Another Fine Sailing Day

... But not before we consumed a delicious brunch selection from Da Loose Mongoose at the edge of the bay to the sounds of a lovely tin pan oddly paired with a background track of Hotel California and others similar. Definitely catering to the older cruising crowd but we still couldn't complain about the setting, the view or the food. Lobster benedict for me and a 3-egg omelet for Henry.

Mowzer on a mooring ball in front of The Last Resort, the restaurant on Bellamy Cay.

We could almost dabble our toes in the water from our breakfast seats.

Our companion may have had a little too much of the rum punch last night - this was her sleeping position and not just a stretch.

Aragorn's Studio is an arty hangout and interesting to browse through but definitely not for the faint of wallet if you wish to purchase. We wandered through and admired some of the works, but kept our wallets safely tucked away.

It is nice to see all the locally produced artwork and the entrance is very alluring.

Some of the artwork is created right on the beach in the shade of the Manchioneel trees.

Our lazy Sunday morning had now ticked away and it was time to push onto the next destination. We had Jost Van Dyke in our sights, but weren't sure that Mother Nature was in agreement with us. Such a pleasant afternoon but with winds under 10 knots it was going to be a slow downwind sail to our evening stop. Nothing daunted (it was so tough!) we carried on and surprisingly made our destination about 14 miles away by late afternoon. We'd had no wave action, minimal swell and an assisting current to help us along with the 10 knot winds so we pulled into Diamond Cay at the east end of Jost in time to fire up the BBQ and prepare a wonderful feast of ribs for dinner.

Spinnakers set, if you have one. We kept pretty good pace with our genoa/main combination.

Wilson?? Just happened to capture the popular spot of Sandy Spit looking relatively deserted.

Along the way we had a brief visit by a dolphin, saw our first flying fish of this trip, were greeted by a huge sea turtle in the anchorage and watched the antics of the pelicans in the bay. However, the only picture I managed to get of any of the wildlife today was this unnamed bird on a guana covered rock.

 

Exploring Tortola

We've sailed around Tortola many times and know a number of her bays, but other than brief excursions ashore we have never really been inland on the island. Today we rented a car to provide the remedy.

Anchored in Trellis Bay it was super easy to walk across to the Beef Island airport and pick up a car at the east end of the island. With local intel from Paul, we immediately turned north for stunning views over Monkey Point and White Bay before continuing down to Josiah's Bay.

Being a Saturday and a local team surfing event at this particular beach we'd stumbled upon some great entertainment. All ages seemed to be participating and while I know nothing about surfing it appeared that there were some pretty good runs out there, and some pretty good wipe outs as well. The waves were probably about 5-6' tall at their largest and we were able to stand on the point by the bay for a good vantage point. I was having a great time playing around with the settings on my camera and managed to get some fun sequences.

We climbed higher and higher in our little car, transmission howling on the steepest hills, and were afforded views of Road Town on the south side and then Cane Garden Bay on the north side. We actually had spectacular views at almost every turn, but you'd have said, "Enough already!"

Tortola hosts the highest point in all the Virgin Islands at the top of Mount Sage (1710') and no, Henry didn't make me hike all the way up. Fairly near the summit in the national park is a parking lot with a little restaurant and quite a character named Jim who will set you literally on the right path. He takes his job very seriously but it was hard not to chuckle at his very English earnestness.

The rain forest at the top of the mountain was lush and humid with transition into a mahogany forest on the north slope. A lookout has been built a little below the summit with views of the Channel Islands and Nanny Cay, although it was quite hazy so it was difficult to see beyond Tortola itself. The very summit was marked by a survey point of concrete. Returning to the parking lot we stopped for lunch which was ho-hum but quite a good Painkiller to wash it down.

The north side of the island is open to the dreaded "north swell" so as sailors we don't have many options other than Cane Garden Bay to visit this side of the island. As a surfer I'm sure this makes it paradise. We dipped down into little bays from the dizzying heights where we saw camping shelters right on the beach at Brewers Bay and a pretty extensive resort at Long Bay. In other bays little working villages nestled in next to beatiful homes with views of Jost Van Dyke and perfect sunsets. At one beach we stopped to watch the pelicans in action and it was time to play with the camera again.

Late afternoon found us at Long Bay, home of Bomba's. This legendary bar has been built of scraps found on the beach and has been rebuilt time and again after hurricane damage. It really does look like a complete dump as you drive up to it or spy it from the beach, but enter under it's hallowed panty-adorned rafters and you immediately succumb to its character. I can only imagine the nature of the evening parties but we certainly enjoyed the $3 beer and another view of surfers in action.

