We slipped our mooring lines at about 4:30 from Marigot Bay in St. Martin for our overnight sail to the British Virgin Islands (BVI). We had a wind angle almost directly behind us, so we had to head in a more northwest direction to sail. We had a beautiful sail overnight the wind ranged from 12 to t15 knots and the seas were about 3 feet. We took turns on watch every 2 hours. The moon was waning and was about half full. It didn’t rise until about 1:00 am. Before the moon rose you could see the bioluminescence created by the boat’s wake. It was cool.
We made it to the eastern side of BVI about 7:00 am. In looking at our chart plotter, the path it was taking us was between a group of islands south of Virgin Gorda. In double checking the path on the chart plotter and seeing a lot of reef and rocks on our path, I knew we had to adjust our course. The chart plotter specifically says, “do not attempt to pass north of Round Rock Passage. This was the course our chart plotter had set. Oh well. That is the reason that you can’t rely on technology alone when sailing. You need to use your eyes. We made it past Round Rock Passage and into Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda to clear customs and immigration at our final destination.
This was our fifth time we had been to BVI, but really the first time on our boat where we weren’t on a schedule or needing to be heading somewhere else. It was very relaxing and the perfect way to end our two-season adventure. We were on our own schedule. We motored up to Leverick Bay and grabbed a mooring ball. The one drawback to BVI is that some of the anchorages are tricky to anchor, so you need to grab a mooring ball. This time of year, there were plenty of open mooring balls. After getting on the mooring ball, we went into Leverick to explore the area. Not much had changed since the last time we were there.
Having seen what we wanted to see in Leverick Bay, we decided to head up to Anegada the next day. The wind and sea conditions looked perfect. Most of the British Virgin Islands are somewhat mountainous and hilly. Anegada is the only flat island in BVI. Anegada is about 15 miles from the North Sound. You must be very careful on plotting your course to Anegada. There are several reefs and coral heads that surround it.
Charter companies used to prohibit bareboat charters from going to Anegada due to the tricky navigation. We left the North Sound about 8:00 am and did have perfect sailing conditions. The wind was a beam reach (90 degrees) off our starboard (right side) and two-foot seas. We got the boat up to 10 knots. It was a lot of fun. We made to Anegada in no time.
Anegada restaurants are known for their great lobster dinners. When you arrive, you must make reservations and tell the restaurant what you want to eat for dinner. We made our dinner reservations and decided to head into town to explore. After walking around, we decided to take a taxi to Cow Wreck Beach where there is a great bar right on the beach. The bar does have a bartender, but it also has self-service. If the bartender is busy, you go behind the bar and grab a beer or make your own drink. You just mark it down on your tally sheet. Really cool vibe. That night, we had a great lobster dinner at the Wonky Dog restaurant.
The next morning, we decided to head back to the North Sound and check out the Bitter End Yacht club and Saba Rock. Both places had been wiped out by hurricane Irma and had been rebuilt. We had not seen the new places and wanted to check them out. We grabbed a mooring ball at the Bitter End Yacht club and went into pay. The entire Yacht Club had been rebuilt. They did a fantastic job of rebuilding it. They added new docks, a restaurant, a bar and a couple of cottages for rent. It looks like they are planning to add more cottages.
After touring Bitter End, we headed over to Saba Rock. Saba Rock was also completely rebuilt. It was an interesting rebuild compared to what was there before. They used a lot of metal and glass on the rebuild. It was beautiful, but not the same ambiance as before.
From North Sound we headed to Marina Cay. Marina Cay was also wiped out by Irma. It used to have a Pussers Restaurant on it. It was being rebuilt and was supposed to open sometime in July. We took the dinghy over to Trellis Bay to grab lunch at Loose Mongoose. It was rebuilt bigger after Irma. Trellis Bay is right next to the airport and many people hang out at Loose Mongoose waiting to leave for their flights.
We made our way from Marina Cay to Cane Garden Bay. Cane Garden Bay is a beautiful open bay with a great beach. Cane Garden Bay is where many of the cruise ship passengers come for the day, when the ships are in. Luckily, there weren’t any ships on the island when we were there.
