Captain’s Blog

Day 1 Manuel Reef Tortola – the Bight, Norman Island

The journey through the Virgin Islands began today with my two crew members Debbie and Daniel, from Manuel Reef on Tortola, British Virgin Islands on a 38 feet catamaran. Once outside the channel we hoisted the sails and headed for Norman Islands, also known as Treasure Island. The winds were blowing from the east at 15 knots and the seas were moderate, this made for a lovely sail across the Sir Francis Drake Channel. The sail ended at the Bight in Norman Island where calm, soothing turquoise waters enveloped by a powdery white sand beach caressed our bodies. As we plunged into the blue, all our cares that were already being lifted from sailing suddenly disappeared. We sat and watched the sun set then disappeared over St. John and a perfect day has come to an end.

Day 2 Norman Island – Cooper Island

July 26, today we met some friends in the bay and went for an early morning hike to the top of Norman Island. Here we had the most picturesque view of the bay and the islands lying peacefully in the distance. Once back from the walk, we moved the yacht to the caves where we snorkeled for several hours. Some of the most colorful fish were spotted, a sea turtle and a rather large barracuda that took shade under our boat. After snorkeling, we had lunch then sailed to Cooper Island, along the way we overtook a large catamaran and a mono hull that were sailing in the distance. The winds were blowing at about 22 knots which made for an exciting sail that was eventually cut short by torrential rain and heavy winds. We finally made it to Cooper Island only to find the restaurant under construction, so we fired up the grilled and enjoyed the breath taking view of the sunset. The steaks were unbelievably good, a rare treat from the Captain with the assistance of her young crew member and once this food fair was over we all crashed… the mark of another perfect fun filled day.

Day 3 Cooper Island – Marina Cay

July 27, the water was so inviting we couldn’t resist, Debbie first jumped in for an early morning swim and after breakfast we went for a tour of the island by dinghy. The rock formation on the western tip of the island just off Cistern point carved by the hands of nature could easily be considered one of the “7 wonders of the world,” however I will leave that decision up to you. After the scenic tour I hoisted the sail, departed the bay and set sail heading east on the Sir Francis Drake Channel. The wind was perfect; blowing south easterly meant I could make it to my destination without changing sails. Today the swells were rather large which made for a Disney world type experience and as I cleared Beef Island, I eased the sails to make use of the wind. Just outside Marina Cay I dropped the sails and motored into the harbor where my 15 year old crew member did a perfect job of picking up the mooring ball. Once we were secured I threw the toys overboard so the girls could play and of course who could resist? Once again we were enjoying nature. We later dinghed to the Pussers restaurant at Marina Cay were we all had just a little too much to eat. Seeing we couldn’t decide whether to stay on the beach and read under the inviting cabanas, we made our way back to the boat and relaxed. At 6PM we fired up the grill, oh the chicken was so good, accompanied by so pumpkin rice, oh yeah! finger licking. It is now 10:39 pm to be exact and all except me the (the captain of course) has fallen into the land of far far away. Until next time…

Day 4 Marina Cay – Virgin Gorda

This wind is howling today and the sea is roaring, as we set sail just out side the reef, our plan was to make it to The Baths in one straight shot but the wind and the current would not have any of it so we got pushed down the Sir Francis Drake Channel which means we had to head for Fallen Jerusalem and then make a short tack up the channel then to The Baths. As we approached the bay, I noticed there were no more mooring balls available so I prepared to anchor in the eastern end of the bay and the silly anchor decide it would not corporate. As I began contemplating plan C I noticed a catamaran was leaving the mooring field, I became very excited, then this excitement quickly faded when I noticed there was a power boat packed to capacity heading in the same direction. Needless to say, he headed close to shore after what he thought was a closer ball to the beach, bad move on his part seeing we made it to the ball before him of course to his disappointment. Once the boat was secured I dinghied the girls to the beach and I later returned the dinghy to the dinghy mooring and swam ashore. Unbelievable beautiful and to top it all off, the beach was empty. We explored the magnificent rock formations before going for a snorkel and when it was time to leave, none of us wanted to get out of the water but seeing we had to make our way to the other end of the island for the night we decided to call it a day, much to our disappointment. We made it to Gorda Sound at about 5PM where I rescued a Kayak and we then head to the Bitter End Yacht Club for dinner. There was so much food, I was full just from looking at it but it was all good. After such a busy fun day, 20 minutes after returning to the boat I literally crashed and that was the end of yet another perfect day in paradise.

