Second BVI Trip - Recommend Itinerary with Anegada Passage

[seahorseFL]

My partner and I are headed down to BVI for our second "annual" trip with Sunsail- I think this may become a habit

I posted last year about our 5-day itinerary, in which we did Norman, Cooper, VG, then Trellis. This year, I'd like to do Anegada, weather permitting of course. We have 6 days this time. Captain is an experienced sailor and navigator.

I had read a suggested itinerary to set out to the Dogs for the first night, then on to Anegada. Assuming one night on Anegada, what should the rest of our itinerary look like? We would like to fit in Jost this time.

Note that we are scuba divers so diving stop suggestions are welcome.

With 20-25 knots last trip, we were limited from some of the less-travelled moorings and anchorages. We are hoping to fit in more "off the beaten path" anchorages this time...

Thanks for any advice and recommendations you can provide.

[Hud3]

Most folks head up to North Sound on Virgin Gorda and spend the night there before heading up to Anegada. The Dogs are pretty exposed, but I suppose you could spend the night there. Try to leave in time to reach Anegada when the sun's high in the sky. The entrance isn't terribly tricky, but if you're not experienced in reading coral, it would be wise to claim every advantage you can.

From Anegada, you could sail down to Cane Garden Bay. Next day, it's a short hop to Jost van Dyke. Stop at Sandy Cay for it's nature trail and a nice beach.

That's Jost, with Sandy Cay off to the left, viewed from high up on Tortola.
.

[seahorseFL]

Lovely picture! Thanks for the tips. Yes, North Sound on VG may be a better option for the first night.

[maytrix]

Id leave from north sound as well. Or you could stay in the cove near mountain point. There are a couple of dive errors there which you could do before heading to Anegada.

I don't think you can do much diving in Anegada without doing some sort of rendezvous.

Other sites I'd recommend are brewers bay. Bronco billy at the dogs is also as good site. Too many others to mention them all.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by seahorseFL

My partner and I are headed down to BVI for our second "annual" trip with Sunsail- I think this may become a habit

Six days is pretty tight for a trip that includes Anegada.

The moorings at the Dogs are National Parks Trust balls and not appropriate to spend the night on. Some of the charter companies require you leave someone aboard competent to move the boat if the mooring fails; there have been maintenance shortfalls on the NPT balls. The bottom falls off pretty fast so anchoring around The Dogs would be a trick.

You've already visited Norman, Cooper, VG, and Trellis.

Get yourselves in gear and get moving on day 1 for Marina Cay. There is some shallow water diving along Guana that is nice. Good snorkeling on the Marina Cay reef.

Day 2 get going between 8 and 9 and head for Anegada. There is a dive site NW of Anegada (the name of which escapes me) for which you may be able to arrange a rendezvous dive. The last I heard the only ball there (commercial only) was gone so you need accurate GPS coordinates and someone to hover the boat during the dive.

Day 3 stay at Anegada and visit Cow Wreck Beach and Flash of Beauty.

Day 4 sail Anegada to Jost Van Dyke. Stop to visit Sandy Spit or Green Cay and the night in Little Harbor (for a quiet group) or Great Harbor (for dinner at Foxy's or Corsairs for a rowdier group).

Day 5 anchor behind Peter Island at Key Cay. Good snorkleing and shallow water diving. Alternatively anchor in Money Bay on the South side of Norman Island.

Day 6 return to Roadtown.

Have a great time - next time do 9 or 10 days. With more time you can sometimes get one of the dive shops to meet you mornings or evenings and swap tanks so you don't have to stop and refill yourself.

This year, I'd like to do Anegada, weather permitting of course. We have 6 days this time. Captain is an experienced sailor and navigator.

I had read a suggested itinerary to set out to the Dogs for the first night, then on to Anegada. Assuming one night on Anegada, what should the rest of our itinerary look like? We would like to fit in Jost this time.

Note that we are scuba divers so diving stop suggestions are welcome.

With 20-25 knots last trip, we were limited from some of the less-travelled moorings and anchorages. We are hoping to fit in more "off the beaten path" anchorages this time...

Thanks for any advice and recommendations you can provide.[/QUOTE]

[Gadagirl]

I second Auspicious suggestion, only I'd spend 2 days there. I'd take a dive or a snorkel off the North side of Anegada on day 2 .

OK people that know me will laugh, I'd really spend most of my time there.

