Sailing the British Virgin Islands

Today I was sorting through some of my files and found what I had written while on one of our family trips. The trip took place June 1 - July 2, 2003, George was 14 at the time and Nicole 10.

  It’s of on another adventure for the Snyder Family. This time it’s sailing in the British Virgin Islands. We have chartered a crewed yacht for the week. No one is too sure what to expect, sailing and living on a boat that long.

  Once the plane landed the adventure started. We touched down Trellis Bay, Beef Island, Tortola, where our boat Captain Harry was there to meet us. With bags in hand we walked a short distant across the airport to the bay, where we boarded not a taxis but a dinghy to take us to our boat.

 There she was sitting in the bay just waiting for us, a 62 foot sailing yacht, The Prima Donna. Gaby was there on board waiting our arrival. We left our shoes in the dinghy and went on board. The boat is beautiful, full teak decks, 3 sails, and large staterooms. Our first business is a quick tour on how to use everything, get in our bathing suites, and sit down to our first meal.

Now that we are all relaxed from our long travel day its time to set sail for our first anchorage of the week Savannah Bay, Vigin Gorda.

Virgin Gorda is one of the larger islands, a full 10 miles long. The bay we are staying in has a long sandy beach and we couldn’t wait to jump in. We found the water to be a bit chilly but I think it was more to do with the wind. We did some snorkeling. 

We spent the night there and what a night it was. George & I are in the front berth in a king bed and the kids each have their own berth in the back. Everyone was exhausted after such a long travel day but restless all the same. There were new noises to wonder about and the feeling of the boat rocking back and forth to get used to. It was a night of bed hopping and I learned very quickly how to get around in the dark. Of course we won’t mention the snoring, that’s a whole other story.

  The next morning we were up bright and early since the sun comes in the hatch right about our heads. What we learned just because we got up early didn’t mean Harry and Gaby do, they sleep until 8:00am. At 9:00am the breakfast bell rang and we had a wonderful meal, eggs, ham, fresh fruit, coconut milk, and much needed coffee.

  Today’s outing is to go the baths at the far end of Virgin Gorda. We took the dinghy to Spanish town, a cute little village with a restaurant, bar and 4 shops. After a quick beer and a bit of shopping we taxied to the Baths. The Baths are made up of giant boulders that form a series of pools and grottoes. We first snorkeled around to the beach, not too much to see, and walked our way back through the grottos. Georgie did a fine job of navigating us.  After snorkeling we went to the Top of the Baths to relax at the pool/restaurant bar that had a wonderful view. The best part came on the ride back since we had to go from one end of the island to the other up over the mountains. The views were spectacular. We only wished we had taken the camera with us. 

  Harry met us in Leverick bay where we spent some time at a pool swimming. The kids were challenged to some swimming races by some Canadians staying there and happy to say the smoked them. Tonight our anchorage is the North Sound, Virgin Gorda.

Monday morning we set full sail to Anegada. George has been bragging how he can get the main sail up in 10 seconds and he was put to the test. Georgie was in charge of the back sail. They both soon realized just how hard it could be. Once all the sails were up Georgie took over at the helm. He navigated us most of the 18 mile sail to Anegada. 

As we approached the island the only thing you notice is the tops of the trees. The island is totally flat, 28 feet at its highest point. The water is crystal clear, just a beautiful site to see.

 Once we anchored we took the dingy to the dock where the big lobster cages are kept, our mouths are already watering for the famous Anegeda lobsters.  We got our dinner order in just in time there were only 3 left. 

 

After taking care of that we taxied to Lolloby bay to snorkel were the reefs are the biggest in all the islands. They stretch out some 25 miles. One of the reasons there are so many ship wreck around the islands.

 When in Lolloby bay lunch at the Big Bamboo is a must and of course it has to be lobster. 

Late afternoon back at the Anegada Reef Hotel we sat overlooking the ocean and watched as they prepared our lobsters for the night’s meal. They are the biggest I have ever seen, about 5 pds each.

 The evening was wonderful, sitting on the beach under the stars, no shoes, just laughing and enjoying the wonderful food. Dinner was our treat for Harry & Gaby. We named the day Gaby’s day off and I think she really enjoyed herself. It was gave us an opportunity to really get to know one another. 
 
The way back to the boat Nicole was in charge of the dinghy. What a wild ride in the dark that was. 

 Tuesday morning we set sail for Salt Island. Salt Island has 3 salt ponds and was once a source of salt to the island and passing sailors. It is also the site of the Rhone. The Rhone was a 310 foot mail ship that hit the rocks off Salt Island in a hurricane in 1867.  The Rhone is a great place to go diving and where the movie The Deep was filmed.

We dropped anchor in a little cove just near the point. Before lunch we did some snorkeling and went to the beach to see the gravesides of the men from the Rhone. They are buried there under rocks and stones. The snorkeling was good and we found some great shells. We snorkeled the Rhone and the reefs around it as well. We saw 2 barracudas and 3 sea turtles. Nicole made friends with a yellow tail that kept following her. It was a fun time. Back on board the Prima Donna lunch was waiting for us. Today’s meal is sausage sandwiches and sauerkraut.

Our next stop is Great Harbor, Peter Island where we will anchor for the night. It’s a pretty little harbor with a nice sandy beach. The rest of the afternoon we spent Limin. Limin is the Caribbean term for resting, relaxing, chillin. We are getting very good at limin.  George tried to water ski. We read, played cards, dice, and truly just limin. 

