Boating Blogs and the adventure of Boating Journey

June 12, 2022June 12, 2022

Florida or Bust

At the end of April, I flew home to make the cross country trip from Seattle to Florida with Scott. I was only home a couple of days and then we headed out. It was a bit surreal saying goodbye to the our home for the past three years.

The original plan was to not have a lot of possessions in the truck, as we would need to empty the truck every night at the hotel. Why? Thieves love to target hotels along I-5 looking for vehicles with personal possessions. Well, our plan didn’t go accordingly.

Scott and I began our drive to Florida on Friday afternoon taking the I-5 route. Since it was the end of April, we were not sure how the weather would be going across the Rockies or the Plain states. We left Seattle at 4:30am and it was 37 degrees. Goodbye Seattle, hello Florida!

The Long Road Ahead to Florida

I had driven I-5 to Arizona when I was in college and this was Scott’s first time. Driving through Portland, OR is never exciting. It was rush hour when we drove through and as we got closer to the middle of the state, the fog moved in.

We stopped at one rest stop, Cabin Creek and it was actually a historic location.

The Prettiest Part of the Drive to Florida

Probably the prettiest part of the drive was driving thru Oregon’s Grant’s Pass and in Northern California. There was some construction, so going over the passes with huge semi trucks was a bit nerve racking, but after a few hundred miles, we got used it it. We were also surprised to see snow on the passes! Grant’s pass only has an elevation of 960′. our last home was at 825′.

Our biggest shocker was the price of gas in California. It was over $6/gallon and that was painful. We had decided to fill up every time the tank was only half full, just to be safe.

As we drove towards Mount Shasta, it was sad to see the remnants of last year’s forest fire that devastated the area.

Sacramento Bound

Scott and I had made reservations a few weeks prior for each stop. Our first night would be in Sacramento. We chose to stay close to I-5, as we simply needed a place to grab dinner and rest our eyes. The first leg took us 12 hours.

At the hotel, we lucked out as we were able to use the luggage cart and keep it in our room overnight. That really helped us out.

Great Thai Restaurant near the Hotel

We stayed at a Hilton property and just across the road, they recommended the Manaao Thai Restaurant. Though it wasn’t big, it was family owned and the food and service was outstanding.

Day Two Florida Bound via Phoenix

The following morning, we left at dawn and the drive was beautiful. It was also the beginning of our very FLAT drive to Florida.

Our plan was to stop for lunch just outside Pasadena, once we went over the Grapevine. That drive was uneventful and not windy like it normally is.

After stopping for lunch, I took the driver’s seat. Our goal was to get into Phoenix by 6pm. However, once we reached the city limits, I-10 was closed for construction and we were detoured all of the city. Luckily, it didn’t delay us too much and we unloaded the truck quickly. This time, they would not let us keep the luggage cart. Bummer.

The best part of this leg was our good friends from Renton (who now live in Phoenix), Nick and Michelle came and joined us for dinner. It was the perfect way to end the evening and say a proper goodbye.

Tune in next week, as we finish this epic road trip across the US. As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our boating blog and also our YouTube Channel (video link below). You can also follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Cheers, Scott and Ally

June 5, 2022June 5, 2022

2022 Palm Beach International Boat Show

I had only been in Fort Lauderdale two weeks, when I had to work at the 2022 Palm Beach International Boat Show. The show ran from May 24th thru May 27th. As you know, I’ve worked many shows in the Pacific Northwest, plus Scott and I have been to the Miami and Annapolis boat shows. The Palm Beach International Boat Show was unlike any other show I have attended. The show is located in downtown Palm Beach along Flagler Drive and it features over $1.2 billion dollars worth of yachts and accessories. Here I saw hundreds of boats on the water including 8’ inflatables to Superyachts up to 300 feet in length. There was also a huge display on land, including boats, accessories and food vendors.

OneWater Yacht Group Display

While I’m used to working a very large space with over a 100 boats which are mostly runabouts, this was a very different experience. OneWater Yacht Group had fifteen yachts on display and we had a large tent with an open bar for guests to relax in.

Chris Craft had a very cool design center at the show, which was a show stopper.

