Boat Hire: Sunsail were great, and our Jeanneau 36i called "Wallys" was just big enough and 98% functional (the anchor light and fuel gauge were faulty but this did not cause us a problem). Much like an R/V, we liked having the option to prepare snacks and cook onboard. Ice did not last too long in the ice-chest (maybe 48hrs), but all of our food remained chilled.
Provisions: We pre-ordered as well as bought the right amount of food and water from Rite Way supermarket. Our only regret was the wine we purchased as we ended up favoring the local rum and gave away all the 3 bottles of vino to our boating neighbors in the marina on our return. The taxi from Wickham's Cay to Rite Way was an overkill as we could have easily walked the short distance instead of paying $40 to travel there and $35 back for a car ride that would have taken us 5 mins to walk.
Taxi rides It is the norm to pay per person for a taxi, which for a family of 4 was quite an expensive way to travel.
The marina at Wickham Cay was clean and well run, with plenty of facilities such as washrooms/showers, pool, restaurant, shop, small provisions store, and even a spa, should you so wish. The lack of A/C on our boat made for a hot and sticky night at the marina but once out in the isles, the trade-winds kept the boat comfortable. We did not use the supplied wind-scoops that funnel air through the deck hatches, but guessing that these would have help with ventilation too.
By far the best bit about sailing was the freedom to island hop, and the line-of-sight navigation of the BVIs made it easy for us novice charterers. The only island out of sight is Anegada which we plan to do next year (2016). This is the route we followed:
- DAY 1: Road Town > Marina Cay
- DAY 2: Marina Cay > The Baths > Cooper Island
- DAY 3: Cooper Island > Bitter End Yacht Club
- DAY 4: Rest and scuba experience
- DAY 5: Bitter End Yacht Club > Little Harbour, Jost Van Dyke
- DAY 6: Little Harbour > White Bay > Norman Island
- DAY 7: Norman Island > Peter Island > Road Town
The islands were all beautiful and surprisingly unspoiled by man (at least the ones we visited). Each had its own vibe and we loved that. Our favorite spots were Little Harbor (JVD) where it felt like time had stood still over the years and the pelicans dived for fish along side men casting nets for bait in the shallow waters, and the Bitter End Yacht club (VG), possibly because we were able to visit Saba Rock next door via our dinghy and stock up on McVities (UK cookies) ...
The people were friendly and very accommodating and we came across two bars that had an honesty system where you could pour/mix your own drinks, write down what you consumed, and the settle up at the end of the night . . . wonderful.
The wildlife was in abundance as most of the BVI's is protected and practices conservation on many levels including the conservation of water (rightly so). The park/s, although popular with tourists, remain mostly unspoiled and snorkeling was a great way to see the sea life. We felt truly blessed to see and swim above a sea turtle (our first ever encounter) at "the Baths" and were all ecstatic to have dolphins (2 separate individuals we think ) check us out whilst sailing north east in the direction of Anegada. Spiny lobsters were visible from the shores of Saba Rock and zebra, parrot, angel, trumpet, yellow fin, bass, sea stars (star fish), squid, rays, conch, seagulls and pelicans appeared to be thriving. On land we saw chickens, goats and a dog, all roaming freely. A delightful experience for us nature appreciators.
