How Do I Get Back To Vashj'ir?

"Where's the boat back to Vashj'ir?" and "I hearthed out of Vashj'ir, how do I get back?" are questions you see in Trade every couple minutes lately.

I made this mistake myself. In my rush to get out and explore I forgot to train my professions. Once I got to Vashj'ir and realized that the things I was skinning were not giving me points, I hearthed back to Stormwind and got training. Then I went back to the docks to wait for the boat back to Vashj'ir. It never came.

You can only take the boat to Vashj'ir once, when you have the quest. After that you will have to use the portal found on the island in the middle of Stormwind Lake. The portal is available to use only after you have been to Vashj'ir on the boat. As for the boat, it takes awhile to get to the dock in Stormwind the first time you go so be patient. It comes to the last, most northern, dock, the same one that goes to Northrend except this boat looks like the one you would take to Darnassus, it is a sail boat, not a steam ship like the one that goes to Northrend.

There is also a flight path above water on Vashj'ir, at a place called Sandy Beach. There are what I call "swim points" in Vashj'ir. They are like flight points but you take a Sea Horse instead of a flying mount. Once you find one of these, located in underwater caves, you can take it to the flight point on the surface. It will drop you off right on the edge of the beach at the flight point. The flight point is directly connected to Ironforge and all points from there.

Flying back there you just land at Sandy Beach then go over to the "swim point", on the shore, and take a Sea Horse back to the depths.

You will also get a Sea Horse mount relatively soon after you get there. That makes things so much easier as your swim speed on it is pretty fast, allowing you to get around quickly. It is a big place and you have to go all over it. You will also get a buff shortly after you arrive, I think it is a reward for the first quest, that allows you to breath underwater and swim faster. This is a permanent buff meaning every time you go under water in Vashj'ir it will kick in and you will be able to breath.