On our last evening of cruising we headed to Norman Island which was about an hour from Jost Van Dyke. It was our first “rolly ride” but the Leopard 433 PC made the trip comfortable.
Our crew pulled into the Bight at Norman Island and we grabbed a mooring ball closest to the beach. There Are plenty of mooring balls to choose from and the Pirate’s restaurant manages them. The cost is $25 per night.
After we grabbed our mooring ball we jumped in the dingy and headed to the restaurant to pay our fee. Here we have another opportunity to put another boating sticker on a piling.
The beach on Norman Island
We decided to relax on the beach for a couple of hours and do some snorkeling before heading off to Willy T bar. One thing to make note of is there are lots of sea urchins and they are large.
Moored right next to us was a really cool cat maran called “Gravity” and it had to be about 70′ long.
The Willy T
The Willie T is a unique floating restaurant and bar anchored in the bite at Norman island. It originated in 1989 and was a decommissioned tanker, named after an inventor from Jost Van Dyke William Thorton. Unfortunately in 2017 hurricane Maria sanks a ship where it now still lies at the bottom near Peter island. Today divers can still dive and support the boat through a number of non profit programs.
In 2019 the owners rebuilt the ship and it was moved back to its original location at Norman island. They serve food and have a full bar.
When our crew arrived there was hardly anyone on the boat and we had the whole upstairs to ourselves. Though the signs say “do not jump” Ben jumped before I could even snap a photo. Turns out everybody jumps off the Willie T.
The Bight
Our crew all decided that the Bight is somewhere where we would come back again and stay multiple days. The water was so beautiful and blue. We all decided to relax and enjoy the calm waters of the bay.
For Scott’s birthday I had bought him a solar powered charger and it sure came in handy on this trip, since our inverter never arrived.
After relaxing for the afternoon we headed to the bite restaurant for sunset cocktails and dinner.
Looking at the top of this hill, there was a tree with a heart shaped head that was waving at us.
The Pirate’s restaurant was open air and had plenty of seating for a large crowd. It was The perfect backdrop for ending our last night on the island. Not to mention the food and lobster were fantastic.
Heading back to The Moorings
Our crew decided to head back to Tortola in the mooring space the following morning to save time for check-out. Tune in next week to see how the process works.
As always thank you for following our blog And be sure to follow our YouTube channel with the link below. Cheers, Scott and Ally