Day 5 Virgin Gorda – Anegada

This leg of the trip was long anticipated before even setting foot on the yacht. We all wanted to sail to the forbidden paradise called “Anegda” and not even the weather was going to stand in our way. We untied from our mooring, filled up with water at the dock, raised the sails and then later Daniel and Debbie rescue one of our fenders that decided to go for a swim just as we were about to leave. The wind was blowing from the north east which was perfect, seeing this made for a straight sail to Anegada. I took a compass heading of 10 degrees magnetic from the outer green buoy at Colquhoun Reef which landed me on the first red channel entrance marker for the harbor in Anegada 2 hours later. While I enjoyed the breathtaking views as we sailed, the girls devoured their books which made for a very peaceful and relaxing journey. Of course you cannot go to Anegada and not partake in the lobster feast, this is half the reason for sailing their anyway. We went ashore and made our dinner reservations at Anegada Reef hotel where we were treated like royalty and as the girls headed off to the beach I decided to hang out in the harbor enjoying the solitude. Dinner was a real winner, the lobster was to die for and everyone was in their glory. As you know though, all good things must come to an end so after dinner we lugged our over stuffed selves back to the boat with full stomachs and smiles on our faces.

Day 6 Anegada – Anegada

OK just in case you were wondering…yes we spent 2 days in Anegada, and it was nothing but eventful. As I piddled about the boat trying to decide what to have for breakfast, I noticed another boat was pointing straight at us with his Jib flying (front sail) but the boat was not moving and seeing we were anchored in about 5 feet of water I figured the neighboring boat must be on the sand. Of course I ran outside to investigate the matter and while the poor lad tried to free the boat, all the other yachtsmen sat around on their boat staring (as you will learn when in a harbor, everyone is always looking for entertainment so avoid being the center of attention). I jumped in my dinghy and went over to offer some assistance but of course you know how you men can be at time, acting all macho, he was just about ready to decline the help of a girl but I think he caught on quickly that I may be his only hope at that time, so he agreed to take the help. The boat was stuck so hard in the sand, even when I pushed against it at full force using the dinghy, it did not move an inch. I then gathered 2 other dinghy drivers to help with the mission, as we pushed and pushed and pulled the boat finally came free and off they went (of course being very grateful for the help). Ok, so I returned to my boat and finished my breakfast. Once this ordeal was over I drove the girls ashore again to go to the beach and it was at this time I decided going for a dive may not be a bad idea. I left with the dive boat for the breath taking conch shell patch, unlike anything I had seen before; there we did a shallow dive. We later moved to the outer reef and did a deeper dive, where I saw some of the most colorful fish and corals, it made me want to stay down forever. While I was enjoying my lovely dive, I noticed a rather large barracuda going by and he was opening and closing his unusually large mouth as if he had a big mouth full. Uniquely enough, it is one of the few sea creatures that breathe through its mouth. Ok, the day is coming to an end and we must get going, our next stop was the dive on the cannons and anchor that are buried about a mile out from the reef that have been sitting there since the 17th century. It was one of those moments when it seems there were kindred spirits lurking, not eerie, just a good feeling of knowing that there were others way before our time, that were quite as fascinated by the ocean as we are. Ok, not to bore you, I later returned to the bay and by this, I was starving so I quickly got dressed and showed up at Neptune’s Treasure where we had lobster again for the second night in a row. You would agree with me that the lobster in Anegada is to die for.