Anchoring /overnight morning: Most of the time we were moored to a ball, which was almost fool proof and cost about $30 per night. We say almost, as our sister vessel managed to drop their boat-hook during one mooring procedure, but fortunately had a couple spare onboard. On night three,
we had our first experience with anchoring at Cooper Island (notorious for being popular and, thus, the recommendation is to arrive early to secure a morning ball). We arrived late, and there were no mooring balls left in the crowded mooring field. Our fellow vessel (Sambamba) had already arrived, dropped anchor, and gestured for us to do the same, which we duly did alongside. We then went ashore and enjoyed desserts and drinks. On returning, we felt that the boat had shifted significantly so decided to stay up on deck for a while. Within about an hour or so it was clear that we were swinging uncomfortably close to a 70-80 foot super yacht to our stern. It was apparent that the owner of said super yacht was also feeling anxious, as he started pacing up and down for the next hour, gauging where and how close to him we were swinging. It got to the point that our dinghies almost touched, and he diplomatically said "can I help you move?" (or something along those lines). Captain Steve, the skipper on the mother sailing ship from NJSS, had also been observing the events and was clearly concerned too as he came over in his dinghy at approximately midnight to assess the situation. It was now abundantly clear we had indeed shifted from astern of his port side to his starboard side so with engines started, we repositioned and re-anchored "Wallys" further out, but still at the same depth, then took turns to mount an "anchor watch" from up on deck throughout the night which proved to be remarkably pleasant. The Southern Cross constellation was also visible from this part of the world and served as a reminder to us of how far we had travelled. At about 0200 hours it was clear we had started to drift again, and had to pull in our anchor a little (as recommended) to secure position. . . this did make for a rather restless/sleepless night but an invaluable learning experience that you cannot experience from reading a text book. In fact, the text book would have you believe that a 7/1 ratio of water depth to anchor rode is the rule of thumb; Sunsail, on the other hand, told us 5/1 was recommended in these parts; in reality we were at 53 feet depth with only 150 chain . . . ... we'll let you do the math. . . . we have since anchored 2 more times (successfully) after this and we would confidently do so again. A caveat to all this anchoring discussion is the fact that our rode was entirely chain, and not part rope part chain, so much weightier and more heavy duty methinks. BTW its FREE
Sea sickness was a concern before we departed and was personally endured onboard "Wallys" by two of the Dadd family members, despite taking Dramamine sea sickness pills (proven great for long car journeys but not actually the sea itself). We found that the symptoms were worst when beating into the wind, and into an oncoming sea, which made for an emotional journey especially for our guts!
Foot-wear/clothes Of course, we packed way too much.....an overnight bag would have done. We mainly remained bear foot the entire time we were onboard, only needing foot wear, typically Crocs, when venturing ashore. Flippers served us well in the water and gave us protection against the sea urchins that (in our travels) were abundant but didn't cause an issue. For the pale of skin, I'd also recommend a light-weight micro-fiber long-sleeve top, as no amount of sun-screen can prevent you from burning if your on the same tack for hours on end.
Weather was perfect and the trade winds not only kept us moving but kept us cool too. The sun shined constantly and being on a smallish boat there was limited shade on deck. Hats and sunscreen is a must.
Keeping clean/showering much of the time we would jump into the sea, climb back on board to lather up before showering down with the hose on the stern. This saved us from needing to fill up the water tanks. We also paid for a 4 mins shower at the Biter End Yacht Club, (VG) at $3 a pop and got bitten by the no-see-ums that linger in such damp conditions. We all agreed that the back of the boat was the best way to go.
Drinking water although we believe you could have drunk the local water, we certainly cooked with it, we could not be sure as to how long it had been sat in the tanks and bought bottled for the duration. We consumed about a 1/4 gallon each per day, and started our journey with 10 x 1 gallon bottles.
Food/eating out We mostly ate on board (having bought provisions for the trip) and found that Raman noodles and ready cooked rice made for quick and easy meals. Everything else, such as pasta (a home staple,) seemed to take forever to cook onboard. We learnt the hard way to remember to keep the stove on gimbal mode (swinging freely) when sailing because we lost the contents of the morning coffee (grinds included) all over the floor. Thankfully most ended up in the bilge and cleared it self out. We ate out, too, and enjoyed the local offering of lobster ($45) and conch fritters (starter $8-$10 up), plus 50 cent wings at the Crawl Bar (BEYC) during happy hour washed down with $3 house cocktails whilst watching the sun go down. A few times we ate our main meal onboard
Pain killers . . . yes, the most (in)famous cocktail of the BVI's was regularly enjoyed and varied from place to place. First invented/introduced at the "Soggy Dollar" bar and is truly a Caribbean classic. We even mixed our own. Trust us, freshly grated nutmeg, and local rum (such as Pussers) is key to this delightful refreshment, but that's all we have/need to say on this matter . . .
Value of trip Worth every penny. Truly an amazing trip and a bonding experience for us as a family. We loved it so much that we've already booked a bigger boat for next year and look forward to planning out a new route. Watch this space for further posts!
