Road Bay, Anquilla

Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Sat 3 Mar 2012 01:09

18:12.07N 63:05.67W

 

Friday 2nd March

 

Woke to find the anchorage was just as rolly as when we had turned in so we resolved to press on today to Anguila.

 

The decision to make a prompt start suffered a set back as Sarah chose this moment to clean the bottoms of all our shoes. No big deal really, but it nearly proved to be our undoing as again we found ourselves embroiled in a huge race. This time the Heineken Regatta was sailing around the island of St Maarten/St Martin and as luck would have it, the fleet was beating up the channel between St Maarten and Anguilla at the exact time that we set off across the same stretch of water at right angles.

 

We managed to get across ahead of most of the fleet and just had to drop behind a huge trimaran that was going like the clappers leading the fleet in real time. It was another wonderful sail as we reached across to Anguilla in 25 knots of wind. Again we had to beat our way up the north west side of the island to reach the anchorage at Road Bay, but this was really quite enjoyable with a steady 20 to 25 knots of wind and sensibly for a change, we had reefed appropriately allowing us to fly up the coast, inside the out-lying reefs in just 5 tacks.

 

We nosed our way into the shallow anchorage and dropped the hook in just a few metres of clear blue water. Sadly there was the same cross swell here and so it is not the perfect anchorage, but it seemed an idyllic spot right from the start.   And Jo was treated to the sight of two turtles immediately.

 

We had lunch and then launched the dinghy and went ashore, primarily to clear in through Immigration and Customs here. Another island – another country.

 

Sarah and Jo wandered off to view the wildlife at the big saltwater lake behind the beach whilst I dealt with the formalities. Slightly complex here with yet another way of doing things. Not quite sure how it ended up like this, but we are cleared in for a few days at least and able to go off tomorrow and visit the protected wildlife parks here which should be great. We are tentatively cleared to leave the country on Monday morning but as we walked back to the dinghy, Sarah and Jo fell into conversation with a English lady who has been living on this island for the last 10 years. Amongst the many nuggets of information she passed over was the revelation that the feverish work going on to paint the outside of the Customs and Immigration office (the first time in living memory by all accounts) is because Prince Edward and Sophie are due here by boat on Monday morning and are spending the day here visiting the island before sailing off in the afternoon. Thank goodness there are only two beach bars and the one tiny shop (almost completely empty of any stock) here and so Sarah and Jo will have no opportunities to purchase special outfits…..

 

Mother and baby turtles seem to reside under our boat and if it was not for the relentless swell, this would be a near perfect spot.