Sopher's Hole & The Sugar Mill

1230 Hours, January 9, 2015, West End Tortola Island BVI: Dropped anchor between Frenchmans Cay and Tortola Island just west of Soper's Hole. The Caribbean colors on the roofs, siding, door and window frames of the shops, market, restaurants and marina offices that make up Soper's Hole "village" make the Caribbean image of West End. Center of the "village" is a great dingy dock directly in front of Pusser's landing restaurant with its outdoor terrace sitting on the edge of the dingy dock. I addition to a number of shops there is a great grocery store a few feet from the dingy dock.

We watched the sun set from Pusser's Landing.

On January 10, we rented a car to tour Tortola. We had lunch at Charlie's which is located on Wickhams Cay 2 in the middle of Road Town Harbour. And, in the center of Moorings and Sunsail's British Virgin Island fleets. There were hundreds of the same boats, the same color, the same markings, the same color canvas, all clean and waxed, and all docked in the same orientation. The orderliness was surreal. 

Leaving Road Town we headed up Joe's Hill Road with its hairpin turns and grades approaching 45 degree. This was a challenge for compact rental even in low gear. The best part of the trip was finding The Sugar Mill Hotel and it's Restaurant, in Little Apple Bay which is about halfway between Cane Garden Bay and West End on the North side of Tortola. The Sugar Mills history started around 1640 at the height of the sugar and rum trade. The main dinning room of the Sugar Mill has in its walls ballast from ships returning from Liverpool and other ports. As there was little cargo for returning ships which had carried rum and sugar from the Caribbean, they would steal cobble stones in the middle of the night off Liverpool streets, to ballast their ships. 

We dinned in what was once the boiler house for a rum distillery with its exposed walls with cobble stone stolen from the streets of Liverpool in the late 1600s. The food was equally incredible. 

THE BIGHT

0830 hours, January 8, 2015, East End Jost Van Dyke Island, BVI: We rounded Sandy Cay on our starboard and headed south west to Hatch Island Cut. Once through the Cut we maneuvered around the east end of Little Thatch Island and set a course along the western edge of Sir Francis Drake Channel to the Bight on Norman's Island. Norman's Island is said to be the Island which Robert Louis Stevenson based his epic of all pirate stories, Treasure Island. The Island was named after a pirate who was believed to have buried Spanish Gold in the Caves at Treasure Point, which is at at the west corner of the Bight. With this rich history we were not surprised to hear pirates commotion as we were anchoring. After launching the dingy we went in search of this auditory turbulence. Hidden behind moored boaters in the south corner of the Harbor we found the Willie T, a replica of a 93' topsail schooner which has been converted into a bar. As we circled in the water vibrating from the sound, pirates dove off the top deck displaying their daring, and woman in bikinis on the lower deck bounced their buttocks off of one another with undulating motion. This was mid afternoon and the Willie T was filled with pirates in full commotion. We circled the Willie T again during happy hour on our way to dinner. The fast boats that had been side tied in the afternoon were gone, the floating side dock was filled with cruiser's dingies, the sound was audible and less vibrating, the motion was calm, and the dress was shirts and pants. A different Willie T at happy hour. At the east end of the Harbor is Pirates Beach Bar and Grill. We had a great dinner in their new open air dinning room where we had a perfect view of the sunset over the Harbor. Another couple was kind enough to take our picture. Although Greg and Jackie hiked to the top of the hill, to view the Bight and the other side of the Island, we didn't dive in the caves searching for treasure on this trip. This is an adventure we will save for the future.

