Continuing our circumnavigation of Tortola, we headed for Jost Van Dyke, and picked up a mooring in Great Harbor. We went ashore to Foxy’s and took a taxi over to White Bay with Easy Eddie (Easy like Sunday Morning, he reminded us!). White Bay was much changed from when we were last there. The northerly winds had kicked up a strong swell that was creating big waves in the bay, and rather than being packed with anchored boats there were only a few that had braved the rough conditions. The waves made for fun swimming though! The Soggy Dollar bar has been rebuilt including the webcam which we duly posed in front of and were spotted by niece Jemima. I remember the rest of the beach as being empty, but it is now lined with beach bars waiting for customers, which presumably happens when cruise ships pull in. We enjoyed an afternoon in the sun, and of course had to end with a Painkiller, since they were invented at Soggy Dollar!

The next day we had a lunch stop at an old favorite, Sandy Spit. I remember taking the kids there when they were tiny, and hiding “pirate treasure” for them to find! We were amazed that the spit is still there as it didn’t look like it would take much to wash it away. It looks like the palm trees were all blown down, but great care is being taken to reestablish them. There were still big swells running so we didn’t land the dinghy, but Anne and I swam ashore for a look.

We went into Diamond Cay and went ashore. This was a good spot for paddle boarding and exploring, and for a walk over to the Bubbly Pool. We’ve been to the BVI many times, but only discovered Bubbly Pool on our last trip. This time there were no kids there, meaning that the grown-ups were free to play in the surf created when waves crash between the rocks into the pool! The northerly swells were in our favor as they made the pool that much more fun.

We ended the day with a drink at Foxy’s Taboo – not much there but they had good rum punches and the menu looked tasty! Jost Van Dyke is clearly on everyone’s itinerary for their charter, and it’s certainly not quiet, but it’s a fun place to visit for a couple of days, and we’re glad to see that business seems good for the locals.