Well I never got caught up on everything from our April trip…we are getting ready to sail Here and Now mid October. I will blog often on our trip this time instead of blogging later Spending the next few weeks getting ready…preparing our home to leave, pet sitter, shopping, packing & planning out our provisioning. Can’t wait to get back on the boat!
This is the Here and Now with a gorgeous sunset….(North Sound, BVI) Now picture yourself on her enjoying this sunset! There are a few openings left to charter in 2023 and the first opening for 2024 is in March. For info to book go to https://www.catamarans.com/catamaran-charter/2023-Bali-4.4-Here-and-Now/
Last weekend we took a quick trip to Seward. We always walk the docks in any marina we visit to check out all the boats. We came across the Yebo which is the monohull Jeremy & I learned to sail on many years ago. It was a lot smaller than I remembered! I also had to look up the definition of Yebo and found…
“A beginner in learning anything”
Perfect.
We arrived to Cane Garden Bay for one night and it is one of our favorite places on Tortola. We brought our son and daughter here when they were younger so it was nice for them to see it again as adults.
We’ve stayed at CGB on land before sailing charters and this past winter we stayed almost 2 weeks while we were waiting for Here and Now to be ready for us. You can rent a car to drive here but I would highly recommend getting a taxi. The road coming here is extremely steep and sketchy. We also now really love staying here on our boat. It’s calm enough to swim around boat but you can also dinghy up to the dock and enjoy the beach and everything Cane Garden Bay has to offer.
CGB has a very long beach that is great for taking long walks on. It’s a nice beach to swim at as well. It’s shallow and gradual for a little ways. Perfect for children. There are beach chair rentals, lots of restaurants/bars and gift shops. It’s also a great place to do provisioning & catch up on some laundry.
Our next stop was Norman Island If you are on a sailing itinerary in the British Virgin Islands you have to spend at least one night in Norman Island. It’s a great place to get a mooring ball and there are always tons available.
Snorkeling is great at Norman Island. The Caves is known for its inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s book Treasure Island. It’s a very short dinghy ride to get to The Caves and definitely worth going to.
The sheltered bay of Norman Island is ideal for paddle boarding, swimming and just relaxing. There’s also a small beach with the restaurant Pirate’s Bite if you are looking for a nice dinner out. We usually opt to cook something on the boat then go out to the Willy T for some fun later.
The Willy T is always a fun time. You’ll most likely see some naked jumpers off the top deck. It’s known for it’s shotski, body shots and partying into to the wee hours. They also serve bar food for lunch & dinner.
Our plan was to spend one night at Norman Island and then go to the North Sound. The weather didn’t cooperate with our plans and we decided we would rather stay put than sail in high seas. Since our kids had limited time we changed our itinerary to go to Cane Garden Bay next.
After Maho Bay we motored to Charlotte Amalie. It’s not very far between the two and it’s also very busy with all kinds of boat traffic. We anchored in windy conditions which took us a few times to get set where we felt secure. We used an anchor alarm with Jeremy’s phone and then we had notifications sent to my phone so we could dinghy to shore. Of course it kept going off while we were getting provisions but the map showed slight changes so we weren’t worried. When we got back on the boat we adjusted the settings and the alarm stopped alerting my phone.
Charlotte Amalie is beautiful at night with the sunset and then all the city lights. It’s also very noisy with traffic and nightlife. It’s a good stop to get provisions, eat at some nice restaurants and explore some of the area. We stopped at Charlotte Amalie to pick up our daughter, son & daughter-in-law were flying in from Alaska. Our next stop with them was to Maho Bay for a night and then off to the British Virgin Islands!
We spent March in Alaska and returned to Here and Now for the month of April. The first place we sailed to was Maho Bay in St. John. It was a first for us to clear customs by boat in BVI. We had to get a mooring ball in Soper’s Hole. Then Jeremy proceeded to customs to clear us. It was a little more challenging than we thought because when we got to Soper’s Hole there were no available mooring balls. Only the prepaid Boaty Balls. We decided to risk it for the biscuit and snatched a Boaty Ball. I was left on board and Jeremy said if someone shows up for the ball tell them he’ll be back from custom’s soon. It took longer than we thought for Jeremy to go through customs. Almost 2 hours! I was nervous I’d have to encounter angry people on a boat for taking their ball. Luckily no one came for the Boaty Ball. Once we got to Maho Bay we entered our info to CBP Roam to get checked in for St. John.
Maho Bay is a nice quiet spot to moor at. We had a beautiful sunset every night we stayed there. We saw lots of turtles swimming around the boat. There’s a beach you can dinghy to or what we did was swim to. Many people hang out at the beach and swim. There’s a beach bar and a few little stores right there too.
We were amazed to see White Tailed Deer walking along the beach. We never know there were deer in the Caribbean until we saw them! This was taken after sunset when most people were gone for the day. Not the best video either since it was taken from our boat…but I wanted to share! 🙂
If you are in St. John by boat or land…Maho Bay is definitely worth a visit! You won’t be disappointed!
Yesterday we finally had all the registrations to finally sail! It took way longer that we expected. We decided to go the North Sound two nights before we have to return her to the dock so we can fly home. There’s still some availability to charter Here and Now in March and then there won’t be any openings until May.
We got to Prickly Pear Island right before sunset and anchored.
The beach at Cane Garden Bay is great for swimming and relaxing. There are plenty of beach bars and restaurants to go to. The bay is also a great place to get a mooring ball or anchor for the night.
The sunsets are so beautiful.
We tried the Indigo House for dinner. Great place for cocktails, dinner & an amazing view.
Finally!! We are on da boat!!! 😊😊 We’re waiting on registration stuff so we’re still at the dock. It’s a beautiful boat and we’re excited about sailing soon! We hope others can share on the experience of the Here and Now too by chartering when we aren’t using her. If you are interested in chartering just let us know and we’ll get you all the info needed!
SV Here and Now 