The Sunseeker Predator 65 made its’ global debut during the show and it was awesome to be a part of such a media frenzy. We had magazines lined up to do a feature of this beautiful yacht.

So many yachts at the Palm Beach International Boat Show

Everywhere I turned, there were huge displays and gorgeous yachts. I did have the opportunity to tour one of our superyachts on display, a 2005 Palmer Johnson 123. You can say we are not in Kansas anymore! You can find a link to the yacht here.

The superyacht marina was massive. One yacht was so big it had a helicopter and submarine on board. I took a stroll over to the super yacht display to meet a mutual friend.

I was stunned by not only the size of the vessels, but also the level of luxury each manufacturer put into their displays.

The Palm Beach International Boat Show also features smaller boats

From the super yacht marina, I headed over to the smaller boat display. Here they had runabouts, towboats, inflatables, center consoles plus cigarette boats and some very unique vessels. It was obvious that speed is a necessity here, with so many boats having four or more outboards.

One crazy thing I saw was a swarm of bees on a rocket launcher. The following day, that swarm must have been swatted at, because they were flying thru the show and it was crazy!

One irony of working the show, was that the Sea Ray display was right across the water from our tent. If you have been following me over the years, you know that I spent a lot of time marketing the Sea Ray L590 Fly that we (former company) had in stock for a long time. Soon after, we brought in the Sundancer 320 and 370 Outboard, which I spent months marketing. Here these three models were staring at me the entire time during the show!

Vendors at the Palm Beach International Boat Show

The vendor tents had a ton of vendors on display featuring everything from shirts, fishing equipment, boat accessories to food and beverage. I wish I would have spent more time checking out the vendors, but I was working the show and didn’t have time to wander.

Working the Palm Beach International Boat Show was a great experience and I can’t wait for Scott to be able to experience it next year. If you have not attended this show before, I highly recommend it.

As always, thank you for following our journey. Be sure to subscribe to our vlog (video link below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Tune in next week as we start our five day road trip moving from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale. Cheers, Ally

May 29, 2022May 29, 2022

Moving to Fort Lauderdale

Moving to Fort Lauderdale sounds amazing (and it has been), but it wasn’t without some hard work, tears and frustration. Scott joined me for my first week in Fort Lauderdale and then I was alone here for the next five weeks. This journey ended up being harder than I expected. During the next five weeks, I would live in two different apartments and stay in four different hotels while traveling on business. My first trip was to Palm Beach for the Palm Beach International Boat Show. I’ll share a blog on that experience soon. Next I drove across the state up to Dunedin. This was quite the driving experience, as I drove across the Everglades and up the west coast of Florida. That’s the longest drive I have made by myself in a very long time.

Moving into our apartment

I was excited to move out of my temporary housing and into our new apartment. Unfortunately, I was moving in with just a few boxes, a blow up bed and chair. Surprisingly, my rental car was packed and it took me ten trips to the apartment. I watched tv on my laptop while sitting in a lawn chair.

With no furniture, the apartment echoed terribly. I did enjoy the view at night, but always ended up closing the shades as I didn’t need people watching me. LOL

Exploring Fort Lauderdale

I spent my weekends walking up and down the Riverwalk and watching all of the boat traffic. There are tons of restaurants and shops in Los Olas and it will be great for Scott and I to explore the area together.

The Riverwalk is always bustling with activity, which makes it a fun place to live.

Heading back to Seattle

After living on my own for five weeks, it was time to fly home. I was only home three days, so I didn’t get to see many people. Finally we packed up the rest of our stuff and headed to Scott’s parents house for the night. The following morning, we left for Sacramento at 4am.

Our original plan was to not have much in the truck, as we would need to empty the contents each night at the hotels. Why? We have been told that thieves target trucks and vans that are full of possessions at hotel parking lots. Unfortunately, our plan didn’t work out and yes, we emptied the truck every night. Stay tuned to find out how our five day road trip went.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our vlog (video below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney.

