Seven days in BVI

[MarkJ]

If you look at the photos of Lajos and Hud you will see the anchorages are inside reefs.

So it's not like a sail into the bay and drop the hook, break out the beer. I find going in behind reefs quite un-nerving, the channel hard to see and shallow, mistakes are not a soft grounding, if the weather comes up at night you are on a 360 deg lee shore, no tide to use to get in.

It took me a week of contemplating White Bay, next to Great Bay on Jost Van Dyke and I walked up the headland and looked at the enternace two or three times before I took the boat in and still bumped the keel!

Some on charter boats may be more bold than at home, some less bold. If you don't like the look of the isolated anchorages theres plenty that are easy to get to. But you do share with lots of other folks.

[maytrix]

One place that is often over looked that we love is Fallen Jerusalem. Very similar to the Baths and only two moorings, so even if it's busy, its quiet. Usually we're the only ones. We usually go to the Baths, spend an hour or so and then head to Fallen Jerusalem for a number of hours to relax, snorkel and have lunch on the boat.

[Zanshin]

Maytrix - I've always zoomed past Fallen Jerusalem and if the mooring at the Baths were full or there was a long line of boats waiting for an opening I'd just sail to the Dogs. Next time I'll take your advice and stop there. Do you think that in addition to snorkeling it might make a good dive site?

[azsailor12]

Little Harbor on Jost is fairly quiet, as least compared to Great and White.

Anegada is not that hard as long as you use a chart. I believe the course is 5 degrees leaving North Sound, and then don't make the right turn towards the channel until Anegada Reef Hotel bears 65 degrees- that puts you well past the coral heads that someone previously mentioned. Go all the way past the last green buoy before you turn into the mooring field and you'll be fine. On a monohull though, you'll still have less than 2 ft under your keel, but at least its all sand!

Oilnut Bay is under heavy construction and noisy every day, so I don't recommend it. Part of the anchorage is also blocked off now.

[maytrix]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

Maytrix - I've always zoomed past Fallen Jerusalem and if the mooring at the Baths were full or there was a long line of boats waiting for an opening I'd just sail to the Dogs. Next time I'll take your advice and stop there. Do you think that in addition to snorkeling it might make a good dive site?

We've always just snorkeled it - It's a nice site for that - seen lobster, turtles, puffers, angles..etc. A nice variety. Diving might be interesting as there are a lot of boulders. It's not that deep from the moorings to shore - maybe 25' or so.

From what I recall (haven't stopped our last few visits), the boulders do continue out from the moorings, so it might be interesting. You have an air compressor on your boat right? Given that, I'd do it - even sticking in the shallower water - there's a lot you can just hang out and watch.

If you do dive it, let me know how you like it. Maybe we'll try it next trip.

[Zanshin]

maytrix - 25 feet is perfect for diving with a macro camera and just lying on the bottom to see what passes by; since the bottom time isn't too limited by depth one doesn't need to feel in a hurry in order to see everything. I do have a compressor aboard, which makes diving in new places a pleasure (no regrets on "wasting" a tank if the dive is only mediocre).

Only 1-2 weeks before I'm back in the BVI so you might be getting a report sooner rather than later.

[nautical62]

A couple anchorages I often have to myself:

Key bay, Peter Island

Bay north of Lee bay on Great Camanoe.

[Q. Helm]

I was planning to anchor in Lee Bay our first night out last Saturday, but there was a big north swell, so decided on Key Bay. There were so many boats in that little bay that there was no room to anchor safely. We went on to White Bay, to the east, and it was relatively un-crowded (though two of our three neighbors were mega yachts). There is a bay just west of Key Bay, called Sprat Bay on the chart (not the Sprat Bay of Peter Island Resort), which looks extremely well protected, and was empty when we went past. Does anyone have experience anchoring there?

[TEE]

Well, I had a boat down in the BVI for four seasons ending last year, and before that I chartered for about 10 years from the Moorings. This year I did one charter with the Moorings and one with Horizon. There are few anchorages you can go to where you won't have a number of boats in there with you. One of the issues is the fact that the Moorings actually "red zones" a number of the anchorages that are secluded or quiet because they require local knowledge or some skill to get into. Generally, if you go into any prohibited anchorages, you will be violating the terms of your charter and have no insurance going in, staying, or getting out. That said, Benures bay is a relatively quiet spot to anchor. There are also a few spots where very few mooring balls are located and won't be crowed at night for that reason. For instance, there are a very few balls in Norman Island that are overnight in the area of the caves. As you enter the Bight at Norman Island, there are a few balls on your port side before you actually get in the bight that permit only five or so boats to be in the area. There is also an anchorage with Mooring balls on the NE side of the Bight which I think is called soldiers bay that only had three balls in it.

If you go over to Yost Van Dyke, Diamond Cay where Foxys Taboo is located is a small anchorage with mooring balls that won't feel crowded, and little harbor between Great Harbor JVD and Diamond Cay often is not nearly full. Seems like JVD is not as crowded on Wednesday or Tuesday as it gets on a weekend due to the way the usual circuit for bareboaters works.

If you want peace and quiet, stay away from mooring anywhere close to Willy T or Pirates in the Bight, and for a similar reason, best to moor as far away as possible from Saba Rock Restaurant or the BEYC because they often have loud night time entertainment.

I might mention that Key bay over on the Norman island side of Peter island can be a good spot to hook, and I don't think it is prohbited. Generally, you put Pelican Island over at Norman at your stern and steer about 70 degrees to get to Key bay. As you go in keep a good eye out for a reef that extends on your port side about 2/3 across, and for the rocks that are on Starboard. After you get in there is room only for about one other boat, so it can be on the quiet side.

I have anchored behind Saba Rock in Eustacious Bay before, and over on the biras creek side, but I don't think charter boats are allowed in there. Both are quiet but you have to meander through some coral reefs to get to them. Savannah Bay can also be a good spot to anchor, but again, I don't remember if charter boats are allowed in there. When I was in Savannah Bay it was in a catamaran, so I can't remember what the water depths were going in.

Basically, most of the nice anchorages charter boats are permitted to visit are going to have other boats in them, but you should be able to find enough good spots you need not be annoyed by the presence of others. Good luck.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by TEE

One of the issues is the fact that the Moorings actually "red zones" a number of the anchorages...

I wonder if they are getting better insurance, or have just decided that this is not a problem anymore. Whatever the case, I chartered with Sunsail (same parent company as the Moorings) out of Tortola last November and during the chart briefing they did not identify any areas that we were prohibited from going. They did mention some good places, and some that might be best avoided, but it was all in the nature of suggestions. They never said anything like "you are not allowed to go there," or "you are prohibited from going here."

The last time I was down there was several years ago, and I do seem to remember them specifically identifying places that were off limits. But not this time.