Ahhh…sailing in the Caribbean. One of our favorite things to do – especially in what some call the sailing capital of the Caribbean – the British Virgin Islands.
We’ve sailed several times in the BVI so far – twice on an all-inclusive crewed charter with Festiva Sailing Vacations. Why do we going back to sail the BVI? We love it’s beauty, the variety of things to see and do, the sailing conditions and its vibrant underwater life.
But with the increase in popularity, there is an ongoing need to protect the islands above and under the water so we can all continue to enjoy the beauty of the area.
That’s why we were pleased to hear from Festiva Sailing Vacations that they are donating 5% of their profits for the entire month of April, 2016 to the Association of Reef Keepers (ARK) located in the British Virgin Islands to assist in marine restoration and coral nurseries.
According to ARK, the contribution will assist with the on-going maintenance of their coral nurseries. There are two nursery sites with a total of 1,000 corals growing, which will be out planted later this year to enhance some of the BVI reefs. Afterwards, they will continue growing coral and hopefully add a few more nursery sites ensuring healthy reefs for years to come.
Have you been wanting to find out more about an all-inclusive sailing vacation in the British Virgin Islands? Be sure to check out Festiva Sailing Vacations website and contact them for more info.
This is a sponsored post. Although we were compensated by the company who sponsored it, the views are solely our own and we only recommend products or services we believe our readers will enjoy.
We awoke to yet another spectacular morning view through our porthole.
Morning view of the water around Anegada
We were reluctant to leave this island with the electric blue water, but were anxious for the adventures ahead.
Leaving Anegada
The sail out of Anegada was nearly as beautiful as the sail in – except for one thing.
We were leaving!
Sailing from Anegada to Virgin Gorda
Before getting back to Virgin Gorda, our captain planned to make a snorkeling stop at The Dogs, a small group of uninhabited islands just off the coast of Virgin Gorda. The four Dogs Islands, called George, Great, West and Seal, have a number of coral ridges that are great for snorkeling and diving.
Sailing Itinerary – Day 6
We stopped at George Dog, anchored, spent some time checking out the coral and fish in the clear blue water, and then found a place to lounge and relax in the sunshine.
Snorkeling at George DogInteresting sea creaturesChillaxin’ on deck
From there we had a short motor over to check out the spectacular Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda.
Little Dix Bay Resort, Virgin GordaHobie Cat in Little Dix Bay
Next stop – The Baths!
Huge boulders of The Baths
Even though we’ve been lucky enough to visit The Baths several times, we were nonetheless excited to explore them again AND show our boatmates this amazing area. The Baths National Park is found on the southwestern tip of Virgin Gorda and is comprised of massive granite boulders, white sand beaches and sparkling shallow blue pools which can be explored via a trail that winds through the rocks, sand and pools.
After a great afternoon of exploring, we swam back to our boat, where we were greeted with the drink of the day and a delicious dinner! At this point in the trip, we’d gotten used to such pampering and were trying to figure out how to take our crew home with us…
Drink of the Day – fruity SangriaDelicious dinner on-board
But alas, our sailing trip was nearing the end. That night we anchored in Spanish Town and dinghied in for a drink and the view at CocoMaya.
In the morning, we began the last day of our vacation….. :(
We spent the early hours enjoying Cooper Island and Cooper Island Beach Club.
Cooper Island Beach Club
A short hop over to to Salt Island for a snorkel of the Wreck of the Rhone – and then our final stop of the trip – Peter Island.
After dinner ashore at Deadman’s Beach Bar & Grill (part of the Peter Island Resort) we reflected on the great week we had just experienced. In 7 days we were able to to see so much of the BVI, including visits to the following islands:
Tortola
Norman Island
Sandy Island
Little Jost Van Dyke
Jost Van Dyke
Anegada
Virgin Gorda
Cooper Island
Peter Island
We were also treated to some excellent sailing through the beautiful islands, pampered with great food and drinks, and we got to experience all of this with a wonderful group of friends.
Sun-tanned, relaxed and refreshed, we were completely ready to go again!
Our awesome crew
Thanks to our wonderful crew and the folks at Festiva for another really great sailing vacation!
Looks like it’s time to check out another sailing itinerary! Perhaps the Grenadines again, or St. Maarten/Anguilla/St. Barths? Or maybe Greece?…..
To find out more about a Crewed Charter Sailing Vacation with Festiva including the itineraries they offer, contact them through their website: Festiva Sailing Vacations
Wow – we were already 4 days in to our sailing vacation. How time flies when you’re having so much fun – well, and a little rum!
We woke this morning to this view of Great Harbour from our porthole…
Morning view of Great Harbour from our porthole
After a delicious breakfast of eggs, fresh pastries and fresh fruit prepared by our lovely cook, we dinghied to Great Harbour to explore just a little more. We then set sail for our next destination, Guana Island, and passed stunning Sandy Cay along the way.