Cheers, Ally and Scott

May 22, 2022May 25, 2022

Time to spill the beans

We can all agree that the past few years have been a struggle. Who knew in 2018, when Scott and I sold our home to downsize and prep to live on a boat, what the future would look like a couple of years later? So many of you have asked us tons of questions on why we moved to Fort Lauderdale and now it’s time to spill the beans.

Let’s go back to January 2020. I had forgotten I had applied to a VP role in St. Thomas and suddenly my phone rang one day (I was actually working at the Seattle Boat Show). Right there, I ended up walking around the show interviewing with the VP of Human Resources. We had a delightful conversation which led to many more with other executives. This was a very large company with locations on nine Caribbean Islands. They verbally made me an offer in March 2020 and asked that Scott and I fly down for a weekend to look for housing. At that time, no one really knew what covid-19 was or how long it would be around. What we did know, were countries were shutting down their borders. After talking about it, we decided to take the job site unseen. Just five days later, St Thomas and every other country shut down. If we would have taken the trip, we would have been stuck and lost our current jobs.

people wearing diy masks — Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

So my offer had a TBD start date, which we hoped would be in a month or two. With that said, we began the packing process, which included selling our Bayliner 4087. It sold very quickly and we soon were frustrated being boatless during the pandemic.

Unfortunately my “new company” started to close many of their locations, as they were located at cruise terminals and there were no cruises due to the pandemic.

Fast forward one year

The following April, we decided to keep our trip to St. Thomas (was supposed to be the bare boat charter, but that was still restricted) and while we were there, I met with my “new company”. Scott and I were still on board to make the move and they were figuring out a new way to do things. But by June of 2021, it became obvious that this job wasn’t going to pan out, so both of us parted ways.

Now we had the itch to move to sunnier warmer weather – next option? Florida! I was interviewing with one company in Gainesville and after they flew me out, I knew I couldn’t be land locked. I needed to be near water, so that was not an option. Then I flew back down to Fort Lauderdale in August (no it wasn’t a surprise that Scott planned, it was actually another interview) to meet with a boat dealership. Again, they made me an offer, but unfortunately the current marketing director decided not to retire while I was in mid-air flying to Florida. The offer was not a good fit for my career. After spending that weekend in Fort Lauderdale, we were determined as ever to make the move somehow.

Fast forward to December 2021 when I started talking with OneWater Yacht Group. I was so excited about the opportunity, but I didn’t have my hopes up. Imagine my surprise, when it wall worked out! Like I always say, “things happen for a reason” and I truly believe I was meant to come to work here.

Living in Fort Lauderdale

When Scott and I announced we were moving, we heard the same thing from everyone. “It’s hot and humid there, why”? Well, when you are sick and tired of endless days of gray skies, misty rain and miserable weather, you’ll take a little humidity. This hasn’t been an easy journey either. For starters, I lived alone for almost a month and a half in a city I don’t know at all. Then I traveled up and down the East Coast, moved into our apartment with no furniture and then made the cross country trek with Scott almost two months later. As I am typing this (May 15th), we are still waiting for the movers to arrive with our belongings.

Scott and I are renting an apartment in downtown Fort Lauderdale, in Los Olas. There are so many restaurants and shops within walking distance and we love that! The atmosphere is energized and the streets are clean. Add sunshine and boats and we’re happy as clams. We are just a few blocks from “River Walk” and we get to see lots of boat action regularly.

Are we buying a boat now?

We know that’s the next question and if we find the perfect boat – yes! But there are a few things that have to happen first. First, we are still dealing with a lack of inventory and we are not going to pay 30% over market value just to have a boat. Second, we need to research hurricane policies, insurance, liveaboard marinas, etc. We don’t know the area and we don’t know the boating industry down here yet. For example, we’ve heard if you moor your boat north of I-595, then you’re safe – what does that exactly mean?

In the meantime, if you know of a project boat or a turn-key liveaboard power boat, reach out to us. We are entertaining all options. Until then, we plan on exploring and experiencing all kinds of boating adventures here in Fort Lauderdale. This includes, canal tours, air-jet adventures, private charters, day sailing trips and boating over to the Bahamas. Our blog and vlog is called “Boating Journey”, which doesn’t mean we have to own a boat. It means we are going to spend our time exploring new adventures on a boat.

