Tag: caribbean vacation

Ever since we honeymooned in Antigua in 2003, we fell in love with the Caribbean.  Each year we make sure to take a Caribbean Vacation.  The Caribbean is hot and sunny, yet not too humid during November thru May. We avoid it during hurricane season.

Unlike other destinations, we typically do not have to worry about crime or drinking the water. The tropical breezes and steel drum music are so relaxing that every worry you have, disappears the minute you get off the plane.

Someday we don’t want to take a Caribbean Vacation, but instead live there. We have been to the Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua and the Dominican Republic. So we still have many islands yet to explore.

Posted on

Snorkeling at Christ of the Abyss in Key Largo

In our last blog, Scott and I were in Key Largo for a long weekend and during that trip, we snorkeled at Christ of the Abyss. This was a bucket list of mine and I was excited to finally see this infamous statue.

We booked our trip through Sundiver Snorkel Tours. We didn’t realize when we booked the trip that our resort also offered excursions. Sundiver had us check-in an hour early. That seems early right? Well, it’s because the check-in location is not where you pick up the boat.

Sundiver Snorkel

The Sundiver store offers everything from snorkel gear, to underwater cameras, sunscreen, water, snacks and much more. Your excursion does include fins and a mask, but due to covid you do have to purchase your snorkel. Scott and I selected a boat that only held about 30 people. After checking in at the boat, we had about a 30 minute wait. Note: There’s only one unisex (and kind of gross) restroom, so be prepared. They also do not allow any kind of spray sunscreen and prefer your sunscreen be “reef safe”.

Check out this big boy, who was hanging out with us. Apparently, Iguanas are a major nuisance here in Florida and they are working on humanely euthanizing them.

The Trip to Christ of the Abyss

The trip starts with a short canal ride out to the inlet. Here you will find plenty of gorgeous homes and boats along the way.

The trip was nice and smooth as we headed about five miles offshore to the Christ of the Abyss statue. To learn more about the history of this statue, be sure to watch our YouTube episode where Scott shares the back story on the statue.

Once we arrived, we all jumped in and headed off to find the statue. There was a very large barracuda interested in our group, but he was harmless. There was quite a bit of Sargassum, a nuisance seaweed floating all around. However, the fish were also nibbling on this, which made for a cool experience.

Surprisingly, the statue is not that deep. As you approach it, there’s a strange feeling that comes over you as you get closer. It was probably one of the coolest things we’ve done this year.

After Snorkeling

The entire trip took about three hours (9am to 12p) and afterwards we went across the canal to Sharkeys for a quick bite. They serve your typical pub fare and it was delicious. Look for our boating journey sticker on the deck!

While having lunch, a site seeing boat passed by – the “African Queen”. LOL!

Relaxing at the Resort

The resort has plenty of beach chairs by the pool and on the beach. Scott and I spent the rest of the day, relaxing and soaking up the sun.

You can also rent kayaks, paddleboards and jet skis from the tiki hut. We took a kayak out for about an hour, but the current was making it hard work and Scott started to take on water.

We finished the day enjoying another great sunset at Sundowners next to the hotel.

As I mentioned in our last blog, the one thing we really miss from Seattle is the sunsets. They have always amazed us and Key Largo did not disappoint.

Our third day in Key Largo

I couldn’t go to Key Largo and not buy a souvenir and luckily for us there was a huge gift shop just down the road.

After shopping, Scott and I enjoyed an awesome massage at the resort’s spa! We were able to book it about a week before we arrived and they did not disappoint. Then we grabbed a quick snack next door at Senor Frijoles. Scott couldn’t resist getting a photo with Senor Frijoles himself.

As we were walking back from the restaurant, I noticed these trees in the resort’s parking lot. Low and behold they were avocado trees! Unfortunately, standing under them, I got eaten alive because I didn’t have any bug spray on. Note to self.

Winding down our trip

Just as we had been enjoying a beautiful day, the weather started to turn nasty. The winds clocked up to 30 knots and no one was laying by the pool. It certainly didn’t stop us from grabbing a few drinks at the pool bar before dinner.

Our last night we headed to Snooks Bayside as everyone told us to check it out. They had a small art display at the entrance and the restaurant had plenty of seating. The sunsets did not disappoint and the food was good. Unfortunately, we had another bout of bad service.

All in all, it was a fantastic three day weekend. We felt we had traveled far away even though we were only a few hours away. Snorkeling at Christ of the Abyss was definitely the highlight of the trip.

As always, thank you for following our journey. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and our YouTube channel (video below). You can also follow us on social media @boatingjourney #boatingjourney. Tune in next week, as we had to Boca Inlet and watch boats heading out to sea.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

Posted on

Weekend Getaway in Key Largo

Living in South Florida, we can easily enjoy a weekend getaway in the Florida Keys. Last month we headed to Key Largo for a long weekend. The last time we were in the Keys was in 2013 and we stayed in Islamorada. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a very good time because they were experiencing freezing temperatures.

Scott and I selected Key Largo because it was a shorter drive from Fort Lauderdale and I found a great hotel, The Reef House. This resort recently became part of the Opal Collection and it didn’t disappoint.

I had reserved an ocean view room with a king size bed. Ironically, this room was not expensive at all. The room was nicely appointed and we had a great view.

The Reef House Resort

After we checked in, we explored the grounds. This resort offers so much! You can book all of your water adventures in the gift shop, including boat rentals or you can rent paddle boards and kayaks from the tiki hut. Walking the resort we found plenty of moorage for your private boat, along with activities for volleyball and corn hole.

