Since the last blog posting on Friday 24th January we have zigzagged our way around many of the islands and bays in the BVI's. This is actually very evident from the life tracking that is linked under favourites on the blog home page.

Goran & Birgitta joined us at Leverick Bay after two ferry trips to get there from Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas in the USVI's. The day was unusual in that it was a rainy drizzly day (a first for us here) but by 1600 hrs it had cleared away and we motored back across to the Bitter End Yacht Club and then went ashore for a wander around again.


Goran & Birgitta inspecting the local bus

The following day we took the opportunity to take on some more diesel and water and then had a quiet sail under headsail down to the "Baths" at the southern end of Virgin Gorda. There were plenty of boats swinging on the mooring buoys off the Baths and we were fortunate to jump onto one as a boat departed. It was then a dinghy ride to a roped off area, tie off the dinghy to a small buoy and then swim ashore. Quite a spectacular setting with beautiful clear water surging amongst huge round boulders. We walked, climbed and partly crawled around, under and over a restricted pathway to get to Devil's Beach - a worthwhile exercise.


The Baths - Virgin Gorda

The moorings at the "Baths" are very rolly and as it was no place to stay overnight we headed southwards a few miles to the delightful Machineel Bay on Cooper Island. A beautiful spot and in our opinion one of the best three bays in the BVI's. A boutique and rum bar had just opened (the rum bar that evening) and for the Caribbean very well done with polished concrete floors and display counters and very well presented, Appeared to be operated by English people and we hope it pays off for them.


Buying coconut water

From Cooper Island it was then a sail down the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Kelly's Cove on Norman Island. This island is said to have been the inspiration for the book Treasure Island given the history of pirates and sunken treasure dating back to 1750. It was blowing hard and we picked up a buoy in Kelly's Cove rather than The Bight as it seemed more sheltered. The downside was that there were only four buoys and the only one left was very close to shore. Anyway picked it up and survived the night without any drama's. The following day we picked up a day buoy off Treasure Point in Privateer Bay and snorkelled among many fish and explored the caves.


Local dive shop Jost van Dyke

From here it was a fast broad reach across to Soper's Hole and on to Cane Garden Bay (also sits among our top four bays in the BVI's). Pam says we have been talking about "painkillers" too much and the post from Priscilla confirms that. However we did have a painkiller at Tony's on the beach!! The beautiful setting looking west to the sunset across a gorgeous bay makes it hard to resist.


Tony's Beachbar Cane Garden Bay - the prices increase during the day for the cruise ship visitors

From here we then enjoyed a couple of days on Jost van Dyke a hugely popular island. We had our chance to be heroes when anchored off a sandy cay for a few hours and noticed a Bavaria 37 charter yacht break free from its anchor and head directly towards the 47 metre superyacht, Anna Chistina and if it missed the superyacht then on to the reef. Goran and I saved the day with some effort, missed Anna Christina by less than a fender width. It was a case of "say la vie" as no-one thanked us and when the husband and wife charterers returned we think they were so shocked they were speechless. Last seen motoring towards a bay with mooring buoys and looking for a rum bar no doubt.


The rescue underway

White Bay at the western of JVD is protected by reefs and we nosed slowly through a narrow entrance and scored a buoy just inside the entry channel with slightly less than a metre under the keel. This bay has also made our list of one of the top four bays in the BVI's.


The foredeck late afternoon - White Bay


Pam & Birgitta enjoy the foredeck

From here we had planned to have a good bash to windward which we did start, but increasing wind (30 knots), some rain squalls and a big bang from the rig (and a headsail halyard sag) resulted in us ending up in Cane Garden Bay yet again. Have since been to the top of the mast and carried out an inspection and no problems anywhere but we did find a blown jib sheet block at the mast base.


Solving a few problems while underway

So the end of Goran & Birgitta's time with us was an overnight at Soper's Hole as they had to catch the 0915 hrs ferry back to St Thomas to connect with their flight back to Sweden. We enjoyed having them on board, had a great time, drank the occasional beer, solicited Goran's assistance on a couple of repair jobs and concluded with dinner at the restaurant ashore - owned by a Swedish woman. A very nice evening.


Outside the famous Foxy's on main street Great Harbour, JVD

While at Soper's Hole we had a kiwi couple who had spotted our silver fern flag drop by for a glass of wine - Kerry and Jonathan (and their daughter Emily) are spending two years sailing their Beneteau 44.7 Sudoeste back to New Zealand from Spain. In discussion with them we did ascertain that we could enter the USVI's because of the type of stamp in our passport from USA Customs when we flew into Los Angeles. They have since emailed from the Spanish Virgin Islands, just off the coast of Puerto Rico, and we hope to be there in the next day or so.


Richard Branson's Necker Belle departs from adjoining berth

Cheers
Keith & Pam