Over the next few blogs and vlogs, we’ll share with you our adventure of how we got here, what we’re doing here and everything in between.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to both our blog and vlog, and on social media @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

May 14, 2022May 29, 2022

Staying at Grande Bay Resort in St. John

Wanting to relax a few days after our charter, Scott and I reserved a condo at Grande Bay Resort in St. John. In our last blog, we returned our Leopard power catamaran to the Moorings base the night before our charter ended. The next morning, Scott and I jumped on the Fast Ferry back to St Thomas first thing in the morning. However, the ferry we took back, was not the same ferry or company we took to Tortola.

Instead of having an upper deck on the ferry, we had an interior seating only. It had three seats on either side and was set up like an airplane (they even played movies!) Unfortunately the weather was terrible and we had about 6 to 7’ swells. To say that it was an uncomfortable ride is an understatement.

To top it off we had to take another ferry from Charlotte Amalie to St John and head back into rough seas. As you can see by the photo below it was not a fancy ferry.

Grande Bay Resort & Condos

For this year’s visit we stayed a little closer to town and we reserved a fabulous condo with a wonderful view. The condo was nice and open with nice appointments.

After checking in, we headed in to town to grab a cold drink and unwind. Our first stop was the Tap & Still Cruz Bay Pub. They were very friendly and quick with the cocktails!

After a round of drinks, we decided to explore a bit more of St. John that we didn’t see last year. A few blocks later, a huge squall came thru and we had to find shelter quick. Luckily, for us we ran into another bar Meada’s Garden (though it was outdoor!).

The owner was serving cocktails at the bar and we found out that the restaurant was only a few months old. We decided to make dinner reservations for our third and last night in St. John as he was so friendly and fun to talk to.

Best Restaurants in St John

Since Scott and I were here to relax and unwind, we made it our goal to visit the best restaurants on St. John. One of which, we visited last year, The 1864 in the Mongoose Station. Turns out we sat at the exact same table! The food was even better than last year. If you are in St. John, this is a must.

You can’t skip breakfast if you have a full day’s worth of activities. On our first morning, Scott and I headed to High Tide on the beach. We had dinner there last year and this time, we bellied up to the bar for breakfast. The service was fantastic, the drinks were strong and the food was delicious!

On our second night, we made reservations at a very small steakhouse, called Dave & Jerry’s Island Steakhouse , which was walking distance from Grande Bay Resort. It came highly recommended and one of the owners actually greets every guest. It’s a bit tight, as they only have about 9 tables inside, but it’s worth it. Scott and I should have split a steak, as I could barely make a dent. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo before I dove in!

Renting Another Dinghy

Last year, Scott and I rented an 11′ dinghy from Wharfside Watersports to explore the shores of St. John. Read that blog here. That dinghy was great, but it wasn’t big enough to handle the big swells through the channel, so this year, we rented a Zodiak for $595 for a full day so we could explore. After breakfast, we headed to the office, where we stumbled upon the broken props they set up outside their office. LOL!!

As we were getting our instructions, we learned that unlike the 11′ Highfield dinghy we rented last year and visited numerous beaches, the Zodiaks were not allowed on the beaches. Uh ho! However, the Zodiak was a great dinghy and handled the swells very well. Our plan was to visit Maho Bay beach to snorkel with the turtles. After we made our way to our destination, we realized that if we jump in the water, we need to be able to pull ourselves back into the boat.

Unfortunately, the boat had a very small swim ladder, big enough for one foot and only one handle to pull yourself up with. It was too risky, so we simply cruised around dodging a rain storm. After a few hours, we were tired of fleeing the rain storms, so we headed back to Grande Bay Resort condo to relax by the pool.

The rain squalls never let up, so we left the pool and decided to enjoy downtown St John and a few local bars.

Time to head home

Our trip to St. John was short, but enjoyable. We highly recommend taking a few days to unwind on land after a boat trip. Though we had a round trip ticket on the private ferry, I refused to get back on it. Instead, we paid $15 each and hopped on the government operated ferry and headed back to Red Hook. Red Hook is on eastern side of St. Thomas, which required us to take a longer taxi ride back to the airport, but it was worth it.

