British Virgin Islands Archives | Page 5 of 7

August 14, 2013May 29, 2019

Rum Therapy/Rum Gallery British Virgin Islands Flotilla

Have you always wanted to try sailing? Have you ever dreamed of visiting the British Virgin Islands and getting to see what those beautiful islands have to offer?

Well, now may be your chance!

We’d love for you to join us on the 1st Annual Rum Therapy/Rum Gallery Flotilla!!

Destination: British Virgin Islands
Date: April 5 – 12, 2014

We are teaming up with rum expert Dave Russell of Rum Gallery to provide you with an
itinerary that will include some of the prettiest beaches and best beach bars that the BVI has to
offer. In addition to the great stops and sailing adventure, Dave will also be holding a rum
tasting to learn more about different rums of the region! We have a limited number of boats and
cabins available and will fill them on a first come, first served basis, so if you’re interested, let us know right away!

Boat Options

A Fully Crewed Charter on a Catamaran
Why a crewed charter?
This option is probably the best for you if you have never sailed before and just want to sit back, relax and enjoy the experience. We have 21 crewed charter cabins (6 boats total) available and they are through Festiva Sailing Vacations.

What’s included in the price?
Festiva is giving us a discount off of their normal Spring price per cabin (see pricing below) and the deposit and booking of these cabins will be through them. Check their website (http://www.festivasailingvacations.com/) to see the Lagoon 450 and Lagoon 440 and how the cabins are configured. Each cabin on either vessel has it’s own bathroom and each cabin sleeps 2 in a queen size bed.

The rate below includes: Captain, Chef, 5 dinners, 6 lunches, 7 breakfasts, appetizers, snacks, standard bar, snorkel gear, sea kayak, and taxes. That’s right – it even includes your beverages (standard bar – premium liquor can be purchased and brought aboard or furnished by them for an additional fee). AND this rate will include a Rum Therapy goodie bag per cabin which will contain 2 Rum Therapy Flotilla Tees, 2 Rum Therapy Caps, 2 RumHuggers, and lots of other surprises! The rate does not include the crew gratuity and a cruising permit fee of $39 per cabin.

Crewed Charter Cabin Rates:

Lagoon 450: 4 cabins per boat $3, 951 per cabin

Lagoon 440: 3 cabins per boat $3, 921 per cabin

How do we reserve a cabin?

Contact Pamela ([email protected]) to let her know if you’d be interested in a cabin on the 450 or the 440. She will provide you with the Festiva contact information to put down your deposit. If you have friends that would like to come as well, let us know so that we can put you on the same boat. If you have either 3 or 4 couples and would like to have an entire boat to yourselves, that can be arranged. Solo couples will be given a cabin based on a preference for the Lagoon 450 or Lagoon 440.

What’s the deposit and when is it due?
A deposit of 50% of the cabin rate will be due by August 22 to reserve your cabin with the balance due 60 days before our sail. Upon booking, Festiva will send you a questionnaire about food allergies, likes and dislikes.

We have sailed 3 times with Festiva and it’s been a great, relaxing experience. If you have specific questions about the boats or itinerary, please let me know. Contact me to let me know if you would like to reserve a cabin on one of the crewed charters!
[email protected]

A Catamaran with a Skipper
Dave Russell will be the Skipper on this “sure to be a blast” catamaran and this is what he has to say about the experience.

Thank you for expressing interest in sailing in the BVI’s with Skipper Dave. The Rum Gallery and Rum Therapy would love to welcome you to the Flotilla. You probably have many questions, so let’s tackle the biggest ones first to see if this boat is the right one for you.

How much will this cost, and what is included in the price?

46-foor Sunsail 464 catamaran – $3700 per cabin. Each cabin has a queen size bed, a door that closes, private head (toilet) and shower. The price is fully inclusive of all breakfasts and lunches onboard, one dinner aboard, beverages and refreshments aboard. Meals ashore and beverages ashore are paid by the passenger. No tipping is required. A $925 (25%) non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your cabin.