With the sun setting behind us we rounded the western tip of the island and then headed home on the coast road on the south shore. Unlike the ridge road, this road is almost entirely down close to sea level, relatively straight and every community along the way makes copious use of speed bumps to the extent that there is almost a rhythm to driving this road: accelerate, slow, bump, release, accelerate, slow,...

We had plans for finding dinner in the Hodges Bay area but the restaurant we were looking for had closed so we decided to head back to Mowzer and perhaps dinner in Trellis Bay. After returning the car at the airport and wandering across the road to the bay, we settled onto the boat, couldn't make up our minds for dinner and opted for simple fare aboard.

Our final impression of Tortola: would rent a more powerful car next time especially if we had more people (I really thought we weren't going to make it up some of those hills), would eat dinner at West End at Fish 'n Lime, the island is a nice mix of local life and tourism - they've balanced it well, traffic and life on the island is not near as hectic as on St. Thomas with a slightly newer, cleaner feel. All in all we thoroughly enjoyed the day.

The Digicel Quest

This post is somewhat about our search for a wifi solution, which of course is a hot topic if you are trying to post a blog; then I'll get to some more interesting updates.

A couple of years ago we purchased a Ubiquity Bullet that we used on Mowzer with varying degrees of success and very much dependent on the good will or naïveté of folks to allow us access their wifi network. Sometimes it cost a drink to get the wifi code from a bar, but even that adds up at tourist hangouts where drinks can get quite expensive (which is surprising given the previous post's picture on the cost of rum). Unfortunately when we were taking down our antenna last November, something came disconnected and I am not sure how repairable, and cost effective, it is. This time we decided to try the more commercial route since data SIM cards are becoming much more affordable and with the prevalence of cellular networks in this part of the Caribbean we wanted to give it a try. Thus began the quest for a Digicel outlet that could sell us such a beast.

I did a little research before leaving home and found out that there was a Digicel store somewhere just east of West End (Soper's Hole). We asked at one of the shops and the fellow advised us that it was a half hour walk, but knowing how little the locals like to walk (but they love to drive very fast on the windy roads) we thought, "How far can it be, we can walk that." Well walk it we did, at 1pm, in the hot sun, for a half hour - this guy knew his distances! Just past the Big Ben Grocery, there it was. However, this small outlet didn't carry the data card for an iPad. So, we headed into the grocery to find a cold drink and on our return walk, a very nice fellow in a brand new SUV gave us a ride back to West End. Funny how, even knowing how far we'd walked, it still seemed far on the road! Thank you to the local who took pity on the crazy cruisers in the mid-day sun.

Digicel Quest - part 2, Road Town. We landed in the store in Road Town where they got us all sorted out with a data SIM card and we are now connected. We picked out a nice 1GB prepaid card, good for 30 days for $27 with a $10 credit that covers the cost of the $10 card (funny how that works). We can now connect from just about anywhere in the BVI, with the curious exception of Norman Island (what happens at Willie T's or Pirates apparently stays there). Of course we're not continuously online since we now have some serious relaxing to do now that we have completed the Digicel Quest. Sum total covers about the cost of two drinks for each of us at bars for their local wifi so we figure we're well ahead at this point.

Ok, now for the fun stuff. We stopped off at The Indians for snorkeling in the morning and it was pretty good. Not the most abundant fish population but the reef structure was pretty interesting to swim over. After finishing up there we had a most perfect sail over to Road Town; 10-15 knots of wind, flat seas and a close reach at 5-7 knots. After we finished up our errands in town we headed out again and had another similar great sail over to Haulovers on Cooper Island. The Beach Club was packed with boats and we sailed right on by, accompanied by two dolphins (where was my camera!) and we settled down the anchor in the same place that we stopped here last year. As we went out to snorkel the anchor the dolphins gave us another swim-by making this a perfect stopping place for the night. The evening games ensued watching a few other boats trying to find a spot in the swirly winds up against the cliff face and when all was done there were about five boats settled in for the night.

Just a few photos from The Indians. I am experimenting with the GoPro underwater.

BVI refreshments

Sitting at West End in a beautiful warm breeze and the best tropical cocktail, a Painkiller sitting on the table in front of me. Ahhhhh, the true cost of wifi, only $15.00!  Yikes.

We spent the night at Maho Bay on the north shore of St. John and once the sun came up it warmed up considerably from the last couple of days. We looked off the back of Mowzer and there above us were some ruins sitting high atop a hill. We said to ourselves, lets hike up there! The ruins are the remains of an old guest house or a rum runners headquarters, or maybe both. We made it up to the top and were treated to fabulous views (pictures of which I will have to post later since I don't have our camera with me right now) right across Mary Point, up to Jost and Tortola and the Drake Channel.