Wednesday morning we did some before breakfast snorkeling. It was the best so far. There were big schools of blue tangs, needlefish, and tons of bait fish. We even spotted an octopus hiding under a rock. That is a rare site. We swam with a turtle and saw many different types of fish. Then we saw him, the biggest Barracuda I have ever seen. He was just hanging there not moving just watching us. We gave him just a quick look and went the other way. I found myself looking back over my shoulder a lot wondering if he was following. We think he was about the size of Nicole. 

Norman Island is the location of Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. It is an uninhabited island and it will be our anchorage for the night. The famed caves are here, it is said that they hold buried treasure. We went by dinghy to the caves and took bread to feed the fish. The yellow tails, sergeant majors, and blue tangs were all around us. Nicole is feeding them one little piece at a time. She had a piece of bread in one hand and the other hand ready to catch the fish. They were close enough to touch and I was able to feel a couple rub against you.  This was one of our favorite places to snorkel so far. 

  To be able to watch what goes on under the water is amazing. All the different types of coral each a different shape and size. Big sea fans dancing and swaying in the current. The different types of fish just swimiing and eating the coral. It is truly amazing under the water. A whole world going on that you can’t imagine until you put on a mask and take a look.

The rest of the afternoon was spent limin. We went ashore to Privates, a beach bar for a drink. But mostly swim and kayaked. 

 Thursday morning after breakfast we went out to the Indians. It is four large rocks with a reef around them. The water is very shallow in spots so the coral is brightly lit by the sun making the colors spectacular. The parrotfish were big and full of colors, pink, blue, yellow, and green. We saw big angelfish, little blue fish with indigo spots, beautiful rocks beauty’s with their yellow tails. There were trunkfish, needlefish, and they were all bright and full of color. I saw a moray ell and the kids spotted another Barracuda. George got up close and personal with him. This by far is one of the most beautiful places we have snorkeled. 

By afternoon we made our way to Watermelon bay St Johns. The cove there was another great place to snorkel. We got to see a large stingray. We watched as he moved gracefully across the oceans bottom. There was a fish that stayed right with him the whole time.  The bottom is covered in big starfish. They look so cool just a star in the sand. Once again we saw a barracuda but we are getting pretty used to them now and it really doesn’t bother any of us.

Later that day we kayaked to shore and walked the .8 mile hike to an old sugar mill, which no one liked, it was too hot and too long. Nicole passed the return hike by singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall and got all the way through to 0. 

 Our down time on the boat is spent playing cards, dice, and reading, talking and watching the surroundings. Georgie has already read 2, yes 2 books. Nicole has started one. I taught Nicole the card game kings in the corner and have played many times. I get up every morning and do my exercises on the boat and write.

Time on board is based around the meal bells, one ring breakfast, 2 rings lunch, and 3 rings dinner is ready. Other than that time is meaningless.  We eat breakfast and dinner down below at the table but lunch is always served outside on top. The meals have been wonderful, Mahi Mahi, Chicken, Fried Snapper, Lasagna, stew, captains Mac & Cheese, fresh fruits, soup, and every night desert. The kids have tried, liked, and eaten everything. 

The boat itself is very comfortable. There are a lot of top hatches so a breeze is always coming in. Our cabin has a large shower, for a boat but you have to watch how much water you use. AS far a as toilets, you pump when done. We have to pump 20 times. We take advantage of flush toilets whenever possible on land. 

 At night our cabins are very comfortable with a nice breeze blowing through. There are no phones, no TV, no radio, no computer, no air conditioning, just us and the ocean. WE have replaced those things for ocean breezes, conversations, and the sounds of nature around us. 

Friday, after a quick swim, morning snorkel, and breakfast it was time to set sail once again. This will be our last anchorage of the trip.  

 Our first stop is Sandy Spit a very small island with a white sandy beach and one palm tree. It was a great place to swim. There we spotted a reef shark. I think now we have seen about every kind of fish.

We swam back to the boat just in time for the lunch bell. Another wonderful meal, shrimp salad and greens served with garlic bread. Now it’s off to Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke Island and the famous Foxy’s. 

The town is picturesque with its wooden houses of pink, purple, blue, and yellow on a sandy beach. There is a church, school, restaurant, and of course Foxy’s. 

Our first place to stop on land was the ice cream shop we have heard so much about from Harry. The kids couldn’t wait.

Then it was off to Foxy’s restaurant/bar on the beach. It was a fun place filled with things people have left, flags, pictures, and clothing. Gaby joined us for happy hour and we had some laughs. 

Foxy, himself wasn’t there but his Golden Retriever Zok was. Nicole and Georgie spent hours playing with him in the water. 

Harry told us how Jost Van Dyke got its name. My son loved it.

 At dinner that night we talked and summed up our week with our likes and dislikes. This is something we often do as a family.  We tell each other what was your favorite part of a day or vacation and your thing you liked least about it. We said our goodbyes and signed the guest book. Harry gave George two of his old flags that have been used on the Prima Donna, the Bavarian flag and the German flag. We got them a gift at Foxy’s. It was a nice evening. 

Saturday morning our last sail and time to pack up. George was once again on the jib and Georgie on the back sail. We even got to do a little tacking on the way back. It seems strange to be leaving. We have had a wonderful time and really enjoyed being on the boat. 

Our drop off is West End, Tortola, Soper’s Hole. From her we will stay on land for a couple of days at Long Bay Beach to get our land legs back. It was a tearful goodbye to Harry, Gaby, the Prima Donna, and our life at sea.