Anegada - hard to get to, harder to stay

We decided for our last week in the BVI we would head to Anegada, an island that we hadn't yet visited.  From our research we were told that it is a beautiful island with miles of long white sand beaches, and flat...very flat, the highest point being only 28 feet.  Anegada is difficult to get to, the sail to get there is longer than between any other island in the BVI (1 1/2 - 2 hours), and you must navigate the fringing coral reef to get in.  An unusual caveat was plastered on the bottom of our cruising guide about Anegada "you either get it, our you don't"... Well, we don't.

As you approach Anegada you can't see it until the final moments.  At first you see the tops of the trees appearing over the horizon.  It isn't until you are 10 minutes away from the channel that you can actually see the island forming.

We arrived at Anegada full of hope, already dressed in our togs in eager anticipation. As we enter the narrow channel into Anegada, a very slow charter catamaran crosses our path directly in front of us.  Even the "crew" at the back who were fishing didn't notice us.  When they finally do see us, upon reaching the narrowest part of the channel, they completely stop and demand that we pass them.  Despite yelling "NO ROOM" at the top of our lungs, the Cat (unmoving) is determined we pass them.  We edge past slowly once the Cat has drifted partly out of the channel.  Slightly annoyed, we anchor safetly at Anegada.

We jump in the dinghy and head for shore.  The dinghy pier leads you directly into a restaurant, deserted and delapedated, that you have to go through to get out.  Once in the main street you walk past a car rental shack, a gift shop shack, and a laundraumat.  Shack seems like too romantic a term really.  We decide to head further down the road to see what we could find.  

What we did find is what I have been left with as my lasting impression of Anegada - emaciated animals.  Every 50 metres or so we found a half dead bull staring at us.  We decided to head for the beach.  While the bulls didn't look like they had too much energy to chase us, we didn't want to take our chances.

The white sand beaches were white...well the bits of the beach you could see that wasn't covered in seaweed or dead sea grass.  Dotted along the coatline were more restaurants of varying states of collapse, but united in their desertion.  

We decide to have dinner on the boat.

The next morning, we head ashore to rent a car in an attempt to discover the nice part of Anegada.  Most of the islands here have the odd luxury resort that monopolises the nicest beaches.  This is what we expect to find.  The car rental place isn't open when we arrive.  Granted it was 8am.  However a passerby, in usual BVI fashion, knows the owner and gives them a call for us.   We are given a 4-wheel drive, one of the two that seem to still have their tires attached.  The tank reads full, and we are told we need to fill the car up at the petrol pump (which is at the rental car building) upon return, in addition to the $55 rental charge.  

Our cruising guide tells us that there is a good restaurant at Cow Bay, so we head in this direction.  Again we see more exhausted bulls clinging to life.  We take a turn towards the beach when we see a resort sign.  Alas, two of the four buildings that make up the resort have be claimed by the ocean and are now on an alarming 45 degree angle.  We back up slowly and turn around, only be be confronted with a rather angry looking bull with a dodgy eye.  Gary is preoccupied with the mosquitoes that came complementary with the car, but I'm more concerned at the look the bull's good eye is giving us, preparing to charge.  "Move Gary, MOVE!" I yell, as Gary slaps at his legs.  We pass the bull without drama.  Maybe what I took as building up momentum to charge was merely the final sway of the poor animal about to collapse.  Slightly scaring and upset, we continue on.

The scenery we pass is uninteresting.  All we can see is the mangy mangrove like bushes that line the road, and we can't see further.  Our trusty guide book had also told us there were Flamingos on the island.  After half an hour of traveling along the road that loops the so called "Flamingo Pond", we being to question whether there really are any Flamingos.  Seconds after I air my concern, we turn a corner to find a flock of Flamingos.  

We reach Cow Bay, but are put off stopping due to the burning rubbish heaps smoking up the air.    Further on I am taken with a sign that directs us to " T Flash a Beauty" restaurant that boasts excellent snorkeling.  On this leg of the journey we see a donkey who seems to be faring marginally better than the bulls.  When we arrive at " T Flash a Beauty" it too is abandoned, but we head to the beach anyway.  The beach was much nicer than the others we have seen at Anegada.

We finally reach Anegada's main town, the Settlement.  We know it is the Settlement as there is a sign on one few buildings that reads "Clinic", and another that says "Church".  An old man waves at us, we wave back.  As we reach the end of the buildings the skinny goats under the "Welcome to the Settlement" sign  confirm we had seen the highlights of Anegada.

We head back to the dingy, and give back the car after less than 2 hours.  The small boy at the petrol pump tells us we are to pay $10!  Gary is outraged.  The car still read full, and we had traveled 20 miles at best.  Deciding not to take it out on the poor boy, we hand him the $10 and decide to leave before we need to further support the island's economy.  

The moment we reach the boat we up anchor and head back to North Sound, Virgin Gorda for a mango smoothie.