For each of these itineraries
you can spend an extra day at any number of the places and eliminate the last
night at
Peter Island
After your climb snorkel along the shore on either side.
There are nice coral and fish in the shallows.
There is a small grocery shop,
it has the pink roof in the center of the picture.
The dinghy dock is on the north west side of the bay.
This appears in the picture
just below the grocery shop.
Do not park at the ones that are labeld for ferries only.
The phone card shown here is available in $10 and $20 units.
It is the only practical way of making phone calls.
Cable & Wireless blocks access to AT&T direct,
and just about all 800 numbers
(even though their literature says that there is access.)
Charges for calls to the US are $0.50 for the first half minute,
and $0.25 for each half minute there after.
Payphones that accept the cards are every where,
most also accept cash.
The wireless carier is CCT boat phone.
There is a wireless phone on the boat.
The charges for calls from the US (as of 1/01) are $2 per minute incoming,
and $4 per minute out going.
There is good snorkeling east of the moorings by the little island.
The sunsets over
Salt Island
(pictured)
are always spectacular.
If you are a snorkeler,
most of the Rhone is hard to see.
You probably want to take the dinghy around to the pier and
beach on the north side, and go ashore.
There are always great seashells washed up on this beach.
Walk around on the island to see the salt ponds.
It is unclear if they actually make salt here anymore,
but they are great to look at in their desert environment.
7 Day Itinerary 2: USVI and Back
This trip takes you to St. John in the United States Virgin Islands,
with an optional day trip to St. Thomas.
Day 1
Again on the first day you head for
Norman Island
and a hike up the hill that rises 400 ft. (130m) above the water.
There is also good snorkeling here.
The floating restaurant Willie T
provides good food.
They also provide a bottle of wine with every 2 dinners, so the crowd is always lively.
It has been suggested that if you are low on water you can use the wine
to shower with. :-)
Day 2
Stop Green Cay and snorkel toward the south end of the cay.
Little Jost Van Dyke is another good stop in the same area.
Sail to and anchor in
Great Harbour at Jost Van Dyke.
Watch for turtles and dolphins playing in the bay.
You again have a great hill to climb.
There is a fabulous bakery here.
Just head straight down the road at the end of the dock.
The have some of the best bread on the islands.
There have been heated debates over whether the
whole wheat bread or the white bread is the best.
Get it warm and take some along.
There is a small grocery and restaurant south at the end of the beach.
The bar/restaurant
Foxy's
was on the list of one of the 10 places in the world to go for New Year's Eve.
They are very popular and touristy,
but they are another of the "must"
places that we don't find exceptionally interesting.
They are for people who like trendy places and big crowds.
Before going to the US you need to go in and check out from the BVI.
You can do that the day before if you want to leave early in the day,
you just need to tell them when you are leaving.
Save a little money by going at "normal" times to avoid the overtime charges
that occur at lunch time.
Only the captain needs to go in to do the check out,
but take all the passports.
Be sure that you keep all of the papers that thay give you,
you will need them when you check back in.
Another tip,
when you arrive in the BVI in the first place,
get a visa good until you are ready to fly out. It saves you time when you
sail back into the BVI.
Day 3
Sail Internationally to the USVI.
Head over to
Cruz Bay.
It is often hard to find a place to anchor or moor there,
so pick up a National Park mooring north of
Cruz Bay
and south of
Caneel Bay.
You then all have to take the dinghy in to
Cruz Bay
with your passports,
and the ships papers,
and go to the customs and immigration office.
Everyone must go into immigration.
Ask
Conch Charters
before you go for any last minute details.
While you are in town:
- Be sure to stop at the National Park office and find out the current
regulations on using the NPS moorings.
They used to be free, but they plan to start charging soon.
The also have lots of information about where to snorkel,
and when the interpretive programs are.
- Stop at
Uncle Joe's
(right off the parking lot for the immigration office.)
It is the best BBQ on the island.
The menu consists of
(A) BBQ chicken,
(B) BBQ ribs,
or
(C) the combination of BBQ chicken and BBQ ribs.
With lots of great sides.
We don't believe that the restaurant has any relationship
to Uncle Joe Stalin. :-)
- Stop at the snack shack by the high school
(north west corner)
for octopus patties.
Or shell fish (a local name for a particular kind of fish),
or beef patties.
They spell it pate' but it is just a meat pie.
They make a good snack, and only cost $2-$4, depending on the filling.
- For your email fix (small fee),
go to the library on the top of the hill.
Or even just go up there to see the view.
They have a free museum in the basement of the
early 19th century building that shows what
St. John was like when the Dutch owned it.
- Go to the Starfish market or the Mariner Market
(near the library),
for the best in food shopping values.
We have found vegetables to be cheaper in the US VI,
but fruit cheaper in the BVI.
Potato chips and tortilla chips are also MUCH cheaper in
the US VI for some reason, as are most canned goods.
An optional side trip to St. Thomas can be made from
Cruz Bay.
Pick up information about the ferry.
The best place to put your dinghy is to either side of the ferry dock on the
right hand channel as you go in.
There is an additional ferry dock down near the NPS headquarters.
There is less room there for dinghies,
and it is harder to get into and out of.
You also need to watch out for freight haulers,
and car ferries by the NPS office.
Day 4
Sail over to
Maho Bay.
You can stop for a snorkel at the National park mooring at
Whistling Cay.