Next on our journey, is our move to Fort Lauderdale, FL! So much is happening in our lives and we’re excited to share it with all of you.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our blog and vlog (link below). You can also follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. See you next time in Florida!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

May 1, 2022May 1, 2022

Returning to the Moorings Base

In our last blog, we mention that we decided to head back to the Moorings base the night before we had to return the boat. Our crew had a simple continental breakfast while we enjoyed the serenity of our anchorage.

After breakfast, the garbage and ice boat came along. It is so cool that you can get ice AND get rid of your garbage so easily!

Since we had the boat for the entire day, we decided to cruise a bit and perhaps get in some snorkeling.

We left Norman Island around 10am and headed to Treasure Point.

Once we got out of the bay, we realized the weather was getting rough.

Exploring the British Virgin Islands

Since the weather looked too rough to snorkel at Treasure Point, we headed to the Indians. Once we arrived, we realized there was no way we were going to go snorkeling as the weather was getting worse.

We were surprised that so many boats were moored there and wondered if they were actually snorkeling.

Before heading back to the Moorings base, we headed towards Salt Island for a nice cruise. About five minutes into our cruise, we ran into a major squall!

Returning to the Moorings Base

After battling with squalls for a few hours, we decided to head back to the Moorings base. The Moorings base recommends that you call the base to have a captain come meet you and hop on board to stern dock the boat.

Be sure to watch our YouTube video (link below) to see how easy the process worked. The Moorings give you a check-out sheet, making the process easy.

The Moorings base recommends that you leave behind any provisions for the staff, instead of throwing it out. We did throw out items that were spoiled. After we each took long showers and cleaned up, we headed to Soper’s Hole for a wonderful dinner.

Returning to the base was the best decision we made. The following morning, we were relaxed and not rushed trying to get to the ferry. Tune in next week, as we head to St. John to explore the USVI.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our blog and vlog (link below). You can also follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

April 26, 2022April 26, 2022

Relaxing on Norman Island in the BVI

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

April 17, 2022April 17, 2022

Celebrating on Jost Van Dyke BVI

Jost Van Dyke is known for two bars, the Soggy Dollar at White Bay and Foxy’s at Great Harbour. Last week we moored at Cane Garden Bay and after visiting the Callwood Distillery, we got ready to leave for Jost Van Dyke. It was literally just across the bay, so it only took us about 35 minutes to get there.

The place to anchor and grab a mooring ball is Great Harbour. Scott had hook duty and we grabbed the mooring on the first try. We did have a little trouble reading numbers on the balls, but luckily ours was legible . Once again, Ben had gotten up at 7am and reserved the ball and it was one of the last ones available.

From Great Harbour you can either take your dinghy to White Bay, take a water taxi or take a land taxi. While you will see boats anchored below, they were simply there for the day. The bay is not protected at all.

Off to The Soggy Dollar

Our crew took the dinghy to White Bay and we did get a little wet on the ride. The trip only takes about 10 minutes, so it’s not a bad ride at all. When you pull up to the beach, you’ll be amazed by how white the beach is!

You do want to make sure to pull up your dinghy as far as you can on the beach and then use your anchor to secure it. We saw a few dinghies trying to float away. There is a lot of activity at White Bay. There are tables and umbrellas for lunch, there’s the shop, the bar and other restaurants too.

Buy a drink at The Soggy Dollar Bar

Did you know you can order someone a drink as a gift at the Soggy Dollar ahead of time? Ben and Maria bought Scott a drink before we left on the trip. When he arrived, he had to find his name on the sheet and bring the sheet to the bartender. How fun is that?!

We only spent about two hours at the Soggy Dollar after grabbed lunch and had a few pain killers. It was time to go back to the boat and enjoy the water as it was nice and calm.

None of us had been on a paddle board before and Ben decided to give it a try. After he fell off a number of times, he suddenly was a pro. He cruised all of over the harbour!