Do we have to sail?
Yes: A boat functions best as a team. Active participation in the sailing, raising and trimming the sails, steering the boat, mooring, stocking the cooler with beverages and ice, managing the dinghy, etc is highly desired. The vacation will be what we make it. If you are new to sailing, this will be an experience in which you’ll have a blast learning what makes your boat go. If you’re an experienced sailor, even better! My motto is “Safety First.”

What else do we do?

We will sail 3-5 hours each day, arriving at a different island paradise. The sailing conditions during April in the BVI are usually perfect, with just the right amount of wind and relatively calm seas. At each destination, we will have plenty of daylight left for island exploring, swimming, snorkeling, island-style shopping, lounging around, reading a book or doing pretty much nothing. There will be a beach, a restaurant and bar (or several) at each destination.

Who is Skipper Dave?
I’m a certified sailing instructor. I sail all over the world, about five-six trips each year. I’ve sailed the BVI so many time I’ve lost count. Sailing is my passion, and with every new sail I’m as excited as my very first time. At home I sail in San Francisco Bay.

What about the Rum?
I have a rum review website called rumgallery.com. I judge rum at tasting competitions and tour rum distilleries all over the world several times each year. My taste for rum was acquired while sailing in the Caribbean over 20 year ago. A glass of rum has been known to be in my hand after the sailing is finished for the day and we’re safely moored somewhere for the night. I am a half-decent bartender, so we’ll have plenty of nice sundowners. We sail and drink responsibly.

Other stuff

Meals – We are the chef. We will have plenty of food for breakfasts and most lunches aboard. We will probably eat ashore every night except one, but cook one dinner onboard. Dietary Needs – Before submitting the food and beverage provisioning request, I will ask each of you about your food preferences so that the boat is provisioned with things you like.

Smoking – This is a boat for non-smokers.

[email protected]

Bareboat
If you are qualified to sail a vessel on your own, there are several catamarans and monohulls
available and we can hook you up with some information on chartering. You will be responsible for setting up the charter and then you can meet up with the rest of the group for an exciting week of rum adventure! Contact Pamela for more information.
[email protected]

Are you ready to set sail? We hope so and hope to welcome you aboard soon!

August 13, 2013July 9, 2021

Callwood Rum Distillery, Tortola

Want to experience a slice of Tortola history dating back as much as possibly 400 years?

Then be sure to visit the Callwood Rum Distillery on your next visit to Tortola. Although no one knows exactly how long rum has been produced on the original Arundel Estate, the Callwood family took over the distillery in the late 18th century and has been producing rum for over 200 years in what is claimed to be the longest continuously operated pot distillery in the Caribbean.

Just a short walk from beautiful Cane Garden Bay, you feel as if you’re walking into a very old and deserted compound, but it’s actually an operating rum distillery and museum.

Rum is produced here from approximately March through August and during this time you can take a short tour of the distillery for a nominal amount.

If you visit at another time, you can still get a sense of the history by touring the grounds and purchasing rum at the museum/shop. Instead of paying a $2 fee to take pictures inside the museum, you can purchase a bottle of rum and take all the pictures you want. We felt the rum purchase was well worth it and wish we would have purchased more to bring home.

Callwood produces a gold rum called the Arundel Cane Rum “Original”, a 10 year old Gold Rum, the Arundel White Rum, the Callwood Spiced Rum and a blend called the “Panty Dropper”. Hmmm.

Arundel Cane Rum is made from pure cane juice, instead of molasses, giving it it’s distinctive flavor, and the hand affixed labels give it as unique and antique a look as the distillery itself. Pick up a bottle or two to bring home. Although it is now available in a few shops in the VI, it’s well worth the visit, a tour and to take a huge step back in time…

Visit the Callwood Rum Distillery website and Facebook Page for more information.

