy things like jellyfish and snakes anyway) to get the dinghy.
Cyndi swam up right behind me and we took the dinghy to assist Jerry and
Diana. We got them both on the dinghy - Diana had been stung a
couple of times - and took them back to the boat, where Greg met us.
It was only then that we discovered that there was no meat tenderizer on
the boat (if you're looking for gems of wisdom, make a note of that). -Paul
and Cyndi Brennesholtz - Nashville, Tennessee |
| Restaurant fare on Virgin Gorda is varied and comparable to any
vacation spot. Everyone has their favorites but, in terms of price only,
Little Dix, Biras & Drakes are at the top end. Bitter End, Chez
Bamboo, Pussers, Georgio's and Flying Iguana in the middle and The Mine
Shaft, Bath & Turtle & Mad Dogs offer more popular priced food.
Mad Dogs is the best deal for lunch only. |
| Dixies is a great spot for hamburgers, hot dogs and great brandy milk
shakes. It is near the marina on the main road. I always have their
brandy milk shakes especially chocolate. |
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| The Dogs make a good stopping off point for sailors on their way from
North Sound to Jost Van Dyke; they are also a popular diving venue. On
calm days, the best anchorages are the bay to the west of Kitchen Point
on George Dog; as well as on the south side of Great Dog. |
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| Trellis Bay -Trellis Bay is a well-protected anchorage fringed
by a semicircular beach. It serves as the location for Boardsailing BVI;
the Conch Shell Point Restaurant and The Loose Mongoose Beach Bar. At
the bay's center is The Last Resort, an English style restaurant whose
owner, Tony Snell, puts on a rollicking one-man cabaret act.
Moorings fees are paid at The Last Resort. |
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| This tiny island lies north of Trellis Bay and offers a Pusser's
restaurant, bar, small beach and moorings can be had here for fees.
It is fringed by coral and
one should enter from the north. |
| Gas dock only has room for 1 boat at a time and they open at
8:30am. Water is also available to fill tanks and is cheap here. |
| In the area is also, Dipn'Scrub (Scrub Island), Shark Point (Scrub
Island), Lee Bay (Great Camanoe), Towering Point (Great Camanoe), Monkey
Point some say the best snorkeling in the BVIs is at Monkey Point (Guana Island) and Grand Central
Station (Guana Island) |
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| This Cay is all that one imagines of a desert island. Located to the
east of Little Jost Van Dyke, the Cay is uninhabited, and offers a long
stretch of white sandy beach. The water is deep almost until the shore;
the area is prone to swells and is not a good anchorage year-round. |
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| Little Harbor - This Harbor is a quiet, easy to enter lagoon.
The harbor's three restaurants all provide local food and atmosphere at
the shore's edge. Little Harbour is really neat. There are really
2 separate anchorages - an inner anchorage and an outer anchorage.
The inner anchorage wraps around at the back of the cove, sheltering the
moorings and 2 restaurants - Sidney's Peace & Love and Harris'
Place (great key lime and pineapple pie and breakfast). We
were planning to have lobsters at Sidney's that night, so we chose the
inner anchorage. Jerry, Greg, and I went ashore to make
reservations for 11 (10 lobsters and a shrimp dinner). One of
Sidney's daughters met us at the dinghy dock, tied us off, and took our
reservations. She said dinner was at 1900 (it's whenever the
lobsters are done) and showed us the lobsters in their cage right
underneath our dinghy. Prices were $20, $25, or $30 per dinner
based on lobster size - and they would tell us when we were served how
much we would each pay. Happy hour started at 1700 and included $1
rum punches. (The food was quality was good but we only got 1/2 lobsters
and the price was the $30 price)-Paul and Cyndi Brennesholtz -
Nashville, Tennessee Sidney's has an honor bar where
you mix your own drinks and jot them down on your ticket to be paid at
the end to one of Sidney's daughters. Another restaurant
suggestion is Abe's. Moorings fees are paid at Harris' Place or
they will come out in a dinghy to collect. You hike with good shoes up
behind Sidney's for a great view of the islands alone with the goats.
