So, what do you do when you're anchored off a deserted island? Get ashore, of course! It calls you, beckons you, lures you....there is an irresistable urge to put your footprints in the sand and watch them disappear again. There is also the urge to circumnavigate on foot these alluring, timeless specks in the ocean....one direction and then the other, because always the experience is different. You notice the smallest creatures, the passing birds in flight, the bird calls from the shrubbery, the swish of the palm fronds and the contours of the sea sculpted sand. The water has its own calling: relentless surging and lapping, frothing and spraying as it passes over the reef to get to the shore, for it too wants to check out the sandy cay. The type and texture of the sand is key to the experience, as it provides a strong sensory response through the soles of your feet. Is it coarse and gritty, fine and soft, lumpy and chunky? The wind is another important factor....its strength, it's direction and its temperature as it skips across the water, rustles up the leaves, tosses the birds and finally wraps around your bare skin. The impact of light cannot be ignored either, the colours altering quite dramatically according to the time of day or the amount of cloud, but whatever the conditions, the mood will seep deep into your soul. Reefs are very individual in their character, some dark and gloomy, some dramatic, some sharp and jagged and some simply glorious. All are interesting and all have a way of acutely captivating your senses.
Ok, enough about deserted islands, Foxy's Taboo Restaurant was our lunch destination, the closset bay on Jost Van Dyke Island. The wind was still blowing at 15knots, with gusts to 20 knots and we were glad to pick up a mooring. We relaxed in the very casual setting, ordering cool drinks and delicious Taboo salad...romaine lettuce, walnuts, blue cheese, red onion, baked beetroot and blackened (spicey) sliced chicken. Afterwards, we walked about 20 minutes to a spot called Bubbly Pool. At high tide, the waves come through a narrow rocky gorge and crash into the sandy pool, effervescing the water. It was not high tide and we didn't see any bubbles but we did enjoy the rocky cove and the walk, in spite of the heat. There were a series of salt water shallow ponds which were home to mangroves and bird life.
Next stop was the lovely wide bay called Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke. There was plenty of reef within the bay and we selected a mooring which offered distance from the many charter yachts. The wind was still blowing quite strongly but we wanted to get ashore for a wander and check out dinner options. The food on board was running low and although baked beans is our back up plan, we were happy to pass that up for a buffet dinner at Foxy's....Foxy seems to have a strong input on the beachfront. The township on Saturday afternoon was a bit sleepy, but we poked our nose into the Methodist Church, where preparations were underway for a Mother's Day service at 11:00 on the moro, followed by a shared luncheon. We also found a grocery store of sorts called Rudy's which had mainly tinned food and a bakery called Christine's, with nothing left for sale. Music was blasting from the Corsairs Bar where pirates were welcome and across the sandy road sat an old US Army jeep that had a human skeleton propped in the driver's seat....good dark humour! We wandered back to Foxy's and settled in for a cooling cocktail and the 19:00 dinner. The yachtie crowd flowed in for the the 'famous' BBQ , which on the dot of 19:00 saw a conga queue form to feed their not so hungry tummies. The meal was definitely pitched at the American fraternity, which in exchange for a ticket you were handed not one but two dinner plates to load up, as we were warned there was a no return policy! We enjoyed the fish, chicken and BBQ ribs plus multiple salads and vegetable mixes, with cut up fresh fruit for dessert.
Next morning, Mother's Day, Kat and Bridie cooked up the perfect storm in the galley for the two mums on board. Sue and Ros relaxed in the cockpit, talking mostly about our own beautiful children, who all managed to send loving messages by the end of the day. We counted our blessings for all the love in our lives and thought about those who are less fortunate. We all went ashore for the skipper to check out of the British Virgin Islands and we were able to hear the unaccompanied gospel singing coming from the little yellow church with all its red doors and shutters open, to catch the breeze.
Next stop was nearby at White Bay, a wide white sandy bay with a marked channel to get into the bay. The azure blue water was inviting and cooling in the windless heat. We swam ashore dodging the numerous spiky sea urchins and strolled the length of the beach before heading back to Trilogy for a cup of tea and celebratory banana cake. This was our last port of call in the British Virgin Islands and we had 3 hours of motoring in the light breezes. It was a very pretty passage with islands surrounding us most of the way to St Thomas Island.