NSHSA members at the Bitter End YC in the BVI
Last fall the Northern Star Hunter Sailing Association offered to organize a trip to the British Virgin Islands during the winter. 3 couples decided to do it some of them returning for the sixth time and off we went last January.
The day of our arrival the weather was sunny and warm with a light breeze, perfect! We quickly settled on our big boat; guys checking all the systems and girls finishing the provisioning.
Eager to go the next morning, we left early only to discover that the breeze was gone so we motored to our first stop on our way to Norman Island: the Indians for some excellent snorkeling. From there, we entered The Bight, also known for the restaurant/party boat “Willy T”, to grab a mooring ball for the night. Next day we motor to Little Jost Van Dyke and went for a short walk to the “bubbly pool”, a natural pool surrounded by larges rocks where the waves comes gushing in. Later we went to Foxy’s bar for some “Painkillers” in Great Harbour where some dolphins greeted us entering the bay. The following day, still motoring, we went to The Baths with those big boulders, nice beaches and big swell then headed up to Marina Cay. The next day, to the joy of the crew, we finally sailed nicely to Anegada for a tour of the island; flamingoes and lobsters awaited us. Returning to Virgin Gorda, The Bitter End was a nice stop to enjoy the sunset. We also had a terrific time snorkeling at the Dogs, where some of us found pieces of what appeared to be an aircraft. Another good spot was Privateer Bay on Norman Island to visit the caves before returning to Tortola.
Although there were lots of other boats cruising while we were there, we didn’t have any difficulty finding mooring buoys during our trip, except at the Baths. Despite the lack of Christmas winds the BVIs were a dream: warm air, warm water, protected waters, beautiful white sand beaches in interesting little bays, good food, and good rum and I think it is safe to say we all had a great time and are ready to do it again.
