Ready, set, go

After many hours of hard work in the blazing sun, we can finally set sail.  Today it is cloudy and every now and then we have a heavy rain shower, but we have the wind in our sails and a big smile on our faces.  We’ve been looking forward to this. 

We are on our way to an island that we have not visited before called Anegada. Anegada is comprised of corals and limestone, at its highest point the island is 28 feet above sea level. Created by de movement between the Atlantic and Caribbean Plates. The corals around Anegada have claimed more than 300 known shipwrecks. The numerous coral heads and tricky currents that surround the island, along with the difficulty in identifying landmarks and subsequent reef areas, many boats didn’t dare to go there. Now there is made a marked channel, which is very shallow to enter. We skipped Anegada for those reasons last year.  Anegada is also known for its lobsters, flamingos, conch (a large spiral shell, with a snail-like sea creature that lives in it) and beautiful white beaches. 

After talking to an acquaintance, he explained to us that we can anchor at Pomato Point, so that we don’t have to go through the shallow entrance.  With no less than 7.5 knots on average we sailed to Anegada.  We stayed 2 nights.  The first night we ate lobster at Sid’s Pomato Point restaurant.  With a beautiful view of our boat and a beautiful sunset. We feasted, it was delicious. 

The next day we rented scooters, to explore the island. There were still large traces of Hurricane Irma.  Much had been destroyed and had not yet been rebuilt.  The flamingos were present and we saw them from a great distance.  Due to the very strong wind and the strong current, it was unfortunately not safe to go snorkelling at the shipwrecks. The next day we sailed to Savanna Bay on the island of Virgin Gorda.  Also, today it was a cloudy day with a lot of wind, but the boat was doing fabulous. Everything feels familiar and good.  We wanted to arrive here in Savanna Bay on time to secure a spot. In 3 days, there will be a big festival here called Xmas in July. 

Every July, boaters from Puerto Rico sail to the BVI for a day of music, dancing and delicious food.  For this gathering, hundreds of boats make the journey to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.  Most of these boaters are from Puerto Rico and have affectionately referred to themselves as the Puerto Rican Navy.  During Christmas in July they will organise beach parties and visit bars and restaurants. The event has grown every year and now has sponsors including banks and beer and rum companies in Puerto Rico.  The sponsorship offset the costs for things like beach permits and bands. The festival is open to everyone and the food and drinks are completely free.

Savanna Bay also turns out to be a very nice snorkelling spot.  We had a great time snorkelling for two days. In addition to the well-known beautiful tropical small fish, we also saw squid and 3 baby reef sharks. The day of the festival was a great celebration. Young and old dancing and having fun. The vibes were wonderful

The day after the festival we continued to Peter Island to Death man Bay.  This is known for the many turtles.  They were very easy to see from the boat, but under water it was still a challenge to spot them.

Tomorrow we leave early in the morning for Nanny Cay Marina.  Our last part for the generator has arrived and someone who made the sunroof comes to fix a small mistake.  Furthermore, we fill the water tank full again and we do the last shopping.  If the weather remains good as the forecasts are now, we will leave for Saint Martin on Wednesday.  This is a sailing trip of approximately 24 hours.