BVI 2008 - Day 02

Road Harbour (Tortola) to Sandy Cay (Jost Van Dyke) to Cane Garden Bay (Tortola)

We woke up early to the sound of boisterous roosters and goats that inhabit Road Town; in addition, the stench and noise of a large diesel engine running somewhere in the Marina.

Upon awaking we made great coffee with the espresso beans and maker Andrea had smuggled into BVI in her luggage. I guess we have become coffee snobs. We traveled light in spite of bringing a two-cup stove-top espresso maker, a small milk frother and 750 grams of espresso beans from our neighbourhood coffee shop, Cafe Creme.

After a a couple of cups each, we made breakfast and compiled a list of food and essential supplies we will need for our journey. Steve and Andrea took care of prepping the boat for our journey while Irma and Paul found a grocery store closer to the Marina. This time we were better prepared because of the list. We bought 3 days of food that involved minimal preparation, nutritious and tasty, charcoal for the BBQ, water, ice for the fridge/cooler, beer, etc.

By noon we sailed out of the Road Town Harbor in 10 knot winds passing closely past the Queen Elizabeth II. We were in awe of the sheer size and height this massive ship as she towered over the Little Orchid. We scrambled to take pictures as we rolled through the swells and white caps out into the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

Having plotted our course we headed south-west along the coast of Tortola as our skipper sized-up his motley crew. We made excellent time and turned northward through the Thatch Island Cut between the western tip of Tortola and Little Thatch Island.  As we passed through the gap, St. John (USVI) was to our port side and Soper’s Hole to our starboard.

We anchored just off Sandy Cay, a small all-beach island off the eastern tip of Jost Van Dyke. There were a few other boats and catamarans (cats)  anchored on the leeward side of this stunningly beautiful cay which was completely surround by a sandy beach.

The white caps were visible behind the island out to the northeast. These are the famous warm trade winds the blow westerly from Africa and carried the first European explorers to the new world. Sandy Cay had numerous pathways winding into the palm trees through the rocks and shrubs. We loaded the small dinghy with our snorkeling gear, water bottles, towels and sun tan lotion and landed on the beach in the crashing surf.  We felt like kids exploring the cay, examining corral and shells that have blown up on the isolated beach. We swam and sun bathed on the beach and later return to the Little Orchid and headed back to Tortola to find shelter for the night in a safe harbour away from the prevailing winds.

We dropped our anchor in Cane Garden Bay and took the dinghy to shore to explore the beach bars and had Painkillers and dinner at Myett’s to the sound of a two-man steel drum band complete with       . In the middle of the night noisy F-*^* roosters once woke us from the high hills surrounding Cane Garden Bay.

Check out a map of our itinerary.