From Cane Garden Bay we motored to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. White Bay is home to the famous Soggy Dollar Bar. The Soggy Dollar Bar is known for its Painkiller cocktail. They say the drink was invented there, but I am not sure. White Bay gets crowded from tourist boats coming from US Virgin Islands and charter boats pulling in for the day. There is limited anchorage space and the boats get creative when they anchor. We were lucky and got one of the last mooring balls in the bay because we arrived early in the day.
By 4:00 in the afternoon the day boats left, and the bay was quiet. There is no dinghy dock in White Bay, you either must swim to the beach bar (hence the name Soggy Dollar) or take your dinghy and pull it up on the beach. We chose the dinghy beach option. We went to the bar, and had the required Painkiller. One was enough. We had a beautiful evening in the quiet of White Bay.
Our next island was Norman Island with a stop at the Indians for snorkeling. It is usually a beam or close reach to Norman, but the wind was directly in our face. Oh well, we motored that way with our first stop at the Indians, a group of rocks great for snorkeling. The park service has put mooring balls around the Indians, because they don’t want you to anchor on the coral. We had a beautiful snorkel around the Indians.
On to Norman and another mooring ball. There are two bars located on or near Norman. The first is a floating pirate ship called Willy Ts. The current Willy Ts is replacement for the original that was trashed by hurricane Irma. It is famous for people jumping off the top deck, sometimes naked. It was quiet when we were there. No naked jumping by us or anyone else.
The next day we made our way to the Bight restaurant and bar. It is completely rebuilt from hurricane Irma. It is open only for lunch and dinner. We decided to hike the island, which was an adventure in exploring, as the trail was not well marked.
Our last stop before we were scheduled to go to the Marina was Cooper Island. Cooper Island Restaurant was where we had our dinner before we left for St. Martin on the start of our journey south in November of 2021. It brought back great memories. We had come full circle. It is a cool restaurant and bar that overlooks the bar that has amazing sunsets.
The next morning, we headed to Nanny Cay Marina to get the boat ready for haul out. As we were making our way to Nanny Cay a very distraught person hailed the Coast Guard on channel 16. They were at the Caves on Norman, where we were just two days prior, stated that they had a drowning victim and needed help. Pretty somber moment. It makes you appreciate life.
We arrived in Nanny Cay Marina with a long list of to dos to get the boat ready for haul out. We spent the next five days, cleaning, waxing and prepping the boat. The boat looked beautiful when we were done. We said goodbye to the boat to catch the ferry to St. Thomas for our flight back home the following day. We stayed at the Green Iguana which is another long story too long to tell here.
Our beautiful catamaran Making Connections is currently strapped down in hurricane cradles on "the hard" and being cared for by a local company. Text or WhatsApp Margie at 3038098093 for the listing if you're interested in purchasing it.
We are glad to be home spending the summer (and hurricane season) with our family and friends. That is what we missed the most about our journey. It was an amazing adventure. Unless the boat sells during hurricane season, we'll be going back down in November to put it in the water to sell then.
On to other adventures on land and sea!
Margie at the helm from St. Martin to BVI. Early morning watch was slightly chilly in the 70s.
Our view from the Cow Wreck Beach Bar where it’s self-service when the bartender is too busy or gone.
Drake the dog and Jim the Rum Runner in the bay at Bitter End.
SABA Rock finishes are very elegant.
Bitter End rebuilt after Irma. Being in BVI was very different than the rest of the Caribbean.
Snorkeled the Indians on the way to Norman Island.
The famous Willie T’s on Norman Island.
The Bight on Norman - very nice. They brought in this white sand from elsewhere. There’s a big pile of it up on the hill behind the restaurant.
Dressed up for our last night of ”vacation” on Cooper Island before we headed to the marina to prep the boat for hurricane season.
Margie met Captains Kevin and Cheryl Simmons in the laundromat. The are charter captains on their Sun Goddess. Check them out at Sun Goddess Adventures.
We don’t love being in marinas but Nanny Cay stands out. Great service!
Our beautiful ”home” strapped down for hurricane season.
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