A Tale of Two Chemists: Marina Cay and Virgin Gorda Sound … Friday 15th Dec 2017

Friday 15^th Dec 2017

Living on a boat you get used to getting up with the sunrise and going to bed early (rarely later than boaters midnight 9pm). However, living on the dock I seemed to have lost this pattern, but today I was actually awake for the sunrise and it was beautiful. We ate breakfast in the cockpit and watched a small, isolated squall pass to the south of us. Our plan was take the “Dumb Dog” (our inflatable dinghy) to shore on Marina Cay but as we approached we were waved off by the workmen. The island was totally devastated by Irma and is closed to the public for safety reasons until they finish clearing up and start to rebuild. So it was back to Cotinga and off to Virgin Gorda Sound. It was about a 10-mile trip mostly to the east, and with winds around 15 kts and out of the east we opted to motor sail with a reefed main and our trusty Yanmar engine. It was actually a pleasant trip and good for our confidence and we arrived in the lovely Virgin Gorda Sound before noon. We were able to pick up a mooring off a sandy beach close to Prickly Pear Island and enjoyed a lazy couple of hours over lunch. Then it was time to put the motor on the dinghy and head in to shore. I should say at this point the outboard seems to be working much better than it was a few days ago. Perhaps changing the fuel and running it a little has cleaned out the lines.

The coastline of Prickly Pear Island is beautiful, with a fantastic sandy beach. However, the restaurant / bar that used to be there has been totally destroyed. It’s quite shocking to see the building in its entirety, including most of the brick walls, has been leveled. The cooker remains standing on a pad of concrete and someone has gone around collecting liquor bottles that amazingly remained intact. We spent an hour gathering up some of debris on the shore north of the restaurant and stacking it in piles ready to be burnt. I had been told earlier in the trip that the most useful volunteer work would be to clear litter from the beaches – so this was our attempt to try and help out a little. We then hiked around the corner to get views of Saba Rock and the Bitter End. The location is outstanding, but once again the level of destruction was heartbreaking to see. When we arrived in the morning we were the only boat around, but by the time we came back from our excursion there were half a dozen more, but I guess we’re not feeling very sociable today so we didn’t go and say hello but had a quiet and pleasant evening on our own.

Mike

Prickly Pear Island, Virgin Gorda Sound 18 30.25 N, 64 22.26 W