Hello my name is Aaron and my wife, Sabrina, and I just disembarked the Guiding Light after a weeklong trip through the BVI and I have been given the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.  We have been down here for the last three years, but always staying on shore and this time we wanted to experience it from a boat.

Day 1 – Captain Shane picked us up in the late afternoon and quickly took us to Waterlemon Cay on St John, where we enjoyed a fish dinner prepared by the captain along with some homemade bread.

Day 2 – In the morning we went ashore to experience the history of the island and had a personal tour of the Annaberg sugar mill by Shane.  During the dinghy ride to the shore we were greeted by a dolphin and her young one and they seems to be quite intrigued by us.  We snorkeled around Waterlemon Cay before clearing into the BVI and having dinner at Norman Island.  The variety of activities on this day made this one of our favorites.

Day 3 – Today we snorkeled the Caves at Norman (we had been there before, but it was much better this time), the Indians (we spent a lot of time hanging with sea turtle while he was feeding and swimming around), the Rhone (the waters were rough and made for a difficult time, but we still were able get a great view of the wreck in about 20’ of water), before snagging a mooring in Cooper Island.  We have always wanted to see the Rhone, but never found someone to take us, so thank you Captain Shane.

Day 4 – We had a great sail in 20 knot winds and made it to Bitter End in the North Sound in no time at all.  Shane took the time to teach me how to sail and it was a highlight of my week.

Day 5 – We got to see Anagada today and it was our one must see this trip.  We were surprised by how few boats come up here.  Especially after the afternoon we spent lying under thatch umbrellas on the beach.  It was just about as close to perfect as you can get and the Captain got a good long nap.

Day 6 – What a wonderful relaxing 25 mile downwind sail we had to Jost Van Dyke.  Shane was going to stop for a snorkel halfway through, but we were enjoying it so much we said to keep going.  After six hours we walked on around Sandy Cay (the sand was very hot) and visited the Bubbly Pool (it was a bit of a hike and at first it was underwhelming, but it is the type of place that gets better the longer you are there).  We finished the day with a buffet at Foxy’s.

Day 7 – I guess we made up for doing 25 miles yesterday by going one mile around the corner and spending the day anchored in front of Soggy Dollar in White Bay.  We had all kinds of boats around us and it was a happening place with lots of great people watching.  The waters are only 10 feet deep over pure white sand, making for some great swimming.  In fact I think the Captain was in for over two hours (if you visit check to see if there really are gills behind his ears and let me know 🙂 ).  We picked up and made it to Cruz Bay just in time to check back into the USVI.

Day 8 – We leave this afternoon, but Shane still had two more spots for us to see.  We snorkeled the rocks in the middle of Christmas Cove (we saw several rays just like he said we would) before he sailed us to Buck Island to snorkel with 8-9 sea turtles (one of the top three things this week for my wife).  We got into the harbor, filled up the boat, and got cleaned up for our flight home.

We were surprised at all the historical knowledge Shane had of the area and expected him to tell us he had been around the area for years.  It was a great week with all the snorkeling and sights.  Thank you Captain Shane.

One Comment

  • Victor says:

    Thanks for the overview of your trip. My wife and I sail in August with our two daughters (21 & 14) and we are really looking forward to exploring the islands with Captain Shane.

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