British Virgin IslandsCaribbean
BVI Charter Day 3: Sandy Caye & Cane Garden Bay
Between Jost Van Dyke and our next destination at Cane Garden Bay on Tortola, there are a lot of options for exploring. We only hit one of these.. Sandy Cay, a small deserted island that is part of the BVI National Park system. Full disclosure… we made an attempt to anchor at Sandy Spit, which is a small sandbar off Little Jost Van Dyke, but our multiple attempts were hindered by other boats, tight quarters, wind gusts, instrumentation issues and captain and crew inexperience on an unfamiliar boat. We licked our wounds and carried on to Sandy Cay where we would pick up a Nation Park day use mooring ball. There’s not much to do on the island except snorkel and explore by foot which doesn’t take up much time. I love snorkeling and being in the water so I left everyone behind and geared up. The water is not deep and there are limited areas that make up for ok snorkeling. I didn’t see anything spectacular but it was till fun for me. We took some photos, my dad took a nap and we went back to the boat to make our way across the channel to Cane Garden Bay.
Motoring from Sandy Cay to Cane Garden Bay takes less than an hour. The thing about CGB is depending if cruise ships are in town, CGB can be a place to avoid as the beaches are overrun by tourists and it looses its special vibe of a quaint beachside town. So lucky for us there were no cruise ships (docked in Roadtown). We had limited time to explore the beach as we had dinner reservations planned at 7:00pm. What we did see we liked. We planned to come back the next morning to do some shopping and so G and V could get their hair braided. CGB has a lot to offer. There are some iconic photo ops in from of Paradise bar and grill, plenty of eateries, water activities and access to provisions and other mainland needs. In the future I would like have more time at the beach, rent jetskis, take a banana boat ride and lounge around on one of the may beach chair sets up. CGB is a place to keep in mind as it has something for the entire family. Kids and adults can stay entertained all day long, so it’s a win win in my book.
I purposely planned our dinner reservation for a sunset view at Bananakeet Cafe. We secured a taxi from Sandman (or “Sandbar” as G would say) near the dingy dock and drove about 20 minutes up a winding road to the restaurant which is part of a hotel. Our timing was perfect. We had the best table in the house with the best views overlooking the bay and channel with the sun setting over Yost Van Dyke and Sandy Cay reminiscing about where we just visited earlier that day. The food and drinks were just as incredible as the photos we took. By chance made friends with a couple from Washington Heights, Manhattan NYC, a place that I consider a second home and part of my upbringing as that is where by of my parents grew up and my grandmother lived almost her entire life. It was a wonderful coincidence and a great synchronicity and reminder of how small the world is.
Lots to do in this area
The area around Sandy Cay and Cane Garden Bay offers a variety of day trip options for the entire family
Pros
- Plenty to do at Cane Garden Bay
- Fun for the entire family
- Easy to get to by land or sea
Cons
- Can be overcrowded if a cruise ship is in town
- Northern swells can make for a rough overnight stay
- Mainland beach-not so private
