Virgin Gorda and the Baths

Since I don’t have access to our blog right now I am not exactly sure where we left off but I am going to assume you knew we had arrived at Virgin Gorda after a great sail from Norman Island, during which the pictures of our boat “on the high seas” were taken. Anyway, we anchored on arrival in Thomas Bay, which is outside the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour (VGYH). Water was clear and warm and although we were anchored in 20’ of water, it looked to be about 5’ deep (thankfully it wasn’t – our keel is 6’). We dinghied into the harbour to check it out but since it was Sunday it was fairly quiet. We did find out that Monday was a holiday so that helped in our planning since we wanted to find someone to go up our mast (I would have gone – honest – but we don’t have a bosun ‘s chair yet!!!) Our anchor light had stopped working and we also needed our steaming and spreader lights checked.

The anchorage was quiet although a bit rolly at times. We stopped over at a Canadian boat from Toronto during our time there. Nice people who come down during non-hurricane season and sail the Caribbean. They say they have been doing that for 4 years and still have lots to see so have no intention at this time in going elsewhere.

Tuesday we moved into the marina and made arrangements to have the work done. The marina is one of the nicest we have seen in our short time on the briny. It had grass fields and lawns bordered by well-kept rail fences. The prices were much better than Nanny Cay and making arrangements for work was a dream in comparison. There was one person we went to who would arrange anything you wanted, whether it was work done by the boatyard or from outside workers. We also decided to have all of our engine fluids changed by someone. I could have done this myself but since it was first time, I would likely have had to have the manuals open beside me and besides which there are always tricks to learn about easier ways to do these things. And yes – I can spell rationalization!! Come on, I’m retired!

So, by Thursday, all was shipshape and we decided we would go to The Baths on Friday. We had been doing some local sightseeing by going for walks and exploring the countryside but The Baths are something that we couldn’t leave without seeing. So bright and early – well, later and glowing – we took an open-back truck/taxi to The Baths.

In order to get down from where we were dropped off, we had to walk a 350 yard path that was really quite attractive. It meandered through boulders, some as high as 3-4 stories but had lots of vegetation and interestingly shaped smaller rocks.

On reaching the bottom, the choice was to go to Devil’s Bay through the Caves or go directly to the Baths. The Baths, by the way, turned out to be an area of the coastline where there were lots of huge boulders rising out of the seabed causing the waves to break around them and creating lots of foam and water patterns.

We chose Devil’s Bay as our first destination and off we went. The sign at the beginning says be prepared for crawling, climbing ladders, walking with the aid of ropes fastened to the walls and wading through water to get to Devil’s Bay. It also said just follow the small cairns of rocks you will see as you go. Well, they were right about all of it except the small cairns of rocks. We only got lost twice until we ran into a man and his 10/11 year old son. They too were confused – well, I should say the father was confused because he had been leading them. He let his son lead and we all followed him directly to the Bay. It was actually a fascinating trail, around, over and sometimes under huge boulders lining the shore and through grottos. And it was much easier and seemed shorter coming back. Devil’s Bay was beautiful and swimming in and around the boulders in the turbulence produced by the waves was great fun.

After leaving Devil’s Bay we went to the Baths but it was a little disappointing. Whether because the seas were down that day or perhaps the advertising was “overdone” the “bath” effect of lots of foam and bubbling water was missing. It was still a nice beach to relax on and read for a while between dips in the sea. We left about 4:30 and went back to the boat.

After lazing around for a while, we called it a day with the intention of getting lots of rest since we expected to be up all of Saturday night. Of course we had not taken into account that it was Friday night, we were close to the Bath and Turtle (the marina outdoor bar) and the bar outside the marina but directly across the road had their BIG night on a Friday night, outdoor speakers and all. Add to that the Baptist Revival tents that were set up not far from the other bar, also with outdoor speakers on indirect competition with the bar and as you can imagine, not much sleep was gotten until after 2 in the morning. Not looking good for being well-rested for the overnighter!!!

Just to finish – the revival meetings had been going on all week and although they were loud and the solo singers were a bit tone deaf, the minister really got going on his sermons and at least they were normally done by about 9 PM!!

Saturday morning was last minute prep time – grocery buying, custom clearing, paying the marina, get fuel etc etc, but we were out of there by 13:30 and WE’RE OFF.

