Anagada Saturday

Sat Dec 19, 2009

Sailing up from Road Harbor, Tortola,  after checking in with the local government, I originally intended to up to the north west end of Virgin Gorda and anchor in the Gorda Sound.  That would leave the 11 mile tack to Anagada for the next day.  The conditions however were a little more forgiving and after an experimental tack to the North and plotting my course realized that I could probably make it to Anagada before 5 pm.   So I pressed on into the diminishing waves (for a change) and followed some charter cats on the same course northwards.  That in itself was a change; it has been almost a year when I held a course with anything with a 'N' in it.

By noon the wind shifted just slightly towards the NNW and when I was within  6 miles of Anagada I entered the wave shadow of the huge reef that makes up most of the island.  I had a déjà vu moment as I approached the island. It was so much like sailing across the Chesapeake to the Smith Island chain.  The island first becomes apparent on the horizon by a couple of tree tops seemingly sticking out of the water. As you draw near, you begin to see buildings dotting the shoreline, then the white sand of the beaches.

By 2 pm I was negotiating the channel that leads you through the wide sandy shallows of the south coast of Anagada.  I chose to drop anchor just off the well known 'Neptune's Treasure Hotel'.  There were mostly charter cats in the anchorage, but could see a large ketch at the far east end of anchorage.  Within a day most of these boats were gone, probably due to the anticipated passage of a front through the area or the hectic schedules the charter boats seem to adhere to.  Even though there was plenty of light, I chose to have an early dinner aboard, do some boat chores and turn in at dusk, planning to go ashore first thing and check out the island.

Next morning, first light, I was up and heading to the dinghy dock at 'Neptunes Treasure'.  I checked in with the staff, introducing myself and pointing out my boat anchored a hundred yards offshore.  More little blue boat comments.  They have internet and a nice menu, not to mention a back porch with an amazing view, making for a promising base of operations.

I walked out to the main road and headed up to the main square of the hotel/restaurant area next to the ferry dock.  A friend in St John, a chef, had recently secured employment at a small restaurant/bar.  Ok just assume for now on that all restaurants in the Carribean have as part of their business plan, a bar taking up half the space.  Anyway, I found the place, modest by some standards, but since checking out the other restaurants and eateries here its pretty nice.   My chef friend told me he really needed a bartender that could a) speak the Queens english; and b) was a personable fellow.  Anyway, I found the owner, a prominent local businessman it turns out, judging by the number of establishments with his nickname of 'Litl Bit' as part of the sign over the doors.  A very congenial fellow and after a while we were talking terms of employment.  One obstacle remained, you need papers to work in the BVI, and that would require the filing of numerous forms in Tortola, the place I had just left.  'Litl Bit' made arrangements with a representative (what?) in Road Town that I was to report to there, and she would walk me through the process.  Ok.  Guess I'm sailing to Road Town on Monday. 

Back at the Neptunes Treasure, got to know the employees there.  It's a quiet time pending the season starting after Christmas, so I got a lot of attention.  Wonderful, friendly people, everywhere and everyone that I've met so far.  Its so quiet here at night, no sirens, car noise, just the sound of birds, the wind through the rigging.  Did I say It's nice here?

 

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Did a walkabout the island today, coming ashore early.  The main road winds around the island basically staying within a quarter mile of the shoreline.  I saw a total of 3 vehicles the whole 5 or 6 mile walk.  One car came unsolicited to a stop alongside, and the women inside announced that if I wanted to see the flamingos that I should look to the right about a half mile up the road.  Two miles later, after making several detours down rightward dirt roads ending up on the shore of the large salt pond that dominates the interior of this end of the island, I gazed over the top of a small rise on the road to see a group of pink colored buoys in the water.  After a couple of moments one of the buoys raised a long serpentine neck to check me out.  The flock of a 100 or so flamingos were descendents of a small flock transplanted from Bermuda around 17 years ago.  I also checked out the beaches on the north shore, with the soft sand that you would sink to your ankles in.  The offshore reef break stretches all along the north side of the island, showing huge breakers 500 yards offshore on reefs edge. I stopped a couple of times, stripped down and cooled off in the Atlantic Ocean.  Pristine, uninhabited, no footprints.

Walking later on, starting to wonder if the knees where gonna make it, thinking that maybe I should have dosed myself with motrin and some water before departure; I was approached by the other two vehicles that I saw today.  The driver of the first waved as he passed then his tail gate fell off.  This brought the procession to a halt.  I picked up one end and helped the driver reinstall the end of his truck.  Loaded with mangrove branches, they were gonna have a lobster barbeque.  The two drivers seemed perplexed as to why the guy with the funny straw hat was walking out in the middle of no where.

 

 In hindsight, I might have taken the bike, but 5 hours later was taking a taxi to take me and my aching knees back to town.  The island is flat with a large salt pond in the center. The cab driver was working on his roof as I hobbled past his house and called down "you alright mon?"  We negotiated a price and I climbed in his small SUV while he climbed down his roof.

 

 

Back at Neptunes, I surf the web, talk to some of the guests and the bartender that looks like Russell Crowe.  Really.  The cool breeze is on my back, making the candles on the tables flicker, even though there are only a few customers.  Calypso Christmas music softly plays accented by the surf; Natie M. bobs at anchor offshore, in the same place I left her in the morning.  Its good to be here.