Someone will come by in a boat to collect mooring fees here. |
| Great Harbor -This is the venue of Foxy's Tamarind Bar
and several other good West Indian restaurants. The picturesque harbor
is fringed by a small settlement bordering a white sand beach. The
anchorage is fairly well protected, and the holding good but a
little hard to anchor in. Great Harbour is the only anchorage we visited
in which Moor Seacure had not set up moorings. The harbor could
certainly use them, because it gets mighty crowded in there. Ashore
near the customs building you can drop off trash. Foxy's has it own
dock. |
| White Bay -This lovely bay lies west of Great Harbor and
features a white sand beach and a small hotel and restaurant. A channel
through the center of the reef allows entrance to the anchorage, which
is subject to winter swells. |
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| Norman Island is the reputed locale of Robert Louis Stevenson's
Treasure Island. The uninhabited island's main anchorage is The Bight.
From here one can go ashore and take a rough cattle track to the top of
the island. You can also have a drink or meal at the floating
bar/restaurant the William Thornton or beachside at the new Billy
Bones. The famous caves at Treasure Point can be reached by dinghy.
Mooring fees paid at the Willie T or someone comes out in dinghy to
collect. |
| Manchioneel Bay Palm lined beach, mooring in 15 ft of water
with grassy and sandy areas to anchor some ground swell reported.
Watch to large stingrays in the grass and some squid were spotted near
the rocks! Cistern Point has a 3-4 knot current flowing
around it, great for snorkeling but have a dinghy to pick people up. |
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| These tiny islets are near to the Bight and offer both good snorkeling
and excellent SCUBA diving. |
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| Road Harbor - Road Harbor is Tortola's largest harbor. Road
Town, which borders the harbor is the capital of the BVI. Here one will
find immigration facilities, a selection of good supermarkets and shops;
marinas, restaurants and a boat yard - all within walking distance of
the harbor. |
| Soper's Hole -Soper's Hole lies at the very west end of Tortola
and is one of the island's three main ports of entry. The anchorage is
both deep and sheltered. Ferries to St. Thomas and St. John leave from
here daily and there are several nearby restaurants and marinas. Moorings can be had here for fees. |
| Cane Garden Bay Buoys are very low to the water and are
located quite far in the bay. Moorings can be had here for fees. Callwood Distillery rum was reported to now go for $7 a
bottle (may taste a bit like lighter fluid but it makes for good
conversation at home) Here you can get an open air taxi for a hair
raising ride up to Mount Sage, the territory's highest peak for a walk
amongst giant ferns, fragrant flowers and hardwood trees. |
| Cane Garden Bay Restaurants: Stanley's Welcome Bar (the place
to be for painkillers, burgers. shakes, the tire swing and hammocks in
the sun). Quito's (expensive but stay and drink and buy his CD)
and Rymer's (some said the lobster was small and not very good) .
But you can do laundry at Rymers. The Paradise Club (the yellow building
right in the middle), they had an all-you-care-to-eat pig pickin'. (the
food was reported really good, the service okay) |
| Brandywine Bay and Maya Cove - These two anchorages just beyond
Road Harbor also offer restaurants. |
| Nanny Cay Something to look out for on the approach is the
buoys. According to the cruising guide and the chart, the number
of buoys may change, but it was always well-marked. That's a load
of crap. There were 2 green buoys (to accompany 1 red one) which
didn't appear until AFTER the boat was past the reefs, but it was only
about 2 feet deep around the buoys. I just kept thinking that
there were some really nice bigger boats in the marina that had to have
gotten there somehow. -Paul and Cyndi Brennesholtz -
Nashville, Tennessee A good restaurant for ribs and
pina coladas is PegLegs Also, this is a place to get ice and dump
garbage |
| Fat Hog Bay East End Bay good location and well protected.
North of Buck Island and between Beef Island Channel and Maya Cove.
There are moorings pay at Penn's Landing with ice, fresh water showers,
2 grocery stores , pharmacy and couple of restaurants. |
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| Some suggestions for quiet New Years, the east of St. John, Leinster Bay
facing Soper's Hole Tortola. Further around Whistling Cay is Francis Bay a
pretty and quiet spot with excellent swimming, snorkeling and a short dink
ride over to adjacent Trunk Bay the site of the Nat'l Park underwater marked
snorkeling trail. People call Francis Bay "turtle
town". |
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