Blog - Part 4

Virgin Gorda home to The Baths – BVI

07/04/2015/in Blog /by Lynn Griffiths

Virgin Gorda is a large island in the East of the BVI island chain. It served as the capital of the BVIs until 1714 prior to the capital moving to Road Town Tortola. The main town is Spanish Town and this is known locally as The Valley where most locals live.

Sailing up the Sir Francis Drake Channel we first come to the famous anchorage The Baths. This tends to get very busy because the anchorage has a lot of mooring buoys for bareboats, and so larger yachts have to anchor out beyond these. This location is famous for it’s white sandy beaches and also swimming and walking between huge granite boulders. You are no longer able to land a dinghy on the beach, you have to tie your dinghy to a special dinghy mooring and swim in from this location that is a way off shore. If anyone is a weak swimmer then this is not a good option for you, as swimmers are regularly faced with an undercurrent. The better option in this case is to arrive by taxi to The Baths and then this way you can take a camera and you do not have to worry about the swim ashore.

Long Bay is a lovely anchorage sheltered by Mountain Point. You anchor in a deep pool surrounded on both sides by excellent reef that you can snorkel. There is also a lovely white sandy beach at this location that you can swim to. This anchorage is not tenable if there is any northerly swell.

North Sound is our favorite anchorage on Virgin Gorda due to its sheltered waters. This is a great location to spend a couple of nights simply because there is so much to do. We enter North Sound through the deep water channel in-between Prickly Pear Island and Mosquito Island, Sir Richard Branson’s new island. There are several anchorages within the Sound, off Mosquito Island behind the reef, off Prickly Pear Island, off Saba Rock or off Biras Creek & The Bitter End. Due to its sheltered waters this is a good location for water sports. There are lots of choices to dine ashore including the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) Virgin Gorda. This establishment has opened in 2011 and its main yacht club is in Porto Cervo Italy, but the Aga Khan decided that he wanted a base in the Caribbean. Despite its lavish grounds and fantastic infinity pool, the YCCS are most welcoming and anyone can visit for a drink, lunch or dinner and enjoy the use of the facilities. Hiking is excellent here with marked trails over the back of The Bitter End Yacht Club to Biras Creek. For guests who want to visit the Baths or to take a short island tour this is an excellent starting point. A taxi would meet you at Gun Creek and drive you over the hillside stopping at several look out points so that you can photograph both South Sound and also North Sound. Then you can visit The Baths with your camera and not have to worry about the swim in to shore. You can also visit the disused Copper Mine on Virgin Gorda. On the way back there’s a great little local restaurant called Hogs Heaven located high up on the hillside looking directly over Mosquito Island and North Sound. On a good day you can see as far as Anegada from this venue. It’s a great place to stop off and enjoy a local beer a Carib. And if you’re hungry you can dine on locally reared pork that is barbequed in front of you.

Why not visit Virgin Gorda onboard SY Pacific Wave, a Luxury Crewed Yacht Charter based in the BVI’s.

Enjoy reading more about Maho Bay – St John, Norman Island (Treasure Island) – BVI, & Peter Island.

The Baths Virgin Gorda

View from Guys Trail Virgin Gorda

Map of the BVI showing Virgin Gorda

Peter Island blessed with stunning White Sandy Beaches – BVI

07/02/2015/in Blog /by Lynn Griffiths

One of Peter Islands Stunning Beaches

Map of the BVI showing Peter Island

Peter Island is a private island that is blessed with numerous white sandy beaches. It is home to the Peter Island Resort & Spa that is located on its north & eastern shores.

You have a good choice of anchorages around this large island. We prefer Great Harbour when our guests wish to visit the resort. This is a large very secure anchorage on the northern side of the island. There is great snorkeling in this anchorage and it is also a good place for water sports due to its protected flat water. It’s only a 5 minute walk from the beach here to the Peter Island Resort and 10 minutes to the restaurant on Deadmans Beach.

Peter Island Resort has a lot to offer, it’s a great place to enjoy lunch ashore in their beachfront restaurant at Deadmans Beach. This beach is idyllic, it has a crescent shaped beach lined with palm trees. The restaurant has a wood-burning pizza oven, and they serve the local dish Chicken Roti’s that is always a favourite. During the winter season a steel band plays at lunchtime every Sunday. After lunch you can chill out and relax on a lounger or on one of the rope hammocks slung between the palm trees on the beach.

For the energetic guest onboard you can hire a Hobbie Cat by the hour from Deadmans Beach water sports. There are also several great hikes on Peter Island. Our favorite hike is Sunset Loop which is a 5 mile hike round trip from the hotel reception area. You walk along the crest of the island to the very southern most tip where you can sit down and enjoy the stunning panoramic views west over Norman Island and St John USVI. There are some step inclines at the start of this hike, however all the roadways are graded for a vehicle so it is easy under foot. There are also two fresh water drink stations a long the way, but it is a good idea to take a bottle of water with you.

Prefer to indulge then the Peter Island Spa is the best in the Caribbean; we know we’ve tried them all out! Here they have trained staff that can even offer you the Ayurvedic Indian Head Massage, not many spas offer this service in the Caribbean. The Spa has a lovely swimming pool with loungers, and it is rare to find it crowded.

