Tag: BVI

October 16, 2014

Cruising BVI: North Sound Virgin Gorda

Back in June we spent a little over a week taking in the beauty of North Sound, Virgin Gorda. This would be the last island we visit before continuing our journey south to spend Hurricane Season. As we entered through the channel markers, we caught a glimpse of Sir Richard Branson’s private island. Incredible.

Our first stop was near Saba Rock which kindly provided an open wifi signal that we were able to pick up with our booster, anchored off of Prickly Pear Island. Mooring balls were available for a fee but there was also plenty of room to anchor. We tried this spot first since we heard this is where most of the cruisers stay. Though there were only a few boats around that late in the season, we met up with Wild Card for the first time and we also met another couple on a Whitby, English Rose. Both of these cruising couples quickly became good friends that we still stay in contact with to this day.

Up at the restaurant on Saba Rock the saltwater aquarium was fun to see. Inside was a Moray Eel, Spiny Lobster and a small cannon like the ones we saw diving on the reef nearby.

The Bitter End Yacht Club lay just a stone’s throw away. All kinds of water sport rentals are available such as Hobie Cats, kite surfing and diving.

During our visit at the restaurant, a little friend came to say hello.

After lunch we took a stroll down the palm-lined paths that wind past the resort. Island-style cabanas and hammocks were scattered along the shore.

Tucked back in the corner across the bay is the Biras Creek Resort. The anchorage in front provided ample protection from the wind and an escape from all of the charter boats coming and going from Bitter End. The resort has a gorgeous dinghy dock that we used to bring Gunner and Betsy ashore. Several trails extended from the resort up over the hillside. We passed by some curious horses and continued across the island to discover a secret restaurant and private beach, all managed by the Resort.

Just before leaving the anchorage in front of Biras Creek Resort, we met David, Toutou, Maya and Tyler aboard Four Coconuts. We became fast friends with these fellow coconut cruisers and began making plans to buddy-boat down the islands.

One more stop to check out of the BVI’s and we would be on our way!

Stay tuned for our last adventure in the BVI’s before heading south. We are currently in Grenada finishing up boat projects :)

October 4, 2014

Cruising BVI: Snorkeling at Virgin Gorda

Approximately 1/4 mile East of Saba Rock in the North Sound, Virgin Gorda, lay two old war cannons out on the reef. A dive buoy owned by Saba Rock marks the location. We tied our dinghy off to the buoy and just a short distance away about 10 feet down lay the first cannon. The second cannon is a short swim from the first, both surrounded by pieces of coral and home to plenty of little fishies.

Rumor has it that these cannons were moved from The Wreck Of The Rhone to this location. For some entertaining history about Saba Rock and the “legendary scuba pioneer” Bert Kilbride, visit this article and this one too.

The outer reef protects the North Sound from Atlantic swell. It’s wide, the water is shallow, and makes for a fun underwater playground. We snorkeled for hours here in the clear and clean water. The reefs weren’t terribly exciting but we did see a few rays, lobster, barracuda and big tarpon.

Another day, we ventured the opposite way and took the dinghy back toward the entrance markers to the North Sound. The rocky cliffs gave way to where a new resort is being built off of Mosquito Rock. We spotted an octopus hiding out near the construction site. The water was much cooler on this side and we didn’t venture too far.

The hot days make it hard to cool off any other way than going for a swim so we’re grateful to be able to play around in water this warm and clear. Our backyard is an ocean with so many things to discover!

Stay tuned for more pics of the BVI. We’re currently in Grenada ticking off a few boat projects from the list and waiting out the rest hurricane season…

Leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you!!

October 1, 2014

Cruising BVI: The Dogs

The Dogs are a group of small islands just off of Virgin Gorda. Several mooring balls are scattered throughout the three anchorages for day use. A little off the beaten path, it’s usually quiet there with not too many visiting boats.

Fighting a strong current, we picked up a mooring ball on the very outside of George Dog around lunch time on June 17th. We had a quick bite to eat and then went for a refreshing swim. The boat was in about 60 feet of water but got shallow quickly as we approached the shore with our snorkel gear. The reefs were filled with colorful fish.

Large boulders made for some fun snorkeling as we free-dove up and down the rocky underwater ravines. One particular area toward the edge of the reef must have had a patch of sea ants hiding out inside. Both of us felt a mild sting on our arms and chest near the coral though we hadn’t touched anything. Another underwater irritation we found thriving here was fire coral. Just as it sounds, this stuff burns if you accidentally brush up against it, leaving a nasty rash. This is an important species to be able to identify!

The anchorage was rolly and had little protection from wind and we soon discovered why this was a day-use-only area. We untied the mooring and finally made our way over to the North Sound on Virgin Gorda to get our anchor set before nightfall. We had been planning on Virgin Gorda being our last stop in the BVI for quite some time, though it took us almost a month to make our way that far East. We wanted to stock up one last time on groceries on Virgin Gorda before continuing our island hopping down the Caribbean Island chain.

Stay tuned for more gorgeous photos of our stay on Virgin Gorda, BVI. We are currently waiting out the rest of hurricane season at a comfortable 12degrees latitude.

September 30, 2014

Cruising BVI: The Baths at Virgin Gorda

The Baths at Virgin Gorda are one of the most spectacular attractions in all of the Virgin Islands. Giant natural rock formations have created caves and tunnels at the shore’s edge with incredible tide pools hidden inside.

Over the years, dozens of mooring balls have been installed near the entrance to the caves as well as outside Devil’s Bay. They are free for day use only on a first come, first served basis. During the high season it will seem as though every charter boat in the BVI is there. They start showing up from around 7am and rotate out like bees from a hive until sunset.