A few things to note about the Leopard 433 PC. As I mentioned earlier, this cat was set up as an owner’s version. This means the starboard side is a full suite and the port side has two cabins that share a head. The head is very narrow, so if you think you can easily put four adults on that side, think again. The boat comes with towels, but it does not come with any amenities, like soap, etc. So we grabbed some from showers at The Moorings base. Imagine showering under these conditions? it was so beautiful!

Dinner at Foxy’s

We headed to Foxy’s around dusk and there was plenty of room at the dinghy dock.

Foxy’s has a great shop and an outdoor bar. We had arrived early for our dinner reservations, so we enjoyed a cocktail and put up a couple of Boating Journey stickers. While Maria and I shopped, Ben and Scott explored. Scott did not put on bug spray and he got eaten alive – you need bug spray here!

They have a great menu with some classic Caribbean dishes. While we were enjoying dinner, Foxy himself stopped by to say hi!

A few nights ago, we had noticed a bunch of tarpon swimming under the boat at night. So we decided to bring them some left overs and they went to town on them!

Birthday breakfast for Scott

The following morning, was Scott’s birthday, so we made him stay in bed, while we made an attempt to decorate the boat. While we were decorating, a local stopped by selling homemade empanadas for $5. His mom makes them fresh every morning for the cruisers.

Ben’s birthday was in a couple of weeks, so we had them both open their gifts together.

Before we headed back to shore to look for breakfast, the guys needed to figure out why one fresh water tank was still full. The Moorings do provide an operations manual for each vessel and low behold we found our answer (I don’t remember what it was, but I want to say, the switch needed to be moved over to share).

Foxy’s during the day

The night before, we had brought our old license plate from The Wine Alley to hang, but we didn’t have any nails. So we brought it back the next day to hang with zip ties. As we were tying off the dinghy, Foxy came out to greet us again. What a fun birthday surprise for Scott!

We found a great spot to hang the license plate and then headed off to find breakfast. Be sure to look for it the next time you’re at Foxy’s.

At the main dock, there is a custom’s shack and a welcome board for those arriving by boat.

It was difficult to find breakfast, as there is really only one place to eat – Christine’s Bakery! She makes great empanadas and you can order egg sandwiches. However, she would have to cook those and she didn’t seem thrilled with the idea. LOL

Walking back from the bakery, you could still see much of the hurricane destruction.

While we were only on Jost Van Dyke less than 24 hours, it was all that we needed. This is a party destination, so unless that’s all you want to do, we recommend heading to your next destination. It was pretty cool that we got to meet Foxy in person too!

Next week, we head to Norman Island and the infamous Willie T’s, so be sure to tune in! As always, thank you for following our journey! We have so much planned over the next few months now that we are living in Florida, so we are very excited to share that with you. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel (link below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

April 7, 2022April 9, 2022

Heading to Saba Rock BVI

Finally it was departure day! Our crew enjoyed hot showers at the Moorings marina and grabbed some breakfast early on Sunday before heading to Saba Rock for our first night at anchor. Ben got up each day at 7am and reserved our mooring ball with the BoatyBall app and for this visit, he got the very last ball available. This will not the be first time this happens.

While moored in the marina, the Moorings keep the dinghies tied off to the front of the boats. When you leave the port, the dinghy floats underneath the catamaran towards the stern so you can put it on the davit. That seemed like a pain, so Scott and Ben managed to bring it around while we were in the slip and get it up on the davit.

The trek to Saba Rock was easy and pleasant the entire way. We had 20 knot winds from the south east and the Moorings 433 Powercat did great. Our journey took us just about an hour and a half going 14 knots at 2800 RPM (which seemed high to me). Having never grabbed a mooring ball before, the four of us were a little nervous.

Ben had hook duty and then Maria & I were on line duty for each side. Before we left the port, we got our mooring lines ready on the boat. While there are cleats on the bow of the boat, you never use those for a mooring ball; instead use your cleats at the forward position on the port and starboard side of the boat. We caught the hook right away, but lost it quickly as the wind moved us forward. Scott threw it in reverse and we tried again, this time nailing it. We were officially moored at Saba Rock.

Exploring The Baths

The four of us hopped in dinghy leaving Saba Rock and headed to Leverick Bay just a short dinghy ride away. From there we parked the dinghy at what appeared to be the dinghy dock, walked a few steps and found Cyril who owns Cyril’s Taxi Service.

