The Virgin Island Report

March 2006

Gypsies of the Caribbean Or The Caribbean Report

At the end of January, it was a bit of a shock for us, twoYukoners, having left behind the -20degree temperatures of home, to find ourselves in the mid-day heat of the southern Puerto Rican coastal city of Ponce, driving around in a taxi, looking for a harbour or marina where we hoped to find the Skipper and crew of Little Swan. And it really felt like a miracle when we finally spotted the boat, and made our connection with Toni who at that moment was headed into Ponce in search of parts for his starter. Then, as the other two crew members, Gry and Ben were off doing laundry and various chores, and Doug had decided to accompany Toni, I happily settled myself on the back deck, closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensations of a gently rocking boat, the feel of the sun on my skin, and listened as the Aussie flag softly flapped in the breeze. Our journey had begun.

Caja de Muertos

It was early morning February 1st that we gassed up at the yacht club, and set off to the southeast, to spend the afternoon snorkeling and exploring the beach of Caja de Muertos. This, the first swim since our arrival, felt great, and even though the snorkeling wasn’t special, Doug and Ben did see a turtle, which was exciting for them, and from the beach I picked up a small piece of water glass for my collection, in a shade of green I have never found before, so I knew we were off to a good start.

Having said that, the next part of our journey was not so easy. With plans of heading to the southernmost of the American Virgin Islands, the former Danish colony of St.Croix, and considering the prevailing wind conditions,

Toni figured it would take us about 20 hours to make the trip, and that we should travel through the night when the seas would be at their calmest. We left Caja de Muertos about 8pm. I found the first part of this trip pretty exciting and sat out back till about 1am enjoying the ride as Little Swan rose and fell in steady rhythm with the waves.

I saw fireflies in the water, and stayed up long enough to see the Southern Cross. Beyond that I can say it was a long haul, and by the time we arrived in the historic port town of Christiansted, about 5pm we were all relieved and in need of a little celebration. Perhaps a little rum.

Christiansted, St. Croix

Buck Island cactus

The following day was spent exploring and enjoying what I will remember as the most colourful and interesting of all the major towns we visited, with its large yellow fort, pink buildings, and old stone windmills, artfully arranged around a turquoise coloured harbour. We took lots of pictures, I ate lemon sorbet, and Gry and I discovered a black and white photo exhibit of the works of Fritz Henle, in a private gallery run by one of his daughters.

Then it was Buck Island Reef National Monument, just 5 miles north of St. Croix that provided us with our first good snorkel experience. Although the reef has suffered hurricane damage in the recent past, we still found lots of colourful fish and coral. We did the short hike to the top of the hill at sunrise,marveled at all the wonderful and strange vegetation, before walking back on the whitest,

softest sand I have ever felt. A beautiful day of sailing took us back to the east coast of Puerto Rico, to the islands of Vieques, Culebra and Culebrita. Here we visited Mosquito Bay where on a moonless night you are supposed to be able to see millions of bioluminescent organisms glow when the water is disturbed. Unfortunately for us, we were drifting around under a very shiny half moon on a cloudless night, so it was a bit disappointing, however we did manage to maneuver our dingy close enough to a guided tour to listen in on the local biologists explanation of the phenomena. Before leaving Vieques, Doug and I made an early morning run to the local bakery for some pastries and bread. We were the first customers in, when they opened at 7am. It was a tiny bakery and we were back out five minutes later with almost their full stock of fresh baked goods, though we only bought five pastries, and 2 of their 3 loaves of brown bread. As the locals began to arrive we made our hasty retreat back to the boat where we pulled anchor and got out of town. We set sail for Culebra, and Ben caught the first and only fish of our trip. A perfect, dinner for five, sized barracuda.

Culebra wins my award for most colourful small town with its, not pastel colours, but vibrant, almost florescent pinks, oranges and greens. After anchoring in the harbour for the afternoon, we then moved out to spend the night within the confines of a large protective reef.

The winds howled that night, but we remained rock solid and had a good sleep. Culebrita, just a tiny isle off of Culebra provided us with one of my favourite beach experiences. Picturesque, and nearly deserted, with little palm tree sheltered hideaways to protect you from the midday sun,

Culebrita

Doug and I spend the better part of an afternoon lolling under one. It was here also, that a short walk took us to what is locally known as the ‘Jacuzzi’, a lively natural ocean pool surrounded by large rocks with an opening to allow the wave surges to enter and swirl around, and then too, intermittent large crashing waves.

We played around in that water for a while. I’d go back there in a minute.

Nowhere in particular

Leinster Bay, St. John

But that’s not the only place that I’d return to. Maybe not St Thomas where we spent a fun but way too hot day shopping and sightseeing in the picturesque Charlotte Amalie, which I understand nobody pronounces correctly, or St John where we visited the beautiful ruins of an old sugar plantation, and did a wonderful, but again way too hot, hike over a mountain from where we were anchored in Francis Bay, to Coral Bay.

At least there was ice cream when we got there

Great Harbour,
Jost Van Dyke

(Gry’s first, though not last encounter with Ben & Jerry’s, and indeed, their chunky monkey could be her downfall), and where Ben, the great ‘ride’ provider, talked two different vehicles, one after the other, into getting us back to the beach where we’d left the dingy.

I’m still grateful, thanks Ben.

Nor to Jost Van Dyke, even though we really enjoyed the Soggy Dollar Bar and Toni’s wonderful treat of Pusser’s Painkillers, nor to Anagada where the flamingos hung out on the wrong side of the lake too far for us to see, and the beach restaurant, on Pomato Point, had the most beautiful Italian polished tile floor and quaint museum collection.

But most certainly I would return to Guana Island. Guana, where due to it’s private ownership, allowed only limited access to the beach, but had the most amazing rock formations.Rocks with a torn material like appearance, birds that hung out in clusters on high shelves.

The surprise find of Doug’s snorkeling sanctuary, too small and tight a spot for most boats to go, and the ‘fishing bats’ that entertained us through a whole evening as they swooped in and out of the range of our flashlights as we tried to capture them on film. That’s a place I would go again.

Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke

And lastly, the baths at Virgin Gorda, that we only fully discovered on our second visit.This spot provided, bar none, the very best snorkeling of our trip. The huge boulders, being the backdrop not only for the astounding network of caves and hidden water pools, but also for a magical underwater world that literally vibrated in the early morning light.

We timed our 2nd visit there perfectly, avoided the huge crowds that arrive daily, and caught our own totally private moments, in the last of the evening light, and the first of the dawn

Guana Island

Fishing Bat, Guana Island	Twenty two days after leaving the Port City of Ponce, we left Little Swan as she was docked at the harbour of Road Town on Tortola, awaiting the installation of a repaired refrigeration unit. A repair, that in the end was never realized. All, it would seem, a part of the trials and tribulations of having a boat, living close to the bone, and living your life at sea. Did we have a good time? I saw water fireflies, turtles and a few dolphins, I saw fish dressed in outrageously coloured costumes, I saw a man riding a donkey up a road so steep they were tacking for half and hour,I’d say it was the ‘neatest’ trip I’ve ever been on, but I’m no longer allowed to say that word, so I’ll just say I brought home shells and water glass, Doug reacquainted himself with his love of a good sail, and got a good tan. it was awesome. Thank you Toni, Gry and Ben.
Nowhere in particular