If you prefer to tour the baths privately without crowds of people on your tail, be sure to get there just after the sun comes up. If you want to take any pictures without a bunch of strangers in your way, definitely get there at 6am! The caves are significantly more majestic when no other voices or sounds can be heard. It’s also recommended to not enter the caves after 4:30 pm because it takes a good 20 minutes each way through the caves. When the sun sets, the caves get dark and the tide rises, making for a potentially dangerous passage back out.

An alternative to fighting for a mooring ball is to anchor just East of all the mooring balls near the reefs at Little Trunk Bay. It was a bit rolly for us, but not too bad to stay overnight. The view is spectacular with a gorgeous palm-tree-lined beach just ahead, crystal clear water and up to 100′ visibility. From there it’s just a short dinghy ride over to the main entrance to the baths.

A designated swimming area has been roped off at both the entrance to the caves, as well as at Devil’s Bay to keep the swimmers safe from the dinghy traffic. There is very little shore access and it’s recommended to swim in instead of being dropped off by dinghy. For those that don’t want to swim in, The Baths can also be accessed by land. Any taxi on Virgin Gorda can bring you there. Swimming in requires careful consideration of the weather conditions. If there is a Northerly swell, entrance to the baths is extremely dangerous and dinghies are not allowed to approach. Take care, especially those that are not strong swimmers.

To access the caves just follow the signs and be prepared to duck down, crawl, squeeze and climb over these boulders. A series of wooden staircases and climbing ropes and have been installed to aid in the journey through these caves, yet they are quite steep.

Peter and I tied our dinghy to the perimeter of the swimming area and swam in with our snorkel gear. We aimed for a gap in the rocks and made our way up onto the sand. Since it was still early, there were maybe only 4 other boats tied up to moorings already, yet we were the only ones entering the caves. We left our snorkel gear stashed behind a boulder and proceeded in barefoot, armed with only our iPhone and waterproof case.

The Baths were warm and clear. The colors etched into the rocks were fascinating. These immense boulders formed windows to the sky as we looked upward. We waded and swam through passages in the rocks to the next set of hidden pools. Just beyond the caves we could see the waves crashing in around us, only to slow to a trickle of flow inside. Tiny little fish swam around in the pools with us. Shadows in the early morning cast upon the walls and golden rays of sunshine poured in through the cracks.

Each new cave led to another secret passage way as we climbed up the old wooden ladders and crawled through holes in the rocks. We slid over crevices in the rocks marked by the sand left behind from those that have gone before us. Some areas on the sandy floor had been washed smooth from the incoming tide the night before, making our footprints the first tracks to appear.

The caves gave way to a trail leading to Devil’s Bay. The tree branches opened up to the crisp blue sky and a pristine sandy beach lay ahead. The water inside the bay was as clear as the water we saw in the Bahamas.

We went for a swim and took a short walk on the beach just before a large family appeared behind us singing songs as they made their way out of the caves. We did it! Our whole journey through The Baths and Caves was done alone! Proud we had woken up early, we returned back the way we came and swam back out to our dinghy just in time to see dozens of families arriving on shore.

It was a spectacular morning indeed, and a place we want to visit again. The only thing we would do differently is get there even earlier, and bring a better waterproof camera :)

We are currently reminiscing about our journeys this summer as we wait out the rest of hurricane season in Grenada…

Leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you!

September 28, 2014

Cruising BVI: Peter Island

June 15th: Father’s Day 2014

What a perfect place to spend Father’s day! Although we are technically on Peter Island every day, this was our first time visiting the REAL Peter Island. With not many anchorages to choose from, we tucked into the less popular Little Harbour in an effort to distance ourselves from the giant fields of mooring balls and charter boats.

Almost no breeze enhanced the peacefulness of this quiet little bay where everything lay still. The lush hills reflected down into the green water.

We went for a swim and set off to explore.

Setting foot on Peter Island makes it official! We have arrived!

The water wasn’t as clear as we thought it would be, though it was cleaner than most bays and felt extremely refreshing. Just a few little fish shared their home with us that day since there wasn’t anywhere for them to hide on the East side of the bay.

We swam back to the boat and grabbed the paddle boards to explore a bit further.

A small structure sat at the shoreline. Inside, it was clearly built to be an outhouse some time ago. Behind the structure was a stairway leading up the hill. Peter and I pulled the iSUPs up on shore and began climbing, wearing only our thin water booties we had brought to help protect our feet from anything dangerous we might encounter.

The stairway took us about half way up the hillside where it looked like we had come to a dead end. Just then, Peter noticed a faint trail in the dirt that was carved out underneath a clearing in the branches. We kept climbing.

At the top of the hill we discovered an old deserted house. Grafitti covered the walls and roofing materials lay scattered on the ground. We took a quick look around and got out of there before the mosquitos could find us.

Back on the boat, we showered off, made some dinner and had a lovely evening relaxing and looking at up at the stars as we cuddled with Betsy and Gunner to celebrate Father’s Day. One he’ll never forget, we’re sure.

The next morning the resident barracuda came by the boat to introduce himself. They always look scarier up close.

Later in the morning we took our snorkel gear and paddle boards over to the Southwest side of the anchorage to see if the reefs were livelier, and that they were. Our underwater phone case wasn’t sealing properly that day so unfortunately the pictures didn’t turn out. We did see a few tarpon and just as we got back to the boat we saw a huge turtle swim away from her nest. Attached to her back was a remora, who also made the picture.

We had a beautiful time on Peter Island, but The Baths were calling our name. Next up: Photos from the famous Baths on Virgin Gorda!

We’re currently exploring the Grenadines as we wait out the rest of Hurricane season in the Southern end of the Caribbean. Send us a message…we’d love to hear from you!