He gave us a quick tour of eastside of the island which included a stop at the very top.

Once we arrived at The Baths, we decided to grab a quick bite at the Mad Dog sandwich shop. The BLTs were fantastic! Also at the top, you will find shops and a restaurant that offers a pool. We had drinks after exploring The Baths and they were much needed.

When molten volcanic rock cooled just off the coast, it formed the gigantic granite boulders now known as The Baths. It is easy to buy your ticket when you arrive. We didn’t know that our National Parks Permit would get us in, so we didn’t bring it. But at $3.50 per person, we were happy to contribute. Our crew followed the main trail down to the beach, where we came upon more shopping. There are signs directing you where to go and folks were tell us to go right and start the trail clock-wise. Instead our crew went left, thru the Caves first and then onto Devil’s Bay.

There’s an infamous shot of The Baths and somehow, Scott and I failed to capture it. It was pretty crowded when we were there, so it was probably because of the people. These photos don’t do The Baths justice. They were so big and impressive. Be sure to watch our YouTube video below for the full tour.

We found the trail back up the hill to be much easier from this direction, than if we would have taken the stairs we used when we arrived. The entire exploration took us about an hour and a half.

Saba Rock & Bitter End Yacht Club

Ben made us dinner reservations at the Bitter End Yacht Club the day before (highly recommend you plan ahead). We tried getting into Saba Rock for dinner, but they were full. Instead, we took the dinghy over for drinks to explore this famous rock, before heading to the Bitter End. Be aware, that the dinghy dock is jam packed! It may look like there’s no room, but they will squeeze you in!

Saba Rock was packed with people and it was difficult to get service. We were lucky to get a round of drinks. They do have a very nice gift shop and all four of us bought a shirt.

After exploring all day in the hot sun, our crew was hungry and ready for dinner. The Bitter End Yacht Club is a 5 minute dinghy ride across the channel from Saba Rock. They just reopened after Hurricane Irma destroyed it years ago. The food and service was amazing and we’re so glad we swapped Saba Rock for the Bitter End Yacht Club for our first evening.

We can’t wait to come back and spend more time here. Just being at anchor in this paradise was heaven!

We were almost killed on our first night

As I mentioned above, the BEYC is about a 5 minute dinghy ride across the channel. Here’s what it looks like:

During the day you will find all kinds of traffic, including ferries.

Our crew learned a brutal lesson on our first night of the charter. We left BEYC around 9:30pm and hopped in the dinghy with our goodies. Because we never travel at night at home, it didn’t occur to us to grab a flashlight or turn on our phone lights so others could see us. As we were traveling across the channel in the pitch dark, we suddenly saw a 30′ yacht tender coming straight at us! He was going about 15 mph from Saba Rock (too fast!) and we started screaming “Hey! Hey!”, but they couldn’t hear us. At the very last second, we diverted and they saw us, coming within 3 inches of slicing our boat in half. The wake their boat created when that happened completed soaked us and we were all very shaken up. Thank God, no one was hurt – it was truly a miracle!

Here’s the yacht tender the next day.

Needless to say, we always had a light if we traveled at night. Our first night saved and we were anxious to start our next leg of the journey. Tune into our next blog, as we head to Cane Bay and explore Monkey Point.

As always, thank you for following our journey. As I type this, I (Ally) am actually living in Florida full-time, so subscribe to the blog and vlog (link below) for an update on that journey. You can follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney

Cheers, Scott and Ally

March 27, 2022May 30, 2022

Arriving into the British Virgin Islands

On February 25, 2022, Scott and I finally arrived in the British Virgin Islands after a week of testing and waiting. We took a red eye flight from Seattle to St. Thomas, via Miami. The total travel time was about 12 hours. Our flight had been changed a few times, arriving into St. Thomas later than we had expected. As a result, we chose not to take the last ferry to Tortola as we might miss customs. Instead, we booked a hotel at the Windward Passage hotel, which The Moorings recommended. It’s located directly across the street from the Charlotte Amalie Ferry Terminal.