JOST VAN DYKE

0900 hours January 7, 2015, Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, BVI: With our stern directly pointed toward Jost Van Dyke we could see that the seas between the two Islands had moderated overnight. The wind was blowing out of the ENE at 17 as we set course for Great Harbour, a distance of about 4 nm from Cane Garden. As we approached Jost Van Dyke we experienced again what we had experienced a few days earlier. The wind and sea had turned 45 degrees and was blowing and rolling directly into the harbor. However on this day the wind and swell were tolerable. As we entered the Harbor from the east we were on a collision course with a 90 foot Ocean Alexander who was entering from the south, and on our port. By International Rules Of The Road we were the "Stand-on Vessel" and the Ocean Alexander was the "Give-way Vessel". We had the right of way. As the "Give-way" vessel was not yielding as required, and if we both maintained course and speed we would collide, we signaled with five short blasts on our horn as required by the international rules. The Ocean Alexander still did not yield and we were forced to reverse engines which we had allowed enough room to do. Once into the Harbor ahead of us, the Ocean Alexander turned into the anchorage and dropped anchor in the last remaining spot within the Harbor. There was no admiralty court which could convene that day to bring the scalawag to justice by keel hauling or other such measures, and return our rightful anchorage. We could have tried to convene a court made up from the bareboat operators that captained the large majority of boats in the Harbor, but we feared that such a court may have had us walking the plank for being sour losers in a race for the last anchorage, and for interrupting their midday naps with our loud horn blasts that echoed from the hills around the Harbor. We left Great Harbour without dropping our anchor for the second time. We had thought that the east end or Jost Van Dyke would have greater exposure to the east and ENE winds and seas. What we found was a much larger, calmer, less crowded, and shallower anchorage than Great Harbour. In addition to several snorkeling locations within the overall anchorage, Sandy Spit is at the east end. Sandy Spit is small "island" with a white power sand beach on all sides, and with a lush green interior with palms and other growth. It is connected to Green Cay to the north with a near drying sand reef. This reef flattens the swells from the east but allows the full force of the wind making it an ideal kiting location. On the west end of the anchorage, the east end of Jost Van Dyke Island, is Foxy's Taboo, and outpost of the legendary Foxy's in Great Harbour where we enjoyed dinner.

CANE GARDEN BAY

0715 hours January 6, 2015, Maho Bay, USVI: Greg Headed by dingy to Red Hook on St Thomas Island a distance of about 6 nm. Although it had been blowing 25 nm per hour plus for the last two days, less in Maho Bay, winds had decreased to the range of 10 to 15, and seas were relatively flat at our anchorage. Seas picked up as Greg rounded Hawksnest Point but still looked relatively mild across Pillsbury Sound which separates St Johns from St Thomas Islands. The plan was to take the 8:00 am ferry from Cruz Bay to Red Hook if the seas were too much in the Sound. As the seas looked ok Greg proceeded. By mid Sound they were 4 to 6. At this point it was too late to turn back to Cruz Bay to catch the 8:00 ferry. Greg proceeded. The mission to Red Hook was to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, and fresh vegetables at the new market. As the return trip would be into the seas Greg rode back across the Sound in a ferry wake which helped to smooth the ride. On return we lifted the anchor and headed for Cane Garden Bay on the north side of Tortola. Cane Garden Bay is surrounded by steep hills on three sides with colorful houses poking out of the green landscape. At the base of the hills is a sand beach with restaurants and concessions in colorful buildings under palms, behind. After anchoring we went ashore with Jackie to explore. We had also brought Jackie ashore with us at Maho Bay and had been reminded by beach goers, who had arrived by car, that one of the many Park Service rules were no dogs. With this encounter only two days earlier we decided walk with Jackie down the road behind the beach buildings and not down the beach. The road lead us to the Callwood Distillery, the only remaining rum distillery in the Virgin Islands. Callwood has been distilling rum, from locally grown sugar cane, at this location using the same equipment and the same recipes, for 400 years. Seeing this as an opportunity to taste the real pirates brew, and perhaps better understand what gave them the courage to set sail across oceans without chart plotters, AIS, radar, wind instruments, weather forecasters and sat phones, we purchased a bottle. The bottle says "cane rum, distilled from pure cane juice and aged in oaks". We are waiting for the right group of would be pirates, to better understand their courage. Having seen the road we decided to break the rules, if there were any, and head back with Jackie to the dingy dock on the other end of the beach, along the shore. The sand was filled with umbrellas, chase lounges, woman in bikinis, some without tops, waiters and waitress serving drinks on the sand, and patrons speaking european languages. And yes, dogs and cats wandering between the patrons looking for handouts and attention. What a delightful place! Active Captain provided great reviews for Myett's Restaurant. We left our dingy on the dingy dock at sunset, and walked by the bars and restaurants along the beach. As we approached Myett's we could hear Jimmy Buffet singing for happy hour. We were in the right place. The bar was filled with dancing cruising couples enjoying the music. Beth ordered the local lobster and Greg the New York steak. Both were excellent.

