Newbies Going to BVI with Moorings

[Sunspot Baby]

Hey, guess what. I find I still have our trip reports on the Internet for chartering two different years in BVI. They might give you some ideas on what to expect and how to organize the trips.

Look at BVIHomePage
and http://www.stateham.com/geoandlynn/bvi20001/

George

[Rubikoop]

The marina with 250 gallons of free water and a bag of ice included with a mooring ball is Saba Rock Saba Rock Resort in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, close to the Bitter End. They also have free WIFI, good food, antique outboard motor museum and an open air aquarium with some decent size lobsters and fish.

Generally there is enough breeze on the water that bugs are not a problem. Bugs can be bad on the beach, at sunset, with little wind. Most of the time you should have little or not trouble. On shore I have never been to a bar/restaurant in the VI that did not have complimentary bug spray (usually Off) just ask.

[jnsnwt]

Thanks to all for the great tips and words of experience :-))

The days are getting close to our trip and I still have questions LOL

On this Benetuea 51' boat that we are getting from the Moorings .... Is there a preferred sleeping berth or one berth that Sue and I should try to avoid ? We'll be sailing during the day and sleeping on the boat at night.

[Connemara]

We chartered a 47-footer this winter out of Guadeloupe.

The aft berths tend to be bigger, but if people wake up early and decide to go into the cockpit, they will be walking overhead.

I think the layout is much the same ... on our boat, the aft head was on the portside, just outside of the aft cabin door, while the fore head was just astern of the starboard cabin and had a door into the cabin as well as one into the salon.

My choice would be the starboard aft cabin -- bigger and no one having a whiz next to your head.

One thing -- you might have a discussion first day about when breakfast is. Some people like to lie in while others are raring to go. My Admiral likes to spend some time over her coffee and it bugged her when the early risers started doing dishes five minutes into her breakfast.

Have fun.

Connemara

[jnsnwt]

Connemara, your advice sounds great. Thanks for the pointers.

I read here that finding your boat out of all those in the harbor after a night of fun on the town can be a challenge. Does anyone have a tip on how to mark your boat ? Running up and down the lanes reading boat names in the dark does not rate very high on my "TODO" list. Do they make 12 volt Christmas tree lights that you could attach to the rigging as a porch lamp to help set you apart from the rest ?

[Moonchaser2304]

If you like, you can stop in to view pics from our trips to BVI brilliantly marked BVI 1, 2, 3 and 4 on the albums:
Picasa Web Albums - Curt

Also, check out Traveltalkonline VERY active go to Traveltalkonline Forums, then British Virgin Islands....go ahead and register and join in!

You also can go to the form in TTOL: Charter Boat Reviews and Questions ...the first few posts are pinned there as good reading for trip lists etc.

Enjoy!!

PS: If you ever come to DFW (Grapevine) give a shout and we'll go raise some dacron

[La Bras D'or]

Hi. WOW that a big bunch of friends on a big boat. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Looking down the posts, you've already gotten some great advice from other members. I'm been to Tortola several times in the past 3 years most recently last month and have chartered with the Moorings twice so if you have any specific questions just let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. Tip - the grocery stores in Road Town, where the Moorings base is, will pick up the taxi fare if you want to go to the store to do you own provisioning (that's what I do). I'll put in a plug for "Rite Way Food Market" who have always had a good selection! CAUTION drugs are treated very seriously in the BVI's. Its a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to be jailed there !!!

[La Bras D'or]

Oh, and one other thing. The forward "V" births are sometimes a little more rollie at night if you have sea swells and the anchor chain might rattle a bit. However, weather you anchor or pick-up a ball (my suggested way for you) the boat will always point into the wind and you will get a wonderful breeze coming in the hatch for sleeping. I'll take the breeze in the "V" birth every time given the choice!

[jnsnwt]

La Bras D'or, thanks for the offer of 1st hand knowlege from the Moorings.

1. With limited water on board for showers are there showers available at the dock ? something like a KOA shower where for a few dollars you can have a LONG hot shower?

2. Moorings provides snorkel gear and I wear glasses. Do they offer a mask that accepts glasses ? That way Jaws can't sneak up on me

3. Do I need a license to fish in the harbor while parked for the night ?
Is there anything (fish wise) to catch in the water ? Where do I get the license?

[Hud3]

j,

1. I've sailed in the BVI a few times, but never with The Moorings. They probably have showers available at their docks--most charter companies do. But don't count on finding showers sprinkled around the islands. Here's a plan. Buy a couple of bottles of Joy dishwashing liquid. Dilute it 1:1 in a flip top bottle of some sort (it goes on better that way). Jump off the stern to get wet. Climb back up, soap up with the Joy, and jump back in to rinse. Climb back up and have a freshwater rinse from the pull-out spray nozzle (almost all boats have them). Saves TONS of fresh water. Most do this with a suit on, but some do it without.

2. You're probably going to have to snorkel without your glasses. My daughter-in-law SCUBAs, and had a custom dive mask made up with corrective lens. It wasn't too awfully expensive.

3. You absolutely, positively DO need a fishing license. A boater from the USVI was jailed and fined over $30,000 for fishing in BVI waters without a license. You can get one at the Customs offices (West End, Road Town, Spanishtown, or Jost Van Dyke). That being said, I think it's a waste of time, energy and sanity to haul fishing gear on an airplane. IF you catch anything, you won't know what it is, or if you can eat it without dying. There are plenty other activities to keep you occupied. You don't need to fish.

