Caribbean Bound: The British Virgin Islands Part I

The British Virgin Islands

One of the big changes in the sailing trip now are the close distances of all the anchorages. This area deserves the great reputation for the great experiences on the thousands of chartered boats that ply these historic waters. Until the Virgin Islands I would be up early getting the boat ready for an entire day of moving to make 40 or 50 miles to the next safe area before dark. Once in the Virgin Island chain we often didn't even raise the sails as you can see the next anchorage a couple of miles away. This was the case for the epic one mile journey to a new country, British Virgin Islands, and Sopers Hole the customs check in point.

Sopers Hole is well named, a small deep harbor with steep sides into which the surrounding sewage flows. Even the expensive Pain Killer from Pussers Bar couldn't keep us there long so the next day we sailed off to Normans Island in the Sir Francis Drake Channel. These gems have very few people but the beaches are perfect and there is usually a beach bar or two to provide pain killers. We made a brief stop along the way to snorkel at the Indians, a small collection of coral and rocks nearby. The coral was healthy and varied, maybe the best I have every seen with great visibility.

We anchored in The Bight on Normans and tied to one of the ubiquitous $25/night bouys dotting the bay. Julie and Stacy found some electricity and a good internet connection at the beach bar while I tidied up a bit. The other establishment in The Bight is Willy Ts, an old schooner anchored in the bay serving food and drinks. Famous for topless girls jumping of the cabin roof, Willy Ts was not kind of quiet as the charter season in rapidly waning.

Next Day, new harbor, Road Town, the capitol of the BVIs on Tortola where we reprovisioned. The busy capitol city reminded me of Nassau but with the sewer system of Luperon, rivers of stench in culverts flowing into the sea. We explored a little and walked by the recently closed prison dating to 18th century prison where the some pirates were hung no doubt.

We decided to go as far east as we could in the temporary light conditions and motored all of 10 miles or so to the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, the pregnant virgin. Aptly named for its distinctive shape, it is the favorite island for many. We stopped briefly at the Baths, a famous pile of boulders which has great snorkeling but the visibility was not good. My first attraction in the North Sound is the Bitter Island Yacht Club. Visitin the famous Quarter Deck Bar has been on my list for 3 decades. Sipping the painkiller overlooking the sound and my boat was serene. The real gem though was the Saba Rock Resort next door, a cool marina and bar totally covering all of the small rock on which it sits. Food and drinks in the BVIs are pretty pricey. A large bag of chips can be $6 or more, so a happy hour serving $2.50 painkillers like at Saba Rock is something to get your attention. We sat with our buddies on Zero to Cruising as the sun set and large Tarpon swam right off the dinghy dock in front of us.

There is an oddball island in the BVIs, Anegada. It is the largest of all the BVIs with about 300 permanent residents. The island is flat like the Bahamas with almost no trees but surrounded by coral reefs and shallow water. Julie and Stacy fell in love with the place. The restaurants surrounding the harbor offer up the gems from the surrounding waters, big lobster, about $50 for the bug and all the trimmings. We rented a car with Mike and Rebecca for the 30 minute drive to the north side of the island famous for its beaches. They did not disappoint. The extensive reef system is right off the sandy beach with shacks nearby selling food and drinks. Our second stop was my favorite with its 20ft. coral canyons and large tarpon swimming along side. I saw big grouper, snapper, and all the usual colorful reef specimens but no lobster. I could have gone nuts with a spear but spears are illegal in the BVIs.

To be Continued...