18:43.27N  64:23.11W

 

Sunday 22 March 2015

 

Distance Run  13nm

 

The island of Anegada is about 12 nautical miles north of Virgin Gorda and stands apart from the rest of the Virgin Islands.  It used to be out of bounds for most charter companies because the island is only 30 feet tall at it’s highest point so is difficult to spot until quite close by which time a yacht might have reached the many reef which surround it.  The longest reef extends 10 miles to the south east and has claimed more than 300 wrecks over many years.  Fortunately the company we chartered from in the past allowed us to go and we have been twice before and liked it so much we were keen to visit again.

 

Because of the dangers it is important to arrive when the sun is high so the reefs are visible and we approached the entrance channel to the anchorage at around 11 am after a nice 2 hour sail from Virgin Gorda.  The winds were only about 14-16 knots but the direction was ahead of the beam so sailing was swift and very comfortable.  One of the best sails we have had in a long time.

 

 

In this photograph we are only about 3 miles away and the trees on Anegada are just visible in the distance.  The land itself cannot be seen yet (on a clear day landfall can usually be spotted from 10 to 25 miles out depending on the topography):-

 

 

 

The passage through the reefs was better marked by buoys than our pilot book suggested it would be and entry to the anchorage was much easier than in years gone by.  We have had no difficulty using the shallow main anchorages in the past but our boat draws rather more than the boats we have chartered.  The main anchorage is only 8ft deep and we need about 6ft 7in which doesn’t allow much for any swell so we stayed instead in the deeper area near ‘Setting Point’. 

 

There are one or two more restaurants along the shore now than there were but the island is still nicely undeveloped and we walked along the waterfront checking them all out.  We opted for the Anegada Reef Hotel where we eat last time and enjoyed barbequed fresh, soft, local lobster.  It was all fairly basic but nicely done and we enjoyed sitting at the table under the stars with our bare feet in the sand.

 

The next morning the winds had got up and it was much cloudier.  This is looking across the anchorage to the Anegada Reef Hotel which is barely visible (3 low white roofs to the right of centre on the shoreline) :-

 

 

 

South easterly winds are coming which will make the anchorage a little uncomfortable so we have opted to move on tomorrow.  We have seen the rest of the island before so there is little to be gained by staying.