5 days is going to fly past at light speed. What is likely to happen is that you will be returning to explore the many other
anchorages that you missed. Once the
BVI bug bites, you may be returning, and returning,
You have received marvelous suggestions, and also you may alter your planned itinerary due to
wind conditions or just because you want to.
We will toss out some favorites, but all of the BVI are about the best cruising area, especially for a first international sailing
vacation.
Will repeat many of the suggestions maybe add some additional ideas.
This will be mix and match with some snorkeling tossed in.
1. Read and learn as much as you can in the Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands. Be totally prepared.
2.
Cooper Island Short sail from Tortola. Machioneel Bay, wonderful peaceful anchorage and great first night. Several moorings, one of our fav restaurants and bar, New, additional
rum bar and brewery. Un crowded beach with small circular
wood in the
water occktail tables for sodas or libations as you frolic in the refreshing calm waters. Snorkeling at Cistern Point at the south end of the bay. Dink over from your
boat , they have
dinghy moorings at the snorkel site. Great first afternoon and first night.
3. The Baths, Virgin Gorda. I know, it is a big rave, but things have changed since it has been discovered be the few thousand passenger
cruise ships and day trippers. Frankly it was like the dallas county fair on our last trip # 14.
Moorings are filled, no
anchoring, we went into Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor, paid for a slip. And took a taxi to the baths.
We took our mask,snorkels, and fins and since we could not even get thru the masses into the baths, we enjoyed a snorkel outside the boulders to beautiful devils bay. We rested a bit, soaked up some sun, and snorkeled back. The party was on, we had a cold red stripe
beer, talked with a
cruise ship tour director Then we walked up to the TOP O THE BATHS, had lunch and a swim in their perfect swimming pool. Fact was the trail through the grottos through the boulders down at the baths was absolutely crammed and no room to enter. Suggest you talk with your
charter briefer and maybe find a time when the
cruise ship pax are not there.
4, Virgin Gorda Sound. We really like LEVERICK bay. Moorings, gets you free ice, and fresh
water for the boat. Dink ashore, make reservations for dinner upstairs or mocko jumbie , bbq, and band, on sat night. Then go swimming in the pool, take land showers, have a pain killer at the tiki bar, and dink back to the boat to return later for dinner. Super great Pussers store.
5. In North sound, you also have moorings at the BITTER END, and
SABA ROCK, next to the bitter end, SABA is ,our fav, fun happy hour. tarpon feeding time, excellent dinner and
service. Bitter end has shops and a nautical village.
Virgin gorda sound is a bit of a trip, so you can spend a couple of days there or hold off untill your next visit, With 5 days, we would explore the other islands.
6. MARINA CAY...nice easy kick back, we may swim / snorkel or dink ashore. Fresh water,
fuel, ice, small PUSSERS company store, nautical attrie and gifts. Wonderful beach, not crowded. Very nice restaurant , view of the islands, excellent
meals, and happy friendly
service. The snorkeling here, for us, is just to cool down and swim ashore, not the
marine life,
7. Up early and
motor through the camanoe
passage, to MONKEY POINT, on the southern tip of Guana Island. 30 minutes of easy
motor.. Monkey point ..early arrival pick up a national parks free mooring, Fix brakfast, and with the sun now higher, snorkel all along the small beach , rocky and
coral area. Great snorkeling.
8. JOST VAN DYKE. Several anchorages, you can read up on them. We like White BAY, but check
draft on that 42 footer if it is a
monohull, You can pick up a mooring next door at Great Harbor, and walk over or take a taxi ,or dink over to White Bay.
To liven life up a bit, the soggy dollar bar , is quite active, especially if the day trippers are there. But, there is a stack of free beach chairs, carry them down the beach a few feet,], Hendos is a new spot, not crowded, and has great
reviews. Long beautiful beach at white bay, so you have your choice of party down or just vege out, or select in between.
9. Canegarden Bay. Also ask about the
cruise ship crowds for your planning.
Study up on entering the pass. May be some nav aids. Wonderful long palm fringed beach. Live
music and fun at one of the beach bars. Our fav for drinks and dinner is Myetts,
10. For water, a nice protected marina and neat shops and outdoor restaurant, is SOPERS Hole, west end , tortola.
11. Or a last night, party down, dance, leap off the stern to cheers, is a pirate style ship bar and restaurant called the WLLY T. For a tasty and reasonable meal we have their honey dipped fried chicken, at one of the tables on the main
deck. Then
head up to the fantail bar to celebrate our last night .
12, Next morning we stop at the INDIANS and PELICAN for some great snorkeling before sailing back to tortola to turn in the boat. Now obviously it is not possible to do all of this in 5 days. We cruise the BVI for two weeks each visit. But, you need to select an itinerary that suits your personal style and what you are looking for .
13, To make things easy, we spend the first night at the moorings / sunsail base, or conch charters, at a
hotel, swim, and go out to dinner. We just want to slide into bvi time for a day or two, before sailing, and
provisioning, and chart briefings and vessel system check out.
Hope this helps in your mixing and matching, and this is only a few of the islands and anchorages. After 32 years, we are still finding new places to get on BVI time.
We go in late may, brisk good sailing reefed down winds, blue skies, maybe a tropical passing squall. Before
hurricane season and the
kids are still in
school.