[Auspicious]

I strongly concur with the advice to read through the information in the forums on Traveltalkonline.

For dinner your first night I recommend Spaghetti Junction. The people at the Moorings can tell you how to get there.

Water - you can get water at the docks in Roadtown, Soper's Hole, Spanishtown (I wouldn't plan to stay over there - hot and sticky), Marina Cay, Saba Rock (note free water offer above), Leverick Bay (I think they have the same water offer as Saba Rock), and the new dock in Cane Garden Bay.

Cell phone - From Jost Van Dyke and western Tortola (and sometimes Cooper) you can pick up the cell signal from the USVI. Otherwise, if you have a GSM phone (AT&T and T-Mobile) you can roam onto the BVI system. That isn't cheap, but not terrible as long as you don't spend too much time on the phone.

Provisions - RiteWay and Bobby's have the best reputation among repeat charterers. Both have on-line order forms and will deliver; some people prefer doing their own shopping.

Newbie mistakes - losing a dinghy (or mistaking someone else's for yours) and dragging anchor are the ones that lead to the best stories.

Moorings - I chartered regularly with the Moorings between 1983 (I think) and 2006 when I bought Auspicious. They have been a first-rate operation. There are still some growing pains associated with the semi-merger with Sunsail (both Moorings and Sunsail are owned by the same parent company) and the consolidation of facilities in Roadtown. You have to take responsibility for making sure everything works before you leave the dock and tracking down someone to get it fixed; you'll spend a lot of time trying to get out if you just wait politely, so hunt someone down politely. Double-check that your water tanks are full before you leave regardless of what you are told by the dock staff. Be sure you really understand how the refrigerator works (many are engine-driven with a separate timer switch) and where any water tank cut-over valves are.

Itinerary - Evening starts are great, but I have still found it difficult to get off the dock before about 11. My choice is to sail around a bit to shake down boat and crew and spend the first night at Cooper Island (get a ball as far to the North in the field as you can - better breeze wrapping around the point and the water is cleanest); Cooper has what I think are the best sunsets in the islands. When you stop at the Baths, pick up an NPT ball as far South as you can and dinghy into the dinghy line in Devil's Bay -- there is less traffic and you are at the other end of the Baths rock formation -- you won't miss anything, it's all connected. I have come to like the Leverick Bay side of North Sound better than the Saba Rock/BEYC side but can't put my finger on why. I'm not a big fan of Anegada but I love the sail there and back -- others love the place so you'll have to decide for yourself. If you go to Anegada, plan a long hop back to Jost Van Dyke -- a great sail. Stop at Sandy Spit for lunch/snorkeling - it is the classic deserted island. Jost Van Dyke / White Bay is lovely and I think nicer than Great Harbor, although if you are partiers you won't want to miss Foxy's (some people anchor in White Bay and take a taxi to Foxy's). Soper's is a nice mid-trip provisioning stop but can be hot at night. The Jolly Roger next to the custom's dock is great for lunch or dinner. There is a formation between Norman Island / The Bight and The Indians called Ring of Rocks - it is off the regular routes and I think the snorkeling there is better.

There is a cultural imperative to greet people before getting to business. If you say hello to folk in stores and behind shop counters before you ask for something you will be treated better.

Have fun.

sail fast, dave

[Tempest245]

If I recall, there were enclosed outdoor shoreside showers at Myettes (sp) at Cane Garden Bay. If seven people are taking "long" hot showers on your vessel, I fear you will spend your vacation looking for water to fill your tanks. The get wet, lather up, rinse off, method should be deployed imo.

I agree with Hud, Fishing would probably more trouble than it is worth. I'm much happier " Swimming with the Fishes"

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Tempest245

If I recall, there were enclosed outdoor shoreside showers at Myettes (sp) at Cane Garden Bay...

I believe that the public washrooms are adjacent to Myett's, but I don’t recall any PUBLIC showers on the beach, at Cane Garden Bay.
Several of the Hotels have outdoor showers for their guest rooms.

[Tempest245]

Gord

You are correct, the showers aren't "public". They are for the guests and customers of Myett's. They were behind the restaurant at the foot of the stairs to the hotel, near the gift shops. I don't remember what we paid for the use of the showers but I think it was reasonable. Myett's also makes a great pain killer, and the food was very good.

Tempest

[jnsnwt]

We had a great time and wanted to thank everyone for their help.

Here are a few random thoughts now that the trip is over.

1. I should have asked how many smokers were in the group.
two smokers were very considerate but one always seemed to be upwind of the non-smokers.

2. I should have asked what the others wanted out of this trip.
One fellow wanted to practice offshore racing and felt if the boat was not heeled over hard all the time it just was not right.

3. Of the 5 other folks I knew 3 of them moderatly well. the other couple were complete strangers to us. I had no idea any of them drank soooo much. I am not against a social drink or a beer after I mow the yard. But I never have been around 4 folks that had a Bloody Mary for breakfast every day. At the airport those 4 had 4-6 mixed drinks each while I drank one beer waiting for the plane.

4. be sure to discuss keeping reciepts. On the last day settle up so you end up "even Stevens" Don't just take turns buying stuff.
When you go to a cafe be sure to get seperate checks.


But to end on a positive note it was the trip of a lifetime and I would encourage anyone to do it. Just ask lots of questions before you sign on.