Part 1: Virgin Gorda & The Baths
After taking in all the beautiful blues of sea and sky along with fun bars, buildings of boat parts, and various historical attractions that Sint Maartin had to offer, we considered Sint Maarten a success. With our our generator back up and running as it should be, you know, not leaking obsessively and spraying salt water all over the compartment, probably for the first time since we stepped on the boat. Not sure we’ll miss bailing water out of the “garage” due to the generator (hint: we won’t). ! Time for another big jump. We are off for an overnight sail to the British Virgin Islands, aka “the sailor’s playground”.
A little Random History
The British Virgin Islands (BVIs), officially the Virgin Islands, are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, and part of the West Indies. It consists of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along with 50 other smaller islands and cays, only 16 of which are actually inhabited. The economy consists mostly of tourism and financial services, the later because it is a leading hub for tax evasion and concealment of assets via the licensing of off-shore companies and related services.
The British Virgin Islands (BVIs), officially the Virgin Islands, are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, and part of the West Indies. It consists of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along with 50 other smaller islands and cays, only 16 of which are actually inhabited. The economy consists mostly of tourism and financial services, the later because it is a leading hub for tax evasion and concealment of assets via the licensing of off-shore companies and related services.
The earliest settlers of the British Virgin Islands were Amerindians as early as 1500 BC. But, it’s generally thought that the first settlers of the BVI were the Arawak from South America. They came to the BVI between 100 BC and 200 AD and remained on the islands until the 15th century. In 1648, the Dutch Empire took control of the BVI. in 1672, the English invaded and captured Tortola, removing the Dutch. Since then it has been known as “The British Virgin Islands” and unofficially home of the “painkiller”. The island has historic sites from early African, Spanish and Indian settlements.
We opted for our first stop to be the island of Virgin Gorda.
Fun fact: Christopher Columbus named Virgin Gorda “the Fat Virgin” because he thought the island’s shape resembled a woman lying on her side.
Arrival and Check in
With the forecasted winds starting strong and dying off after sunset, we left in the mid-afternoon expecting the trip to last around 16-17 Hours which would have us arriving at Spanish Town in Virgin Gorda, BVI around just after sunset. What actually happened was the winds never abated and even increased at times so we were flying along at 8 kts. Needless to say, we arrived early…2.5 hours before sunrise. As we approached Saint Thomas Bay to anchor, it was VERY dark, the moonless night sky not giving us an ounce of light to help. All we saw was an array of anchor lights and a few barge lights that made everything hard to discern the closer we got. We opted to just drift for the next 2 hours until first light so we could safely drive into the the unknown to us bay.
This was the right call. There was a weird current vs wind dynamic happening coupled with a lot of boats made anchoring difficult. We had to re-anchor twice b/c as we let chain out we did not end up where expected! We ended up having to let out 4:1 which is never comfortable in a new anchorage where you need to leave the boat right away. So I, Erin, stayed on the boat while Kevin went in to clear us into Customs and Immigration. This way if the anchor drug or we ended up too close to land or another boat swinging around, I could move us out of harms way until he got back.
Other Notables:
Airport: The main airport is Terrance B. Lettsome International, also known as Beef Island Airport located on its namesake island. Virgin Gorda & Anegada also have smaller airports. Plenty of charter airlines and ferries to get around the main islands.
Cash Money: USD, with major credit cards excepted at most hotels, restaurants and shops.
Official Language: English is the mostly widely spoken language, although there is a local dialect. Spanish is also spoken a great deal due to the number of Puerto Rican, Dominican and other hispanic immigrants.
The Highlights
Once we were cleared in, it was decision time. Staying here we would have had to move a bit south to the other less protected side of the bay and with forecasted winds, that would not be very comfortable so we opted to set sail for a quick 10 mile trip north back the way we came and settle into North Sound Harbour. A large protected area that is normally a very lively spot with lots of fun well-known bars and restaurants. Unfortunately we were early in the season still and the island was still very much recovering from the CAT 5 Hurricane Irma that made landfall there in 2017. It was nice to see they were starting to get their feet back under them, but you you could see they still had a ways to go.
