11-27 07
Cane Garden Bay to White Bay
We got up pretty early for a vacation day. There were a 100 pelicans fishing right next to the beach. After breakfast Patti wanted to take the 2 man kayak for a spin around the bay and then go for one last swim on at the beach. We put our swim suits on as we both were very skeptical about our ability to get from the boat to the kayak without tipping the kayak. Patti decided that I should go first. Not sure why other then she wanted to dump me in the water as she got in. Well after a pretty shaky entry I managed to get into the kayak without going in the bay. Now it was Patti’s turn. She actually made it in also with out tipping us over. After paddleing around for awhile we decided to go to the beach just past Quitos’ bar. Getting the kayak onto the beach proved to be a lot easier then getting into the kayak and off the beach in the surf. Patti was in heaven bobbing in the waves. A whole van load of Cruise ship tourists showed up. A bunch of Brit’s judging by their accent. They were very reluctant to get into the water because it was so cold. One of the ladies asked me, why is the water so cold. It’s 83 or 84 degrees for crying out loud what the heck do you want. If you want warmer water come back in the middle of hurricane season when the water temp is in the high 80’s.
Getting in the Kayak and back thru the surf proved pretty entertaining for the British tourista’s. We only tipped over once. Luckily the surf was pretty smell. 1 or 2 feet so it was really pretty easy. Paddled back to the boat and got under way for White bay.
Pretty nice sail again. Not quite as good as yesterday when we were doing 10.5 knots surfing on the ocean swell. Made to Sandy Cay real quick though and got some pretty cool pics of the little island, probably 200 feet wide and 500 feet long with a beautiful white sandy beach on the west (downwind) end and a very rocky shore on the east end. Guess which way the trade winds blow.
We hadn’t decided exactly where we were going to stay. White bay was our first choice, then
White bay is a small bay with tricky entrance, especially since there were only 2 buoys left, to mark 3 channels through the reef. We decided to follow a power boat. The way he was flying in, it must be the right channel.
There was only one mooring left. As we motored up to it we saw that it was yellow, oops that is a private buoy, for commercial use only. As we were preparing to drop the anchor, a couple on a 30 foot sailboat hollered at us that they were about to leave so we just kind of hung out until they were clear and tied up to their mooring.
They were obviously local. They raised the jib and the main and sailed away. No motor. Obviously they new where the entrance through the reef was. The bouys marking the channel were mostly gone only 2 of six remained but this couple had been there before and just sailed right out through the reef and off they went.
Every place we go seems to be cooler than the last. Beautiful white sand beach!
I watched other boats leave the anchorage at that that end of the reef for awhile and figured out where the channel was. Patti wanted to do some more snorkeling so we geared up and headed for the reef. Not only looking for fish but also looking for the entrance. I also wanted to check the water depth, so I dove under the boat and we had 3 or 4 feet of water under the keel. Not much to look at but I did check out the neighbors anchor. It looked pretty good except that he was anchored in the coral which is a no no and he had 125 to 150 feet of chain out. For an anchorage that is only 10 feet deep and as protected as this was, 50 feet would have been plenty, plus you wouldn’t swing as much when the wind shifted.
Back to the boat and we decided to ditch the snorkel gear and swim to the beach. Not very far away, plus there was a very laid back bar right there. So off we went to “Ivans Stress Free Bar” It was oly a short swim away.. The perfect place to be when on vacation. Do I need to say, a “cool place”. Lots of shell art work done by visitors, pictures galore on the walls, even Walter Cronkite, who was a very avid sailor.
Had a couple of drinks and wanted some lunch. Ivan said “no fixins for lunch, son and daughter had taken the ferry to Road Town on the biggest island Tortola to stock up.”
We decided to head to the soggy dollar bar down the beach. I swam back to the boat, loaded up the dinghy and back to the beach for another episode of beaching the dinghy without getting wet. Well no problem, once I got the motor locked up I just drifted into shore.
Patti jumped in and off we went to the Soggy Dollar, so named because people anchor the boat and swim ashore. Another really cool place (duh, when wouldn't it be cool to anchor your boat and swim ashore for beer, drinks, and their famous Pain Killers (rum, rum and more rum and pineapple flavored rum.) This place gets our award for the coolest beach bar. Open air, just a few feet from the water, beach chairs, tables, shade and a very laid back atmosphere. Im coming back for a week. I guess that you can rent a room at the b and b just behind the soggy dollar bar. Too cool.
We ran into the couple from Atlanta that Patti met over at Cane Garden Bay yesterday. Pretty funny to run into people 2 days in a row. As I ordered coronas I overheard someone talking about being from Everett of all places. Here sitting at the bar was a father and son team who had come done here from
Time for some lunch so we walked a little further down the beach to Gertrudes for a terrific cheeseburger and beer. Hey, I hear that song again
Patti says:
Incredible!! The water here is so shallow, and so clear! You could actually see the anchors in the sand. And nothing but white sand and palm trees. No cruise ships here! All of the bars and restaurants were secluded in the palm trees. I sensed another day of nothing but beach lounging and liquid refreshment. Oh darn!! We did go out to the reef to try a little snorkeling, but for some reason there was nothing to see. Probably too much wave action.
Our cheeseburger in paradise was sooooo good! I would really have liked to stay here another day or two or three. We did run into the couple from Atlanta that I had met in the water in Can Garden Bay. They had taken a ferry over to this island. Had a drink with them at the Soggy Dollar. This bar actually has dollar bills hanging from a clothesline to dry! Also met a father/son there that were from Everett, WA. They had come down to purchase a boat and sail it back to the Pacific Northwest. How cool!! They were waiting at the Soggy Dollar to take possession of the sailboat. Everyone down here is so friendly, and I never worried about thieves, except back at the Footloose Base. It is said that the only place you have to worry about that, is in the US Virgin Islands. And it is a major problem!! They warned us that if we went there, we should always leave one person on the boat, and never leave the dinghy tied to a dock. That did it!! We would not be going to the USVI!!! Much better to stay in this paradise!
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