03/25/11 We are off to West End, Tortola in the BVIs. We need to go to this specific location because it is where the Department of Agriculture has agreed to meet us to clear in Chula. Let us explain. We have yet to have an issue with the dog(s) however most of the islands advertise very strict restrictions. We have taken pains to make sure all vaccinations are up to date and that we have valid health certs as well. It was suggested to us that we contact Mr. Devieux, in the Department of Agriculture, before our arrival. By sending copies of all of Chula’s paperwork we were told he would issue us an import documentation. The best laid plans…. In spite of having all of the necessary paperwork we made the mistake of telling him that “our vet” told us we had all the proper documentation. For an $80 fee he informed us that what we should have said was, “We subscribe to the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) and have met all of its requirements and here are the papers”. This verbiage would have cleared Chula right on through. We had to meet him at the dock and pay the fee (unnecessary and unofficial, we can see why some folks believe bribes run rampant through the islands). From here on in we go back to asking for forgiveness rather than permission. Once cleared in, we drop the mooring at West End, Tortola and beeline for Jost Van Dyke and Foxy’s.
World renowned Foxy’s is a BVI institution. As we dropped our anchor (no mooring ball for us, we’re cheap) we had to negotiate the masses of charter boats. The good news is that the charter boats were on moorings, so we had a good idea of how the boats would move in wind and wave. We’ll speak more of charter boats, however let us say that most of the folks aboard charters are conscientious and knowledgeable boaters, of course some are not. For some, they simply park the boat dropping a hundred or so feet of chain attached to the anchor in a pile on the seabed and then off to the bars. Sometimes the boat stays where they left it, sometimes it doesn’t. Fun times!
Anyone visiting Foxy’s should try and do so on Friday’s as it is the night of the all you can eat (within reason) BBQ. With two heaping plates the crew of Boto (Chula included) were able to make several leftover meals. That’s good eatin’.
While the USVI are wonderful and beautiful the allure of the BVI’s is that several islands are in very close proximity of one another, hence the multitude of charter boats. Everyday is a new
beach, on a new island, with new bars. The other reason to take care with charter boats, alcohol plus sun plus water plus big boats equal smash(ed) sometimes in more ways than one. So, we are off to Norman Island to visit the other world renown den of iniquity, the Willie T.
We opted to avoid the mooring field and anchored in Privateer Bay in 30 feet of water where we could snorkel off the stern along wonderful reefs. As Chula had enjoyed her time ashore at Foxy’s she insisted on joining us on our visit to the Willie T, so off we went. We enjoyed afternoon cocktails with the early bird crowd and as usual Chula was the center of attention. She really enjoyed watching the wild crowd do shots off the surfboard! 
03/27/11 We’re off for Peter Island (which was almost the sight of our nuptials, until San Diego won out) only to find no room at the inn, so we hang a left and head to Roadtown, Tortola. Remember, the islands are really close together. For those that have never been, pay a visit to Roadtown, for everyone else you already know there isn’t much there. Of course there are the cute shops for the cruise ships! After a rocky, rainy night with little sleep we are off for Cooper Island, all of 10nm, a big day.
Here comes the fun part, after a period of time we decided we were secure and we could relax and relax we did, until the catamaran arrived. Two couples aboard a charter cat arrived off our port quarter and dropped the anchor and a bundle of chain and prepared to take the dinghy ashore. We decided for our own safety and sanity to inform them that we had over 300 feet of rode out and should the wind pick up they would be inside our scope and we would go bump in the night. With a shrug and a smile off they went to shore. The good news is that the wind didn’t pick up the bad news is that during the course of the evening we hauled in 150 feet of rode leaving with 200 feet out in order to avoid bumping as the boats swung hither and yon. At one point during the wee hours of the morning we awoke to find our stern stepping distance from the stern of the cat. We hauled anchor the next morning and headed to Thomas Bay on Virgin Gorda and the BATHS.
The Baths are a wonderful sight to behold. The rock formations carved by the sea are enormous, the caves that have been created are remarkable and the water is beautiful. If you find yourself in the BVI’s be certain to put the Baths on your to do list.