[TEE]

I think Auspicious has some good suggestions. I have been to the BVI around twenty four times, and spent the greater part of two seasons there. My philosophy is not to be bound to a definite schedule when I go because I let the weather control what I do more than anything. Don't overnight at the Dogs. You could get into trouble there pretty easily and the moooring balls are not suitable for more than a day time dive. Also, it is not suitable for anchoring. If you want to see Anegada, I would head out from the charter base the first day as soon as possible and make it to Marina Cay or, better yet, North Sound. Then weather permitting head on to Anegada the next day. To enjoy Anegada, you need to plan on spending two nights there. So your first three nights are taken by the time you leave Anegada. Then, if sea state is acceptable, you could head out from Anegada directly to Jost Van Dyke spending the forth night at Diamond Cay and on to the bubbly pool the next morning. After seeing the bubbly pool, on to Sandy Spit for some snorkeling and lunch, then a short sail over to West End for the fifth night. The next morning head over to Norman, snorkel at the caves, spend the night. And the next day at some point, back to the base. That's cramming a lot into a short time and involves a lot of sailing, which is probably something you would want. There are a lot of things to do is the weather goes foul and you decide to hang out at West End, North Sound, and Trellis Bay. At those locations you can get off the boat easily and see stuff on land.

Some other advice of an unsolicited nature. Don't get caught in Cane Garden, or any north facing anchorage if there is any chance of a Northerly swell. Manchionel Bay and Spanish town anchorages can get pretty rolly and uncomfortable if there is a swell. If the weather gets awful, but not bad enough to cancel the charter, Norman Island, Marina Cay, North Sound, the inside tuck in at little harbor in Jost, and West end are places you may want to consider hanging out for weather protection. Great harbor ain't that great a place for good anchor holding. Finally, Saba rock has the best fish tacos and frozen drinks in the islands. Good luck. d

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by TEE

Great harbor (JVD) ain't that great a place for good anchor holding.

The world has changed. There is still plenty of room to anchor in Great Harbor JVD but there are 20 moorings in there now.

[seahorseFL]

Thanks - two nights on Anegada is starting to sound like a good idea....

[Rubikoop]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

The world has changed. There is still plenty of room to anchor in Great Harbor JVD but there are 20 moorings in there now.

Agree but wish to interject that about another 15-20 more moorings were added over on the western side since I was there last Saturday for a total of 35-40. Sitting here now the mooring field is starting to look like the Bight or Trellis. There is still room to anchor towards the ferry dock and in deeper water south of the growing mooring field.

[TEE]

Originally Posted by Rubikoop

Agree but wish to interject that about another 15-20 more moorings were added over on the western side since I was there last Saturday for a total of 35-40. Sitting here now the mooring field is starting to look like the Bight or Trellis. There is still room to anchor towards the ferry dock and in deeper water south of the growing mooring field.

To This I say:

"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise
Put up a parking lot." . . . Joni Mitchell

I think somebody needs to write a book on how to park in the BVI for less than $25 or $30 a night.

[Zanshin]

<sigh>. Great Harbour on Jost van Dyke was, heretofore, one of my favorite anchorages because of the lack of mooring balls (and perhaps because of the proximity to Corsair's). I'm going to miss the entertaining anchoring scenes around Happy Hour - although the action that happened upwind of me was always a bit worrisome because they tended to drift towards my boat, but the anchoring antics behind me were like having third row centre seats at a slapstick comedy.

[Highland Fling]

Originally Posted by TEE

Don't overnight at the Dogs. You could get into trouble there pretty easily and the mooring balls are not suitable for more than a day time dive. Also, it is not suitable for anchoring.

IF you know what you are doing and can set an anchor 'properly' you can anchor in South Bay Great Dog while this was not a 'traditional' anchorage if the wind is favourable you will find you wont be alone there. The Moorings at the Dogs are NP moorings and should not be used for overnight stops EVER. There is plenty of room to anchor inside the Moorings on George Dog. ALL of this depends on how experienced and competent a sailor you are.

[Highland Fling]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

<sigh>. Great Harbour on Jost van Dyke was, heretofore, one of my favorite anchorages because of the lack of mooring balls (and perhaps because of the proximity to Corsair's). I'm going to miss the entertaining anchoring scenes around Happy Hour - although the action that happened upwind of me was always a bit worrisome because they tended to drift towards my boat, but the anchoring antics behind me were like having third row centre seats at a slapstick comedy.

Try New Years Eve 2010 - 220 boats in there and for sure lots of anchoring antics

[Rubikoop]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

<sigh>. Great Harbour on Jost van Dyke was, heretofore, one of my favorite anchorages because of the lack of mooring balls (and perhaps because of the proximity to Corsair's). I'm going to miss the entertaining anchoring scenes around Happy Hour - although the action that happened upwind of me was always a bit worrisome because they tended to drift towards my boat, but the anchoring antics behind me were like having third row centre seats at a slapstick comedy.

I anchored there Friday night along with a charter cat. There was room for maybe two more boats as well before the ferry channel would be infringed upon. We had dinner at Corsairs and it was very busy especially this early in the season The added mooring balls are bringing in many more charter boats to spend the night, and dollars, ashore. As a side note; Saturday I watched a charter cat drive up on the reef at White Bay. For the next 30 minutes the swell picked it up, moved it ahead a few feet and slammed it back down until it made it inside the reef. About 8' of it's stub keel was broken off. At least it was retrieved and subsequently tied via a line to the dinghy and not left floating about.

So Zanshin, I was able to witness plenty of entertainment on Jost from the comfort of a beach chair while enjoying a tasty beverage.