BVI Charter Day 1: Norman Island

After our 30 hour travel fiasco, we finally arrived at Beef Island airport (EIS-Tortola). Things were shaping up as we were getting back on track for our boat Charter. During the taxi ride to Nanny Cay from the airport we could see the havoc from the storm the night before which was the cause of our delayed arrival. The taxi driver explained how bad the roads were flooded, including the airport runway (a much better explanation than what the pilot told us : “We can’t land because the runway is wet”). The cabbie told us about landslides, collapsing walls and the intense rain that the island hasn’t seen in his 50 plus years of living on the island. “Hurricane Irma didn’t bring this much rain” he told us.

We arrived at Nanny Cay and met up with our last crew mate and friend, Paul, who traveled from New York via St. Thomas (direct) then by ferry to Road Town, Tortola. Paul did not experience any flight delays. Maybe next time we visit the BVIs we’ll consider this alternative route. The take away from this is that the BVIs are not as well developed as the USVIs. The airport at St. Thomas is larger and can handle bigger passenger planes. I am guessing it doesn’t get flooded too easy unlike Beef Island airport.

This was my first time chartering a boat by myself. Checking in with the Charter company, Navigare, at Nanny Cay Marina was first on the agenda. We were debriefed on the boat systems by a charter rep who went over every detail on how to use the boat, from basic toilet flushing to running electrical systems. Navigare did an excellent job with their check in process. They use an iPad system to run through the checklist of boat systems and email a copy of the list immediately for your records.

Our boat was a 2024 Lagoon 46 Catamaran. This vessel was in excellent condition and had many upgrades beyond the base model such as: a large hard top roof over the flybridge, watermaker, multi-zoned fusion sound system with Bluetooth, ice maker, extra fridge and electric flush toilets. The boat has four cabins each with its own dry head (bathroom with separate toilet and shower), a large interior salon, outdoor seating in the cockpit, flybridge and forward deck. This is an excellent boat to charter. I would recommend no more than 6-8 passengers although it is stated the boat can accommodate 12 people.

The provisions (groceries) we ordered days in advance were delivered to the boat by Riteway Groceries before we arrived. So by the time we boarded the boat everything was in place. The dock crew steered us out of the marina slip where I took over at the fuel dock with just enough time to leave the marina before sunset and arrive at our first destination, Norman Island, a short 45-60 minute sail south of Nanny Cay across the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

Norman Island is a popular charter destination. Many charters make Norman Island either their first or last stop for their trip. The Bite is the main bay where boaters grab a mooring to explore during the day and sleep at night. We rolled in just as the sun went down and grabbed one of the 70 first come-first-serve mooring balls (buoys) owned by the only restaurant on the island, Pirate Bite, where would ride the dingy to for 7:30pm dinner reservations. The restaurant is beachside with outdoor and covered seating. There is no air conditioning as the building is not enclosed, so expect to feel the humidity. Norman Island has no residents and the Pirate Bite is the only facility on the Island. The infrastructure is minimal and we were reminded of that at the tail end of our dinner when the electricity went out for the night.

We had to dingy back in the morning and wait for the crew to arrive by ferry before we could settle our bill. I can’t write about Norman Island with out mentioning the famous Willie T barge. This is where the party people go and live it up. We didn’t make it to the Willie T as were were exhausted from our travel and wanted to get a good night’s rest for our next day’s adventure to Jost Van Dyke.

Just north of the Bite and only a 10 minute motor ride away are The Indians, a unique series of rock formations in shallow water that is part of the BVI National Park. The site is well known for diving and snorkeling. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to stop as we were running behind schedule but I plan to do so next time. Check out the video below to see what it’s all about.