To see more posts on Tortola and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

July 19, 2013May 29, 2019

Sandy Cay, British Virgin Islands

Between Tortola and Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands there’s a small uninhabited island called Sandy Cay.

Sandy Cay is quite small, yet larger than it’s also uninhabited sister island to the north, Sandy Spit. Both islands have become popular with the many people who love to sail the BVI and with excursions from neighboring islands, yet are so very fun to visit and you might still find yourself enjoying the island by yourself, depending on the time of year you visit.

What we liked most, well there’s really nothing we didn’t like…but the island has an amazingly beautiful beach that wraps around nearly half of it, gorgeous blue water and great views of neighboring islands.

We’ve visited Sandy Cay a couple of times and during one of our visits we took the path that cuts through the center of the island. We left from the beautiful, warm, sandy beach on the south side and worked our way through what felt like a jungle.

On the path we saw a multitudes of crabs scurrying around as well as lush green foliage.

View of Tortola from Sandy Cay

The path began to open up after a few minutes and we could see just how different this side of the small island was from the other. Instead of palm trees, there was cactus and the shoreline on this side was very rocky and rough.

Instead of palm trees, we saw cactus, and the shoreline on this side, although still beautiful, was very rocky and rough.

From our vantage point on this side of Sandy Cay, we could see Sandy Spit’s white sliver of sand in front of Green Cay with Little Jost to the left.

After spending a few moments checking out the phenomenal view, we headed back to the south side to spend some time on the white sand beach and play in the crystal clear blue water…

Have you been to Sandy Cay?

Find Sandy Cay on our Jost Van Dyke Map

To see more posts on the British Virgin Islands and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

July 16, 2013April 23, 2021

Saba Rock, British Virgin Islands

Saba Rock is a small, private island that sits in the beautiful North Sound of Virgin Gorda.

Update: Many of the businesses, buildings and residences in North Sound, Virgin Gorda were damaged or destroyed in the 2017 hurricanes including Saba Rock. They are rebuilding and hope to open in Fall 2021. Check their website for more information. The photo below was taken of Saba Rock in March 2020.

To see more posts on the British Virgin Islands and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Saba Rock is less than an acre in size and accessible by boat or ferry. We first visited Saba Rock during a sail trip when we stopped for just a few minutes to get gas and ice. During a recent trip to Virgin Gorda, we wanted to get back to Saba Rock to experience more of it, so we rented a dinghy from Leverick Bay Marina. By having a dinghy for the day, we were also able to explore neighboring Prickly Pear Island and enjoy a rum beverage at the Fat Virgin Cafe.

Saba Rock houses a restaurant – which we hear serves up succulent land & sea dinners, an over water lounge/bar, a boutique hotel, a full service marina, gift shoppe, 10 deep water slips and boat moorings.

View of Eustatia Island from the terrace at the Saba Rock Hotel.

Saba Rock has a ferry that will pick you up from several locations in the North Sound, such as Gun Creek and Leverick Bay – just call them to make arrangements.

Out back they have an excellent area to relax and enjoy the view of North Sound and the Bitter End Yacht Club, with nice soft sand and hammocks.

We spent some time lounging in the hammocks before heading back in to sample a Saba Rock Banana Daiquiri – recommended to us by a friend who thought they were absolutely the best around.

They were pretty darn good and the view made it even better…

To find out more, visit their website: Saba Rock

To see more posts on the British Virgin Islands and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

July 12, 2013September 25, 2019

Loblolly Bay, Anegada

It’s really not that easy to get to Anegada in the British Virgin Islands, which is good because if it were, everyone would go. And part of Anegada’s charm is the fact that many times you can walk for miles along one of it’s gorgeous beaches and not see a single soul. That’s our kind of beach!

Loblolly Bay is located on the north side of Anegada. You can easily get a taxi to Loblolly from Setting Point or The Settlement. See the map below for more information on the location of Loblolly Bay.

