Cassini blog #93 Peter and Salt Islands and Road town
Cassini's blog
Simon and Sally, Nigel and Catherine
Mon 5 Feb 2024 16:03
| BVI cruising - Peter and Salt Islands and Road town Thursday, we headed to the wreck of the Rhone. Another chance to snorkel over it, although Sally and I found it a bit choppy and spooky looking at the wreck. Simon commented how much it has deteriorated since we were last here 10 years ago - the frames that stood out and provided a diver swim through had all collapsed. Next stop Carvel Bay on Cooper Island. We anchored, planning to stay for the night, but again, the sea was choppy so after lunch and a snorkel off Cistern Point we moved back to Peter Island, Deadmans Bay this time. The Peter Island Resort was destroyed in the hurricane and is still being rebuilt. Diggers and cement lorries were visible on the beach so hopefully it will reopen soon. Friday we returned to Village Cay, Road Town. A chance to stock up at the large supermarket. Late afternoon we headed to Botella, my nephew's bar. Delicious cocktails, Sally and I can recommend the Polaris, Nigel sampled the BVI gin and tonic and Simon had Jungle Bird rum cocktail. The ambience of the bar is great, attentive staff and a vast selection of drinks. We had a fun evening catching up with Matt, Chloe and her Mum, Menna. https://www.botellabvi.com/home Saturday, Nigel returned to the bar to watch the England vs Italy rugby game with Matt whilst the rest of us had a wander, few errands before returning to the bar for the last few minutes. England should have done better! Village Cay isn't the prettiest of anchorages so we moved to Marina Cay for Saturday night. Very average and expensive cocktails ashore. On Sunday, we collected Matt and Chloe from Trellis Bay and went over to The Dogs and then Marina Cay. Sadly there was insufficient wind so we had to motor but we had a good day. We arrived back in Sopers Hole last night. High winds are forecast so a sheltered bay was needed. Despite 'Boaty Buoy' showing 2 buoys were available, when we arrived, they were occupied so we anchored in rather deep water, with lots of chain out! This morning there has been a flurry of boats prowling around the bay looking for buoys. It's a bit like driving around a very full car park. Luckily we booked one at 07.00 when the booking line opens, all gone by 7.05, so we are now secured to a red buoy. The process will be repeated tomorrow morning. To guarantee a buoy, you have to book a red $55 one at 07.00 sharp or attempt to get a 'first comes, first served' $40 white one which is not easy, especially as all the boats are rushing for shelter. The winds are already picking up, SE 20 knots, 25-30 knots expected over the next couple of days so we are likely to be here until Thursday. At least we can revisit the laundrette and have excellent happy hour and snacks at Omar's. So this is sailing life, nothing we can do about the wind and we seem to fluctuate between becalmed and too windy. At least in the BVIs, the islands are all close so it is easy to move around without long passages. We can stay in this area for another couple of weeks maximum and then will be heading back to Antigua. Catherine   |
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