Other anchorages around the island include White Bay. This location is great providing that there is no southerly wind or swell. It also has really good snorkeling at this location. There is also a day anchorage off Deadmans Beach, however dinghies are not allowed to land guests ashore on this beach, it is protected by a swim area. This anchorage is not recommended at night-time and it is generally very rolly because it is on the islands east shore so open to all the wind and swell.

Why not checkout Peter Island, whilst on a Luxury Crewed Charter of the BVI’s aboard the beautiful monohull SY Pacific Wave.

Like this blog then you’ll enjoy reading about Norman Island, Virgin Gorda – BVI & Maho Bay.

Sunday Lunch Deadmans Beach Local Steel Band

Panoramic Views from Sunset Loop Hike Peter Island

Deadmans Beach Peter Island

Norman Island (Treasure Island) Anchorages – BVI

06/21/2015/in Blog /by Lynn Griffiths

Norman Island is also referred to as Treasure Island! It is claimed that Norman Island was the inspiration behind Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous 1883 novel called Treasure Island. Treasure has been found in the Caves, which you can still snorkel. And apparently there is still buried treasure on the island, which was buried in money pits by the Pirates of the Caribbean, who used to frequent these shores.

Norman Island is uninhabited however there are two bars located in the main west facing anchorage called The Bight. Ashore you have Pirates Bight Restaurant and Bar which has recently been rebuilt and expanded, and for the adventurous you have Willy T’s bar afloat.

There are great hikes on Norman Island, with stunning panoramic views west towards St John and east down the famous Sir Francis Drake Channel. The paths can be overgrown especially in the rainy winter months so hiking boots or trainers are recommended. Take a bottle of drinking water with you, because there are no pit stops a long the way.

For those wanting a quieter anchorage you have the choice of Soldiers Bay that has mooring buoys, or Benures Bay both are located on the North Shores of Norman Island. These anchorages have no bars, just great snorkeling and lots of Pelicans fishing.

Checkout Norman Island whilst on a Luxury Crewed Charter of the BVI’s aboard the beautiful SY Pacific Wave.

Read about Maho Bay Anchorage – St John USVI, Peter Island – BVI, and Virgin Gorda home to The Baths – BVI.

Pirates Bight Restaurant Norman Island BVI

The Bight Anchorage Norman Island BVI

Benures Bay Anchorage Norman Island BVI

Map of the BVI showing Norman Island

SY Pacific Wave moored in Maho Bay St John

Maho Bay Anchorage – St John USVI

06/21/2015/in Blog /by Lynn Griffiths

SY Pacific Wave moored in Maho Bay St John

Maho Bay is a great anchorage located on the north shore of St John. It is part of the Virgin Islands National Park that was established in 1956. There are numerous mooring buoys that hold yachts up to 60 feet in length, and there are now four larger mooring buoys that can take yachts up to 100 feet.

This anchorage is picture perfect and is often voted in the top 100 beaches of the world. It has a white sandy crescent shaped beach lined with palm trees. The waters that lap the shore are crystal clear and turquoise in colour and you often see baby sea Turtles and small Southern Sting Rays swimming in these protected waters. The snorkeling from the beach is great! Swim out along the north wall and see Queen Angle Fish, Turtles, Squirrel Fish, Yellow Tail Snapper & multi-colour Christmas Tree Worms.

Pacific Wave normally stops off at this quiet anchorage for the first night of your charter when you start your cruise in St Thomas USVI. This way you can relax and unpack, enjoy a walk on this beautiful sandy beach, and enjoy excellent snorkeling. What a great way to unwind and start your cruise aboard your luxury charter yacht SY Pacific Wave.

Swimming with Turtles in the Caribbean

06/21/2015/in Blog /by Lynn Griffiths

We are extremely lucky in the Caribbean to be able to see so many turtles. In the Virgin Islands they are mostly Green Turtles or Hawksbill Turtles. As you sail further south you will come across the much larger Leatherback Turtles.

The golden rule if you see a turtle whilst snorkeling is to keep your distance, make no quick movements and observe. If you do this you should be able to watch them graze on the turtle grass, and then swim up to the surface for air.

Both Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles have a hooked bill, so it is difficult to tell them apart. The way to identify them is to count the number of scales on their heads. A Green Turtle has two scales between the eyes, whereas a Hawksbill Turtle has four scales. The Hawksbill is smaller in size reaching an average of 30 – 100 pounds when fully grown, and their shell scutes (shell plates) overlap. A Green Turtle averages 100 – 200 pounds and their scutes lie flush on the top shell, also known as the carapace. Green Turtles are named after the colour of their body fat, not because they are green!

Leatherback Turtles have a thick oil-suffused skin that has seven prominent ridges, which run the length of the tapered, leathery looking carapace. This acts as a good insulator, enabling Leatherbacks to venture into colder waters. Leatherbacks average 700 – 1,600 pounds in weight.

You can enjoy watching these beautiful and graceful sea creatures during your luxury yacht charter aboard SY Pacific Wave. We’ll take you to all the best snorkeling sites around the Virgin Islands and other Caribbean destinations to ensure that you can swim with the turtles.

Swimming with Turtles in the Caribbean