NORTH SOUND

1330 hours, December 23, 2014, North Sound Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands: Picked up a Bitter End Yacht Club mooring, next to Chance, a boat that had also summered in Brunswick Georgia for two of the three seasons we were their. We had only meet the Owners once in Brunswick, they are also from Southern California. As it turned out they had arrived 20 minutes before us, and had taken advantage of the same weather window we had coming south. This was their third season and they generously shared a lot of information with us about North Sound. 

North Sound is formed by Virgin Gorda on one side and Mosquito Island, Colquhoun Reef, Cactus Reef, Prickly Pear Island and Saba Rock. In this Sound, that is protected from seas in any direction, Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins prepared their forces before heading into the battle of San Juan where Hawkins died and Drake was defeated. Sir Richard Branson recently bought Mosquito Island where he is planning to build an exclusive resort. Sir Richard also owns Necter Island, just north of North Sound, where he built an Bali- esque home for his own use. Prickly Pear Island is a nature refuge, and a habitat of the prickly pear cactus. Saba Rock is almost entirely covered with buildings which include 2 bars, a restaurant, a hotel, slips and a large dingy dock. 

There are several resorts, marinas and clubs all within fast dingy distance within the Sound. The best known and largest is the Bitter End Yacht Club. The Club sits on a Virgin Gorda peninsula at the north end do the Sound. Moving clockwise: is the Biras Creek Resort with a stone Castle Restaurant with views of the Sound and the Caribbean; Biras Creek Marina with its Fat Virgin's Cafe ( the name Columbus had for the Island as the Island looked to him to be a fat virgin lying on her side from a distance); the out post of the Italian Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, with its super yacht marina and grand scaled club house and exclusive restaurant, Gun Creek, a local town with the Immigration Office and several local restaurants; Leverick Bay with its marina, mooring field, restaurants, Small Resort, and grocery store; Drakes Anchorage on Mosquito Island, with a small mooring field Resort and Restaurant; Sand Box Seafood Grill and Bar with its mooring field on Prickly Pear Island; and Saba Rock Resort (discussed above) complete the clockwise loop. 

We found the Sound filled with a number of super yachts to 300 feet plus, both power and sail, small cruise ships (as many as three at a time), and hundreds of smaller boats, mostly all sail.