Jenna’s visit to Sandy Cay and Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Once again, it has been a few days since I have kept you updated with our news … the truth is that we are so enjoying Jenna's company and are having 'action packed days' of sailing, snorkeling and swimming'.

I think the last news was as I was getting ready to tuck in for bed on Jost Van Dyke Island … White Bay.

We had thoroughly enjoyed White Bay and experienced both parts to it … the bustling tourists arriving from neighbouring islands to party there as well as the quietness and tranquillity of the place without a body to be seen … it was truly magnificent and is something Jenna stills often speaks of!
We are currently anchored off the beach of Valley Trunk Bay in Virgin Gorda near The Baths … it is incredibly peaceful here and is not a 'general yacht anchoring area' … yet!

Before speaking of our time here at The Baths with Jenna, I will go back to the morning we lifted anchor in a stunningly beautiful and peaceful White Bay on Jost Van Dyke and set sail for Sandy Cay.

Sandy Cay is an island shaped like a tear drop and is located not far off Jost Van Dyke, is very small in size and is the type of island you would imagine yourself landing on after a ship has sunk in the ocean. It is the 'typical picture of an island' you would imagine in your mind when thinking of one!

The island has a spectacular white sandy beach and beautiful blue water especially on the south western tip where the beach sand extends out into the sea and has a lovely shallow reef along the southern portion.

The centre part of the island is green and consists of brush, trees and even some succulents … one can walk along pathways … it is pretty but it is a small island and it does not take long to get to know it.

We sailed here from White Bay in unusually strong winds of over 30 knots and directly on the bow … it was wild, wet and very bumpy requiring a number of tacks to get there.

Jenna was loving it despite the conditions and was very chuffed that she did not feel sea sick saying she must have found her 'sea legs' as she frequently felt sick in South Africa when we sailed!
We picked up a mooring ball just off the south western part of the island … some yachts do anchor here but the moorings are free (with a permit) as one just uses them for the day.
The anchorage was calm enough to lower the steps into the water and swim for the beach despite some fair size swells whipping up onto the southern shore in the wind.

Ana, Jenna and I explored the beach and walked about the island and spent a great deal of time swimming … the beach rises up out of the water and it is possible to wade waist deep fairly close to the shore break. We found that although there was not much to this island, it was indeed a great place to chill and absorb the environment … apart from 2 or 3 people on the island we were pretty much alone for most of our time there … of course the odd boat arrived with people … they tended to come and go until much later in the day when suddenly it seemed a number of yachts had descended on the island which was our queue to head on out!

On board Impi, we had showered off the salt water with fresh on the back step of Impi, towelled ourselves dry, sat on the patio with a drink or two chatting about our time on Sandy Cay and admiring the surrounds once more before setting off for Cane Garden, an anchorage off the west coast of Tortola.

With a relatively short distance of only 3 NM (5.5kms) we decided to motor for the anchorage in order to make the tricky entrance between reefs before nightfall.

This too was to be our first visit to Cane Garden and friends had warned us to be cautious about the reefs there.

Our approach was to the northern side of the bay where we found the red and green channel markers which mark the narrow entrance into the bay through the reef which runs in a north south direction.
Of course once inside the reef the water is perfectly calm as the bay becomes a 'pool' surrounded by beaches and the reef itself.

Very disappointingly, the authorities in the BVI have allowed for way too many mooring balls which cost $25 per night and although one is allowed to anchor free of charge, the balls are placed in such a position as to not make this easily possible … kind of a trap to force one to tie up! I intend to take this up with the authorities here as so many people are negative about coming to the BVI's for this very reason and really, these are NOT islands to be missed!

We chose instead to drop anchor right at the back of the bay and reverse down onto the anchor moving Impi 'stern to' against the reef in what seemed to be a gap and just outside of the channel.
I dived into the water to inspect the anchor and swam on the reef to make sure there were no coral heads or rocks protruding that could cause damage to our hulls on the 'swing of the anchor'.
In fact, we had chosen a really fantastic spot … Impi was nestled into a 'little cove' in the reef and the views from there over the anchorage (Mooring field more like it!) onto the splendid amphitheatre of lush green mountains was spectacular!

