We visited Sandy Spit after our morning coffee's,
and enjoyed some very quiet time on the very small and just gorgeous island. Due to the high winds the surf was building but fast and crashing against the rocky shoreline. We watched the pelicans body dive for their breakfast,
and the seagulls hanging on for leftovers. We hugged the two palm trees on either end of the island. And then before you knew it, the incoming fleet was starting to arrive and the once almost empty anchorage spot was starting to quickly fill up once again ... time to go !
It was a tossup as to where we would go next... Great Harbour or White Bay. They both lay around the corner... Great Harbour was home to Foxy's and White Bay home to the Soggy Dollar Bar. Both places "famous" for their beach bars and party ambiance and although the beach bars are fun at times, they are not our main modus operandi.
So we left it up to the winds to dictate our direction, and the winds they were a-blowing and the seas they were a-rising. Great Harbour (Jost Van Dyke) is listed as a "must see and must do" so we figured we might as well "go see" and "go do" for ourselves n'est-ce pas?
This island is volcanic in origin with a small population (200-300 people) with three times as many goats, we are sure! It's known as the "barefoot island"... so since I was minus some flip flops, we figured that it was the perfect place to go. Because of the sketchy holding and how crowded it was shaping up to be, and given the 30 plus knot winds forecasted for that night, we figured might as well have peace of mind on a $30 mooring ball, n'est ce pas?
As we were getting settled, we watched the rapidly increasing line of boat traffic racing in, and one by one the mooring balls got snatched up. The cruising guides mention that if you want a spot, you really should get here before noon, and from what we've seen, as of late... true that.
Many boats continued to arrive late into the afternoon and early evening, and since there were no mooring balls left, they tried to anchor. Guess where? Why right in between all the boats in the mooring ball field. Le sigh. Doesn't anyone realize that anchored boats and boats on a mooring ball swing differently ? Not to mention you just can't and shouldn't anchor smack dab in the middle of a very tight mooring field.
We got dinghy ready and left for shore and went for wee walk along the beachfront.
other than a few cars driving by, the sandy length of a line that was a road was quiet, despite the many "open air bars" that lay just across from the gorgeous beach.
Hammocks were strung up between the palm trees and we heard the wind rustling the very large palms. The sun was hot and walking in the shady areas helped somewhat. All the residents oh so friendly. The tourists, not so much. Why don't people smile back when you smile at them and say hello ?
Goats meandered along the sandy street,
and next to one of the beach bars were three gravestones, laying prim and proper in a row, their dates unreadable.
I wondered if we had stumbled upon the gravestone(s) of the Dr. John Coakley Lettsome ?? He was a resident of Jost Van Dyke, a physician and (more importantly?) an abolitionist. Born in 1744, he and his brother were the only survivors of seven sets of twins. Seven. Sets of Twins. Yikes !!
When his father died, he returned to the BVI's only to find out he had inherited his father's slaves, and what did he do with them ? He promptly set free. With a bit of time, his son Pickering Lettsom passed on as well, as did his wife, and so John found himself owner of over 1000 slaves. Again. This time Dr Lettsome died before he could figure out what to do with them.
" I, John Lettsome,
Blisters, bleeds and sweats 'em.
If, after that, they please to die,
I, John Lettsome."
I think you have to read it out loud.
On our way back we stopped in at
Foxy's, named after Phillicano Callwood.
Story has it that, way back when, there was nowhere to go after Church sermons for a libation type of celebration, and so he created such a place. A few chairs, a few drinks, some songs and stories, and life was good. In 1968 he had become so popular that he had to move the bar away from the Church and repositioned himself at the beach. In 2009, Queen Elizabeth knighted him, and now "Sir Foxy" still appears at his bar, sings, dances and tells stories. He was not there the day we were there.
So what's so great about Great Harbour ? We walked the very pretty caribbean and such a picturesque shoreline,
we stopped at Foxy's, had some cracked conch (which was delicious !), enjoyed a "Wreck on the Rocks", totally approved by the "almost" smiling hostess,
which was a refreshingly cold and delicious combination of Cruzan Dark, Mango and Coconut Rums, on the rocks, with Rosa's Lime Juice, and then headed back to
Banyan.
Great Harbour sure is a pretty spot. We are glad we came, we got the t-shirt AND the sandals (no longer flip-flop-less, I am now the proud owner of a brand new, feels like I'm walking-on-pillows comfortable pair of Skecher type sandals) and as we exited the store saw something we hadn't expected to see,
Fun at Foxy's. Indeed !