British Virgin Islands (Day 7)
Made way over to the North Sound of Virgin Gorda this day. Just motored again since it was again dead into the wind heading east. I had hoped to go here a few years ago but the sailing trip schedule did not work out to go so I’ve never seen the old pre-hurricane North Sound. The place was badly battered by the hurricane so almost everything here in terms of the resorts are new. Everything now looks very solidly built to hopefully better survive the next time the eye of a large hurricane comes through.
We first stopped on the west side of the sound in Leverick Bay to swim a bit and have lunch on board. Had to rescue a loose dinghy from another charter boat that we noticed just drifting by our boat. They didn’t realize that the rope had come loose and they were lucky it happened in an anchorage and not while they were under way.
Two main sailing destinations on the east end of the sound are Saba Rock and the Bitter End Yacht Club. As you can see from above, Saba Rock is just this tiny island and the entire rock has been converted into a resort. The sound is also surrounded by other luxury accommodations for those who can afford it from the hills overlooking the sound on Virgin Gorda to Richard Branson’s private island (Necker Island) just a bit to the northeast.
I think everyone spends to their level of luxury as you have to have some enjoyment in life. For some it’s going out and splurging on some Starbucks coffee, for some others I guess it’s buying your own island.
Saba Rock is a very popular stop. Located just a short dinghy ride from where the mooring balls are situated so it’s a great place to grab drinks or food with a great view of the sound. Everything here looks new and refined and feels luxurious after you’ve been on the water for the better part of a week. You can look up some aerial pictures of the place as it looks more stunning if you can see the whole island.
Besides the shop, bar, and restaurant, they have a display of old ship wreck relics as well as a tarpon feeding at 5 pm when someone from the kitchen throws out the fish scraps from the day. The fish are expecting it as a good number of huge tarpon show up right at 5.
Bitter End Yacht Club is just south of Saba Rock and has been completely rebuilt. The construction has taken several years and is still ongoing. The shops, restaurant and bar have just recently re-opened while the hotel bungalows are slowly being built. They now have a beachside bar in the shape of a boat and a nice restaurant whose walls are decorated with items recovered from the wreckage of the original club. We had dinner at the restaurant there and the jerk chicken was excellent.