Mar 23, 2016 - Virgin Gorda and the Sea Land Tour

March 23, 2016 Virgin Gorda and the Sea Land Tour Our last port of call was Virgin Gorda where the ship anchored out and we took tenders to the harbor. We had booked a Land/Sea Tour and there were a lot of fellow passengers on this way to see the island. However, instead of a land first and sea continuation, we started with the sea portion first. We were led down the dock to a waiting tour boat and we filed on board. Anne and Tom chose to sit on the open bow of the boat while many others stayed inside. We passed the “Baths” the most famous...

Nov 21, 2013 - Tortola, British Virgin Islands

It was raining in Tortola. We were just going to walk into town. We did talk to some of the van drivers about an island tour. Due to the rain and I wouldn't be able to take pictures out the window I was not in favor of a tour. When we got near town we found a truck driver that had the bed of the truck with seats, and it was all open. For half the money he gave us a private island tour, that way we had tons of room to ourselves.

Jan 22, 2013 - Jost van Dyke to Norman Island

Tuesday, Jan 22 -- Our breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt was quick to eat and clean up. The winds were quite light (5-10 mph) as we motored southwest out of Little Harbour. We hoisted the sails anyway in hopes of some good sailing once we were out of the shadow of Jost van Dyke. We tacked several times between Jost van Dyke and the West End of Tortola. The swells were small here. There wasn't any traffic through the Thatch Island Cut so we sailed through rather than starting up the motor again, even though the passage has shoals off each...

Jan 21, 2013 - Jost van Dyke

Monday, Jan 21 -- Couple #3 set out in the dinghy at first light to look for birds. We got to sleep in a little longer but breakfast was still ready when they returned, mosquito-bitten and disappointed to have not seen any of the birds on their list. We had plans to dinghy to several close-by snorkeling spots this morning. Sandy Spit was our first destination. This spit is just a tiny bump of sand rising above the water, looking like the cartoon island of a marooned sailor. At its south beach the Atlantic meets the Caribbean in such a...

Jan 20, 2013 - Marina Cay to Jost van Dyke

Sunday, Jan 20 -- There was no rain last night and the partyers were not noisy. We slept well. The French Toast breakfast was so good that we lingered a little before cleaning up and readying the galley for today's shorter sail. The motor started at 8:00 but idled for the whole trip to try to bring the battery reserve above 12 volts. It was 12.8 volts by the end of the day. To take showers this evening before dinner we had to switch over to tank #2. Tank #1 was empty after 3.5 days. At 60 gallons that is 10 gallons per person for that...

Jan 19, 2013 - Anegada to Marina Cay

Saturday, Jan 19 -- There were no rain showers to interrupt our sleep for a second night. After a leisurely oatmeal breakfast we paid $3.00 dollars to have Barry take away our bags of garbage. At 8:00 we were one of the first boats to leave Anegada, picking our way carefully through the shallow mooring field and into the channel exit marked with green (starboard) and red (port) buoys (the rule being red, right, returning from the sea). These were the same buoys we had negotiated in the opposite direction when entering the channel. The...

Jan 18, 2013 - Virgin Gorda to Anegada Island

Friday, Jan 18 -- The rain shower came early last night, before we were asleep, so I got a good solid 7 hours of sleep. Breakfast was quick, no cooking required. We were cleaned up and motoring out of Leverick Bay by 7:30. The sailing time to Anegada Island, about 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda, is only about two hours but the approach to the mooring field is tricky so the recommendation is to arrive early in the day when the light is best. We also wanted to leave ourselves enough time to snorkel along the reef to the north of the island....

Jan 17, 2013 - Marina Cay to Virgin Gorda

Thursday, Jan 17 -- We had the usual 'fire drill' last night, jumping up and closing all the hatches and portholes when the rain started, somewhere around 3:00. The cabins get too hot at night with them closed but the inside gets too wet with them open during a rain shower. I managed to fall asleep again and get a few more hours before sunrise, when everyone started making breakfast. They go to bed at 20:00 hours, three hours before I do so I am the slow poke in the morning. This morning's breakfast was a complicated production of...

Jan 16, 2013 - Cooper Island to Marina Cay

Wednesday, Jan 16 -- Today started off sunny and a little calmer than last night. Hubby cooked oatmeal and coffee for breakfast because our 'designated' cook was still a little queasy from yesterday's rough seas. She ate her breakfast on deck in the cockpit. By 8:50 we were motoring around The Dogs looking for a possible snorkel location. Nothing looked good. The winds made a morning of sailing our obvious best choice. Our mooring destination for today was Marina Cay between Beef and Scrub Islands, just off the northern tip of Tortola....

Jan 15, 2013 - Peter to Cooper via Salt

Tuesday, Jan 15 -- It was not a good night for me last night. We ate late, I didn't stretch, it was too hot and the bed was still sloped. Nevertheless we were all up and eating a hearty breakfast by 7:00. We pulled out of Great Harbour at 8:30, motoring over to a beach which we read was a good snorkeling spot. With the strong wind and high wave action again today we could not see a suitably calm place to bring the dinghy onto the beach. It was a great day for sailing though, so we hoisted the main sail, unfurled the jib and sailed to...

Jan 14, 2013 - Sail away - Tortola to Peter Island

Monday, Jan 14 -- On our first night aboard last night none of the six of us had a really sound, solid sleep. The boat was moving unnaturally due to the way it was tied to the dock and there were so many unfamiliar noises. Added to that was the way the berths in each cabin slightly "V-ed" where they were tucked along the outer hull. Nevertheless we were all up by 7:00, had finished eating breakfast and were waiting for the Conch office to open at 8:30 to start our briefing and checkout. They were still preparing our paperwork so we...

Dec 29, 2011 - Road Town, British Virgin Islands

 Tortola, British Virgin Isles: Our stop is in Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Isles. It is a delight to stroll through the narrow streets and along the clear, beautiful water and to move in and out of the numerous street and market shops (a mainstay in any port of call). It certainly appears to be a vibrant, thriving community and a great place to spend some time off the ship.