Day 7 Anegada – Guana Island

Okay we really enjoyed Anegda, the solitude, the people (a population of only 250), the snorkeling, diving, lobster and the list goes on but we have to move on as new waters awaits us. We couldn’t leave however without taking a bit of the freshness with us, so I went ashore this morning and got some fresh yellow tail snappers from the local fisher man. As we headed out of the channel I raised the sail, turned the engine off and we listened to the waves lap against the hull and the wind whistles its favorite tunes. I set the sails and about 21/2 hours later we were at Monkey Point on Guana Island. I will have to say this is one of my favorite spots in the BVI and as we approached we were just in time to get the last mooring ball as we secretly hoped that all the other boats leave, so we could have the bay to ourselves. Well our wish was almost grated, all but 2 boats left which was quite nice seeing there were now only a total of 3 boats in the bay for the night. I dropped the girls on the beach once again; about 2 miles of powdery white sand beach and they were the only ones as far as the eyes could see. Time to get the fish ready for the grill so I seasoned it with some onions, garlic, sweet peppers and my secret ingredients and then wrapped the in aluminum foil. The fish are now ready for the grill but I need to pick the girls up from the beach, so I left the fish to sit for a little while as the seasonings soaked in. Ok…to get tot he point. it is time for the grill, I lit the charcoal and as I waited for it to be ready, I went on deck to enjoy the magnificent sunset and the moon that had already start to show its smiley face, it was at this time I heard a clattering noise, sounded like the wind had blown the bar b q grill cover off but seeing it was attached by a metal wire I wasn’t to worried. About 5 minutes later as I stacked the fish on the grill, I noticed there was no cover…yes that clattering noise was when the cover took a dive so now we had a cover-less grill and the fish is sitting on the flame. Not to worry, cover or no cover we were going to have fish tonight, I kept turning the fish until the aroma fumigated our nostril and the interior of the boat, I checked to see how they were doing only to find they were done to perfection. I must say the best fish I have had in a long time, thanks to Chef Marsha. We sat under the stars and enjoyed the meal and it was about 5 minutes later I new my bed was calling. Another perfect end to a perfect day.

Day 8 Guana Island – Jost Van Dyke

As the sun rose, we rose with it and in as much as we did not want to leave our new spot we had one more place that we needed to see to ensure little Daniel got her share of paradise and then we will let the wind dictate the rest of the journey. We had breakfast, went for a swim and then set sail along the north side of Tortola, making our way to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. On a down wind sail, the sea was mostly flat and the boat quite stable, as the girls read their books, I played with the sails, making sure to get that perfect sail shape. The journey was very quiet and uneventful, not evening jibing once but then just as I sailed by Sandy Cay, I noticed a rather large fin accompanied by a large brown spot breaking the surface off to the starboard side of the boat. I kept my eyes peeled on the area and to my surprise, two rather large dolphins were making their was towards the boat and even though at first the girls did not see them as they stared in the wrong direction, they were amazed to see how close they came to the boat. The dolphins I guess were the only thing that could peel them away from their books on such a pleasant sail. Ok, so we were entertained by the dolphins and they jumped and frolicked and then it was time to carry on with our journey. We later arrived in White Bay where its indescribable beauty always captures my attention, the girls gladly swam ashore to the Soggy Dollar where we spent the rest of the day playing on the beach then ending the day with dinner at Sand Castle. On our way to dinner, my charming crew member Debbie in her attempt to help haul the dinghy to the beach managed to land nicely on her butt in the sand which made for a belly full of laughter, of course she is doing just fine, she just had to make our evening even more fun and this was her contribution. We wouldn’t trade this for the world…LIFE IS GOOOOOOOOD!

Day 9 Jost Van Dyke – Peter Islands

No one can deny the beauty of nature, after another wonderful day and a very slow morning getting up; it was time to seek out new adventure. I raised the sail, pulled anchor and departed the bay taking care not to get pushed onto the reef which was only about 5 feet from the yacht. As soon as we made it outside the bay, the heaviest rainstorm I had seen in a long time descended upon us out of no where. It was almost as if we were in a daze, 10 am looked more midnight. As the oversized rain drops tore into my skin I sat on watch to ensure we did not collide with another vessel with visibility less than 1/4 of a mile. With the knowledge that the squall would pass all I had to do was lay low for a while so I reduced the rpm just enough to keep steerage, holding a compass heading of 142 degrees magnetic while Debbie and Daniel took cover inside the boat.

10 minutes later the squall passed and the sun once again shun in all its glory and soon there after the girls resurfaced. As we made our way to what would be the final stop before our return to Manuel reef, I could see Debbie was not ready for her adventure in the islands to be over, it was only fitting for me to remind her to seize the moment when she suddenly snapped back into the present. We made our way to Great Harbor Peter island where Danny and I jumped into the dinghy and headed ashore while Debbie gracefully submerged herself into the water and took a leisurely swim to shore where we had a lovely lunch at the “Oceans Seven Beach Club.” we later took a tour of the Peter Island Resort, home of the largest iguanas I have ever seen. They were unusually ugly but fascinating to watch, one could tell they were rare bread, by which Daniel was not very impressed. We took a tour of the property and then headed back to the boat. While both girls swam off the back of the boat I rigged a dock line to a float to make an inner tube. Once Daniel draped the tube under her arm I used the dinghy to pull her through the bay and the fun was in full swing as we now had an audience, we felt the need for speed so I revved the engine and she was now flying through the water and eventually got face planted into the ocean, this was definitely the highlight of the afternoon for both our fellow yachtsmen / women and us. As night fell, we all decided to make it an early end to another very full but fun day.