Our Expectations

Rob asked us the last time we spoke if our journey so far is what we were expecting. Well, we can honestly say yes and no.

The weather is holding up to expectations. Because it is winter and the rainy season, it usually rains at least once a day (usually at night). Most of the time the sun is shining and the temperature is in the high 20’s. Even when it rains it is still warm and it dries up so quickly that if you are caught in the rain it really is not a problem. Like Griff said for those on vacation a rainy day means one day less of their holiday, for us it just means a day where we can sit on the boat and read and not feel guilty about doing nothing.

So far our expectations of sailing from secluded beach to secluded beach for lazy days of sun and snorkeling have not happened. (Griff here for a moment – I must admit that, although I knew some of the realities of sailing i.e. daily things to be done, repairs, maintenance – another cruiser we were talking to the other day described it as “ongoing boat maintenance in an exotic climate” – in the back of my secret mind, I think I still envisioned the only problems we would have would be deciding who posed on the foredeck as we left one exotic port on our way to another). The reality is to this point we have mostly been so focused on the boat and trying to get it into good working order that we were beginning to lose focus on enjoying the experience. The previous owner was not as meticulous with his maintenance as his wife implied. He obviously did things on the boat, but he did not leave any documentation on when or what he did. The documentation we do have is from the original owner and this documentation is very good; however, when we use it (e.g. the wiring diagrams) we discover that the previous owner changed things so the documentation does not help. Griff has found it very frustrating and there are days when we wonder if we have made the right decision to buy the boat and sail for the three years.

The sailing itself has been great. We take turns at the helm and at the sheets (ropes for you landlubbers) when the sails need to be moved. However, Griff usually raises the mainsail because I don’t have the strength required to lift it to the top of the mast. We have learned that we can deal with difficulties that may arise. The 10 foot swells we encountered on our way to St. Thomas were terrifying at the time, but we didn’t panic and were able to keep control of the boat, lower the mainsail and put up the genoa with little difficulty. Dealing with broken belts on the engine has almost become second nature for Griff now.

In this neck of the woods – or I guess bay of the cay- there seems to be a LOT of charter boats and other cruisers we have spoken to mention the same. What this means is a difference in agenda between us and them in that most of them bring their own company down and the only way they meet other people is in the bars in the marinas. I guess this holds true of the “snowbird sailors” too (whether from Canada or the US). They come down and mostly stay around one area, usually frequent their “home” marina and again spend a fair amount of time in the bars.
Then there are the cruisers and I guess we should define what we mean by cruisers before going further. There are coastal cruisers and blue water or offshore cruisers. Their similarities are that they don’t stay around one area. In the case of a coastal cruiser in the Caribbean, it would be someone whose agenda is to sail the Caribbean from south of Florida to the north shore of South America and covering it from East to West. Offshore or Bluewater cruisers (which we may end up being – or not) sail further afield and venture into other seas and oceans. There are a lot more extended times away from any land for these cruisers. Both types of cruisers tend to stay away from the marinas as much as possible, using them only for fuel and provisioning and preferring to anchor as much as possible and worst case scenario, mooring at a mooring buoy. That is definitely what we prefer and will be focusing on doing now that most of the kinks have been worked out.

It is still a good way to meet people since most cruisers welcome those who dinghy up to their boat to talk. We have done it a few times and have had people come to us a few times. We even got asked to share a meal on another Canadian boat, an invitation we were forced to decline due to the need to be somewhere in time to – you guessed it – check into customs. Now that we are in a more comfortable place with our boat’s abilities and have no more pressing needs to attend to (except pick up Aleitha and Randy in Martinique, Rob and Jennifer in wherever and whoever else wants to visit) the next time we will prioritize and opt for the people.

Of course something that lived up to/surpassed our expectations is the absolute joy/serenity/excitement we feel when we are actually out there in a 20 knot wind with swells of 5-6 ft and the sun sparkling off the curls of the waves, looking out and seeing the masts of other boats leaning into the wind and feeling Mystic Journey responding to our proper choice of sails and course – hearing the swishing of the waves over the hull and the whistle of the wind in the sails. Then after arriving, anchoring, taking the dinghy into a shore with one small dock and a quaint local restaurant or small store, watching the locals live their customs.
To paraphrase the Army advert – AIN’T NO LIFE LIKE IT!!!!