Our final day was was sad just like any other last day of a fun-filled vacation. The morning was consumed with cleaning what we called home (power cat) for the past 7 days. We also gathered all of our left over provisions and searched the dock for departing sailors who may appreciate these treasures, like aluminum foil, charcoal, eggs and butter. We were in luck and met a very nice family just one slip over who were from England and taking the journey for the first time. Once we finished The Moorings departing brief we were on our way back to the Road Town fast ferry that would return us to the Charlotte Amalie, U.S.V.I. port and then one final taxi to the airport. We had a few more laughs before our flight back to Miami but it was obvious that our hearts were heavy with the yearning for one more cruise.
Day Six: White Bay, Sandy Cay, and Norman’s Island
We departed Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke, anxious to explore more of the turquoise waters. We started the morning snagging our first mooring ball at White Bay, home of the famous Soggy Dollar bar and grill where patrons sign the guest book and linger with cold drinks, play a game of ring toss or just relax in the shallow waters with the provided chairs. What a fun way to start the day. Our next stop was a tiny island named Sandy Cay where the waters were crystal clear and the beach was inviting. We anchored for a quick swim and checked out the shoreline and then moved on cruising south to Normans Island. We settled on a mooring location in the Bight for a well-protected evening stay. Once we settled in we jumped in the dinghy’s for late day exploration before a yummy dinner onboard.
Anchored for the evening at Bight on Norman’s Island.
Some of the Southern Boating crew checking out the offerings at Soggy Dollar.
The beautiful Soggy Dollar beach.
The many remembrances of previous visitors to Soggy Dollar.
Alexandra snorkling in Sandy Cay.
A reminder of what every boater should do when cruising—explore.
Day Seven: Privateer Bay, Soldier Bay, and Tortola
Our final day on the water was a bit sad knowing our vacation was coming to an end but we made sure to maximize our time on Norman Island. After a quick breakfast we moved our boats a little further to the west to Privateer Bay to set up our day anchorage to get closer to the snorkeling that included several caves at Treasure Point. They were a little eerie but we loved it! We further explored the coast in our dinghy’s to the farthest western point named Carvel where the waves crashed between the rocks and created quite a spectacle. From there we moved on to Soldier Bay to see what else we could find. We had a nice lunch on the aft deck and then suited up for our final snorkel excursion. A few hours later, as much as we hated to, we were headed back to The Moorings base on Tortola. We finished off the evening with a dip in their pool, so nice after a long day in the salty waters.
Our view during our lunch time.
A pelican, a distant cousin to the Southern Boating mascot, on a rock at Treasure Point in Privateer Bay.
Approaching Carver Bay at Soldier Bay island.
Ashley’s view of the world when the wind is blowing from behind.
Alexandra, Andrew, Ashley, and Mike selfie.
Waiting for the rest of the crew to go exploring in the caves at Treasure Point.
The Southern Boating crew enjoying their diving experience at Treasure Point.
We departed Scrub Island at a leisurely pace and headed west along the northern coast of Tortola. After 40 minutes of cruising we arrived at our first destination of the day, Brewers Bay. This small, well-protected cove provided a picture perfect backdrop for our day filled with snorkeling, swimming and exploring the beach. We visited the small bar along the sand and met the local patrons and owner, Miss Lou who told us more about the history of the area and sprinkled in a little gossip too. We hated to leave but were anxious to get to our next destination, Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke. We carefully selected our mooring ball to get the most protection from the strong winds common in this area and then quickly launched our dinghy so we could explore the famous little village. We strolled along the waterside road that is home to several small bars, restaurants, a gift shop, small market and dive shop. The strip is anchored by the well-known Foxy’s Bar where we popped in for a cold drink and took in the scenery of hundreds of T-shirts hung by patrons from around the world. Our evening ended with a fabulous meal and great conversation on the aft deck of our boat, doesn’t get much better than that.
How the Southern Boating crew gets around from boat to boat and island to island.
Sunset at Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke
Dive shop at Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke.
Sunset at Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke.
Brewer’s Bay Beach, BVI.
Mike napping on a hammock in front of the famous Foxy’s Bar on Jost Van Dyke.
Foxy’s Bar sign.
Mike looking for the beer at the internationally known Foxy’s Bar on Jost Van Dyke.
Bar menu at Cool Breeze Bar on Jost Van Dyke Island.
We left Anegada and arrived an hour later at a cluster of islands known as “the Dogs.” There were no open moorings at Great Dog Island (you can’t anchor because it’s a national park) so we decided to head over to George Dog Island, where we had a great time and saw some beautiful reefs—beware of the thousands of baby jelly fish! The lush vegetation on the tiny beach we visited formed what seemed like a personal natural hideaway. Under the hideaway, visitors have left behind balanced stacks of rocks, we added to the tradition and created our own.
Scrub Island.
George Dog Island Cove with a little beach.
Southern Boating’s men enjoying their last bit of sun in Scrub Island’s top-level infinity pool.
Alex and Ashley taking a selfie in front of Scrub Island’s beautiful view from the top-level of the infinity pool.
From George Dog we headed out and cruised to Scrub Island Resort & Marina on Scrub Island, our next home for the night. Once all docked and the boats hosed down, we opted for some pool-side relaxing time. We lost ourselves in the vast blue of the horizon from the infinity pool and sat back in the saltwater jacuzzi—the cherry on top. The luxurious property offers multiple villas, hotel rooms, a dive shop and market—yet has the feel of a small and intimate property. Taken by the island’s natural beauty, we chose to have dinner at Tierra! Tierra! their outdoor restaurant. We enjoyed a large spread of foods ranging from jerk chicken wings, ribs to red snapper ceviche and fresh caught grouper as we listened to the rhythmic sound of steel drums—island music par excellence.
