Day 6 - Anegada

 It was a very full day… and there’s so much to share!  First, though the bad news… today was not a good day for Scott’s sinuses and he spent most of it in bed.  Honestly, its just not the same without him.  

We were up a little early today as we hoped to get underway by 8:00 am.  Realistically it was closer to 8:25 but it was still earlier than usual.  In order to make the schedule work, we all agreed to forego the usual big breakfast and instead just snacked on the pastries and bread provided with coffee.  Speaking of, I cannot tell you how wonderful the coffee is.  Amy switched to a new Caribbean blend on the 2nd day with hints of coconut and so smooth.  Yum… its like dessert in a cup.

Anyway, we hoisted the sails and were on our way for the 8 miles across the open ocean to Anegada.  Anegada is the furthest east of the BVIs and the second largest.  However, its quite different from the other Virgin Islands which are made from volcanic activity.  They literally look like little mountains sticking out of the water with rocky cliffs, etc.  Anegada however is very special.  It is made of limestone and honestly looks like a sandbar in the middle of the water.  Its highest elevation is 12 ft.  The entire island is 11 miles long and 14 sq miles total.  You don’t even see it as you approach other than some palm trees sticking out of the horizon.  

 

But the island is beautiful.  The water is calm on this side of the island and it just feels quiet and relaxed.  

After we anchored for the night, Amy and Nick prepped lunch.  It was tacos with a carne asada and a pineapple salsa that tied all the flavors together.  Excellent yet again!

Then we loaded up the dinghy to head to our 1:00p tour with Johnny from Kelly’s Tours (highly recommend).  Johnny is a year out of high school and works for his brother during the busy season.  His family was one of the original 7 families on this island and has been here for 5 generations.  He had so much info to share and was a lot of fun.

So our group (sans Scott, plus Amy) loaded up in Johnny’s boat and rode 30-35 minutes to the eastern end of the island.  Most of this end is a national park so the land and water was protected.  On the way we saw a large sting ray and several sea turtles in the water.  Then we saw a flock of appx 40-50 flamingo eating on the reef.  In the other direction we saw an even larger group of appx 200.  They were stunning!  I’ve never seen flamingo in the wild and was so excited.  The pictures didn’t do them justice.  As we were moving past and almost out of their area, they took to flight and the entire flock flew past our boat.  It was beautiful.  Did you know the underside of the wing of a flamingo is black?  Or that the young ones are more gray than pink?  Anyway, it was incredible.  

 

From there we went to Conch Island.  A stopping point for conch fisherman for 120+ years where they would remove the meat from inside the conch shell then throw the shell on the pile to dispose of them.   Apparently the conch are selective and won't stick around another dead shell.  So, if the fishermen were to leave the empty shells in their fishing spots, they'd destroy their bounty.  It's estimated that there are 1.2 - 1.9 million shells in this pile.  Its beautiful and a little sad all at the same time.  

After we heard the history of the place, we headed out to the reef to find our own conch.  The reef is the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world.  Its shaped like a horseshoe around Anegada and stretches all the way down past Virgin Gorda.  The entire span of the horizon has a white line from the waves crashing at the reef's edge.  It highlights just how far the reef extends.  

Anyway, we stopped the boat in the middle of two separate coral reef areas and jumped out for snorkeling.  We made a figure 8 around both coral beds and met back at the boat.  In the meantime, our guide Johnny went fishing for conch and lobster.  We watched him dive down, look into the coral and snare the lobster.  The area was beautiful and had many different types of fish and sea life.  We all enjoyed our time there.

 

Once back on board, Johnny taught us about the lobsters.  He had found 1 female (they have pinchers on their back legs to help scrape the eggs off) and 1 male (he had freshly molted so his body was more bendy and pliable). We also saw the conch shell he found for us… including the crab that lives on its shell and the fish that lives inside.  So much to learn!!

Then we took the boat back to conch island where Tyler grabbed a newer shell on the pile to use to crack open our shell.  Once he tapped a hole in the end to release the suction, Johnny was able to pull the animal out of the shell.  It was nothing like I had expected.  We had a quick anatomy lesson, finding the claw that pulls it along the ocean floor, the eyes and mouth, reproductive organs, etc.  Then he removed the digestive parts and cleaned it up for eating. He added some lime and citrus juice to chemically cook the meat and then some salsa and we tried fresh ceviche (conch salad) on tortilla chips right there in the middle of conch island.  It was a fun and new experience for us all!

Another 30 minute boat ride would have gotten us back to the dock but we had some engine trouble.  The boat started drifting through the mooring field.  Once we cleared a large, beautiful (and likely crazy expensive) catamaran, we threw the anchor and Johnny called for the other boat.  Luckily Captain Nick was already at the dock for our pick up and saw what happened so he came and picked us up right from the tour boat.  We all had a good laugh but made sure Johnny was ok before we headed back to the boat with our day’s catch.