I will say the location was great, but the rooms were not very clean. Good enough for one night though. After checking in, we were hot and hungry, so we headed down the main boulevard to find dinner. Lucky for us, we stumbled upon the Green House. We grabbed a view table and made ourselves right at home. The food and service was fantastic and a restaurant we would recommend in the Virgin Islands.

Heading to the British Virgin Islands

The following morning, we had a reservation at 9am to head to Tortola. We checked our bags and then grabbed breakfast next door to the ferry terminal at the Petite Pump Room. Just like last year, the service is a bit slow, so plan accordingly. There are three ferries that work out of this terminal and we had reservations on the Road Town Fast Ferry.

Just like last year, this ferry had an upper deck. The weather was great, so we were happy to grab a seat up above and enjoy the view.

The ride takes just under an hour. When you to the Tortola Ferry Terminal, you can either scan their QRcode to get tested for covid at the terminal, or show your negative test results at the check-in desk before customs. Scott and I got thru customs and immigration within 20 minutes. Maria and Ben had arranged for a taxi to pick us up and they were waiting for us when we arrived.

The Moorings British Virgin Islands Base

The base is about 10 minutes from the ferry terminal, so it’s a quick trip.

The front desk is located in an open air lobby and they have a few shops around the base.

Check-in for the boat was not until 4pm at the earliest, so we stowed our luggage in the large room next to the lobby.

From there, we went to the bar on the base and grabbed a drink and a quick bite to eat.

Provisioning in the Virgin Islands

When our crew put our provisioning list together, there were a few items we knew we had to get locally. Luckily the Rite Way grocery store was a short walk away.

As we mentioned in our video, we chose to have The Moorings deliver the heavy stuff like bottled water, wine, beer, vodka (mostly our beverages).

I had noticed that many provisions had been sitting in the sun while we were walking around the base waiting, so I was anxious to see how ours would be. We ended up “hanging out” at the base all day and in hindsight, I wish we would have explored Tortola during the day.

We checked with the desk right at 4pm asking if our boat was ready and she said “no, in fact, you may not get your captain’s review tonight”. That made me raise my eyebrows, as we were paying almost $1100 for a sleep over so we could take off first thing in the am. Instead of being nasty, I pleaded with them and finally at 5:30pm our boat and captain were ready! Yea.

As soon as we got on board, I started to put the food away. Sure enough some of the lunch meat was warm and not edible. Bummer.

On Board “Cool Change”

Our Leopard 433 PC was named “Cool Change” and was a 2020, so we were surprised we got a newer boat when we were scheduled to get a 3-5 year old boat. I will say the boat was in fantastic shape, but the heads did stink. We’re thinking the heads must have used salt water and that’s why they stunk. During the review, we found a few things, so a technician came down to fix them right away. Just like last year, I recorded his review, so we could easily go back and see what he said. We highly recommend this, especially when it comes to the generator and how to empty the holding tanks.

Quick Tour of the Leopard 433 PC

This Leopard 433 PC from Moorings is what they call an “owner’s version”. There are two types of catamaran builds: charter or owner. In a charter version, you have four staterooms, two on each side with a shared head. On an owner’s version, the starboard side is all for the owner, so it has much more space. We gave Ben and Maria the owner’s version and then used the extra stateroom for our luggage. It was tight, no doubt still.

The salon / galley offered lots of space for everyone!

We picked the aft stateroom on the port side, which was actually slightly bigger than the forward one.

The forward cabin also has another “berth” in the far forward V (see the pillow?). No thanks! I think most sailors use that for storage.

After putting everything away and unpacking, we were ready for dinner. The Moorings base has two restaurants, including one wood fired pizza restaurant. So the four of us grabbed a quick bite and came home with left overs for the next few days!

Needless to say, we were anxious to wake up and leave the next morning. However, we were still missing our inverter and we needed to go back to Rite Way and grab a few provisions, that they missed.

Stay tuned and see how our first day of cruising went in the BVI!

As always, thank you for following our journey! Please subscribe to our blog and our channel (link below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Lots of exciting things are happening right now, so stay tuned!

Cheers, Scott and Ally