Red Snapper cerviche at Tierra Tierra Restaurant at Scrub Island.
Scrub Island sunset view from just below Tierra Tierra Restaurant.
Grilled Jerk Chicken Wings at Tierra Tierra Restaurant at Scrub Island.
Ashley making a balance rock stack under natural trellis.
Today, we cruised to the island of Anegada, whose highest point on the island is only 28 feet and has a population of only 250 people. Upon arriving we were greeted by several dinghy boats driven by locals, serenading and promoting their many services including dinner reservations, taxi cabs, fishing charters, and nightly entertainment. Each local was more creative than the next in trying to score our business. The one that stuck out the most was Sacko Sam (“with a capital S,” he says) as he approached the boat singing his own made up tunes to what a beautiful morning it was! He arranged for a taxi ride to take us from his restaurant to Loblolly Beach (north shore of the island), which boasts the best snorkeling on the island. We opted for the more local spot and were brought to Flash of Beauty Beach—a shack like building/restaurant run by a woman from Trinidad. Our taxi driver was very engaging and knowledgeable. He gave us a bit of a history lesson on our ride to the beach, showed us the local flamingos, wild goats, cows, and where sharks come to give birth. He was filled with fun facts! Did you know that certain fibers extracted from the leaves of an agave plant can be used to stitch your sail or even your skin? Fun facts aside, the snorkeling was amazing as strong currents kept us on the move allowing us to see a good portion of the reef.
Not only is he a taxi driver, he is also a great tour guide.
The adventure begins with our great taxi/ tour guide.
Skip’s got his lobster picked!
Flash of Beauty.
Follow the rainbow to paradise. Oh, right we’re here.
Dinner gets it’s own paragraph because the entire experience was that spectacular! We decided to eat at Potter’s by the Sea, which is where Sacko Sam prepared a fabulous lobster dinner for 10. The lobsters are unlike any other I’ve ever seen before for consumption (especially in the United States). Sam brought what looked like an 8-10 pound lobster to tease us for what we were in store for at dinner. The meal was prepared Caribbean-style complete with grilled lobsters prepared a la Sam. After dinner, dancing under the stars and limbo began. Before departing Anegada we left our mark at Potter’s, southern boating style, leaving behind our vacation shirt and signing our names with Sharpies! So, bring your sharpies and leave your mark too!
It’s Sharpie time! Southern Boating is leaving it’s mark with the aid of Mike.
Southern Boating leaving a team t-shirt as “flag” marking their visit.
Our first full day on the boat was a great one! We threw “ structure” out of our day and just went with the flow—what an amazing feeling. We woke up and started cruising to our next destination before we even had breakfast; we just couldn’t wait! This kind of laxity isn’t something you get to experience on a daily basis, but how easy would it be to get used to.
Our first stop was Virgin Gorda to see The Baths. The gargantuan boulders lie on the sands like marbles a giant left behind. Our first suggestion to everyone visiting The Baths, is to make sure you pick the right spot to start exploring. We made the mistake of unloading all of our gear too far north and ended up having to do a lot of extra swimming to circumvent some of the spots with boulders. The only way we would have been able to get around was by jumping from boulder to boulder (!). We could have stayed there all day, it was stunning.
Matt squeezing through the entrance to The Baths.
Ashley Allen in awe of the size of the boulders at The Baths.
A selfie shot at The Baths by some of the Southern Boating’s youngest crew.
The Women of the trip having a blast at The Baths.
Our second and last stop for the day was at Bitter End Yacht Club. We slowly cruised up the coast from The Baths to BEYC. First thing on our agenda as we arrived at the club was frozen drinks at the pool—so refreshing. We had dinner at one of their restaurants (The Clubhouse Steak & Seafood Grille); they couldn’t have sat us at a better table—just a foot away from the water. The property and service are top notch.
Not much to report on after-dinner activities as we are starting to notice a trend: Staying up past 9PM is proving to be very difficult after a day full of fun in the sun!
Skip Allen finally taking a moment to relax in The Baths cove.
Ashley and Stacey going through a crawl-through, with David and Matt photobombing.
A scenic view of our anchorage at The Baths.
Cute picture of Alex and Andrew, plus David as the photobomber!
Cruising day one of our great vacation has come and gone! It began with finishing up provisioning for both of our boats, so we can start cruising towards Cooper Island. The journey was short with beautiful views including the spectacular multiple-shades of blue water. The most difficult decision of the afternoon was definitely picking out which moorings to tie up to, just kidding!
USVI Aerial
St. Thomas, USVI Landing
Southern Boating Crew at The Moorings Base before leaving the docks
Southern Boating is going on an adventure and wants to bring you along!
Join us as we cruise through the British Virgin Islands discovering new adventures and cuisine aboard two of the Moorings’ powercat motoryachts. Our family vacation will take us cruising through seven islands before ending back in Tortola.
Mark your calendars because our adventure sets sail August 7th. Here’s our initial itinerary:
Day 1, Cooper Island; Day 2-3, Virgin Gorda Island; Day 4, Anegada Island; Day 5, Marina Cay; Day 6, Cane Garden Bay; Day 7, Great Harbour.