MAHO BAY

0830 hours January 3, 2015, White Bay Guana Island BVI: Headed west toward Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke Island. The Christmas Winds were now blowing between 25 and 30 nm per hour. Seas had increased from 6 to 8 foot. One of the great features of Buoy Weather is that it allows you to pick any spot and it will give you a seven day forecast for the spot. I had checked Buoy Weather before leaving, the seas between Guana and Jost Van Dyke, north of Tortola were from the ENE, and between Jost Van Dyke and Tortola they were from the ESE. I thought there must be something wrong with the formulas that drive Buoy Weather's predictions. There is over 3 miles between Jost Van Dyke and Tortola at the closes point. How could the seas turn 45 degrees in this relatively short distance? Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke opens to the south with steep hills on its three Island sides. We had picked this location, as surely it would give us protection from the ENE Christmas Winds and seas. Buoy Weather was right and our assumptions were wrong. As we arrived at Great Harbour the Seas and the Wind were from the ESE blowing into the Harbour. As this was Saturday of New Years Week the Harbour was full, not withstanding the strong winds and a 3 foot swell rolling directly into it. We turned and headed south to West End on Tortola. We went through Thatch Island Cut, between Great Thatch Island and the east end of Tortola, and turned east to Sopers Hole in West End Tortola. The Harbour was packed and the wind was funneling between Frenchmans Cay and Tortola at 30 mn per hour as we entered the Harbour. We turned again and headed first south and then west through the Narrows to Francis and Maho Bays on St Johns island in the USVI. As we turned into Fungi Passage we could see the first relatively smooth water we had seen since leaving White Bay. Francis and Maho Bays combined comprise a large anchorage area with nearly 60 moorings. This is the only bay on St Johns that allows super yachts to anchor, and were several. The anchorage is protected from all but north and west swells. Although it was windy at the north end of this anchorage we only felt occasional gusts above 15 nm per hour at the Maho Bay end where we anchored. The beaches in both Francis and Maho Bays are part of the National Park Service. Maho is particularly beautiful with its bent palms and mangroves overhanging the beach. There are no dingy docks. The Park Service has designated where you can bring dingies ashore with red and green buoys marking the channel. No anchoring of dingies is allowed. For the super yachts with crew this is not a problem. The crew drops them off and picks them up. Smaller boats have a smaller dingy they can drag ashore. Our primary dingy, which has a significant range, weights 1200 lbs which is too much to drag ashore. As we don't have crew we have a second beach dingy for this purpose with wheels and an air cooled engine allowing us to start and stop the engine onshore (which particularly helps if there is a surf). Island hopping we carry this second dingy on removable stern davits. We carry it on deck making ocean passages. Others solve this problem with kayaks an or paddle boards.

