We flew into St Thomas on Saturday. From there we took Smith Ferry to Road Town, Tortola. It was earlier than the Road Town Fast Ferry, and after our experience with the return trip we should have waited. The Smith Ferry boat was fast and quiet. On the return, Smith Ferry was out of service, so they bused us to West End and put us on Native Son which was extremely loud. My recommendation is not to buy a round trip ticket but buy one way to maximize flexibility and reduce the hassle factor if one of the ferries is not running on your travel days.
We stayed at Village Cay Marina. The room was small but clean. We had dinner (grilled meats and seafood on Saturday night) and breakfast at the Marina. Both meals were good and reasonably priced. The food service was definitely on island time. So be prepared to wait at least an hour for your food. I watched breakfast come out two at a time; this was the limit on what the cook could focus on. We were picked up by taxi and taken to the boat at noon. The owners of Cuan Law are very helpful, they request that you notify them of your travel arrangements and they will schedule taxi pickups and drop offs for you. In addition, they can help you locate lodging before and after the trip if necessary.
On the return we stayed overnight at Hotel 1829 on St Thomas. We had dinner at Herve Restaurant, it was excellent. The restaurant serves a mix of American and French cuisine with a heavy focus on seafood and Caribbean ingredients.
Boat
The Cuan Law is a 105' Trimaran. The website has some excellent pictures of the boat. The back deck where you gear up for diving and have your meals, other than the helm, is the only outdoor shaded area on the boat. The captain utilizes an auto pilot system and gladly allows passengers to sit at the helm. The area will seat three (five if you sit on the deck with your feet hanging over the side into the helm area) and has additional room for others to stand. On the upper deck, on either side of the helm is a large hammock, with an additional hammock on the bow of the boat. Inside, there is a large main cabin with many couches and seating areas and the all important bar. The guest cabins are located around the main cabin. There are three cabins on each side of the boat with direct access from the main cabin. The remaining cabins are towards the front of the boat and are off of a small passage way. This allows for more privacy when you open the cabin door. Additionally, the cabins on the front appeared to have more storage space, but have side hatches that open to the main deck. On the back of the boat, directly under the scuba staging area, is a video lounge and an area for a massage table to be set up. My wife had a massage and said that it was very good massage. An important item of note, the trimaran has a very odd roll in the seas, even small waves (4 to 5 feet), make it roll in a circular motion. It is unlike any monohull or catamaran I have been on. Several guest found the roll a little unsettling for the first few days but it was not enough to keep anyone from enjoying all of the activities. Invest in the patch, Triptone, or Bonine if you are prone to mal de mere.
We only sailed on three days, and only put up the mainsail one day. Diving is the main focus of the trip so the sailing takes place when the boat is moving from one anchorage to another. Most days, the boat moves one time a day and is underway for less than 2 hours with most moves being less than an hour. Between dives, if the boat was not moving to a new site, you could enjoy the kayaks, hobie cats or waterskiing behind the dive dingy. On the last full day we had a barbecue at Virgin Gorda and walked through the Baths. The Baths are an amazing site and made for a great shore excursion.
Food
All meals were excellent. Both breakfast and lunch were served buffet style, while dinner was a plated affair. Each day we had a snack following the afternoon dive. The cook focused on providing unique dinning experience, the quality and presentation of dinner was on par with that of an upscale dining establishment. The meals were posted daily on a white board, and the cook would prepare one off entrees if there was something that was not suitable. One of the members of our trip requested kosher meals, and they were able to meet his needs. There were always drinks available, water, coke products, juice and alcoholic beverages for those not diving. The water is from the onboard water maker and surprisingly good. Alcoholic beverages are based on an honor bar or $100 a week for all you can drink. Based on my experience, unless you are drinking heavily, stick with the per glass price.
Diving
Each day included a morning dive (before or after breakfast), an afternoon dive and a night dive (before or after dinner). I had heard the diving in the BVI's was good, but not excellent, and after this trip I would agree. All of the sites had a healthy fish populations and good coral growth. Visibility typically ranged for 45'-60' feet. After diving Grand Cayman, this was a little disappointing. Additionally, the afternoon dives always had a strong current or surge, these were much more challenging than the relaxing dives in the morning or night dives. Most of the diving is from the Dingy and not from the back of the boat. This results in time spent waiting for everyone to gear up, load on the Dingy and ride to the site. The ride out to the site can be a little rough, especially when the two Dingy's race to be first to the site or back to the boat.
The Wreck of the Rhone
The wreck of the Rhone is the highlight of the trip. A full day is spent on the site. During one of the surface intervals, the Captain tells the story of the sinking and has the guests help act out the drama. It was very interesting and fun way to spend 30 minutes. The wreck boasts an overweight dog snapper named Ralph. We were warned that he had learned to hunt via the lights of the divers. The night prior to diving the wreck, we dove on Rhone Reef, and I heard Ralph grab a fish. I caught a picture of him swimming away with a sergeant major.
