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| Beautiful anchorage in Cane Garden Bay |
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| Flew both spinnakers |
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| Chatted to the dolphins |
We took a bit of time to get into a sailing routine, just the two of us on a 4 day passage, as up to now our long passages had been with Graeme and Michelle, making shifts and rest times so much easier, but nevertheless we managed and had a lovely sail with the Easterly trades helping to push us comfortably along (a swim in that azure blue water when we were becalmed was bliss).
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| Gave a hitch-hiker a lift |
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| Nice to be with friends again |
Our early morning arrival in the BVI filled us with a sense of trepidation as we were met and surrounded by catamarans of all makes and sizes, bearing in from every direction, as we gingerly picked our way to Wickham Cay, Road Town, Tortola where friends Garth and Christine were waiting, aboard the charter yacht they crew, at the Moorings base.
The BVI was declared a British possession in 1672 and whilst it is still a British colony today, in it’s modern form it effectively has governmental autonomy. The old sugar and cotton plantations have disappeared (almost all the population being descendants of the slaves who worked there), replaced by smaller estates and smallholdings, producing small scale stock-rearing and market gardens for local needs. Tourism has become responsible for the majority of the economy.
There are four main islands that, together with their smaller islets, make up the British Virgin Islands. The biggest is Tortola, followed by Virgin Gorda and Jost van Dyke, all three of which are pretty hilly. In stark contrast, the fourth is the flat platform of Anegada, a feature that, according to locals, plays squarely in its favour when hurricanes come through as the hurricanes’ force is made stronger by the hills and valleys it travels over causing mini tornado’s within the hurricane.
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There were over 600 yachts damaged
beyond repair on the hard in Spanish
Town Virgin Gorda alone |
Each year, as summer arrives so too does the likelihood of a hurricane and phenomenal damage to both people and land, the devastation and destruction of which scars for years, in fact probably forever. 18 months ago Irma made its presence known when it barrelled over Barbuda, St Barthelemy, St Martin, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands. It’s winds were 185 miles per hour for 37 hours with tropical storm force winds extending 185miles from its centre. The coastal storm surges were 20 feet above normal tide levels.
The bay of Road Town was our first real live experience of this destruction, which we were to find repeated throughout the BVI. There are masts sticking up out of the water, still attached to the boats that lie on the shallow seabed below, boats piled on top of each other on the shore, so many yachts with no mast, stantions or safety lines and many wearing the mud they were coated in that just never seems to wash off.
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| The top floor of this hotel disintegrated |
Into town and so many buildings with damage to roofs and walls, the disfiguration so visible, especially to us who had never been here before, but then we remembered the pictures of the aftermath of that hurricane and what we now see is sheer determined progress. People are rallying back as best they can, tourism, the main artery, having priority, so restaurants and places of accommodation are back to working, market stalls erected and operational and a positive air just exudes from everywhere, which, together with the regeneration of nature, is returning these beautiful Islands to a different glory.
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| We even ran into our friends Bertie & Teresa on Entheos |
We were very fortunate to know a couple of people in the BVI, we left Maxscene under the watchful eye of our buddy Darryl and spent a glorious couple of days getting a 1st class tour of the best places to see and things to do in the BVI with Garth and Christine. This set us in good stead for a couple of weeks later when Rodney and Kim joined us and we were the tour guides.
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| So glad Rod & Kim were able to join us |
We were also able to catch up once more with our friends Denzel, Carla, Angelica and Callum on Irene and Karen and Graham on Red Herring. Sadly this was really the final farewell as from here they both headed for Panama and the long crossings to Australia and New Zealand. Sailing and exploring islands is definitely much more fun with buddies.
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A last braai on the beach with Irene
before they left |
There are so many fun, famous attractions to visit on the various Islands :
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| White Bay Beach |
Jost van Dyk (White Bay) – Foxy’s, One Love and the Soggy Dollar bar home of the famous Caribbean cocktail “The Painkiller” –
the bar is so named because people used to swim across from their boats and hand over wet notes to pay for their fare, which were then pegged on a line behind the bar to dry
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| Soggy Dollar Bar |
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| The view from the balcony at One Love |
Jost van Dyk (Diamond Cay) – Foxy’s Taboo and B-Line, quieter and yet just as beautiful
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| Foxy's Taboo |
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| Throwing bean bags @ B-Line |
Peter Island – the new home of Willy T’s. Willy T’s was a bar on a derelict ship on Norman Island which was no match for hurricane Irma. A new ship was donated/acquired and it was repositioned in Great Harbour, Peter Island. From body shots on the bar to jumping off the upper deck, there’s fun for all. The bay is big and a stunning place to anchor
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| Willy T's |
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| Over you go.... |
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| That Rum Bar |
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| Machioneel Bay Cooper Island |
Cooper Island – Machioneel Bay has the most amazing rum selection in it’s bar and two of the loveliest snorkelling sites, special place.