Day 10 Peter Island – Manuel Reef

This is the final morning with the girls and no one was in a hurry to return to the marina. We did some last minute packing before Debbie took one last swim and then we said good bye to Peter Island. The seas were moderate but seeing we had to return to the marina by noon, we journey once more across the Sir Francis Drake Channel, only to have the port engine take a rest about ½ ways into the journey. We managed to dock the boat with one engine and about 15 minutes later I was off to meet my new crew members; my journey at sea continued while Daniel and Debbie’s had regretfully come to an end. We said our goodbyes and hope to meet again on the high seas. As we like to say, “all good things must come to an end but life does go on” and with that we went our separate ways, with lots of fond memories to last a lifetime.

Day 11 Road Town – Norman Island

Today is carnival in Road Town (Emancipation celebration) and the streets are buzzing with excitement, the music, the colorful costumes and people of all age and creed are gyrating in the streets. I arrived in Road Town just past noon and met my new crew members who were only too eager to set sail. We topped off our water tanks and left the dock for Norman Island on a sleek 51 feet beneteau, where we met a deserted beach, seeing the only restaurant on the beach was now closed for the season. The eight crew members went crazy zooming around the bay in the dinghy which by this I could tell would be their favorite toy for the next 9 days. Once they had their fill of the dinghy, they landed at the Willy T’s where they had just a little too much to drink and a rather large bar bill. The night was uneventful and I decided to retire to bed early but how could I not stop to admire the stars on display in the sky, strategically placed and on parade just for me.

Day 12 Norman Island – Jost Van Dyke

To mix the itinerary up just a bit, I decided to stop at the caves for an early morning snorkel then sail west along the Sir Francis Drake Channel, hugging the rugged shoreline of St. John. The sails were set on a broad reach which made for a perfect sail as we were being pushed by the wind, current and the waves in the right direction. We made our way between Steele Point and Great Thatch and the crew members were amazed by the share beauty of the villas that so eloquently lined the exterior of the islands. The journey lasted about 1 hr and 45 minutes. Which was excellent timing and just long enough for the crew to discover their sea legs. Once I arrived in White Bay, I lost all the crew members as they ditched the boat for the beautiful white sand beach. I am still trying to figure out if the mad dash to the beach was because of its natural beauty or the famous painkillers that lie in wait at the Soggy Dollar Bar, but whatever the reason was, they were happy to be there. We spent most of the day here frolicking and then later moved to Great Harbor Jost Van Dyke where we spent the night. The grill was rocking and the crew was jiving, all in the spirit of good food and location. Once we all had our fill they all head ashore to check out the night life on shore.

Day 13 Jost Van Dyke – Tortola (Cane Garden Bay)

Anticipating another lovely sail, I figured the best way to begin the day was with breakfast ashore at Corsairs. I hopped in the dinghy and sure enough, it was business as usual as Chef Rodger welcomed me in. he made me my favorite breakfast while I checked my email on his computer. Delicious – Corsairs is a definitely a must on my itinerary. Okay, so I did ditch the crew but it was worth it, now I am ready to take on the day. All hands on deck, we raised the anchor and our first stop is at Sandy Cay, one of the most picturesque beaches in the islands, I dropped the anchor and the crew dinghied ashore in search of new adventure. Some swam, others hiked and they all explored this piece of paradise, it was all good, they were in their glory and that made me happy. We later moved to Sandy Spit, your own piece of paradise, a rather small islands adorned by powdery white sand and one palm tree, we could not resist. Once the crew had their fill of the beach for the day, we sailed across the north side of the island, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the half moon crescent beach called Cane Garden Bay where I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen in a while. As the sun set over Jost Van Dyke it seemed to have taken all our cares with it and we were once more reminded that creation happened with man in mind.