A wonderful morning and afternoon at the Baths and we are off to Leverick Bay and Happy ARRRRH with Michael Beans. He puts on a great show and part of it is a conch-blowing contest to see how long you can blow before running out of air. Ed courageously joined the competition and was literally ‘blow out of the water!” The winner blew for 59 seconds and Ed blew for….well, generously 8 seconds!
When in Leverick Bay take a mooring courtesy of the Leverick Bay Marina. The cost is $25 and includes 200 gallons of water; we took very long showers while in Leverick Bay. Gorda Sound is home to a number of fun anchorages, Leverick being but one. Taking a Happy Hour dinghy ride one afternoon of the Sound we stopped off at
Bitter End, home to the Bitter End Yacht Club and at Saba Rock. Bitter End is somewhat upscale but very nice. We didn’t like Saba Rock, only because they didn’t like Chula. Let me correct that, everyone at the Saba Rock Bar/Restaurant loved Chula, one very uptight fellow did not. As the sourpuss turned out to be the manager we left, with coldies from the bartender, hehe. On our return to Boto, as has become common place, we ran into an old acquaintance. The folks aboard ULTRA were anchored off Saba Rock. After visiting for a bit we returned home for the evening and another wonderful sunset and of course a long shower (that is 3 gallons of water VS 1 gallon!).
World renowned Foxy’s is a BVI institution. As we dropped our anchor (no mooring ball for us, we’re cheap) we had to negotiate the masses of charter boats. The good news is that the charter boats were on moorings, so we had a good idea of how the boats would move in wind and wave. We’ll speak more of charter boats, however let us say that most of the folks aboard charters are conscientious and knowledgeable boaters, of course some are not. For some, they simply park the boat dropping a hundred or so feet of chain attached to the anchor in a pile on the seabed and then off to the bars. Sometimes the boat stays where they left it, sometimes it doesn’t. Fun times!
Anyone visiting Foxy’s should try and do so on Friday’s as it is the night of the all you can eat (within reason) BBQ. With two heaping plates the crew of Boto (Chula included) were able to make several leftover meals. That’s good eatin’.
While the USVI are wonderful and beautiful the allure of the BVI’s is that several islands are in very close proximity of one another, hence the multitude of charter boats. Everyday is a new
beach, on a new island, with new bars. The other reason to take care with charter boats, alcohol plus sun plus water plus big boats equal smash(ed) sometimes in more ways than one. So, we are off to Norman Island to visit the other world renown den of iniquity, the Willie T.
We opted to avoid the mooring field and anchored in Privateer Bay in 30 feet of water where we could snorkel off the stern along wonderful reefs. As Chula had enjoyed her time ashore at Foxy’s she insisted on joining us on our visit to the Willie T, so off we went. We enjoyed afternoon cocktails with the early bird crowd and as usual Chula was the center of attention. She really enjoyed watching the wild crowd do shots off the surfboard! 
03/27/11 We’re off for Peter Island (which was almost the sight of our nuptials, until San Diego won out) only to find no room at the inn, so we hang a left and head to Roadtown, Tortola. Remember, the islands are really close together. For those that have never been, pay a visit to Roadtown, for everyone else you already know there isn’t much there. Of course there are the cute shops for the cruise ships! After a rocky, rainy night with little sleep we are off for Cooper Island, all of 10nm, a big day.
Cooper’s is a prime example of BVI anchorages, very deep and very crowded. We dropped the hook in sixty feet of water. As this will be another diatribe directed at charter boats. Allow me to digress and discuss the act of anchoring. The rule of thumb is that when anchoring us a 7:1 ratio for the amount of scope (the length of chain/rode, rope for landlubbers) you deploy. So if in ten feet of water, deploy 70 feet. If in tight quarters use somewhat less, say 5:1, if in bad weather or have a lot of space use somewhat more. The thing about the rule of thumb is that it gives everyone else an idea of what to expect from other boats. So we find ourselves in 60 feet of water, according to the thumb we would deploy 420 feet, Boto has two anchors; our primary is a 45lb Danforth with 150 feet of 3/8” chain attached to 250 feet of 5/8” five strand rode, the backup is a 45lb Bruce with 50 feet of 3/8” chain attached to 250 feet of 5/8” five strand rode. Strong and hearty stuff, not enough length however, so what else is new, right? In an area with a clear bottom the anchor will hold a boat to a certain extent after that it is the weight of the chain which holds us in place. We opted to modify the rule and go with the primary anchor, all the chain and another 200 feet of rode, which would have worked great if the wind hadn’t died and left us and all other boats to the whim of the current.