Back to Mowzer for a light lunch and then over to Soper's to check in to the BVI. After a long hot trek up to the Digicel outlet to discover that we have to go into Road Town if we want a data card for the iPad or Blackberry, we've come back for a cold drink.

Ironically as we checked up on the latest news, we note that Zerotocruising, who we hoped we might meet up with, must have passed right by us yesterday and they are now on the east end of St. Thomas. As they say, "ships in the night".

Tuesday: East-end Tortola

Forecast:  Winds NE 13-18 knts. Seas 3-5’. Scattered showers.

This was one of those days: an exhilarating sail, an isolated bay, an aquarium-like snorkel all wrapped up with a fun beach-bar.

We set out from Cane Garden Bay to find the winds running about 20 knots and the seas at 4-8’ up the north side of Tortola.  We tacked our way up the coast managing to tack very conveniently around rain-showers as we made our way into White Bay on the west side of Guana Island by late morning.  This is a privately owned island and so no chance to go ashore but with all the fish-action there was plenty to keep us occupied.  The small-fry would jump in concerted clouds across the bay, like watching the wind blow across a wheat-field.  This was followed by jumps from larger fish into the middle of the school of small-fry which would send them scattering in all directions.  One can only imagine the larger fish jumping with a gleeful ‘cowabunga’ and then hoots of success for how could they miss, the fish were so plentiful.  Finally, this show was followed up by the kamikaze-style dives of the pelicans and boobies (yes, they are called boobies).  It was like a concerted show put on just for us.

We had the bay to ourselves for about an hour and then two more boats pulled in.  I have to say I have never seen so many boats flying France colours – is it a national ‘go to the Caribbean while your region’s economy tanks’ holiday?

Just around the corner lies Monkey point where we made a lunch and snorkel stop.  There were only about 4 or 5 boats there and yet the snorkelling was the best we’ve seen so far.  Unlike The Caves you’re not having to spend half your time dodging other swimmers all lined up to see the parade of fish.  We saw more species and had great fun identifying them afterwards on our fish guide and the deck of Tropical Fish cards we picked up.  Unfortunately the camera battery was dead so no pictures here.

We thought we might make the night’s stop in Lee Bay on the west side of Great Camanoe Island and there was one other boat there (flying the Canadian flag) but the bay was very bleak and uninviting so we carried on and left the other boat to their solitude.  Through the tight passage between Great and Little Camanoe Islands we headed down to Trellis Bay.  Even tighter is the navigation in the bay between the moored boats, but we found a spot and settled in for the evening.

Ashore, we then settled onto the bar-stools of Da Loose Mongoose for a free drink from our copy of The Drinking Man’s Guide to the BVI, and then a few more. 

When we were here with Jim in Feb. 2010 we sat in this beach bar (shack) and watched the Olympic gold medal hockey game between Canada and the U.S.  This time we met up with some interesting folks in the bar:  being so close to Beef Island airport, the beach bars are really like the arrival and departure lounge and true to course a young woman arrived lugging a big duffel back, still dressed in jeans and sweater – she had just flown in from Kansas via San Juan.  Another fellow was a deputy fire-chief in Connecticut who swaps out all his time so he can come down here and crew on a private motor yacht.  Locals as well were in the bar since it is a popular stopping point on the way home from work each day.  Henry even recognized a face from time were were down here.

Unfortunately, because there is a cyber-cafe in Trellis Bay there is no free wi-fi and we were too far from Marina Cay to pick up theirs, so although we’re back in the main islands we are still disconnected (not a bad thing.)

Monday: Island Time

Forecast:  ENE winds 14-19 knts. Seas 5-7’ in NNW swells. Numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms

Yep, it’s really settled in now that our second week has started.  We’re on Island Time.

We had a pretty restless night with very high winds and a bouncy ride until about 4am when things settled down a bit.  Glad to be able to get some good sleep after that.  No matter how confident you feel about the set of the anchor (I snorkelled it and it was well dug-in) and the fact that you haven’t budged an inch before dark, when darkness falls in the anchorage it all feels completely different with the wind whistling in the rigging and the waves bouncing you around.

Once daylight arrived we motored around to Great Harbour to have a look at the new fuel dock and pick up some wi-fi courtesy of Foxy’s. 