Loblolly has some really good snorkeling in areas, but our favorite thing to do on Loblolly is to walk the seemingly unending white sand beach and play in the powder blue water.

Big Bamboo Beach Bar & Restaurant is located at the entrance to Loblolly. We didn’t have a chance to sample the food, but hear it’s very good and we certainly enjoyed a few cold rum beverages.

Big Bamboo Beach Bar

Another restaurant/bar called Flash of Beauty (love that name) is located close by.

There are palapas for shade, and also a dive and gift shop, restrooms and showers available at Big Bamboo.

Take a day trip from Tortola or Virgin Gorda, or plan to stay longer in the Loblolly Beach Cottages or one of the other small inns found on the island.

A little peace and quiet mixed with some spectacular beach scenery. We’re ready to go back – how about you?

To see more posts on the British Virgin Islands and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

June 18, 2013January 15, 2020

Nature Boy Beach Bar, Tortola

We stumbled by Nature Boy Beach Bar by accident a few years ago while walking Long Bay Beach in Tortola.Unfortunately the bar was closed at the time and so on our recent visit to Tortola we decided to stop by once again.

The bar itself is small and has been assembled with materials found on the beach and land, but it’s located on stunning Long Bay Beach, just about where the road takes a left for Smuggler’s Cove.

Secluded and quiet, Nature Boy Beach Bar is a great place to relax, take in the scenery and enjoy a cold beverage.

Chat with Winston, aka Nature Boy, about Long Bay and the surrounding areas history. He eagerly shares his story about how he has built his own place in the sun – the bar and his home behind it.

If you’re in the area, or headed past it on the way to Smuggler’s Cove, be sure to stop in to say hi to Winston, enjoy a cold beer or Rum Punch and checkout the amazing scenery. As Winston says, it’s “Natures Little Secret”…

To see more posts on Tortola and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

June 7, 2013January 15, 2020

Smuggler’s Cove, Tortola

Smuggler’s Cove is a gorgeous, tranquil, soft sand beach fringed with palms on Tortola’s northwest side.The road to Smuggler’s Cove is bumpy and slow going, but you can also access the beach by taking a 20 minute hike from Long Bay Beach. Smuggler’s is usually quiet in the mornings, but can get busy on weekends and afternoons.

Most of the time the water is great for swimming and there are some areas of good snorkeling, but be careful of rough surf when there is a north swell. Be sure to stop by Nigel’s Boom Boom Beach Bar & Grill for a cold one and a light meal!

The palms lining the shore are tropically gorgeous and offer a lot of great shade when needed.
(Update: the hurricanes of 2017 destroyed many of the palms in the area so currently there is not as much shade as there once was.)

View of Jost Van Dyke from the beach

Go for: swimming, snorkeling and water sports (on calm days), sunbathing, picnics and scenery…

To see more posts on Tortola and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

May 28, 2013September 25, 2019

Rum Therapy Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (The Wrap Up)

From Trellis Bay, we headed over to the island of Jost Van Dyke. On our previous sail, the conditions were not favorable the day we were to head to JVD, so we were not able to get there and that made us even more excited to visit this time.

We made our first stop on beautiful little Sandy Cay between Tortola and Jost.

After spending some time in the water we took the hike through the center of the island.

We made our way back to the boat and headed just a short hop north to an even smaller uninhabited island called Sandy Spit.

The snorkeling was excellent and we felt like we had our own private island for just a few hours…

After spending a quiet night moored at East End Harbour, JVD, we began the last day of our trip motoring into White Bay.

