It's a trip I've done a few times, and now I like the routine of leaving around 3am and clearing into BVI early in the afternoon. The weather and seas cooperate and we have a smooth passage.
Its nice to be back in the very familiar and sheltered waters of BVI. Its a busy place these days - full of yachts, and most of them bareboats charters. But if you know where to go, there are still a few quieter locations, away from the maddening crowd. And some of thise bareboat skippers are definitely maddening.
Our calm passage weather does not last, and we're treated to more windy, squally, wet stuff - and more south west winds bouncing us around in what should be sheltered anchorages. We take advantage of a break in the rain and hop across from Norman Island to Marina Cay. It's a sheltered spot in almost any conditions, so we hunker down for a couple of days.Its an opportunity to do some boatwork, and Kerry has solved the mystery of water entering the stern bilges. looks like theres some hairline cracks in the transom, and when the dinghy and engine are hoisted on the new davits, they allow water seepage. So its an uncomfortable and contortionist fibreglass job in the transom space. But it gets done and hopefully ends the water entry.
With an improvement in weather, we move on, take an early morning motor through Camanho passage and pick up a mooring ball off Monkey Point. This is a great location for snorkeling. We're the first there, and we get a special treat - two dolphins circling our boat. They stay for hours, continue their circling as other boats gradually come in and fill the location up. They don't seem bothered by anyone and we get the chance to snorkel in the water with them.
The weather continues to brighten so we leave the dolphin show and sail across to Diamond Cay and Foxy's taboo.
We have enough time for a walk to, and then a swim in, the bubbly pool.
The next day we move on again, breakfast stop at Green Cay and Sandy Spit before it gets too busy, and then continue on around Jost Van Dyke, sailing past Great Harbour and then motoring inside the reef across White Bay, to drop anchor just off the Soggy Dollar Bar. Too much beauty here - it's a busy spot but mainly around midday, and the evenings and mornings are quieter. Our stay here is also marked with some "entertainment" laid on by the bareboats. One catamaran coming adrift from a mooring ball, floating past us crewless (they were in the SDB having lunch) - Kerry pulls it off the reef with his dinghy. Another catamaran anchors too close in to shore, and ends up on the beach in the night when the wind shifts around. Manages to escape and re-anchor.
Next stop, back across to Tortola and Cane Garden Bay.It's an excellent anchorage, but tough to find a spot to swing these days. Like most of BVI, the water is taken over by a pox of mooring balls. It's still a fine and classic caribbean beach, and a chance to sit in Rhymers and have a rum punch as the sun goes down.
And that completes the short return to and rounding of BVI. Not enough time to get out to Anegada this trip, and we plan to catch Virgin Gorda on the way back.
We make one last stop in Sopers Hole to clear out of BVI, and head west to new waters.
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