The resort does have two restaurants and a bar on site. When we checked in we got script for a free drink, so we stopped there next. The bartenders were so incredibly friendly, that we went back each night for a night cap. They also have live music during happy hour.

Sunset Dinner

The Reef House is walking distance to three other restaurants a block away. We were told to head to Big Chill, which Jimmy Johnson (the owner of the Miami Dolphins) owns. The restaurant is huge and has plenty of outdoor seating. Scott and I grabbed a great seat next to the water and enjoyed the sunset. While the music and scenery was fantastic, we wouldn’t go back for a meal due to the terrible service and no food being delivered.

Watching the sunset, we realized we hadn’t seen a sunset since we left Seattle in March. What a beautiful sight it was.

Walking back to the resort, we really felt like we were on vacation. This is one of the reasons we moved to Florida. We can enjoy a weekend getaway and feel like you’re miles away from home.

Stay tuned for our next blog, as we head out to snorkel at Christ of the Abyss. As always, thank you for following our blog and our journey. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel (see link below) and follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

Posted on

Time to spill the beans

moving to fort lauderdale

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.

ruins

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.

St Thomas
Notice there are no cruise ships

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

Posted on

Staying at Grande Bay Resort in St. John

grande bay resort

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

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Posted on

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

Posted on

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.

DCIM\100MEDIA\DJI_0734.JPG

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

Posted on

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!

Owner’s stateroom
Owner’s mid cabin and head

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.

Our luggage room.

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

Posted on

Finally Heading to the British Virgin Islands

After three years of planning, Scott and I finally are heading to the British Virgin Islands. Thanks to the pandemic, our bareboat charter was postponed three times since 2020. We could have taken the trip in 2021, but the entry & quarantine requirements were too restrictive. Finally, a few months ago, the BVI government changed the requirements and removed the quarantine.

What Charter Company Did We Choose?

When we decided to do a bareboat charter, we wanted only a powerboat. That left us two options in the BVI, Marine Max and The Moorings. I reached out to both companies with inquiries and ironically I never heard back from Marine Max after a few attempts. So we chose The Moorings. Since our crew was only two couples, we picked the Leopard 433 PC.

I reserved everything online and spoke to our vacation specialist, primarily via email. When our original charter was postponed, The Moorings gave us a credit instead of refunding our money. In fact, a refund was never an option. However, they did lock in our pricing, which was great because the prices did go up significantly.

Let’s Talk Costs

A lot of people have asked us about the costs, so let’s break down the trip. I should mention that once you book an inquiry, The Moorings will send you a full quote before you pay. Our invoice looked like this:

  • 5 Nights $6839 (reg $8000)
  • Sleep Aboard $1087
  • VSIR Contribution $8
  • Damage Insurance $345
  • Fuel $325 (we chose the fuel package so we wouldn’t have to fuel upon return)
  • Wi-Fi $125 (necessary to take the proctored covid tests)
  • BVI National Park Permit $25
  • Paddle Board Rental $140
  • Inverter $30
  • Winter Cruising Tax $120

Obviously you can see that things add up quickly. We had originally booked the Mariner Inn at the base for $300/night, but then our flight was scheduled to arrive later in the day on Friday and we wouldn’t be able to catch the ferry in time. As a result, we ended up reserving a room at The Windward Passage hotel in Charlotte Amalie, that The Moorings recommended.

Provisions & Extras

You have a few options for ordering provisions. You can order directly from The Moorings, you can use an outside source (click here for a list) or you can provision yourself at Rite Way.

Not knowing when our provisions would arrive to the boat and not having a way to store our perishables, we chose to have Moorings do our provisioning. They have a great portal and the prices were similar to what you would expect (and some were cheaper). They do offer a “starter kit” for $110, but after looking at the list, it included items we would never use like ketchup, mustard, etc. Our group chose to purchase what we wanted a la carte.

The boat did come with snorkel fins, but if you wanted snorkel masks or anything else, you had to order those as an extra. We ordered a paddle board from The Moorings and then some water toys from BVI Water Toys. Again, we were able to order everything online.

Testing & Portals

Just like last year, we had to take a covid test and upload to a portal. This year, was a bit more complicated. For starters, Scott and I flew to St. Thomas before arriving to the British Virgin Islands. We took a covid home proctored test five days before we arrived. The proctored process was super easy and convenient. After 30 minutes we uploaded our results to the USVI Travel Portal and waited for our approval. Another thing to note, is my first test was not usable. The adhesive was missing and they would not allow me to use it. Luckily, we had ordered lots of extras, so it was not a big deal.

If you use the Emed tests, you will get your test results via a pdf. That pdf will be password protected. It’s very important that you print a copy as a pdf (not save as) and rename it, before you upload it to the portal. My first submission to the USVI travel portal was denied because my test was not accessible. Once approved, we received a green QRCode allowing us entry into the territory.

On top of that, the British Virgin Islands required a negative covid test 48 hours prior to arrival and we were told they would not accept a home test. We found a local lab in Seattle that gave us our results in 15 minutes. There is no portal for the BVI, you simply need to bring your negative test results with you when you go through customs. The British Virgin Islands also had testing available at the airport and ferry terminals for $65/pp.

It’s Time to Leave for the British Virgin Islands

Tune in next week to see how our arrival process was for both the British Virgin Islands and The Moorings. Our goal for our blog and vlog, is to help other travelers using the lessons we learned during our first bareboat charter experience. As we have also mentioned, we have big changes coming in our personal lives, so be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media.

As always, thank you for following our journey. You can subscribe to our YouTube Channel (link below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney. Cheers, Scott and Ally