Forgotten world

Mawari
Bob & Sue Dall
Thu 7 Apr 2011 23:57
It was a great 11hr downwind sail most of the way to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Isles. As we negotiate our way into North sound to anchor, a 35kt squall comes through to wash the boat down and make life a little more interesting! We decide to use the first available anchorage and end up between Hunda and Shaya Moya, both of whom we know. . . . . . .
We had been to the BVI's about 9 years ago on a charter as Bob keeps reminding me , but for some reason I seem to have erased it completely from my memory., which is odd because it is a beautiful place. The water is so clear, we can see the anchor clearly in 12 metres of water. I cant wait to go for a swim!
Frustratingly we have to sail 5 miles round to Spanish Town for Customs and Immigration in the morning to become legal. . .its all a bit tedious, having to fill in umpteen forms and part with umpteen dollars and it takes ages. . . . .At the end of it we are still not strictly legal, as Bob refuses to part with 25 dollars for yet another flag!

A very strange thing must have happened in the night. . . .
It was a nice quiet night at anchor and as the famous 'Baths' in the marine park, were only a couple of miles down wind, we had set our alarm for 6.30am, so we could be first in line for a marine park mooring buoy. As I stuck my head up into the cockpit at first light I noticed the yacht next to us, which was on a mooring buoy, had already gone. . . .I called Bob, thinking we should head off and have breakfast when we got there, as Bob contemplated this I looked to see if another boats were already heading towards the Baths, nothing insight, apart from two masts, eerily sticking above the waterline on the reef behind us, funny neither of us remembered a submerged wreck on the reef yesterday. it must have been obscured by the boat that was next to us. . . . It wasn't until about an hour later that we discovered that the wreck on the reef behind us had been the boat that was moored next to us last night. There was no one on the boat at the time apparently. . . .all a bit fishy, or a bit lucky for them and for us.

The Baths are a wonderful natural phenomena of huge boulders that have descended into the water and created beautiful pools and crevices, a massive hide and seek water park. . . .unless you are there at the same time as a cruise ship that is. The snorkeling is fantastic, we saw a Barracuda about 4 to 5ft long with a full set of very sharp teeth , basking only metres from those plump,paddling,juicy, holiday makers,. . . would they miss just one?
When it all gets to exciting we hoist the sail and set off for Great Dog Island , one of five Dog Islands. Again the snorkeling is amazing,rocky pinnacles tower from the sandy sea bed to just below the surface of the water, large shoals of blue tang float by, barracuda, Tarpon, angel fish, parrot fish flow between wafting sea fern , soft coral and sponges, all glowing vividly in the sun light.. . . .

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