Two Salty Sailors in Paradise: Our First Two Weeks in the BVI

The Thorny Path to Windward is well behind us and we are in the British Virgin Islands. We did it! We sailed here from the Tampa Bay area, covering 1600 miles. We battled lightning storms, repaired boat issues, gathered paperwork for importing the dogs, withstood our fair share of high seas, and spent several sleepless nights behind the helm on overnight passages. We are no longer the greenhorns who had trouble setting the anchor and who laid awake all night checking every 15 minutes to make sure it was holding. Nor are we the newbie sailors that didn’t realize that 20-25 kt winds on the nose in open water is near suicidal. We are no longer intimidated by docking in tight slips. We are now intimately familiar with our boat’s systems. We now have a good understanding of Kairos’s and, more importantly, our own limits. We have learned a lot over the last 130 days at sea. We’ve learned about our boat, about sailing, about liveaboard life, about ourselves, and about each other.

The British Virgin Islands are a cruising Mecca. There’s no shortage of beautiful anchorages, the water is an inviting teal color, the underwater sea life is incredible, there’s always a party at the beach bar, and the beaches are pristine. The islands are so close together that our next destination is never more than a couple of hours away. We have finally arrived safely and in one piece, but quite a bit saltier than when we left.

We’ve been in the British Virgin Islands for 2 weeks now. Most of our days look more or less the same: Sail to a beautiful anchorage, snorkel the beautiful anchorage, play on the beach with the pups, happy hour at the local watering hole, dinner on the boat, watch a movie or play cards, sleep, repeat. Not a bad life, huh? We’ll be hanging out in the BVI for the next 2 weeks continuing to do more or less the same before we return to Puerto Rico for hurricane season.

The BVI are very special, but if you are looking for solitude, it is difficult to find here. The secret is out! Vacationers, Spring Breakers, and Honeymooners all flock here because it’s the perfect cruising paradise if your time is limited. Thus the anchorages are full of Sunsail and Mooring charter boats. Some are experienced sailors and others are very inexperienced newbies (just like we were not too long ago). Just yesterday we had someone anchor so close that their boat was hovering over our anchor. When we pulled up the anchor to leave, we had to ask them to move forward. We’ve still been able to find some quiet anchorages off the beaten path, but it’s more difficult to do here than it was in the Bahamas. But on the other hand, the crowds certainly make for a great beach party.

Below is a little about each anchorage we visited over the last two weeks.

West End (Tortola)

We pulled into West End Tuesday, May 31^st in the pouring rain. We made arrangements to meet the vet at 9:00am, so we left Leinster Bay even though the sky was darkening with rain clouds. The sail over couldn’t have been more than 30 minutes, but we were soaked to the bone. We picked up a mooring ball and Rob rode to shore to check us in. The vet was 45 minutes late (island time), but we had no issues checking Jaela and Baxter into the country. We had the required USDA endorsed health certificate, rabies titer results, and rabies certifications. We had to pay an extra $10 to customs and immigration for the dogs ($31 total). We also paid the vet $10 for each dog.

After checking in, we hit up the grocery store to provision. We were all out of fresh vegetables and protein (expect for a little lobster left over from Maho Bay). One thing we certainly miss about land life is access to fresh vegetables. We sometimes find ourselves discussing how amazing a Jason’s Deli salad bar sounds. It will certainly be one of our first stops when we return to the states.

That evening we met up with Peter and Jody from Where the Coconuts Grow for dinner. They started cruising 3 seasons ago with their dogs and now work for Aristocat Charters out of West End. I can honestly say if it wasn’t for blogs like Jody’s, I would have laughed in Rob’s face when he brought up the crazy idea to move onto a sailboat with our two dogs. Their experiences inspired us and it was wonderful to finally meet them after following their adventure for so long.

Guana Island

The next day we had some strong southeast winds, so we decided to sail on the north side of Tortola to Guana Island. When we jumped into the water at Monkey Point we were instantly surrounded by thousands and thousands of tiny fish. As we swam, they parted, making a path for us. The snorkeling was great at Monkey Point, but we actually preferred Muskmelon Bay around the corner. It was a little deeper, but less crowded. Once our fingers were all pruned, we dried out on the gorgeous beach in White Bay with the pups.

Cane Garden (Tortola)

Our laundry was piling up and we needed to scan some paperwork for insurance, so our next stop needed to have some facilities. Cane Garden is a beautiful anchorage surrounded by large lush green mountains. Friendly stray dogs roam the street in this cute beach town. The palm tree lined beach is stunning, making it a great place to spend an afternoon at the beach bar.

Virgin Gorda

We stayed in two equally amazing anchorages in Virgin Gorda. The pups ran and ran and ran up and down the very long white sand beach in Savannah Bay. We were the only ones anchored there and we had it all to ourselves for two nights. We day sailed over to Fallen Jerusalem and the must see Baths. It was fun weaving in and out of the rock formations at the Baths, but it was very crowded. Fallen Jerusalem on the other hand, we had all to ourselves. The island is small and very beautiful with similar rock formations as the Baths. It was a lovely place to spend an afternoon.

We also anchored in the Gorda Sound near Saba Rock. We drank painkillers at happy hour and then watched the sun set on our boat. We knew we were in a special place when a flock of flamingos flew right over us and landed on the nearby beach.

The snorkeling in the Eustatia Sound is some of the best we’ve seen yet. The water is so blue; it rivals the Exuma water in the Bahamas. The visibility was amazing. When picturing paradise, the Eustatia Sound now comes to mind. We could have stayed weeks, but we were excited to continue exploring this beautiful country.

Anegada

Unlike the rest of the BVI which are mountainous volcanic formations, Anegada is flat and sandy. It resembles the Bahamas more than the other BVI. We rented a scooter for the day and visited the breathtaking beaches on the north side of the island. Our scooter was held together with duct tape and we questioned if it was going to survive driving on the dirt roads, but it got us around. I didn’t even have to ask Rob to slow down—I’m pretty sure it topped out at 15 mph.

Jost Van Dyke

After visiting Anegada, the mountainous view of Tortola from Jost Van Dyke seemed more magnificent. It was a scorcher while we were visiting Great Harbor, so we spent most of the day lounging in the water with the pups. For dinner we visited the well-known beach bar, Foxy’s. They had a BBQ buffet and we ate a gross amount of food. They gave us two plates and told us that we only got one pass through the line, but we could take what we didn’t eat home. Being budget cruisers, we piled our plates high with chicken, ribs, mahi, and pasta salad.

Once again we ran into our friends on s/v Delancey. The following day we all visited the Soggy Dollar Beach Bar and spent the afternoon sipping on painkillers and catching up.

Peter Island

Peter Island is a private island and has a very nice, but very expensive resort. We anchored in Deadman’s Bay near a beautiful white sand beach and settled in for a quiet evening. Unfortunately a northern swell kept us awake, rocking all night long. We booked it out of there first thing in the morning.

Norman Island

We snorkeled the near-by Indians before heading to Norman Island. It was spectacular. It’s clear to see why this is on everyone’s must see list. Afterwards we headed to Benures Bay for a nice quiet evening.

While Benures Bay may be a quiet anchorage, two bays over, Bights Bay is partying 7 days a week. We finally visited the William Thornton (aka The Willy T). The floating bar is rowdy, loud, and guests are encouraged to jump off the second story. Clothing is optional. The drinks are strong and women walk away with temporary pirate tattoos. If you are looking for a party, look no further. The Willy T will not disappoint.

We have seen and explored a lot in our first two weeks in the BVI. With its beach bars, stunning beaches, and vibrant snorkeling, it’s clear to see why this country is so well loved in the cruising community.