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14:05 18:12.60N 64:34.99W
Welcome to the BVIs! and what a welcome we
got. we arrived at 5pm, and anchored off the ominously titled Mosquito
island, which was in fact rather nice. Next day, we made ourway round to
Spanish town Virgin Gorda anchored again, had lunch, and generally faffed about
as one does when one is on holiday. At about 3pm, Chris and Chris headed
off to clear in and get an internet fix. The Neanderthals who greeted them
at customs either don't understand the significant value of tourism to their
economy, or they are simply stupid - there is no other explanation. In a
fit of rudeness and arrogance and power-crazed intimidation the like of which we
have never been subjected to anywhere else in the Caribbean, Chris from P3 was
leered at, and threatened with a hefty fine, imprisonment, and having his
boat impounded simply because we arrived the previous day and weren't there at
8am waiting for customs to open so that we could fulfil our legal obligation and
check in. Doing their job maybe, but ambassadors for their country they
certainly were not.
RIGHT. Enough of that. The BVIs are great
for sailing - a whole collection of little islands less than 10 miles
apart from each other, which is why they are packed with charter yachts!
But never mind. Generally they are much more commercial than the rest of
the Caribbean - lets blame the proximity of USA, but there are still some
delightfully quiet anchorages, fab snorkelling and beautiful sunsets to be
had. We've hopped about all over the place:
Spanish Town Virgin Gorda: apart from the obvious,
there's a lovely little marina and we went diving to the wreck of the RMS Rhone:
famous for being a genuine wreck (i.e. not sunk by the dive shops to create an
interesting ecosystem). It was an iron post-cum-passenger ship 150m long,
which broke in half when it hit a rock in a hurricane in
1860-something. Interesting features: porthole hinge which still
works, chequered floor section of the dining hall, silver spoon stuck in the
coral. Then we took a taxi down to the 'Baths' a magnificent formation of
large granite boulders - the sea floods in and around them forming
emerald pools and a great climbing frame for kids of all ages.
Thanks to Chris and Carol we've been reading
some diving magazines That teeny weenie
person is Carol, and that thing she is swimming
and learnt all
about 'white ballance' now our underwater photos
have past is the propeller of the RMS
Rhone!
colours other than blue!
4 Go Silly At The
Baths. Check
out the little cute guys on the rocks outside the marina!
Why
can't we have cute sea gulls in England?
Marina Cay just off Great
Camanoe: The 'Weatherspoons' of charter yachting in the BVIs - we
stayed one night cos we had too...
Cane Garden Bay Tortola:
delightful cove of white sand beach and brightly painted houses up the hill
sides. this could easily be a French fishing town!
White Bay Jost Van Dyke:
lovely. A long bay enclosed by a coral reef (mostly dead
unfortunately). 2-3m depth at best, which makes for some interesting
parking..!Decided to get out and about one day, so we walked over the headland
and down into Great Harbour, the island's 'capital'. with a population of
around 200, there was one dusty road and more cafes than houses! We chose
the infamous Foxy's for lunch. the food was good, if a little overpriced
(you pay for the ambience of ragged t-shirts personally signed and pinned to the
ceiling by previous satisfied customers), and the waitresses were taking full
advantage that a 15% service charge was included in the bill, so were grumpy
as hell.
Rush Hour, Jost Van
Dyke.
We sat outside - not sure what else might be lurking amid the
decor...
Finally, Great Harbour Peter's
Island: We have bade a fond farewell to Chris and Carol and P3, who have
headed South to Antigua before sailing back to Europe. Good luck guys,
thanks for the company and the diving and see you in the UK!
As I sit here writing away, I think to
myself (what a wonderful wooooooorld), and that this must be my 2nd
favourite place on the whole trip: Birds are tweeting, pelicans are
sploshng off rocks into the sea, the snorkelling is fantastic, and there are
very few other boats! If you click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KMw9HUgiME
you can see a little video of the bay. We are waiting for Peter's and May
to pull their fingers out and tell us when they are shipping LB back to
Southampton. Looks like we could be here till 23rd of May (oh dear) cos we
fly out on 24th. Time for another dip I think.
FOR SALE ONE CAREFULL
OWNER!
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