Ahoy ! Update 1.1.19
Here is an itinerary for you to consider. It
is the route The Captains Compass recommends to all its guests and is based on 25
years of cruising experience.
Your
#1 Priority is to GET IN EARLY !!!
Getting
in to a harbor early in the afternoon so you can get a comfortable spot, enjoy
the water and beach and shore side attractions, and then a good night sleep, is
usually the best way to help your charter be a safe and fun adventure.
Weather
is our #1 variable and sometimes this requires a change in the plan.
First
Day - Capt. Brent will be waiting for you at the Manuel Reef Marina at 10:00 AM
with the refrigeration cold and the batteries hot.
It is smart
to be on board with your luggage and provisions and ready for the 2 Briefings
by 11 AM.
For
safety I cannot allow the yacht to leave the dock after 3 PM or with only 1
person.
The
Chart Briefing takes about 30 minutes and the Boat Briefing takes about 60
minutes.
I
recommend everyone attend both briefings. I require at least the Captain and
First Mate for both briefings.
You
will receive a free chart and the Cruising Permit and Park Permit during the
Chart Briefing.
The
Best restaurant on the island – “Gene’s” – is at the Manuel Reef Marina. Open for
Lunch and Dinner Wed to Mon.
Day 1 - We recommend your first destination be
a motor-sail to either The Bight on Norman Island - or - Great Harbor on Peter
Island.
Pick
up a mooring ball or anchor in the Bight and then dingy over to the Caves for friendly
fish and huge caves - or pick up a mooring ball in Great Harbor, Peter Island
and snorkel the shore line.
1.1.19
- The Willy T (3) has moved on. The Pirates Bight on shore is expensive.
Day
2 - Either Marina Cay or the East side of Trellis Bay. Motor-sailing on your
second leg will give you a chance to build up some confidence within your crew
and will give you a little extra control over the yacht for our first set of
tacks and gibes.
Marina
Cay is the prettier of the two harbors but can be a little breezier, especially
in the winter months. Marina Cay has the nearby Diamond Reef for very good
snorkeling or there is very sheltered swimming off the island beach.
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- In Trellis Bay moor Only on the East side of Bellamy Cay
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- Marina Cay has Fuel and Water
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- Marina Cay has lunch and dinner at 'Pussers' (moderately priced).
Day 3 & 4 - We recommend the third day we
get under way very early for a great 4 hour sail north to North Virgin Gorda
Sound. NVGS is an easy & smart place to re-water and re-fuel.
Due
to the unreliability of the mooring balls at The Baths and the prohibition
against landing dinghies on the beach I strongly recommend you pick up a
mooring in Leverick Bay in North Sound and Taxi / Rental Car by land to The
Baths.
We
recommend 2 nights in NVG Sound as there is spectacular snorkeling and beautiful
beaches. There is great snorkeling on Eustacia Reef which can be reached by a
20 minute dingy ride beyond (east to north-east) of Saba Rock. Eustacia Reef
has old cannons, an anchor, and a 1 mile of coral and fish and turtles.
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- Leverick Bay is fully operational with Fuel and Water and Provisions.
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- Saba Rock, Bitter End, and Biras Creek are closed.
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- There are mooring balls at Leverick, Saba, Biras, and Vixen Point.
Day
5 - You must be into Copper by Noon. No Anchoring!
We
recommend we head for Cooper Island for lunch on your 4th day. Cooper Island is
the center of the scuba diving area in the BVI and as a result it is a very
popular site. Unfortunately it has relatively few balls and it is unsafe to
anchor. But some of the balls will become available just after lunch, which is
the perfect time to arrive after a great 4 hr. broad reach from NVG Sound.
Cooper Island has a beautiful beach with sheltered swimming and very good
snorkeling at nearby Cistern Point.
Cooper
Island has the best sunsets and a very nice (solar powered) restaurant, the
'Cooper Island Beach Club' (moderate).
1.1.19
- Cooper is fully operational.
Day
6 - Salt Island for a Swim and then
off to Jost Van Dyke.
White
Bay is Off Limits for the Yacht.
To
Salt Island to the Wreck Of The Rhone for a spectacular advanced snorkel and
dive site with the 300'+ wreck laid open in 15' to 100' of water beneath you.
We
recommend Jost Van Dyke as a destination on the sixth day. It is usually a
beautiful sail down the channel and through the West End Cut to JVD. Lunch at
Great Harbor and a visit to Foxy's, or a hike over the hill to White Bay for a
Painkiller
If the weather is good we may want to spend the
night in Great Bay. However, the holding in Great Harbor is terrible and if
we're not sure about the anchors of those upwind of us, then tack up to Little
Harbor for the security of a mooring ball and local lobster.
1.1.19
- Do Not re-fuel or re-water at JVD.
Day
7 - We recommend our final destination
be a motor-sail to either The Bight on Norman Island - or - Great Harbor on
Peter Island.
Pick
up a mooring ball or anchor in the Bight and then dingy over to the Caves for
friendly fish and huge caves - or pick up a mooring ball in Great Harbor, Peter
Island and snorkel the shore line.
Optional Day - We recommend Cane Garden Bay on the
North side of Tortola. Cane Garden Bay is one of the legendary beaches of the
Caribbean, even Jimmy Buffet sings about CGB. It has a beautiful beach, good
dinning at Quito's (expensive) or Myetts/Pussers. (expensive). We need to get
into CGB before 2 PM to get a ball. Unfortunately, we must avoid
CGB if there is a North Sea Swell running in the winter.
1.1.19
- Water at the NE Concrete dock but Only in good weather.
Last Day Up
early and a relaxing sail back to Nanny Cay to refuel by 10:00 AM
Please
call Capt. Brent at 1.284.341.3332
when you are 1 hour out of Nanny Cay.
Fair Winds.
Capt. Brent