We stayed at Village Cay Marina. The room was small but clean. We had dinner (grilled meats and seafood on Saturday night) and breakfast at the Marina. Both meals were good and reasonably priced. The food service was definitely on island time. So be prepared to wait at least an hour for your food. I watched breakfast come out two at a time; this was the limit on what the cook could focus on. We were picked up by taxi and taken to the boat at noon. The owners of Cuan Law are very helpful, they request that you notify them of your travel arrangements and they will schedule taxi pickups and drop offs for you. In addition, they can help you locate lodging before and after the trip if necessary.
On the return we stayed overnight at Hotel 1829 on St Thomas. We had dinner at Herve Restaurant, it was excellent. The restaurant serves a mix of American and French cuisine with a heavy focus on seafood and Caribbean ingredients.
Boat
The Cuan Law is a 105' Trimaran. The website has some excellent pictures of the boat. The back deck where you gear up for diving and have your meals, other than the helm, is the only outdoor shaded area on the boat. The captain utilizes an auto pilot system and gladly allows passengers to sit at the helm. The area will seat three (five if you sit on the deck with your feet hanging over the side into the helm area) and has additional room for others to stand. On the upper deck, on either side of the helm is a large hammock, with an additional hammock on the bow of the boat. Inside, there is a large main cabin with many couches and seating areas and the all important bar. The guest cabins are located around the main cabin. There are three cabins on each side of the boat with direct access from the main cabin. The remaining cabins are towards the front of the boat and are off of a small passage way. This allows for more privacy when you open the cabin door. Additionally, the cabins on the front appeared to have more storage space, but have side hatches that open to the main deck. On the back of the boat, directly under the scuba staging area, is a video lounge and an area for a massage table to be set up. My wife had a massage and said that it was very good massage. An important item of note, the trimaran has a very odd roll in the seas, even small waves (4 to 5 feet), make it roll in a circular motion. It is unlike any monohull or catamaran I have been on. Several guest found the roll a little unsettling for the first few days but it was not enough to keep anyone from enjoying all of the activities. Invest in the patch, Triptone, or Bonine if you are prone to mal de mere.
We only sailed on three days, and only put up the mainsail one day. Diving is the main focus of the trip so the sailing takes place when the boat is moving from one anchorage to another. Most days, the boat moves one time a day and is underway for less than 2 hours with most moves being less than an hour. Between dives, if the boat was not moving to a new site, you could enjoy the kayaks, hobie cats or waterskiing behind the dive dingy. On the last full day we had a barbecue at Virgin Gorda and walked through the Baths. The Baths are an amazing site and made for a great shore excursion.
Food
All meals were excellent. Both breakfast and lunch were served buffet style, while dinner was a plated affair. Each day we had a snack following the afternoon dive. The cook focused on providing unique dinning experience, the quality and presentation of dinner was on par with that of an upscale dining establishment. The meals were posted daily on a white board, and the cook would prepare one off entrees if there was something that was not suitable. One of the members of our trip requested kosher meals, and they were able to meet his needs. There were always drinks available, water, coke products, juice and alcoholic beverages for those not diving. The water is from the onboard water maker and surprisingly good. Alcoholic beverages are based on an honor bar or $100 a week for all you can drink. Based on my experience, unless you are drinking heavily, stick with the per glass price.
Diving
Each day included a morning dive (before or after breakfast), an afternoon dive and a night dive (before or after dinner). I had heard the diving in the BVI's was good, but not excellent, and after this trip I would agree. All of the sites had a healthy fish populations and good coral growth. Visibility typically ranged for 45'-60' feet. After diving Grand Cayman, this was a little disappointing. Additionally, the afternoon dives always had a strong current or surge, these were much more challenging than the relaxing dives in the morning or night dives. Most of the diving is from the Dingy and not from the back of the boat. This results in time spent waiting for everyone to gear up, load on the Dingy and ride to the site. The ride out to the site can be a little rough, especially when the two Dingy's race to be first to the site or back to the boat.
The Wreck of the Rhone
The wreck of the Rhone is the highlight of the trip. A full day is spent on the site. During one of the surface intervals, the Captain tells the story of the sinking and has the guests help act out the drama. It was very interesting and fun way to spend 30 minutes. The wreck boasts an overweight dog snapper named Ralph. We were warned that he had learned to hunt via the lights of the divers. The night prior to diving the wreck, we dove on Rhone Reef, and I heard Ralph grab a fish. I caught a picture of him swimming away with a sergeant major.