WHITE BAY GUANA ISLAND

0730 hours, January 2, 2015 North Sound Virgin Gorda: We awoke to the Christmas Winds we had feared would interrupt our passage south leaving us stuck in the Dominican Republic, or in another location along our route, for perhaps as long as a month. We were grateful they had arrived late. 0900 hours we raised anchor and headed west toward Tortola. The winds were blowing 25 nm from the ENE, and the seas were 6 ft plus as we approached the east end of Tortola. We passed between Scrub Island and Tortola and subsequently south of Great Camanoe and Little Camanoe. As we approached the south end of Guana Island we saw ten or so AIS triangles on the west side of Guana. We quickly looked at our cruising guides but could find very little information other than the Island was a nature reserve and wildlife sanctuary with a private resort perched high atop one of its hills. As we rounded the southern tip of Guana the water along its western shore was not much more than a ripple and the wind was significantly moderated. The AIS triangles were three super yachts and several large sailboats on mooring balls and anchored along a gorgeous white power sand beach with aqua colored water in front of palms and mangroves. Our day's goal was to find a great place to spend the day and evening. We had found it, White Bay, Guana Island. We spent the afternoon on the beach. On our walk we ran into a couple we had talked with New Years Eve at the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club. They were from the DC area and kept their 50 plus foot sail boat in Virgin Gorda. Snorkeling around the coral heads at the southern end of the beach, Greg ran into the same strange sea creature that had startled the snorkeler at the Baths a week earlier, Jackie Tar. Although the Christmas Winds continued to blow 20 to 25 nm an hour from the ENE through the night, in the lea of Guana Island they were light and continuously changing directions with only an occasional gust from the east between the hills on Guana. This left the moored boats and those at anchor pointing at each other at various times during the night and early morning, leaving us at anchor with a much larger swing, concerned about bumping into one of the other boats. The cruising guides refer to this condition as "back winding". With the steep hills on most the Virgin Islands I suspect the nocturnal wind, the combination of landbreeze and katabatic wind, that Bruce Van Sant discusses in his Passages South, are the cause. One of the pictures below shows how this condition had positioned boats in this anchorage relative to each other.

NEW YEAR'S EVE ON THE NORTH SOUND

1930 hours, December 31, 2014, North Sound Virgin Gorda: Landed at the dingy dock of the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club for a New Year's Eve celebration. 

Boats had been coming into North Sound for the last two days including Steve Jobs modernistic  mega yacht which he never had the opportunity to use. We believe there was at least 500 boats in total. And we were the only trawler!

To accommodate all the yachts booked for the night at the Yacht Club's docks many of the guests were required to anchor, back in to the pier to stern tie, and to drop their boarding ramps. Sitting on anchor directly across from the Club we watched one mega yacht after another drop both anchors, crisscrossing with one another, and back down to stern tie. Some skillfully managed the operation cleanly in one shot, others required more time and effort. 

As it had been at Christmas dinner,  the view from the yacht Club Terrace was spectacular.  We had champagne and hors d'oeuvres at the  pool deck level and dinner a half level up. Our sailing friends from Brunswick and Newport Beach California had invited us to join them and two other couples, also from Newport Beach, who had come to join them for New Years. We had a great dinner, followed by dancing at the pool level and the traditional count down. 

What a great way to ring in the New Year. 

DINNER AT BIRAS CREEK

1830 hours, December 29, 2014, North Sound Virgin Gorda: Tied off at Biras Creek 's dingy dock and walked up the hill for dinner. 

Biras Creek is a 40 year old Resort with 31 cottage suites, most located on the beach of Berchers Bay. The Resort has 140 acres uniquely nestled on a mostly flat piece of land between three hills creating three access points to the water: the first to North Sound with the Resorts own Marina dock; second to Deep Bay which is protected by Eustatia  Reef beyond, with the Resorts palm tree lined sand beach at the south end of the Bay and it's water sports center; and the third Berchers Bay with its exposure to the Atlantic. In addition the Resort has an active helicopter pad to transport guest to and from the airport, tennis courts and horse stables. Between the cottage suites along Berchers Bay is a pool sitting on the ocean front. 

At the center of the three water exposures Is a small hill with the Resort's restaurant, library, spa and fitness center, and gift shop. The restaurant is at top of the hill in a stone castle like structure with views of North Sound on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. 

We ate the best dinner we have had to date in the Caribbean, overlooking the Marina and North Sound beyond.