Here comes the fun part, after a period of time we decided we were secure and we could relax and relax we did, until the catamaran arrived. Two couples aboard a charter cat arrived off our port quarter and dropped the anchor and a bundle of chain and prepared to take the dinghy ashore. We decided for our own safety and sanity to inform them that we had over 300 feet of rode out and should the wind pick up they would be inside our scope and we would go bump in the night. With a shrug and a smile off they went to shore. The good news is that the wind didn’t pick up the bad news is that during the course of the evening we hauled in 150 feet of rode leaving with 200 feet out in order to avoid bumping as the boats swung hither and yon. At one point during the wee hours of the morning we awoke to find our stern stepping distance from the stern of the cat. We hauled anchor the next morning and headed to Thomas Bay on Virgin Gorda and the BATHS.
The Baths are a wonderful sight to behold. The rock formations carved by the sea are enormous, the caves that have been created are remarkable and the water is beautiful. If you find yourself in the BVI’s be certain to put the Baths on your to do list. 
A wonderful morning and afternoon at the Baths and we are off to Leverick Bay and Happy ARRRRH with Michael Beans. He puts on a great show and part of it is a conch-blowing contest to see how long you can blow before running out of air. Ed courageously joined the competition and was literally ‘blow out of the water!” The winner blew for 59 seconds and Ed blew for….well, generously 8 seconds! When in Leverick Bay take a mooring courtesy of the Leverick Bay Marina. The cost is $25 and includes 200 gallons of water; we took very long showers while in Leverick Bay. Gorda Sound is home to a number of fun anchorages, Leverick being but one. Taking a Happy Hour dinghy ride one afternoon of the Sound we stopped off at
Bitter End, home to the Bitter End Yacht Club and at Saba Rock. Bitter End is somewhat upscale but very nice. We didn’t like Saba Rock, only because they didn’t like Chula. Let me correct that, everyone at the Saba Rock Bar/Restaurant loved Chula, one very uptight fellow did not. As the sourpuss turned out to be the manager we left, with coldies from the bartender, hehe. On our return to Boto, as has become common place, we ran into an old acquaintance. The folks aboard ULTRA were anchored off Saba Rock. After visiting for a bit we returned home for the evening and another wonderful sunset and of course a long shower (that is 3 gallons of water VS 1 gallon!).
Off to Trellis Bay/Marina Cay to take care of checking out of the BVI’s as well as to catch Eric Stone at Marina Cay. For those sailing the BVI’s a word of warning, do not try to clear in or out at the airport at Trellis Bay. Although equipped with Customs and Immigration offices, the airport offices only handle avian travelers, all aquatic travelers must head into Roadtown on Tortola to check in and out. Apparently the paperwork and training are different. We should have known after all, Aquaman couldn’t fly, Hawkman couldn’t swim. Once again, I digress. We cleared out in Roadtown. Yes, as some may say we are living the dream, however that doesn’t excuse us from death and taxes. At least death is nowhere near, we hope. As for taxes we had a great internet connect at Marina Cay so we finalized everything with our CPA, Anne Boatman, thanks Anne! We got money from Uncle Sam, thanks Uncle. If on a boat head to Lee Bay off Great Camanoe island just around the corner from Marina Cay. Excellent anchorage and beautiful spot with clear clean water.
Time to bid farewell to the Virgin Islands, for anyone thinking of a Caribbean getaway any and all of the Virgins are a great destination. If planning a boat trip, pick up a charter in St. Thomas or Tortola and visit as many of the islands as you can. If you have the extra time our suggestion would be to grab a boat in St. Thomas and cross the 20nm to Culebra (Spanish Virgins and part of Puerto Rico and the US) then jump back to anyone of the USVI’s, then pop on over to the BVI’s. While visiting each of the islands be sure to enjoy as much of the local cooking as you can and of course sample each islands rum, they are all somewhat unique.
We bid adieu to our Canon camera in Virgin Gorda. She has been a good camera but in attempting to get the lens to open I’m afraid we man-handled her and her springs sprung. It will be iphone photos until John and Peggy come to visit and can bring us a new one!
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