Last day of sailing in the BVI. We left Marina Cay a little after 11 AM and headed toward The Moorings Base in Road Town. It was a beautiful downwind sail with steady 10-12 knot winds—nothing crazy, just a smooth, relaxing ride. A few jibes, and before we knew it, we were sailing past the cruise ship docks. 🛳️
VHF Rookie Move 🎙️📡
Called The Moorings on Channel 12—rookie mistake. Sunday at 1 PM? The base is packed with charter guests checking out, boats from multiple fleets returning, and a steady stream of boats heading to the customs dock. Not exactly the quietest time to arrive. 😅
Jose, the Dockmaster, answered and gave us our instructions:
✅ Fenders on the starboard side
✅ Dinghy on the port bow cleat
Fenders? Easy. Dinghy? Not so much. Had to lower it from the davits and pull it forward—not exactly a quick task. Once we were set, Jose told us to head straight to B Dock, Slip 27.
Normally, he or one of the team would dinghy out, hop aboard, and either monitor my docking or take over if things were really tight. But ever since James, the previous Dockmaster, passed away, they’ve been short-staffed. Jose asked me to take it all the way in myself.
Docking at The Moorings Base ⚓
I’m used to docking in big, open spaces where there’s plenty of room. At The Moorings, it’s spacious but not wide open, and I’ve never docked here without James or Jose keeping a watchful eye. Figured Jose would be at the dock guiding us in, but he wasn’t—just one of the regular deckhands. He didn’t help with guidance, but once we got in, he did a great job grabbing our lines and tying us off.
A Small Hiccup, But Smooth Overall
With no real current and light winds, docking wasn’t bad. The only hiccup? I forgot to raise the dinghy davits as I was backing in. Had to rush aft and get them up just in time—but hey, made it work. 💪⛵
End of Another Incredible BVI Trip
This trip was amazing—the first half with friends and the second half just Liz and me. Unfortunately, we probably won’t be back until November due to other commitments… unless, of course, I can find a way to sneak in a trip at the end of April or July/August. 🤔✈️
#BVIAdventures #SailingLife #MooringsBase #MarinaCay #DockingChallenge #SeeYouSoonBVI