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The British Virgin Islands

sailawayblog
Sep 30, 2016
3 min read

In late summer this year, we shook ourselves out of the relaxed, lazy days we'd been enjoying in the US Virgins, picked up a new crewmember, and headed for and island-hopping tour of the British Virgin Islands.

Ben's good friend, Brandon, had just finished up several years serving in the US Army. On a much deserved temporary leave, he made his way down to the Caribbean to spend a month with us aboard Wanderlust. Now a crew of four, we picked up anchor and headed out to explore our fourth country (6th if you count terretories) on our sailing adventure, the British Virgin Islands.

Jost Van Dyke

JVD was the first stop, and is a perfect slice of paradise in the British Virgins, It's actually where Ben and I spent a good portion of our honeymoon, backpacking through the Virgins four years ago, and has a special place in our hearts for sure. It has been dbbed the "New York" of the Virgin Islands due to its rowdy nightlife and parties. Wanderlust moored in White Bay, right in front of the famous Ivan's Stress Free Bar for a few days of paradise.

On this trip, we brought along Quinn's family from the USVIs, including her two young nephews, Quintin and Jayden. That means our Jost Van Dyke nightlife was restrained to toddler dance parties. But we didn't mind, instead, we lounged in the white sand, paddleboarded, read, built sandcastles, played ball with the boys, snorkeled, drank a painkiller or two, and .. well... NOTHING. Isn't that the point of Jost Van Dyke?

Pusser's Marina Cay

With Quinn's family back at home in the USVI's, our crew of four headed onward in the British Virgins, with our second stop at Pusser's Marina Cay. Marina Cay is a really small island, owned by the Pusser's Rum company. The restaurant is perched in the middle of the island, along with a fuel dock, convenience store, and a bar.

The moorings in the anchorage off of Pusser's Marina Cay had great snorkeling, and even a small coral reef. We took a swim in the clear anchorage water, then headed into the restaurant for drinks, dinner, and dessert. Livin' large for the S/V Wanderlust crew!

Virgin Gorda

The third island in the insanely beautiful BVIs was Virgin Gorda (yes, that means fat virgin). This little peice of paradise was named by Christopher Columbus because it was said to have looked like a fat woman, laying on her side.

Huge geological structures and granite on Virgin Gorda make it one of the most unique and beautiful places on this planet. These unusual structures create dozens of serene and picturesque grottos, famously called, "The Baths."

Ben, Brandon and I hiked the trails in the Baths, through the mountainous structures, shallow ponds, and over boulders to Devil's Bay, where the water is as calm and clear as a swimming pool. We snorkeled, swam, and enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime scenery.

Norman Island

The last stop on the Wanderlust BVI sailing tour led us to the legendary Willy T's, off of Norman Island, and the Wanderlust crew was ready to party. Willy T's, short for William Thorton, is a pirate schooner ship, rusted to the bones, floating just off the bight at anchor. The floating ship is a restaurant and bar, and we'd heard insane stories about the parties and late night activities that happen here, including but not limited to nude jumping off the top deck of the ship.

We were pumped for a party when we took the dinghy up to the rusted out party ship... only to find NOBODY else there. That's right, not another soul had showed up on this night to one of the most famous bars in all of the Caribbean... WHAT?! Of course, just our luck, we'd shown up on a totally dud night!

Instead of throwing in the towel though, we took up a couple barstools and drank our fair share of ginger beer rums, and a shot or two, and hung out with the Scottish bartenders.

Although we had a good time and had killer hangovers the next day, we felt a little robbed of our naked ship jumping Willy T's BVI experience. I guess it means we'll just have to go back sometime soon!