Sandy Cay, British Virgin IslandsSailing itinerary Day 4
After Sandy Cay, we enjoyed a very nice sail around Tortola, passing by some of the harder to reach beaches on Tortola’s North side such as Trunk Bay, Josiah’s Bay and Lambert Bay.
Passing beautiful White Bay on Guana Island, we pulled into Monkey Point, where we spent a few hours snorkeling at one of the best spots on the trip. Here we saw very large tarpon (at least 3 ft!) and schools and schools of small brightly colored minnows.
Next stop – North Sound, Virgin Gorda.
Leverick Bay, Resort & Marina
We docked that night at colorful Leverick Bay (see more about Leverick Bay here), which allowed us to easily get off the boat and explore the area.
We’d been to Leverick several times in the past, but were never there to enjoy the “singing pirate”, Michael Bean at Jumbies…that is until this time!
Michael Bean at Happy Arrr!
It was a fun show – lots of singing, pirate shenanigans and rum punch and we enjoyed Jumbies until the sun went down.
We were welcomed back on the boat with a delicious Happy Arrr of our own. Every evening our crew would prepare a delicious round of lite hors d’oeuvres and a “drink of the day”. Tonight’s drink? A strawberry daiquiri with fresh mint…yum…
Drink of the Day
Day 5 we awoke with anticipation of a sail to “the drowned island” – Anegada.
Day 5 itinerary
Lying approximately 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda, this island just doesn’t look like the others in the BVI chain. Only 28 ft at it’s highest point, it’s flat topography is far different from the other islands. Anegada is surrounded by coral reefs and hundreds of shipwrecks and it takes an experienced captain to safely navigate the sail in – and we were very happy to leave this task in our capable captains hands (another benefit of a crewed charter!)
At about 2 hours, the sail to Anegada was the longest of the trip. It was a gorgeous sunny day with enough wind for a decent sail, but smooth enough that we could do this….
Enjoying a relaxing sail to Anegada
And a little more of this…
Making sure the tan is even…
Until we started to get close to Anegada and the water looked like this.
The shallow, blue water around Anegada
Once safely anchored in Setting Point, we dinghied to shore, rented an open cab truck for the day and set off exploring.
If you’ve yet to visit Anegada, let me tell you, it should be called “Ahhh”negada! The beaches, although devoid of a lot of foliage or palm trees, are simply spectacular. It’s almost hard to describe the water color – electric maybe? First stop – the beach north of Pomato Point.
And not another soul around….
Cow Wreck Beach and Beach Bar
We drove on a short way to Cow Wreck Beach and Beach Bar. We could have easily spent a few days here. Great beach – fun beach bar! Find out more about our visit to Cow Wreck here. After an hour or two we pressed on – intent on seeing as much as possible and landed on Loblolly Bay.
Loblolly Bay
Here we enjoyed some good snorkeling and a beverage at the Big Bamboo Beach Bar.
Read more about our visit to Loblolly here.
Totally sun and salt water drenched, we made our way back to Setting Point and then our boat to enjoy our “drink of the day”, while watching yet another amazing sunset.
Sunset from our boat in Setting Point
And to top this excellent day off, we cleaned up and went ashore for a Lobster dinner at Potter’s by the Sea. Man, I could get really used to this!
One of the best things about a crewed charter is that you can just sit back , relax and enjoy the experience. No cooking, no cleaning – just sailing, enjoying the view and soaking in the sunshine…
We awoke the first morning in the Bight of Norman Island to the smell of fresh coffee prepared by our wonderful crew. I threw on a swimsuit and cover-up (pretty much the attire for the week!), grabbed a book and made my way to the deck. It was 8:00am and the day was already gorgeous – the water sparkled in the sunshine and there was just a slight warm breeze. I grabbed a cup of coffee and settled in to a comfy seat in the sun on the front of the boat, attempting to get into the story in front of me – but my eyes kept wandering to the beautiful view around me.
View of The Bight Bay, Norman Island from in front of Pirate’s Bight Bar/Restaurant
Map of our crewed charter sailing route Day 1-3
Our sailing route through the BVI Day 1 – 3
The black line indicates our approximate sailing route and the white lines point out just a few of the places we stopped along the way.
Day 2
After a light breakfast, we motored around to The Caves of Norman Island where we spent some time snorkeling (check out that crystal clear water!) kayaking and attempting good form (or just to stand up) on the stand up paddle board. The Festiva catamarans come equipped with a SUP board, a kayak and snorkeling equipment – so you can try it all!
Snorkeling at The Caves, Norman IslandSUP-ping at The Caves
A delicious lunch on board the boat…
Lunch on board our boat
…and then we made our way to The Indians for another great snorkel.
The Indians, BVI
We’d had a full morning of playing in the water and were sun and salt-water drenched, and really enjoyed relaxing on the beautiful sail around Tortola to Cane Garden Bay where we anchored for the night.
…then back on board we spent the evening sipping on some really tasty rum punch while listening to the sound of music from Quito’s waft over the calm bay.