That’s where the postings for the last few days went up as we sat at the bar, watched the rain and were regaled with stories and rhymes by Foxy himself.  He asked where we were from and when we said Canada his spoken word covered places from Tofino and ‘Hongcouver’ to Hamilton and Toronto and then up to the Tulip (two-lip) Festival in Ottawa; all delivered with tongue-in-cheek innuendo and a political slant.  He also took us on a personal tour to see photos of his MBE presentation by Princess Anne and then the 32’ sloop that is being built by JVD high-school students which is quite a sight to see. Here’s their link.  Foxy’s new personal mission is to try to slow the pace of development on JVD by having part of the island declared a National Park.  Having seen the road-work going on across the island we thought he was right on the mark.

The new fuel dock (part of that development I guess) is very easy to access so we made a quick stop to top up our tanks (water, diesel and fuel for the dinghy) and dispose of our bag of garbage.  We figure we can do two weeks out on full tanks but this takes all the worry away for the last couple of days.

Just an hour away on the north shore of Tortola lies Cane Garden Bay.  When we stopped here with Jim a year and a half ago we thought it very pretty but much too touristy with the beautiful beach covered with beach-chairs.  I think that’s still the case but we went ashore anyway and were delighted with the little narrow front street fringed with restaurants, bars and guest houses.  Every colour of the Caribbean has been used in the paint selection and yet it all works together.

We walked on up to Bobby’s market to stock up on some food needs as well.  For those wondering, the shopping is just like at home only the establishments are smaller and the prices higher (except for alcohol of course).  There is a Costco-type place on St. Thomas but once in the other islands food is available through much smaller venues.  None-the-less we find that we can get just about all that we need.  This morning on Jost the grocery shelves were a little bare because the boat had not arrived yet with supplies, but timed right, you can pick up the necessities as you go along.

 

Rounding out the trip

As we finished off our fabulous week in the BVI's we ran out of wi-fi connections and so this posting is late but here...

On Saturday morning we headed back into Road Town for more exploration and some shopping. There were a couple of smaller cruise ships in town but compared to St. Thomas the pandemonium was completely tame. The shops along main street were delightful and it was much easier to find locally crafted items rather than flipping over something and finding 'made in China/Indonesia' on the back.

Jim actually ended up picking up the very funky green t-shirt hanging on the line at the back of this little alley and the art shop adjacent had wonderful items.

We also took the opportunity to visit the Old Government House which was perched just above our anchorage. Surprisingly we hooked up with a tour that was just about to go around which was hosted by a localized ex-pat Canadian. The house had quite a history and was lovely and breezy; one could just imagine the colonialist British governor enjoying a cup of tea in the afternoon as his children lazily romped through the grounds. The dining room had the most beautiful murals painted by the wife of one of the former residents and our guide was quite adamant that they were pretty much the reason the house had been saved.

We checked out of the BVI's at Road Town and then headed off for another delightful afternoon sail, running down to St.John and Leinster Bay. It was too late to make our way round to Cruz Bay so we quietly stayed on board as the wind blew through the anchorage.

Our evening fun onboard with Caitlin and Jim has consisted of a few rounds of Euchre (great to have 4 to play!), a couple of rounds of asshole (that title rotates quite freely) and then a challenge of Scrabble. Aren't we the exciting bunch!!

Off to Road Town

Given the bumpiness of the anchorage we decided to have breakfast over in Trellis Bay where it is a bit more protected.

Wandering round Trellis Bay we enjoyed visiting Aragorn's Studio and some of the other craft shops before stopping at Da Loose Mongoose for lunch. This is the spot we enjoyed the Canada vs. US Olympic gold medal hockey game last year so it was rather fun to revisit the spot. We decided on the whole that we definitely like the laid-back atmosphere of Trellis Bay better than Marina Cay.

With the winds from the NE we headed off in the afternoon for a wonderful downwind sail to Road Town Tortola. As you can see we were definitely enjoying the warm sun and winds.

This harbour was a new one for all of us and after dodging a cruise ship as we came in we dropped the anchor on the western side of Road Harbor looking towards the government dock and a number of marinas.

Evening explorations ashore revealed that Road Town is relatively small and not nearly as commercial as Charlotte Amalie, but very busy in it's own right. We rounded out dinner at The Pub at Fort Burt Marina where Henry felt very British with his prime rib and yorkshire pudding while the rest of us opted for more Caribbean fare. We amused the waitress greatly when we revealed that in Canada we say "zed" but say "zeebra" (as in the U.S) whereas here in the BVI they are taught to say "zed" and "zebra" (short e). She also revealed that they call speedbumps "sleeping policemen" which I think I have also heard in the U.K.

This is the customs and ferry dock with Pusser's on the waterfront at the right and the local landmark, "The Purple Palace" just above.