We left Sint Maarten at 4pm ready for a night sail knowing that the winds were going to get up the next day and wanting to be in the BVIs when they did arrive. We had a great sail over arriving into Gun Creek, Virgin Gorda well before customs opened. After clearing in sure enough the winds started 30 knots of constant blowing in the Gorda Sound area.
The wind of course did not deter us. We headed ashore (rather damp ride by dingy) and hired a car to tour the island, see the sights including the famous Baths, a mass of granite boulders that form pools. The boulders were formed when molten rock seeped into the existing volcanic rock layers and were exposed by erosion.
The walk to Devils Beach was hot and we couldn’t wait for a swim. The water was So nice. A little too rough for snorkeling though, given you snorkel around the boulders.
The strong winds did not let up all night and into the morning. Boats were coming and going from Leverick Bay and so it was time for us to join them and move on. Gorda Sound is normally a nice place to hang out but not today, very choppy and very windy.
We were going downwind so knew it would be a good ride towards Peter Island and yes we had a great sail. The wind was constant but nothing too extreme. We passed a sailing cruise ship anchored off Spanish Town; really big compared to the other boats about and then we passed The Baths, which was not so busy given the weather.
We decided to anchor in White Bay, Peter Island thinking we would get good shelter from the winds that were in the area. Peter island is known for its beautiful bays with turquiose waters to snorkel.
The winds were amazing in the bay whipping across the bay stirring the water up off the surface. As we sat having a drink we suddenly watched the boat near us go from behind to in front. Eeek we are dragging. Action aboard; up anchor and move to where we could see we had a good sandy holding along the bay further. I snorkeled to make sure all was good while the winds continued to blow all about. The waters were nice and clear
All night the wind blew strong! Not the best overnight anchorage. We left Peter Island and headed to Sopers Hole on the West end of Tortola for lunch. A seriously packed busy area with boat traffic everywhere. Welcome back to the land of charter boats galore.
Too busy at Sopers Hole for us so after lunch we sailed over to Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke. Jost is a small island with a really laid back attitude. This harbour is a port for clearing in or out of the BVIs and is pretty sheltered with a main street with a number of beach bars and restaurants. It’s known for being a party island.
We went ashore for pre-dinner drinks at Foxy’s, enjoyed by all. Foxy’s is a popular bar on the island where you can actually meet its owner Foxy Callwood, who has been entertaining boaters for about 40 years. There are clothes and business cards all over the roof of the bar. We found our card from our last visit and put another one up as a memory of our trip.
We cleared in at Cruz Bay, St Johns to get into the US VI’s. The winds had calmed and we wandered about town and decided we had to come back in for drinks and dinner. There is a lot of arty type stores to see. Dad and Brett made a friend while in town.
We had a great night out at the Beach Bar even enjoying the band Flipswitch from St Thomas who were playing.
The next morning we were asked to move on by the US National Parks Service. We had anchored overnight in a spot that was for short term use only. Oops! Shame, great spot close to Cruz Bay town.
We went up the coast past the popular and scenic Trunk Bay, busy with snorkelers to Maho Bay for a swim and lunch. Great spot.
Time to get to St Thomas, The Mofalie hotel awaits our guests. Time to leave the boat and find the comforts of land life again. Excellent, a pool, great views and a nice big suite. They were very happy with the hotel choice.
We hired a car and toured the island admiring the islands we could see in the distance, that we had all sailed about over the last few days. Havensight was great to wander around the shops and see the cruise ships and super yachts docked at Charlotte Amalie. A great day out, we were all exhausted and needed a rest, or a swim in a pool for the lucky ones.
We stayed up at Red Hook and awoke each morning to the sound of snorting. a horse got his daily exercise in the waters off the beach we were anchored at.
Brett and I decided to bring the boat around to Charlotte Amalie so we could enjoy looking down at her from The Mofalie while at dinner tonight. (Ok, so we were close for getting home after a few drinks).
On the way around we went into Benner Bay the lagoon, the most protected harbour in St Thomas. It was quite the channel to get into the lagoon, which had a lot of boats docked.
Charlotte Amalie is the capital city of St Thomas and a major seaport. As w entered we noticed the Marriott at the entrance to the channel. We parked off Kings Wharf below the Mofalie high above us.