We spent the day visiting all of the great beach bars on White Bay from one end to the other – for research purposes, of course, as well as lounging in its crystal clear blue water…

One more Nilla Killa and a few more minutes of sand and sun and we headed back to the boat for a short nap and a sail to Norman Island to spend our last night at the Willie T…

After an excellent dinner aboard the cat prepared by our Chef, our Captain dinghied us over to the Willie T where we spent the rest of the evening having a great time. We made a lot of new friends that probably didn’t remember us the next day and the only problem we had was finding our dinghy after an evening of revelry! Hmmm…and some of us somehow ended up with a Willie T tattoo… ;)

Find the rest of the Rum Therapy Sailing in the BVI series here:
Part 1 (Norman and Peter Island
Part 2 (Virgin Gorda)
Part 3 (Saba Rock and Anegada)
Part 4 (Great Camanoe, Trellis Bay, Beef Island)

To see more posts on the BVI and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

May 23, 2013June 5, 2019

Little Deadman’s Beach, Peter Island

Little Deadman’s Beach, an extension of Deadman’s Beach on Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands, is a beautiful expanse of soft, light colored sand, excellent for sunbathing, snorkeling or just totally relaxing…

Rumored to have gotten its name for the pirates marooned on neighboring Dead Chest Island who drowned while attempting to swim to Peter Island and washed up on shore, Deadman’s Bay is gorgeous and well worth a visit!

Accessible only by boat, Little Deadman’s Beach offers beautiful views of Deadman’s Beach, Peter Island Resort and Tortola.

The protected bay is great for swimming, kayaking, walking the beach or just floating in the turquoise waters…

Walk over to the stunning Deadman’s Bay Beach, where although the beach chairs and other amenities are for use by the Peter Island Resort guests, day visitors can order lunch or beverages from Deadman’s Beach Bar & Grill.

If you want to stretch your legs a bit, take a hike up the road where you can sit and take in more amazing views of the bay.

And the other side of the island…

Big Bay Reef, Peter Island

And, if you’re looking for a little “alone” time, just head over to Honeymoon Beach right next to Little Deadman’s Beach, where you’ll find just one thatched palapa with two lounge chairs.

One day on Little Deadman’s Beach wasn’t nearly enough and got us thinking that maybe a longer stay on island at the Peter Island Resort might just go on the “list”!

Find Little Deadman’s Beach on our Peter Island Map

To see more posts on the BVI and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

May 11, 2013June 6, 2019

Rum Therapy Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (Part 4)

It was hard to sail on from Anegada. Such a laid back beautiful island. Think I could stay there for weeks, wandering the amazing deserted beaches….perhaps another trip will be in order.

We moved on with a nice sail back to Great Camanoe where we stopped to snorkel in a beautiful cove. The pelicans were going crazy dive bombing for minnows and we jumped in the gorgeous calm blue water to see what we could see.

It was a virtual minnow smorgasbord; easy to see what the pelicans were after. We also saw a fairly large school of squid in ultra clear water.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the water and the scenery before moving on to our anchorage for the night – Trellis Bay.

Trellis Bay is a popular anchorage on Beef Island, and although crowded that evening, it gave us a chance to go ashore and experience Aragorn’s Studio and the other shops and sights in the area.

We spent a little time just hanging in the awesome hammock outside of Aragorn’s.

And checked out the fireballs and burning man used for the Trellis Bay Full Moon Parties.

We topped our stay in Trellis Bay off with a hilariously fun evening at The Last Resort on Bellamy Cay in Trellis Bay where we enjoyed a great dinner, played some foosball, sang at the top of our lungs and probably enjoyed just a little too much rum…

Although the party continued early into the morning hours, we dinghied back to our boat around midnight to rest up for a sail the next day to Jost Van Dyke.

Part 1 of this series: Rum Therapy Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (Part 1) – Norman Island and Peter Island.

Part 2 of this series: Rum Therapy Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (Part 2) – Virgin Gorda.

Part 3 of this series: Rum Therapy Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (Part 3) – Saba Rock and Anegada

Part 5 of this series: Rum Therapy Sailing in the British Virgin Islands (The Wrap Up) – Jost Van Dyke, The Willie T – Norman Island

To see more posts on the BVI and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC