BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Marla Hedman

Day ONE

Day TWO

Snorkel at this famous spot and then head out for some sailing to your next destination …. COOPER ISLAND. Here you can pick up a mooring buoy, sit on the quiet beach, visit the beach bar, snorkel the rocky shore to the south of the beach, arrange a scuba dive adventure with the local dive shop and as evening descends, watch the lights of Tortola twinkle madly across Sir Francis Drake Strait as you BBQ on your spacious catamaran …. There’s room for a dance party on these things! BTW: there are two routes to get to Cooper Island and I’ve sailed both of them …. Up Sir Francis Drake Channel OR …. Head out and around the south end of Norman Island then head north to Cooper Island. Out in the big water is where the flying fish leap out of the waves and fly for 60 feet or more and we often see huge sea turtles peering up at us as they meander through the waves just as they have for centuries.

Day THREE

Get off the hook early this morning because our destination is The Baths. This south west corner of Virgin Gorda Island is the SINGLE most popular day stop destination. The snorkeling (and hiking if you choose) is amazing. The geography of this area is beyond unique and people talk about their visit here for years afterwards. If the moorings are taken and anchoring is tight, just slip slightly north to Spring Bay to anchor and swim or dinghy to an astounding beach. Snorkeling south towards the Baths will provide hours of fun. After lunch we’ll be sailing north the length of the island of Virgin Gorda right into the post card perfection of VIRGIN GORDA SOUND and the legendary Bitter End Yacht Club. Lots of mooring buoys are here and you can even reserve if you book a restaurant reservation. There are two spots to water taxi ashore …. The Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock Resort. In the Sound we’ve been known to throw off the itinerary and stay for an extra day. It is water sport heaven here: rent smaller boats for an impromptu race, take dive trips, snorkel the famous reef, beaching, hiking, spa treatments …. This place has it all.

Day FOUR

ANEGADA is the destination (departure dependant on weather). Anegada is known as the Drowned Island and the navigation to this area needs attention and watchfulness but once there you will be charmed by the beaches and the reef, the “honour” bar and how a bay can be so calm when it is in the middle of a low sandy island exposed to the ocean winds.

Day FIVE

Our longest leg of the journey takes us in a southerly direction to famous JOST VAN DYKE Island and tonight’s moorage is Diamond Cay, a lovely bay nestled between Little Jost Van Dyke and its bigger sister. Here there is excellent snorkeling along the south shore of Little Jost Van Dyke, or take the hike along the north shore of big Jost Van Dyke to the Bubbly Pool which is a geological delight. This unbelievable spot is much akin to a natural Jacuzzi. If you visit while the tide is up, it can be quite invigorating! The rock formation located on the rugged northern coast of Jost Van Dyke funnels waves through a very narrow passage into this small, natural pool and when the surfs up the towering frothy white waves roar down the funnel, crash over the natural rock wall if the pool and send you whirling in a champagne like bath. The hike to this pool is pretty enjoyable, too … along the way you’ll hear the North Atlantic pounding onto the rock walls of Jost Van Dyke north shore and the surf rolls in powerfully across the shallow sand neck that joins the two islands. There are goats snuggled into tree shaded depressions in the rocky cliffs and cacti and pelicans fishing. For more adventurous hikers, come back along the north cliffs rather than the goat trail ………. The photo opportunities are astounding.

Day SIX

If you didn’t get to the Bubbly Pool last evening, you may want to go today OR take the catamarans over to Sandy Cay and little Sandy Spit. If you ever imagined walking the entire circumference of a sandy south sea island with nothing but a couple of palm trees, here’s you chance! Spend the morning exploring your inner castaway on either of these two spots but let’s head for White Bay for the afternoon and evening. Here you will find the most famous of the BVI beach bars and food stops. A history of music and a gallery of famous faces at Ivan’s Stress Free bar at one end and a walk or swim down the beach to the Soggy Dollar Bar, the One Love Bar, and the best hot dogs at Gertrude’s. Later that evening we can take the open air cabs up the mountain and down into Great Harbour for a visit to the home of laid back boating and island culture, Foxy’s Bar …. Great food, music, local characters and know that you are in one of the venues voted into the Top Ten Boating World places to visit.

Day SEVEN

After an early morning swim we have a short haul across the strait leaving the white sand beach and scrubby mountains of Jost Van Dyke on our stern soon to arrive back at the base.

Plan your next visit because there are 50 other spots we didn’t get a chance to visit this time!