Each year at the Annapolis Boat Show we give away a free one week charter to one very lucky winner. Visitors to our booth enter our free prize draw, and at the end of the show we pick out a winner – its as simple as that! Last week, we were very excited to host the Annapolis 2015 winner, Rick Eleck. Rick and 4 of his friends headed on their trip of a lifetime aboard, Jasper. Jasper is a well appointed Beneteau 46, with 3 cabins, 2 heads (1 Electric), a generator, air conditioning, TV & DVD, Microwave – to name just a few of her creature comforts. Read on to find out where they sailed and their trip highlights.
Rick and his friends arrived at base quite late in the day. Not wasting any time, they completed their briefings, stowed a few provisions and set sail for Norman Island. They grabbed a mooring in Kelly’s Cove, just outside the Bight, where would spend their first night. Kelly’s Cove is a quiet spot with only about 5 moorings, and boasts one of the best sunsets in the BVI. Its a short dinghy ride over to snorkel the caves, allegedly the inspiration for the book treasure island and just one of our stunning national park sites. The following morning Rick and his friends sailed back into base to finish up their provisioning, or buy more beer, to be precise! That afternoon they set off for Beef Island where they pulled into Trellis Bay for the night, enjoying a quick drink at the Loose Mongoose and the Last Resort on Bellamy Cay.
On day 3, they pulled anchor and set sail to the Baths, Virgin Gorda for a day of snorkeling, scuba diving and exploring the trails through the boulders. The Baths is a must see for all first timers to the BVI. Rick and his friends secured a slip at nearby Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour for the night. On day 4 the group headed to West Dog for a spectacular dive at Joe’s Cave. Afterwards they enjoyed a delightful downwind sail to Lee Bay, off of Great Camanoe Island, where they dropped anchor for the overnight. Lee Bay is a little off the beaten track, and often in the quiet season you can find yourselves as the only yacht in the anchorage.
Day 5 started with another fantastic downwind sail to Brewer’s Bay on Tortola. Arriving early, they hooked the only National Park Mooring located at the Northwest Point, where they enjoyed the best dive of their trip. Highlights of the dive included a manta ray to marvel over, a large eagle ray and waters that were just teeming with life. Next their adventure continued west to Jost Van Dyke. The first stop was North Latitude Marina for fuel, water and more rum and then they grabbed a mooring in Great Harbor. A short dinghy ride later and they were marveling in the stunning turquoise waters of White Bay. The Soggy Dollar Bar got plenty of their damp currency as did a few other establishments… A few painkillers later they took their zodiac back to their Beneteau to make dinner and then rode the dinghy to Foxy’s for dessert and a walk on the beach.
They awoke the following morning to significant winds and decided to reef the main and jib as they beat their way towards Salt Island. Once they hit Drake’s Channel they were able to open both sails up and enjoy the breeze. Five hours later they pulled up to the RMS Rhone and enjoyed a fantastic dive on this historic wreck. By now, the winds had died down and they motored, for the first time all week, to Peter Island for an overnight stay on a ball in Great Harbor. Day 8 featured a smorgasbord of a breakfast and then a beautiful sail back to base.
Here’s what Rick had to say himself after his adventure:
Our group of five people had the opportunity to charter Jasper for a week in late June of 2016 and loved every minute of our vacation. Although Jasper is not new, she was in impeccable condition and served us flawlessly through the entire week. Sails were crisp, rigging was dialed in and the accommodations were comfortable, clean and spacious. We really appreciated having an onboard generator with A/C for a few of the calm nights. The office staff was extremely personable, friendly and accommodating from booking all the way through check-out. Chris gave us a thorough briefing onboard and was able to answer any and all questions we presented him with. Without doubt, this was one of my best experiences ever. We will be back. Next time we’ll have to charter a catamaran! Thanks for everything BVI Yacht Charters!
We were delighted when Rick returned from his trip and told us all about it. We are so very grateful to Rick and his crew for sharing this with us.
DON’T MISS OUT ON YOUR CHANCE NEXT YEAR
Abbie and Kirstie, from the BVI, Fanoula from St Martin and Kristi from our new St Thomas base will be manning our booth in Annapolis for the 2016 show. They will be giving away another charter, so make you stop by, say hello and leave your details for the draw!