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The beauty of getting here
early |
Virgin Gorda – famous for “The Baths” in the south, breath-taking rock formations and caverns sculpted by the sea and Leverick Bay in the north for its slightly corny pirate show that has patrons rattling shakers and downing cocktails while singing and tapping feet.
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| We were the only one's there @ 7:30am |
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| Need we say more |
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| The Bitter End Yacht Club under re-construction |
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| Necker Island |
This area is also the home of the rich and aimless – Mosquito Island bought by Richard Branson and sold off in allotments for huge sums of money, Necker Island owned by and residence of Richard Branson and Eustatia Island, playground of one of the co-owners of Google.
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Mosquito Island, construction
in progress |
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| The toys are bigger & better on Eustasia Island |
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| The anchorage off Prickly Pear Island |
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| Training kite got a puff of wind on Prickly Pear Island |
Anegada – famous as the home of the lobster – they catch them and grill them and they are huge. Also one of the best rated places to kite surf, but only if the weather permits.
Sadly when we were there with Rod and his kite, ready, willing and able, the wind had better places to be.
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| Air conditioned Moke, such fun |
A lovely island to hire a vehicle (there are many options) and tour the island, snorkelling and sampling cold beers as you go.
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| Cow Wreck beach Anegada |
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| Bar at Cow Wreck Beach, great snorkelling |
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Long beautiful pink sand beaches
of Anegada |
Tortola – Cane Garden Bay where, sitting on a bench with your feet in the sand enjoying snacks and cocktails as the sun sets, makes all your cares disappear.
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| Beautiful bay |
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| Best snacks and cocktails at sunset |
Trellis bay and its full moon party coincides well with the
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| Full moon party |
fact that its right next to the airport for easy collection or delivery of passengers.
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| Amazing fire balls & entertainment |
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| The very best salmon burger I've ever had |
Road Town – with its kiosk shops, really well stocked supermarkets, restaurants serving fantastic curries and sushi and the best burgers ever are sold under a gazebo on the main road on Saturday only, worth the wait though.
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Anchored off Eustasia Island, behind Prickly Pear Island
clearly showing the snorkelling reef between us and Necker Island |
There were a number of quiet, out of the way bays and places that we found and loved but we barely scratched the surface, anchoring off Prickly Pear Island and snorkelling the reef at Eustatia Island was my ultimate favourite. The anchorage at Pomato Point on Anegada with its magnificent long pink beach was also a true treasure. On entry into the BVI we and Maxscene were only given a 1 month cruising permit, so we made sure to make that month count, but it was nowhere near long enough to do justice to the beauty the BVI has to offer. We look forward to coming back to explore more, in the meantime we are headed south, need to be south of 12.4° before July, the official start of hurricane season.
At the risk of this blog becoming like a photo album, the pictures do far greater justice to the beautiful BVI than I can.
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| Colourful "Potters by the Sea" Anegada |
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| After that Rum Bar @ Coopers |
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| Foxy's Taboo, didn't fall in the water, might after this |
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| It's not too big, size doesn't count! |
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Prickly Pear bay left, Prickly Pear Island centre, Eustasius Bay
and Necker Island right |
Each year, as summer arrives so too does the likelihood of a hurricane and phenomenal damage to both people and land, the devastation and destruction of which scars for years, in fact probably forever. 18 months ago Irma made its presence known when it barrelled over Barbuda, St Barthelemy, St Martin, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands. It’s winds were 185 miles per hour for 37 hours with tropical storm force winds extending 185miles from its centre. The coastal storm surges were 20 feet above normal tide levels.
The bay of Road Town was our first real live experience of this destruction, which we were to find repeated throughout the BVI. There are masts sticking up out of the water, still attached to the boats that lie on the shallow seabed below, boats piled on top of each other on the shore, so many yachts with no mast, stantions or safety lines and many wearing the mud they were coated in that just never seems to wash off.
