We took the pace off for a few days while visiting Anguilla. The 4 day permit restricted us to two overnight anchorages only and certain offshore islands to be visited in daylight hours. After our first perfect day at Sandy Island, we were keen to repeat our experience elsewhere. With an 08:00 departure after our kick start morning coffee, we motored to Prickly Pear East island.
We were first yacht there and picked up one of three moorings available on the southern side for the day. A little bigger than Sandy Island but with a maximum height of 12 metres, it appeared rocky with shrubbery. From the northern side we later discovered a long stretch of white sandy beach and a beach restaurant. There was only a narrow channel dividing Prickly Pear East Island from Prickly Pear West Island, and a strong current ripped through the channel. These islands are nesting sites for sea birds and they provided continuous interest throughout the day. Coral reef surrounded the two islands and rocks and reef provided interesting snorkelling, but in particular, the rock formations with deep gorges were quite unique. With two underwater cameras hard at work, all the beauty was captured.
After a long lunch and siesta in the heat of the day, we set off again to explore the beach side of the island. Sue and Peter swam ashore while Garth and Ros took the tender through the channel and dodged the coral bombies to approach the beach. We all met up and went for a wonderful walk together around the long sandy stretch, with amazing aquamarine water beckoning us to swim.....and we did! We frolicked in a perfect pool for nearly an hour and performed our best fish impersonations for our cameraman Peter.
Back on board, we motored back Anguilla to the next anchoring bay north of Road Bay called Crocus Bay, where we anchored right on sunset. The plan had been to eat ashore but somehow the decision was made to stay on board. We all enjoyed pork loin with vegetables for dinner, along with Chardonnays from Argentina and Chile.
Next morning, Sunday, we went for a relaxing swim to shore and a walk along the beach. There is a very attractive villa resort nestled into the hill surrounding Crocus Bay which has the popular restaurant da Vida on the beach. Having resolved we would have lunch there today, we took a short tour of Anguilla to see some of the other stunning beaches of Shoal Bay (ranked number 1 beach in the world 2005!) and Rendezvous Bay. Anguilla is small and flat, the highest point being Crocus Hill at 60 metres. The population is around 15000 and they are spread across the island, clustered into villages.
Anguilla is the last of the Leeward Islands and is at the northern end of the archipelago. The original Amerindian inhabitants called the island Malliouhana, but the Spanish called it Anguilla, meaning 'the eel' because of its long flat shape. The British were the first colonists in the 17th century, despite two serious attempts from the nearby French on St Maarten at conquest. The islands dry climate prevented any major plantation development and in the 19th century the land was parcelled out to the newly emancipated slaves and a few poor white settlers, from whom the current population descend.
Due to the British dominance, all Protestant creeds are well represented on the island, but the Roman Catholic Church is also present, naturally! Our taxi driver pointed out every single church, and as it was Sunday, the good folks were all in attendance, dressed in their smartest best. However, there are also some Rastafarians (Rastas) on the island and their movement (so named from the Negus Ras Tafari Haile Selassie of Ethiopia) holds that the Ethiopians and not the Jews, are the true descendants of King Solomon.
The Anguillans are fiercely loyal to their island and this is due to both the rich and poor sharing the island's rich past of master sailors and builders of graceful schooners. When the British decided to decolonize, the technocrats decided to lump Anguilla with St Kitts and Nevis. Becoming a colony of an old colony wasn't quite what the Anguillans fancied and the islanders revolted. In 1971, following a UN convention, Anguilla became a Autonomous Crown Colony and in 1980 it became a British Dependent Territory. Today there is a constitution, an elected assembly and an island government.
Fishing, goats and salt were the economic mainstays until the 1980s when the first moves towards the tourist industry were made. The wonderful beaches and small surrounding islets are a natural asset. The government has created several well protected marine reserves to help preserve the submarine world.
Since the 1980s the big tourist money has meant several hotels, some 5 star, but nothing like what we experienced on St Maarten. The island has developed a 'foodie culture' , with restaurants owned by locals, Europeans and Americans. We even received a glossy booklet 'Gourmet Guide' 9th edition, listing and explaining what tempting dishes are on offer, all over the island. We noted limited agricultural production on the island but our taxi driver explained that the desalination plant on Crocus beach provides ample affordable water for all purposes.
We joined the crowd for Sunday lunch at da Vida and were pulsed by a very loud reggae DJ blasting his entertainment. He kept saying he would stop at 3pm, but it continued well past that. The food was delicious and the cocktails memorable. Before it got too late, we took the tender to Little Bay, a nearby snorkelling site. It was the beauty of the reddish ochre cliff sculpted and hollowed by wind and waves that was extra special. Cacti were scattered down this furrowed cliff and some were blooming red flowers, which just looked amazing when viewed from water level.
Back to Trilogy in Crocus Bay we were the only monohull, the other nine yachts being catamarans. We enjoyed a stunning sunset and nibbled on an antipasto platter, along with our favourite evening drinks.