Although this is one of the larger anchorages on Tortola, the place really has a beauty and charm about it that sets it apart from any of the other major anchorages we have visited on the island.
Sitting at anchor we looked out across the sea to our stern and were mesmerised by the open vastness of the 'now calm' sea which dazzled and dappled a sprinkling of orange and silver in a perfectly round orange setting sun over the silhouetted outline of Jost Van Dyke.

In front of us the mountain rose steadily and the greenness of it yielded a mellow shadow of orange whilst many trees with bright orange / red flowers splashed out as if someone had darted wet paint over a canvass of green.
The bay was turquoise blue, 'a brilliant colour of turquoise' lined by a long beautiful crystal white sandy beach which in turn was lined by green coconut palm trees with the odd brightly coloured building here and there … even a bright pink building!

A little (maybe not so little) vibey structure on the beach called Mayette's Garden and Grill sports the lure of a fun filled evening of live entertainment and proudly posts a huge banner displaying the new ATM machine installed 'for your convenience'. It also sports a 'sea spa', internet and Ms Olivia's corner store.

But for the evening and the night, we were to relax on board Impi and watch another day close its chapter and file it away into the history books of time … and what a grand closure it proved to be!
Jenna in the meantime sported her cooking skills by astonishing us with a most delicious portion of 'rack of ribs' … I must admit I had more than my 'fair share' of these! The evening was followed with chatter and laughter … we so enjoy Jenz being with us and 'just like her dad' is a great 'story teller'.

The following morning we awoke early and took in the beauty of a rising sun and the chirping of birds. Pelicans were diving enthusiastically followed by seagulls which would land on top of the pelicans head and struggle for morsels that drifted free. This is quite a funny thing to see and has become a common sight here in the BVI's … the pelicans seem to continue blissfully unperturbed whilst these seagulls cling to their heads and make a huge fuss about 'sharing the spoils'.
Impi hovered in its little cove tucked into the reef … I looked down to see a huge number of fish dashing around and could see the rocky floor some meters below.

Ana in the meantime appeared with my usual mornings cup of coffee and an invite to a selection of breakfast foods available … I always love that first cup of coffee in the morning!
Later we lowered the dingy into the water and greeted sailors who had woken up early as we puttered up through the yachts moored in the bay to the dingy dock below 'Sailors Rest Bar and Grill'.
Walking along the dingy dock, one cannot but admire the beauty of the surrounds, the clarity of the water and having pelicans all around … at the 'land end' of the dock 'Sailors Rest bar and grill' hangs precariously off some boulders, one side of the structure supported by poles … painted in light blue and white it has a friendly welcome and after climbing the stony steps alongside one is transported into the main street passing through Cane Garden.

Turning to the right we walked down a very quiet road … those brightly coloured orange / red floral trees having scattered their petals along the way, yet the place had a 'run down' look to it once behind the main beach area … a yard full of old boats was overgrown with weeds … people were happy but obviously a number of them poor, yet when I looked at the old boats rotting away I couldn't help but wonder how it could be that there was still such expensive equipment on them just going to waste.

We looked for the supermarket … Rhymers grocery store which was in a neat looking pink painted building along the beach front had no groceries at all … a couple of gifts were on display and drinks … a disappointment (perhaps we got there at the wrong time when stocks were low?).

A little further up the road on the left we eventually found 'Bobby's Market Place' … the shop was bigger and had most of the essentials, still the fruit and vegetables were not fresh and this was a disappointment!

Ana and Jenna selected out the best of the vegetables they could and ended up going for frozen veggies in bags … we bought a number of soft drinks and some foods before heading back to the dingy dock.

The town is in a beautiful setting, the people are incredibly friendly and the place has HUGE potential but it seems everyone is content with living a more chilled pace of life and development is slow ... I think Shoprite should look at a store in this region!

Back on board after the stowaway process of mostly coca-cola was complete, we lifted anchor and headed out for Marina Cay. I notice it is 2 am again, I am being called to bed... So more about Trunk Bay and the Baths tomorrow.