Enjoying a rum punch and a beautiful evening in Cane Garden Bay
Day 3 Day 3 started our with a visit to one of my favorite little islands, Sandy Spit, where we snorkeled, swam and walked the entire island (it takes approximately 10 minutes if you walk slow!) (Find out more about Sandy Spit)
Sandy Spit
Then, just around the corner, we made a stop at the new B-Line Beach Bar on Little Jost to check it out, play a little cornhole in the sand and try one of their specialties – the Passion Confusion.
Jerry the bartender mixing up a Passion Confusion
From there we sailed over to the fabulous White, Bay, Jost Van Dyke where our captain anchored for the afternoon.
Getting our dollars soggy in White Bay
After a graceful entry into the waters of White Bay, we swam to shore with our soggy dollars to check out as many of the beach bars on White Bay as possible, including One Love, Soggy Dollar and Ivan’s.
Later that evening we motored over to Great Harbour for the night, enjoyed a sunset dinner on board, then dinghied to shore for some music and dancing at Foxy’s.
Live music and dancing at Foxy’s, Great Harbour
Once again exhausted from a great day of exploring Jost Van Dyke, we retired to the nets to chat with our boatmates and relive the experiences of the day.
Ever wondered what it’s like to take a crewed sailing vacation through the beautiful British Virgin Islands? Follow along in this series as we describe our boat, the experience and the places we visited along the way!
Imagine…
Sailing in the beautiful British Virgin Islands
Skimming over the Caribbean waters watching the colors change from deep blue to turquoise then back in your own private catamaran charter. Water so clear you feel like could just reach down to the bottom of the sea and touch the sand. Spending a week exploring some of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean while being pampered by your very own captain and cook…
Sandy Cay, British Virgin Islands
We began our love affair with sailing in the Caribbean in 2006 when we embarked on our first sail with our friend Guy, who had his own sailboat and spent months at a time sailing through the islands. Prior to this trip we’d only navigated the waters of the Caribbean on a cruise liner, and had not yet been to the BVI. As you can imagine, by the end of the first day on that first sail trip, we were hooked.
We got home from that trip already longing to do it again. Unfortunately, being landlocked most of our lives, we have not learned to sail our own vessel – yet. So, we began looking at crewed charter options. After much research, we found a company that offered a fully crewed charter (captain and a cook) and pricing that included almost everything, including food and beverage. We talked some good friends into coming with us and booked our sail. The company we booked with was Festiva Sailing Vacations.
Fast forward a few years and we recently completed our 4th sail with Festiva – the latest one in the British Virgin Islands. Each one has been very different depending on itinerary, crew and the guests on the boat, yet each one has been wonderful in its own way.
Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda
For this sail, we elected to book one of Festiva’s new Lagoon 450 catamarans. Our prior Festiva sails were on the just slightly smaller 440 catamaran which offered plenty of room for 3 couples, but we had 4 couples this time and opted for the 450 because it has one additional guest cabin. There are a few other differences as well, such as slightly bigger bathrooms in each cabin – complete with small shower stalls.
Lounge area in front of the steering wheel
The front lounge area by the nets is a little more spacious; there is a lounge area (cushions – kind of like a day bed) just in front of the steering wheel and a few changes including more room in the outdoor dining area. See boat configuration here:
Configuration of the Lagoon 450
We were to board our Festiva catamaran at 5:00p.m. Saturday in Hodges Creek Marina on Tortola (see our Tortola Map for location). Hodges Creek is not far from Beef Island Airport (EIS), and although we have flown in to Beef Island in the past, this time we got a much lower fare flying into St. Thomas (STT) and took the ferry to Road Town, Tortola. Note: when determining the best price for your flight into the BVI, be sure to take into account the taxi and ferry fees from St. Thomas to Tortola, which can add up and, and whether or not you will have to book a hotel room the night before you sail.
After a day of playing on Water Island, we caught a 3:30p.m. ferry over to Road Town where a Festiva van was waiting to shuttle us and others to our boats in Hodges Creek. Upon arrival at Hodges, Festiva dock crew helped us move our luggage to our beautiful sailing home for the week.
Once boarded, we were introduced to our lovely crew, ushered to our respective cabins, given a quick introduction on where everything was and how to use it (especially the bathroom!) and then we all met up top for a welcome drink prepared by our wonderful cook.
Our Welcome Aboard Drink – one of many delicious drinks enjoyed that week!
We were given the choice of spending that first night in the marina, relaxing, enjoying drinks and conversation as we had done on past sails, or to get the party started and head to Norman Island before it got dark.
Pre-sail net lounging
The vote was a unanimous “Sail to Norman”!
Sunset sail to Norman Island
We had a lovely sunset sail, anchored that first night in The Bight at Norman Island, enjoyed a delicious dinner on board and spent the remainder of our first evening at Willy T’s for a shot-ski or two and a little rambunctiousness.
Enjoying the “shot-ski” at Willy T’s
We returned to our boat, laid in the nets up front for a while admiring the million stars twinkling in the skies overhead, then made our way to our cabins. Totally spent, we slept like babies that night, gently rocked to the rhythm of the ocean…