The North Sound
We found a beautiful spot to anchor just south of Prickly Pear Island about 5m of cloudy blew azure waters. Not 15 minutes after we anchored a small fishing boat with an older gentlemen and his dog, Drake, running his little operation known as the “Rum Runner” motored up to us. He sells t-shirts, cigars, and an array of ice cold rum beverages. Who are we to resist! However, at $15 a drink, once was good!
We snorkeled quite a bit, though there was not much action. So we took the dink over to he infamous Bitter End Yacht Club on the east side of the harbour. It was very quiet having just reopened after it was rebuilt and renovations were complete. The dinghy dock was in good repair. But it was beautiful place, the architecture stunning, with great views, friendly staff and tasty, though pricey drinks.
We also spent a night on the Leverick Bay Mooring Balls which you can reserve on Boatyball ($30/night at the time of this writing) which was collected just prior to sunset. Here, we checked out the Leverick Bay Resort. At arrival, at the very solid dinghy dock you are greated with a large private ship mock up! Apparently there is a pirate show there on busy nights. Touristy location. Check.
Not having cellular service here yet, we took advantage of the free wifi at the Leverick Beach Bar. The vibe around the bar was very friendly between staff and fellow cruisers. We parked our selves there for a few hours with a $20 bucket of beers, while doing our internet check ins and planning. We were also able to dispose of trash here and had a lovely dinner at the Leverick Bay Bar and Restaurant, an upstairs laidback though more upscale dining area. There was also a laundry facility and market in this area, but we did not go.
Spanish Town
After a few days up north we decided it was time to head back south. We were NOT going to miss The Baths! We ended up back in Spanish Town after a 7 mile sail on Jib alone. This time with semi-better weather we parked ourselves on the south side of the harbour where there was more room. Spanish Town is known for its food, gifts, yacht clubs and local culture. For us, it was mostly just a re-provisioning at the local grocery store, , RiteWay, which was a 10 min walk up from the dinghy dock which and was very well stocked with plenty of fruits and veggies though not exactly cheap. We also had a quick bite and drink at the Island Pot restaurant across from the market. Decent, but nothing special. A LOT of mosquitoes!!
The Baths
Just south of Spanish Town on the southern tip of the island lies The Baths, a BVI National park since 1990. It is an area of unique geological formations and probably one of the BVIs biggest tourist attractions. While most of the Virgin Islands are volcanic in nature, the Baths were formed from granite that eroded into boulders along the beach.
Fun Fact: The boulders are formed from granite which is formed no where near the surface of the water but slowly appears after geologic ages erode all the top layers covering it. Further erosion rounds the boulders and now have created a beautiful playground of incredible natural tidal pools, tunnels, arches and grottoes along the sea.
Not so fun fact: The Baths gained their name tragically. Slave ships would stop here prior to entering the BVIs or USVI to offload the slaves which died during the transatlantic. The tidal pools within the boulders were also an ideal wash point for the Europeans to clean their slaves with minimal security after the journey across the Atlantic and before they were to be sold at nearby markets.
We managed to get one of the most popular tourist destinations in the BVI all to ourselves . We dinghied over about an hour before the actual park opened. We tied ourselves off on the dinghy line just off of Devil’s Bay, the southern side of the park. It was a very drizzly morning which might have kept a lot of people away early in the day. Our win. We swam ashore from the dinghy and slowly walked from our the landing beach through the park. It was INCREDIBLE to say the least, a breathtaking wonder. We walked some amazing paths through boulders and brush and found ourselves wondering through waste deep water under incredible caves and then snorkeling through the north side. It was absolutely amazing. Highly recommend if you have the means!
Once we got back from the Baths, we realized a full moon was 2 days away…Trellis Bay was very well known for their full moon parties…next stop, check. Let’s go!w=
Next up: A full moon party & the BVI Bar Crawl