Friday 27 to Sunday 29 March 2015

 

There has been some development at Cane Garden Bay over the years but not much.  Myett’s is still there but now the upstairs restaurant has gone in favour of a spa.  A mid sized supermarket has appeared at the back which makes the bay a reasonable provisioning stop.

 

After buying a couple of internet subscriptions which are said to work in Tortola and Jost van Dyke we had a salad lunch at a nice beach bar.  Unfortunately the chicken in my caesar salad was reconstituted stuff but it was a pleasant place to be.

 

A view along the beach one way:-

 

 

 

 

and then the other:-

 

 

 

 

From the bar to our boat lying peacefully at anchor (on the right).  The nearer boat to the left is a Feeling 1090, a larger version of my first boat and one we used to covet for years.  It seems quite small now although the difference in size might not be obvious in this picture:-

 

 

 

 

Cane Garden Bay is open to the north and the northerly swell, which had been forecast for today, was beginning to make it’s presence felt.  In the prevailing wind the boat lies beam on to the swell we roll uncomfortably so we upped sticks and motored 6 miles over to Jost van Dyke and found a place to anchor outside of the moorings in Great Harbour.  This is one bay which didn’t use to have moorings but needed them because the holding on the sea bed is poor in places and boats tended to drag quite often.  A few too many now in our view!

 

 

The next day we went ashore to the now famous ‘Foxy’s Bar’ and associated clothes shop.  Foxy is a bit of a character and always liked to dance with the girls and play his guitar.  He has done a lot for tourism here and set up a classic yacht regatta a few years ago.  Yachts from all over the world come to compete in this.  He is 76 now and wasn’t dancing but was still playing:-

 

 

 

 

He was awarded an MBE a few years ago and photographs of the event were proudly on display:-

 

 

 

 

The old collection of T shirts are still here and still being added to.  The Admiral sitting in comfort:-

 

 

 

 

We strolled along the sandy lane at the back of the beach where a few bars have sprung up.  The largest competitor to Foxy’s is Corsairs which is run by an American and apparently popular with cruisers from the US:-

 

 

 

 

Other bars are a little more modest.  We had a drink in this one:-

 

 

 

 

 

The island’s police station still holds centre stage:-

 

 

 

 

 

Then back along the lane, the view into the bay plus fishing boat and lobster trap:-

 

 

 

 

 

We want to visit the adjoining bay, White Bay, but have been told it is now crowded with day trippers at week ends so we stayed in this bay for two more days.  We made use of the good and free internet at Foxy’s, having established that it was much faster than the one we had subscribed to and enjoyed a nice chicken roti lunch there too.

 

 

The view out from the bar shows that Foxy really would like his customers to relax:-