I started to write an update that was pretty negative about the state of cruising in the BVI but after sleeping on it, I erased it and will try a more positive approach. I'm POSITIVE this isn't the way I want to cruise! Sorry. It's just that the BVI is the charter boat capital of the world and there are way too many big boats (Cats.) here with way too many inexperienced skippers. I may write a blog about lying in my hammock for three hours watching charter boats try to anchor at Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke. Humor and terror all at the same time. We spent one night in St. James Bay off of St. Thomas USVI and then headed to West End, Tortola to check in before heading across to Jost Van Dyke to anchor for the night. Dinner at Foxy's! Early the next morning we headed off to the Indians and Norman Island. The great snorkeling area around the Indians has about 10 mooring balls and the charter boats were circling like vultures waiting for one to become available. We passed on by and took a mooring inside the bight on Norman Is. about 10:15. Into the dinghy and over to the caves for some fantastic snorkeling. Sue is a happy lady! She also picked up about 10 lbs. of smooth round stones, Yep, just like the ones you can get by the dump truck load in Tennessee. We will relax (isn't that what we do all the time?) this afternoon and then go to the Pirate's Bight for dinner. (Sue comment? I happen to disagree with Bill on this one. Sure there are lots of untrained skippers here and finding a mooring ball is a challenge, BUT...the islands are beautiful, the undersea corals, fishes, sponges, shells, rocks, etc....are just fantastic. I love it here. Just hope the next time we come it will be during the OFF season where we have a little more space..)
The fairness doctrine in action. Truthfully the BVI is beautiful but don't come here in the busy charter season and there will soon be as many 20ft+ wide catamarans as there are monohulls. Nuff said. Off the next day to the Baths. Always very impressive but lots of swell so the snorkeling was short. Cats. outnumbered monohulls in the mooring field. A short two hour hop up to North Sound on Virgin Gorda and a stop at the Bitter End Yacht Club. SAILOR STUFF: The bitter end is the end of a line (rope) with nothing on it. The end of an anchor line that doesn't have an anchor on it, etc.
This is where Sue and I spent our honeymoon ten and a half years ago. The picture with this update was taken this evening (5-5-08) before we went to the "Guests Cocktail Party". We aren't actually guests but were invited after I related our honeymoon story. The weather is a little rough right now. Wind in the 15 to 20 knot range from the East, larger ocean swell than normal and rain squalls. We expect the weather to improve by Wednesday and will leave that afternoon for an overnight passage to St Maartin (70 miles+/_). Tomorrow will be spent cleaning the water maker, doing an oil change and organizing the boat. It is hard to believe we have been gone from family four and a half months and we will fly back in less than 60 days. More from the Leeward Islands.