Off to Anegada. Part IV.

….. and yes, it’s the open ocean.


I won’t say there is nothing to this. Our “crew” Russell Bertrand remarked upon getting there, “well, and this was the big bad trip to Anegada.” The sail is certainly a nice one. All a reach and a fast one if you get the typical Trade that day of 15+ true 17-19 apparent.

It’s the channel in a mono that can be problematic. In a Cat, you still have to watch out but 4 foot of draft is a lot different than 5-7 feet and we sailed the 5’ draft kind.

The channel is well marked (at least this time all the buoys were there) but, as Russell constantly reminded me, the BVI charts, even the updated ones are notoriously inaccurate. Approaching, you don’t see squat. The first thing you see is some trees, then maybe an exiting boat mast and, yeah he must be in the channel. Russell again with good input said, don’t trust that. Who knows if they know what they are doing! Great point.

But finally, you’ll see the outer marks. Steer to keep some water under your keel, mostly in the middle of the channel and you’ll be fine. The outer end of the anchorage (the eastern most side) has decent depth if you consider 6-7 feet “decent.” As you go deeper into the anchorage, it gets very shallow and quickly. It looks like a great expanse. Be watchful. We took a ball in the eastern most line.

>>>>>>

If you like solitude, Anageda is it. There is NOTHING to do there except relax, eat drink and enjoy. That’s the point. You need a couple of days here just to soak that up.



I’ll have to defer to others regarding the eateries there. We did pick up a Key Lime Pie at the bakery at Neptunes on the recommendation of others. It was the real deal ($30) and worth every penny.

We did not partake of other restaurantschoosing instead to cook aboard and yes, we did…..

The preparation:



The product: This is one of Terri and Doug’s tail gate specials. It’s time to tell their story. Aside from both of them being gourmands, they do this competition tail gate thing. This is one of their award winning dishes: Corned Beef Hash. Sounds simple right? It is but the key ingredient is the savory corned beef. The mystery butcher is “Hank” from Indianapolis. He supplies the corned beef, all vacuum packed, heat and serve. Wow!


I highly recommend a day trip around the island in a rental ($65). We were first given a wreck of a Dodge Caravan. The air blew hot. I asked if the AC worked. She said just open the doors! That’s your AC. OK. We waited for a Mitsubishi wagon. Blew lots of cold air. Every warning light was on the dash was on. No problem, it ran fine. Remember, this is Anegada!

Cow Wreck Beach had a few locals that day, we did not stay.




Loblolly Bay is terrific. Nice facilities, nice bar and restaurant, great snorkeling. There are two beaches there. Just ask and someone will tell you where the snorkeling is best that day. There’s a dive shop and fresh water showers ($3). We chose the Western area (to your left as you walk onto the premises). There is a hefty current. Just walk up current then drift snorkel down to the western most point …. about a quarter mile. Lots of fish and lots of variety. Coral reefs are as they are supposed to be …. ALIVE.



I don’t have any pictures but we booked a room at Anegada Beach Club for one night (about $250). We sent the girls up there for real toilets, long showers and soft beds …. not to mention a good restaurant serving a great Eggs Benedict Breakfast. They were happy campers!

Here’s a link. The highlight is the beach cabana rooms. Unbelievable. Check them out at the web site. They are in person exactly as you see them in the pictures. Pricey at $350/night but I’d think seriously about doing this:

http://anegadabeachclub.com/

Hated to leave Anageda but, OK, I’m spoiled, on to Scrub Island Resort. You can see why we liked this place:





[img]http://i186.photobucket.com/al...50727_18_40_32_Pro_zps7yezgzha.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i186.photobucket.com/al...50729_08_49_16_Pro_zpsqqpecne6.jpg[/img]>>>>>>

Just ask for the TTOL discount, show your flag and it’s yours. $1.50 per foot instead of $3 and a $25 credit. That’s a net $35/night. You get full access to the resort. We did not eat at the Restaurants although they are not unreasonably priced. There’s a casual spot and a more formal one …. Sun dresses, shorts or pants and collared shirts here.

We ran up a pretty impressive bar bill drinking endlessly at the upper pool/swim up bar but, of course, Marrriot knows you’ll do that so giving you a slip at a discount is not big deal. It was worth it. Good Dark and Stormies and Pain Killers. They have happy hour pricing but only two kinds of drinks, none of which I liked. Forget it. Nice showers too. There is also a store with limited provisions.

Russell is at the end of his wits with us and ready to leave to take guests on his own boat out of Sint Martin. Next up, in Part V, Russell decides we won’t kill ourselves or sink this beautiful boat and leaves us at trellis Bay for two days on our own.

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[img]http://i186.photobucket.com/al...50729_18_52_01_Pro_zpstxvyfzdp.jpg[/img]

....... and Doug and I have proven we are able skippers but not Captains!

[img]http://i186.photobucket.com/al...50729_11_35_21_Pro_zpssjsbjtbg.jpg[/img]

....... and I am highly satisfied!

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