As with Anegada, people had said Anguilla is beautiful but we took that with
a pinch of salt....we'd be the judge of that and weren't expectant of
anything special. As we rounded Saint Martins last headland we had a clear
view of Anguilla and set a broad reach course to her western point and Ross
put the fishing line out.
With no fish caught we dropped the anchor in Road Bay amongst the fishing
boats and I went ashore to clear in with Customs and Immigration. 'Welcome
to Anguilla' said the Customs girl with a smile! Blimey, that's a first, and
the first of many as it turns out because it was her people that made
Anguilla a really refreshing lovely place. I went back for Ross and we took
a wander around the village in the late afternoon light, we both felt a good
vibe about the place. We came across a shack on the edge of a large disused
salt pond which turned out was a restaurant bar and once inside the dominant

feature was a huge pre war Lister diesel engine beside the bar!
It was very similar to the Lister air-start beast in the 'Rose Steel', a
small tug I used to run out of Milford Dock years back. Chatting to the
owner of the bar (The Pumphouse) he told us that the engine was originally
imported to Barbados to power the runway lights before his father bought it
to drive a huge mill used to grind salt harvested off the pond here right
next to the bar, the mill was still present and the engine, though showing
it's age was still in running order. Looking around the bar we spotted a
large coffin and a small cannon.....I asked where the cannon came from
and was told that after a machine had done some work on the roadside
up the street he saw part of it protruding out of a pile of earth and
liberated it.
Back aboard Chelone we perused a map of the island and decided that the
following day we'd take a look at 'The Valley', the islands principal town
although how we'd get there we knew not.

In the morning we walked across the lovely beach to visit Customs again and
came across a Rasta fabricating a roof out of steel water tubing.With
sunglasses instead of a welding screen he was welding with what on closer
inspection turned out to be a battery charger! no way of controlling power
output, just a large scabby looking old transformer in an even scabbier
rusty metal box 'Ya a Welda? 'he asked....I can weld I said, 'Jah mon' he
said with a smile and did that Caribbean handshake thing with outstretched
fist. He asked if I'd help him with the roof but I had to disappoint him and
explained that we were on a mission to see the Valley,'maybe later chief' I
said and we continued on our way.

Turned out we had a lift with another friendly local fella who gave us
directions before dropping us off in the middle of town. It was more modern
than I'd expected with further works in progress all around. What can I say,
for it's size the Valley was quiet, it had modern shops and conveniences,
a Bank, Post Office, large hardware store....even a prison!

We wandered about, Ross bought some postcards and we bought bread rolls
served by a bearded woman. We sheltered from a brief and sudden heavy
downpour under a large Tamarind tree before making our way back to the
main road and back to our harbour at Road Bay. We hadn't got far when I
could hear a truck approaching from behind though it was slowing down
dropping gear after gear. I looked up as it passed and the driver shouted
'U ganna Road Bay?' Oh yes! we climbed up into the cab of the beaten up
old Mac and the driver started shifting through the gears from crawler to
the eighteenth cog as he cheerily asked where we were from etc. Swigging on
a bottle of beer he enthusiastically honked the horn at.....everything and
anyone! someone waved from a house in response and other trucks honked
back too. 'I'm ganna back a yard na an ganna home' he said as he dropped
us on a corner and pointed across the way saying that there's a great view
over the bay and a hidden shortcut through the scrub under the cliff that
leads down to the edge of the beach below.

 

 

Pictures taken, we found the track and made our way down and as it was
such rough terrain I was surprised to hear a vehicle approaching.