Chronicles of a Sailing Yacht Charter Week in the BVI’s: Day 7
Thursday 1st October
Savannah Bay BVI: There is nothing like a swim ashore and a morning run on a white sandy beach and that is exactly what I did on Thursday morning. We’d anchored in about 15 ft of water which meant the boat was about 200 meters from shore which made for a nice swim. Then I ran 4 lengths of the beach. Ahhhh.
Savannah Bay BVI’s. Makes for a really nice morning run.
After the run and fruit with yogurt for breakfast (which by the way is a really easy breakfast when you’re on a charter boat) a few of the others came ashore.
Savannah Bay BVI’s
The weather was warm and the bay was very sheltered from the east. Plus the outer reef shelters the bay from any swells. Alexandra cam e ashore and we had some fun introducing her to small waves in the shallow beach.
Playing with Alexandra in the water in Savannah Bay
Granpa also had some fun.
Gramps and Alexandra
We bought the dinghy up onto the beach so that the waaves could not pull it back out in to the water and drift away. One way to stop this happening is to use the dinghy anchor and spike it into the sand. Under heavier waves we have in the past dug the anchor into the sand a little more to give extra holding power.
Using the Dinghy anchor to stop the dinghy from drifting away
And of course you need to pull the engine up out of the water to stop sand getting into the water intake and causing the engine to over heat. Tilting the engine up also protects the engine and the mounts and propeller etc. There is a tilt lever under the engine and behind the transom. It’s a bit difficult to operate when you first start using it but after a while you get familiar with its operation. To put the engine down you pull the lever again and it unclips the engine.
The Dinghy outboard tilts up and clips in with the tilt lever.
Savannah Bay was completely empty and it was a delight having such a beautiful place on the planet all to our selves. Then we pulled anchor and motored around to the other beaches in the bay. Very impressive! Around the corner to the east is another part to Savannah bay which is a little more inhabited with some cottages.
A few cottages on the east end of Savannah Bay
Another view looking west.
At the east end of Savannah Bay looking west.
To exit savannah Bay you must exit through the west end to clear the reef. But there is also another reef inside the reef that you must pay attention. The beauty of the bay may lull you into a false sense of safety so just read the guide and watch the charts, guide book and especially the depth sounder.
A short motor to the south on Virgin Gorda is Spanish Town where we topped up with ice for the cold drinks.
Filling up with water at Spanish Town.
At each place you have to pay for water and since we only had two days to go, we only filled one tank.
Spanish Town has a very nice marina with a full grocery store and chandlery. You can stay overnight in Spanish Town Marina if you like but it’s advisable in peak months to call ahead and make a reservation.
Empty marina in Spanish Town
However this time of the year the marina is almost completely empty. So we had our choice of spots. There is also an internet wifi in the marina which is free so you can down load email if you REALLY have to.
After a sort stop in Spanish town Marina we motored a mile south to The Baths were we spent the afternoon exploring the cave and swimming.
The Baths: One of the high lights of the BVI’s
The Baths are NOT to be missed. Even with 6 visits to The Baths now I would still return. It is a giant rock field all tumbled on top of each other creating strange shaped walk throughs and fun sea water pools.
You can spend hours there exploring the caves created from the giant rocks piled on top of each other.
You can even be silly (Deb and Susan) and pretend to hold the rocks up.
Holding rocks up in the Baths on a yacht charter trip to the BVI’s
And of course, the swimming is awesome to.
Swimming at The Baths in the BVI’s
Here are some other random shots of The Baths – just for proof that they are not to be missed.
The Baths
The Baths
The Baths
Get the picture?
Also not to be missed is snorkeling at the south end of the baths. The rocks continue into the water where coral has grown onto them populated by the most amazing colored fish life. In one place we found a small swim through under the rocks which was about 30 feet long also completely populated by fish.
Having spent an incredible day in The Baths, and having enjoyed Savanna Bay so much we elected to return there for the evening. A most spectacular sunset gave us an awesome end to another day in the BVI’s.
If you want to go to the BVI’s on a sailing yacht charter vacation – no worries – just get a NauticEd Sailing certification
