Cruising the BVI: Day 6 - To Peter Island

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In the previous installment of the series of blog posts "Cruising the BVI: Day 5 - To Jost Van Dyke" we described our fifth day in the BVI.  We left the Anegada anchorage early, enjoyed a beam reach towards Jost Van Dyke, and ate at Foxy's...twice.  Then we said our farewells to the crew of Eight is Enough.

Friday March 4, 2011 - This was to be our last full day cruising the BVI and our first day cruising alone.  Eight is Enough was heading to the Indians to snorkel and then to the Sunsail base in Road Town.  We went to Peter Island.

Why Peter Island?  Liz and Jim had stayed at the Peter Island Resort a few years back and had a wonderful time.  We wanted a place we had not been before that also had a nice restaurant and beach.  Also Peter Island is just across Drake Channel from Road Town which would make for a short return trip the following day.

Jost Van Dyke to Peter Island

Before departing however we were in the mood for a hot breakfast.  The east shore had a large sign for an establishment serving breakfast, so we hopped in the dinghy ready to eat.  We made our way back to the fuel dock and tucked the dinghy in behind it per instructions then walked the dirt road for breakfast.

Despite the large sign, the breakfast establishment was little more that a counter and kitchen.  The kitchen was like you would see in any US suburban McMansion, including the proprietor/waitress/chef on the cell phone.

We each had an egg sandwich and ate in the outdoor seating section.  Then we hopped back in the dinghy and returned to prepare for the sail to Peter Island.

The course was predominantly upwind and winds were light so we motored.  After passing Frenchmans Cay Dorothy took the helm while I read a novel and took a snooze.  I awoke a little while later sensing an abrupt course change.  Poking my head out of the companionway I found that Dorothy had discovered how to use the auto-pilot.  She and Jim were testing the obstacle avoidance feature which rudely got my attention!

As we approached the entrance to Sprat Bay, I resumed the piloting since Jim and I had gotten pretty good at mooring ball approaches by now.  Sprat Bay is the location of the Peter Island Resort marina.  There is a man-made rock jetty on the east side of the entrance and a natural sheer rock wall on the west.  The bay itself is deep enough for large yachts to easily traverse.

Further in on the east side is the marina where maybe half the slips were occupied.  Those which were filled contained very large and expensive yachts.  The west side is the peninsula between Sprat and Great Harbour, the edge of which had a few feet of sandy beach.  Just beyond the beach was lush professionally maintained foliage.

There are only a half-dozen mooring balls in Sprat Bay.  At the Sunsail briefing we were advised to avoid them since the mooring fee is 3 times the normal rate.  Nonetheless we were going to make use of the anchorage and the on-shore facilities so this seemed reasonable.

We fired up the dinghy to go ashore for lunch and made our way to the dinghy dock.  The dinghy dock was a floating platform along the marina bulkhead between the ferry slip and the guest marina slips.  As we finished tying up, the dockmaster greeted us and double-checked our bow line cleating to ensure the dinghy would be there when we returned.  We paid the mooring fee and filled out the associated paperwork then headed for lunch.

The plan was to have lunch at the beach restaurant then make dinner reservations for the main dining room.  We were then informed the main dining room is for hotel guests only.  We needed to strech our legs so we walked the half mile to the beach restaurant.  There we were advised to make dinner reservations right then since the main dining room was closed that evening and the restaurant would be crowded.  There are restricted restaurant hours for mooring guests but these suited us so we made the reservations.

The lunch was very good and the atmosphere terrific as we dined while looking over the beach and water towards Dead Mans Chest Island and Tortola beyond.  After, we decided to return to the boat to get our swim trunks and beach wear, which we did.  Finishing the vacation lounging on the beach and swimming at this high-end resort was an inspired idea.

We again returned to Fours Company, this time to shower and prepare for dinner.  Before returning to shore we were entertained by the pelicans hunting fish very close by.  The video below shows a pelican soaring past the boat, circling then dive bombing his prey.

We dressed in the nicest clothing still available then for the last time departed Fours Company in the dinghy.  As the light faded again we walked the road to the beach restaurant.  As we approached the restaurant we could see the light of tiki torches around the building perimeter.  This added to the refined nature of the facility.

As we toasted the close of a great trip, we ate yet another fine meal and enjoyed the conversation of friends and family grown even closer through the shared experiences of the week in a fantastic cruising ground called the BVI.

Summary

As the week was drawing to a close we made the short trip to Peter Island.  We indulged by making use of the Resort amenities.  There we relaxed, swam, ate and drank into the evening as we prepared to return to our everyday lives in Pennsylvania.

Next up: Heading Home.

Glenn