(The old customs house is shown in the picture.)
After a swim and a snorkel,
sail over to
Maho Bay
proper and pick up an NPS mooring.
There is great snorkeling here by the rocks between the beaches.
Go ashore in the evening,
or early morning to look for birds along the trail.
Jim saw 19 species in 2 hours one day.
Paul McCartney and Wings recorded an album while anchored in this bay.
There are often big boats anchored here.
Day 5
Sail around
Mary's Point
to
Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay.
St. John
is almost half National Park, and this is one of the best places
to experience this.
For natural wonders snorkel over to Waterlemon Cay.
No boats are allowed within the buoy marked area,
but be careful swimming, as some people illegally take in dinghies.
Be sure to check out the bouys as you swim by them,
the reason they are riding so low in the water is all
of the marine life growing on them.
Watch for crabs,
rays,
turtles,
starfish,
and tuna.
For the human side,
dinghy to the shore and go up to the Annenberg Plantation (fee).
This is an old sugar mill where they have people
doing interpretive programs on different days.
See them making baskets, gardening, cooking and more.
Be sure to sample the "dumb bread".
The information sheets that you got from the NPS office
show what is going on each day.
There are no restaurants or other services here,
although the park rangers and other staff are so friendly they have on
more than one occasion shared their lunch with us!
You can put your dinghy on the beach at the south east end of the bay.
There is another dinghy landing place near the road up to the plantation,
but it is very rocky and often has big waves,
so is not the kind of place you want to be getting out unless you can move
quickly.
Day 6
Assuming that you are all US citizens,
and you are sailing on Cat-N-Around,
or another US flagged boat,
you don't have to check out with US customs.
You do have to check in with customs in the BVI.
We recommend that you do that back at Jost Van Dyke.
You could also do it at West End / Sopers Hole,
but things are smaller and more laidback at JVD,
so it is easier to move through customs there.
Only the skipper needs to go in to check in.
They need to take in all of the passports, have everyone's address,
and the papers that you got when you checked out.
Depending on lines,
it should only take about 10 minutes.
(Don't forget to run over to the bakery on JVD for bread.)
Sail over to Cane Garden Bay.
There are several famous and nice restaurants here, and some cheaper ones
that have less ambience and food just as good.
Even if you don't eat at them,
you can still use the tire swing.
If you go ashore,
there is a dinghy dock to the left of the restaurants as you go in.
You can also swim ashore from your boat.
Try not to park too close to the water taxis.
(See above for more information on CGB.)
Day 7
Peter Island
is your last stop
(unless you spent an extra day some place else.)
Day 8
Return to
Road Town
If you want to spend extra time on Tortola
(maybe saving money on air fare)
there are several hotels that you can stay at.
The
Sea View
just 100m (yards) down the road is cheap and has a pool.
It is even cheaper if you don't need air conditioning and can make do with a
ceiling fan.
Return to
sailing FAQ page.
Send us mail with more questions to
jmcolsmith@worldnet.att.net
View the
Colsmith home page.
Recent update history:
Wed Sep 5 -
Sun Aug 5 2001
You start in Road Harbour,
in Road Town, Tortola.
Your charter is noon to noon,
so you spend your morning getting your orientation and
grocery shopping
(there are several stores within walking or dinghying distance.)
We especially recommend the Capriccio del Mar restaurant,
a short walk down the main street towards "downtown."
Lots of interesting and tasty Italian dishes for lunch or
dinner for around $10.
There are many decent restaurants all over town, including the
Pub (green building) which has some all you can eat specials.
It is next to
Conch Charters,
but may not open in the summer.
Sail to and spend the first night on a mooring at
The Bight, on Norman Island.
During the high season (mid December to April) the moorings often fill up early
(3pm),
so get the mooring first,
then dinghy around to the National Trust moorings and snorkel.
Climb to the top of the island
(dinghy to the Billy Bones Restaurant and ask for directions.)
There are fabulous views from the top, so the hike is
definitely worth the effort.
This picture shows
Pelican Island and the Indians in the center,
with Tortola and a bit of Jost Van Dye in the background.
Sail on to Cane Garden Bay on
Tortola.
Anchor or pick up a mooring.
Go ashore and play on one of the longest beaches around.
This is also the most "touristy" beach on the trip.
There are a couple of small grocery shops.
The public dinghy dock is over to the left side of the beach
(faceing from the water),
do not park too close to the water taxis.
Sail north to
Guana Island
snorkel stop.
It can be murky, but there are often so many small fish that swim around
in masses so thick that you can't see much else!
In the center of
Trellis Bay is The Last Resort
(seen behind Cat-N-Around in the picture)
They have buffet suppers followed by humorous programing.
There are several anchorages,
and several places to pick up moorings.
Big sandy beaches and calm swimming complete the picture.
There is a small grocery shop.
Sail to
Cooper Island and pick up a mooring.
There is kind of a weird current that runs here,
and poor holding,
so anchoring should be avoided.
Day 6
Sail around
Salt Island
and pick up a mooring.
If you are a diver,
go off and see the wreck of the
Rhone.
Day 8
Sail across the Sir Francis Drake Channel back to Road Harbour Tortola.
Call in on the VHF to be told where they want you to dock or moor.
Rainbows are a common occurence in the BVI.
Rain showers tend to be brief and the sun lights up the showers after they pass.
Most of the time you don't even grab rain gear,
you just steer around the squall.