Scott was up and seemed to be feeling somewhat better by the time we returned so we shared our stories and pictures over cocktails and appetizers (mozzarella sticks, hummus and ground up olives with pretzels and plantain chips).  Then it was off to our dinner reservation at the Lobster Trap.

It was a great meal with FRESH lobster… we actually placed our order this morning so it was ready for us.  The tables are literally sitting on a dock so the view is incredible - the entire mooring field with the Virgin Islands sticking out of the horizon.

 

The best part was that it was the only time any of us can remember having such a nice meal without wearing shoes to the restaurant.  We had a good laugh.

The dinghy ride back to the boat tonight was another fabulous one.  Quiet, calm, nothing but the water lapping against the boats as you sneak through.  The stars are so clear and the moonlight still highlights the sand on shore.  Its a lot to take in.

Back on board, we sat at the table, enjoyed some coffee and cocktails once more.  We sat and we told stories and laughed… a lot.  Plus Amy brought out some mochi, which is best described as an ice cream ball covered in a rice dough.  They were an excellent end to our day.  Everyone headed to bed by 10:00 pm which feels like quite a triumph to us all.  Typically we have been struggling to make it to 9:00 pm even.

Day 5 - Virgin Gorda

Another beautiful morning to wake up to.  Honestly, I sat on the bridge and enjoyed this view.

Breakfast was Eggs Benedict with fresh fruit.  After that, we lounged around for a bit while Nick and Amy prepared for the day.

Then we repositioned the boat up to Virgin Gorda.  It took appx 1 hour to relocate.  Seriously... even this is so much fun - seeing the different islands, enjoying the views, and so relaxing!  We typically gather on the bridge with Captain Nick and Amy who answer all our many questions.  We listen to music (a custom playlist each day), enjoy the fresh ocean air and occasional spray and just enjoy the beauty around us.  Today we passed lots of different islands including Tortola and the island where Blackbeard left his mutinous crew stranded.

We stopped at the very southern point of Virgin Gorda to moor just offshore of the Baths National Park.  We swam in and then walked up the hill to pay our entry fee and then back down the shore to enter the Baths.  It is so incredible and unique.  I’ve never experienced anything like it.  The views are breathtaking.  Huge boulders line the shore, balanced as if placed in a game of Jenga.  The path goes between and through the cracks and crannies of the rocks and in and out of the ocean water.  Beautiful, fun, etc. 

When we finished, we had a bit longer of a swim back out to our dinghy as Nick had helped the staff fix a swim line that had been down.  But we all made it… and if I don’t say so myself, we are getting MUCH better at getting back into the dinghy from the water.

Amy and Nick suggested we wait for lunch because our mooring location was a bit rough with larger swells coming in off the ocean.  We did not object since we have all been eating SO well and haven’t felt hungry all week.  So we got underway again and headed north for about another hour to North Sound with a charcuterie that Amy had prepared.

We moored in North Sound and again, I was amazed by the beauty of this place.  Surrounded by islands, we are nestled in to our spot surrounded by turquoise waters.  

We sat down to an amazing lunch of crab cakes served with a Ceasar salad.  The kids also had chicken nuggets and Mac and cheese to choose from.  It was an incredible meal.  Amy brought another round of crab cakes out later and many of us had a second helping.  

We cleaned up after lunch and Nick took us ashore to see a one-man Pirate Show “Happy Arr”. On our way out, we decided to trick JC into thinking we had left him behind so we all loaded up in the dinghy and moved the boat out of sight.  Just as JC came up, Amy said we had left and we watched as JC stood on the back of the boat, completely disappointed, gazing at the horizon trying to see us from a distance.  We slowly floated back into his peripheral view and once he realized, we all had a big laugh.   

The pirate show was fun. Set in a beautiful location.  It was a silly comedy routine with a lot of audience participation… maracas, Rum drinking, singing and dancing and the finale for us, a conch shell-blowing competition.  Aunt Gretchen won for the women and Sammy won for the teens.  Both received a conch shell to take home.  Sammy even ended up on stage with the pirate at one point!

After the show we took a quick (and pretty wet) dinghy ride back to the boat to pick up Amy for our dinner reservation on shore.  At the far north end of the sound, there is a small island that has only a restaurant on it called Saba Rock.  Nick and Amy highly recommended it.

The dingy ride back to the boat was lovely.  Its a quiet night with a gorgeous view of the stars and the other boats moored in the sound.  

We played a few games and sent out correspondence to family… but for the most part, we headed to bed. 

We are planning an early morning departure for Anagada and another big day tomorrow. 

Cannot wait!