Recently Cindy, the girls, and I flew to St. Thomas to take Clarity on a shake down trip. CYOA helped us hire a Captain, Bobby Brooks, to help us sail and show us the in's and out's of the Virgin Islands. He was very experienced and was a joy to spend 8 days with. We arrived at CYOA, where Jay Pennington, helped us go through the systems. Cindy and Emma missed their connecting flight in Miami, so we spent an extra day at the dock, but by Saturday we through off the lines and decided to meet them by the St. Thomas Yacht Club. In typical American Airlines fashion, not only did they make them stay an extra day in Miami, but now had forgot to put their bags on the plane. Needless to say, the first day did not get off to a great start, but we were able to get to Caneel Bay in time for Sunset.
Day 2- Easter Sunday
We sailed 6 NM from Caneel Bay to Great Harbor- Jost Van Dyke, BVI
We checked into the BVI in Great Harbor, it cost $30 (Marine Conservation Permit for 5 people, Cash only). We were able to pay the BVI check-in fee with a credit card, $111.00. Make sure you bring all the necessary boat information for a painless check-in.
After we completed the check-in process, Captain Bobby and I joined the Girls at Foxy's for Lunch.
Next, we took a short Dinghy ride around to the next bay, The Famous White Bay. We enjoyed a Painkiller @ the Soggy Dollar, and the girls enjoyed the beach with a ice cream.
It was getting late in the evening , so we took the dinghy back to the boat, and the girls enjoyed stern baths, and Cindy cooked a great meal of Grouper and Angel Hair Pasta. We spent the night watching the Tarpon feeding off the back of the boat.
Day 3- Great Harbor to Norman Island
It's about a 10 NM sail to Norman Island, and it gave Cindy and I a lot of practice of tacking, as most of the trip was upwind. The Indians were too busy, so we decided to just make our way to a Mooring Ball @ Pirates Bight. Mooring Balls in the Bight are $30. We had lunch and took the Dinghy over to The Caves.
Next we took the Dinghy to The Indians. This area has great snorkeling, and you can see lots of big Purple Fan Coral and Brain Coral.
Since our trip in April, they moved the Willy T back to its original home in the Bight, but while we were there it was located on Peter Island. We enjoyed dinner @ the Pirate's Bight Restaurant.
Day 4- Norman Island to Cooper Island
Suggest wake up early, have the BoatyBall website loaded and ready a few minutes before 7am. We were lucky and were able to reserve 1 of the mooring balls @ Cooper Island. BoatyBall has 15 mooring balls that you can reserve, but they will all be gone by 7:01, so be prepared to have a couple of people trying at 7.
We made the 8 NM trip, and made it to Cooper by lunch. We took the Dinghy over to the Restaurant and beach. We had some cocktails, enjoyed the beach, had some Ice Cream, and they even have a Rum Shop right next door. We made reservations at the Cooper Island Beach Club, and had a great dinner, right as the sun set.
Day 5- Cooper Island to The Baths
The Baths are huge granite boulders, that were supposedly deposited at the tip of Virgin Gorda by the last Ice Age. Make sure you arrive early, The Baths are not to be missed, and they have limited mooring balls. Pack your camera's and valuables in a dry bag, because you will have to swim from the Dinghy to shore, it's a workout, but worth it.
Next we pulled from the Mooring and headed 15 NM for Leverick Bay, Virgin Gorda. There wasn't any mooring balls available, but we were able to anchor on the back side of the mooring field, with no problems. Leverick has a surprisingly good store for stock up of provisioning. The store is very small, but has a good selection, has a little of everything, and the prices are very reasonable.
Day 6- Leverick Bay to Scrub Island
Downwind sailing 11 NM to Scrub Island. We practiced some gybing, before coming into the cut @ Scrub Island. Make reservations for the marina beforehand, a little expensive, but worth it. The kids enjoyed the pool, waterslide, and trampoline over the water. Cindy enjoyed the spa, and multiple ladies at the pool were raving about their services.
We had dinner at the restaurant upstairs, and it was good, but I think everybody was wore out from the day.
Day 7- Scrub Island to Waterlemon Bay- St. John, USVI
Had breakfast at Scrub Island and let the girls enjoy a 1/2 day at the pool, before grabbing a pizza from the Market, and heading the 15 NM to Waterlemon Bay, St. John. Checking back into the USVI is pretty easy. We downloaded the CPB Roam App, and you are able to upload all the passengers passports into the App for a painless arrival back into US waters. You don't even have to go into Custom's for check-in.
We enjoyed our last dinner on the boat on a mooring ball. $26, paid in cash on the floating kiosk.
Day 8- Waterlemon to Frenchtown Marina (CYOA Base), St. Thomas
Sailed the 15 NM back to Charlotte Amelie, grabbed Diesel at Grand Haven Yacht Club, and packed our bags quickly, to make our afternoon flight out STT. We can't wait to go back, and are excited about the next adventure, maybe the Spanish Virgin Islands or Anegada.