Visiting Tortola BVI?
Are you taking a cruise or having an extended stay in Tortola, BVI and are looking for something fun and exciting to do? Aristocat Charters is a must.
Booking Process
We booked a day sail trip aboard the Aristocat a few months before our December 17-24 cruise aboard the Norwegian Escape in 2016. Based upon previous experiences, we knew that we did not want to book an excursion through the ship because of the crowds and feeling of herded like cattle. On our particular trip we only had 17 people. Booking was quick and painless through the Aristocat website. All questions we had where quickly answered through email. Since we were a party of 6, a $200 deposit was required and was able to be paid online through an electronic invoice. After booking was completed and deposit paid, we received detailed instructions on where to meet the day of arrival, as well as what our itinerary would be and what was to be expected once we were aboard.
Arrival in Port
Upon arrival in Tortola, our group of six made it off the ship immediately after we were cleared. The walk from the ship to dock where the Aristocat was parked took us only about 10 minutes. We felt completely safe making our way out of the Port area and into the streets of Tortola, unlike some of the other ports we have visited. Once we made it to the dock, Peter (the captain at the time of our sailing) greeted us and we met another group of people that were also sailing with us. After about 20 minutes we were all on the boat and Peter introduced us to his new wife and first mate Jody as well as their dog Betsy. A few minutes later and we were ready to set sail.
After pulling out of the slip, it took us about 10 minutes to get out of the harbor and into ocean. Peter then handed the wheel over to Jody and he joined all of us on the bow to give us a great history lesson about the area and all of the surrounding islands. He also told us where we were headed and what we could expect to see and do. It was really quite interesting.
Angelfish Reef at Norman Island
The first stop of the day was Angelfish reef at Norman Island where we anchored for about an hour. Peter gave us a brief history of the island and once he was finished, we had about an hour to swim, snorkel, paddleboard or whatever we wanted. He gave us suggetions as to where we might find sea turtles as well as some very nice reef fish and coral. If you want to see turtles, this is definitely the place. During our visit we were lucky enough to see 2 sea turtles along with a large school of blue tangs, and countless colorful reef fish and coral. From here we made a quick trip over to Pirates Bight where Peter again pointed out where to go to see what. He also explained that we would have about an hour at this spot while he and Jody prepared our lunch. This is where we saw a very large barracuda, sting ray, puffer fish and many large, beautiful sea fans.
Lunch and Drinks
After making our way out of the water and back onto the boat, Jody offered to prepare us a rum punch or Dark and Stormy. I had the Dark and Stormy and it was absolutely delicious. My wife along with many others chose the rum punch and all agreed it was good too. As soon as our cups got low, Jody was quick to ask if we wanted another :). Around the time I finished my first drink, it was time to eat. Lunch during our trip consisted of lunchmeat(turkey, ham, salami), cheese, white bread, hot dogs, potato salad, a bean salad, corn salad, a couple fruits, chips and some cookies. Everything was nice and fresh and really hit the spot. After lunch was finished, we had conversation with others on the boat and sipped on a couple more drinks, then picked up anchor and headed to our last stop.
The Caves
The Caves were our last stop of the day and were also really cool. Once again Peter gave us some history about the caves and the hidden treasure that is thought to still be inside. We spent about 30-45 minutes here and since we were only in Tortola until 3pm it was time to head back to the ship. It took us about an hour to sail back to the harbor and were back in plenty of time to be able to walk back to the ship before 3pm.
Final Thoughts
I can’t say enough good things about this excursion. It was definitely the highlight of our cruise in 2016. We had so much fun, we will be booking with them again during our cruise in January of 2024, at which point we hope to have an updated review.