Day 14 Cane Garden Bay – Virgin Gorda (Spanish Town)

Okay, this is no joke, we sat around and looked at each other for at least 11/2 hrs, seems none of us wanted to leave this gorgeous bay even though we knew we had to, so we hoisted the sails and waived goodbye to our neighbors. Two tacks and an hour and 20 minutes later we were at Monkey Point on Guana Island only to find too many boats, almost as if there was accidentally bumped into a pre planned party in full swing. The snorkel was excellent as always as we were graced by a school of squids, some lovely yellow tail snapper and of course some jelly fish which was a reminder that summer was upon us. After lunch we left for Marian Cay where we took on water then we head off to Spanish Town leaving Scrub Island and the Dogs to port. While in Spanish Town, we stocked up on food and then spent the night in St. Thomas Bay where we made dinner and had our fill. The sky was lit by the moon and the stars, as I lay on the deck and counted shooting stars. It truly took my breathe away, a perfect end to a somewhat hectic day.

Day 15 Spanish Town (Virgin Gorda) – North Sound (VG)

A visit to Virgin Gorda would not be complete without a stop at The Baths, just after breakfast we left for the Baths which was about 10 minutes away from our overnight stop. Once at the Baths, the crew explored the rock formation and then hiked to the top of the hill where the plunged into the freshwater pool. On my tour of the bay I ran into the famous Richard Branson and his cronies as they jumped off the boulders and entertained both themselves an the entire harbor, once they had their fill the took off towards Necker Island in their oversized speed boats. Once the crew was water logged, they returned to the boat full of glee we head off to Gorda Sound were I met my friend on his yacht for a send off party, we had some scrumptious shark and mackerel on the grill done in good island style. The gathering lasted a little longer than anticipated and seeing I knew my journey to Anegada was eminent I had to get some rest to take on the journey.

Day 16 North Sound to Anegada

The long awaited and anticipated journey by the crew was finally here and even though most of the crew members were excited about the sail the new comers were a little nervous about being out of site of land and what they thought would be a very long journey. The weather was perfect winds blowing 25 knots gusting 27 to 30 knots so I settled some of their concerns by promising them we would make it to Anegada in 1hr and 45 minutes. I hoisted the sail and set a compass heading of 10 degrees magnetic in pursuit of the “forbidden paradise.” The sail was very pleasant and as the boat took on the seas, the water came crashing over the starboard side of the boat where some of the crew members were sitting next to the rail, they were wet but enjoying it as Nick tried to perform a stunt and was almost swept overboard but as vigilant as I am, I anticipated the move and was able to steer into the wind and flatten the boat to help him regain his footing. In exactly the time predicted, we arrived at Setting Point in Anegada. The crew all head to the beach while I sat onshore and hung out with the locals and later made my way into the town with population of 200 to unwind for the day. As night fell, I found myself mesmerized by the peace and quite of Anegada

Day 17 Anegada – Spanish Town

Now that the crew had their fill of the beach, lobster and serenity it was time to sail south. The journey takes us on a reach towards The Dogs where we are anticipating excellent snorkeling. Once we were there we all jumped in and explored the reefs where Patrick spotted a reef shark and the others explored the land as well as the waters while the ladies head for a deserted beach in the dinghy wrestling with shallow waters and trying desperately not to damage the coral heads on the way in.

Once we were done exploring we picked up the anchor and head for Spanish Town once again where we spent the night in anticipation for an early sail to Norman Island.

Day 18 Spanish Town – Road Town via Norman Island

The crew was feeling very adventurous today and with the end of the vacation in site they were geared to squeeze as much in to the rest of the day. We spent the night at Bight where we arrived just after 5pm. I headed ashore where I hung out for a few hours in the solitude then later retired to the boat which brought down the curtains to another eventful day. The final day and we stopped at Deadman’s Bay Beach on Peter Island where we snorkeled with turtles and played on the beautiful white sand beach. We took a tour of the five star spa and then moved on to Salt Island to check out the Wreck of the Whrone, here the movie “the deep” was filmed. The current was a little strong and the roles from the waves made it a little bit of a challenge for our beginner snorkel so I made sure they wore life jackets. It was well worth it, they were very exited about seeing their first wreck and one that had so much history. Now it was time to move on so we set sail to Road Town which marked our end of another perfect journey.