BVI Trip - Day 10

Sandy Cay

 

Just our 10th day of our 20 day trip and we have already had so many interesting experiences. Since we skipped Sandy Cay yesterday due to a short lived squall, we want to backtrack and visit this tiny piece of land. As you approach Sandy Cay from the west you see this "Gilligan's Island" like spot. It is tiny, palm trees swaying, ringed by blue water with a soft sandy beach. It looks like every paradise calender photo you have ever seen. It is irresistible.

Beach at Sandy Cay

We did a poor job of grabbing the mooring ball this time, but there wasn't anyone around to laugh at us except ourselves. We'll do better next time. We had the island to ourselves which made this experience even more special. We beached the dinghy and hiked the trail that goes around the island. The trail starts on the low, sandy, lee side of the island and takes you to the hilly, rocky, windward side. You end up full circle on the beautiful sandy beach. The trees, foliage, landscape and animal life make the walk very entertaining. Just remember to wear some sandals or shoes as it gets pretty rocky on the back side. (Brenda)

No Shoes Brenda

As we hiked along the trail we noticed another squall line approaching from the east that had the potential to pack some good winds and rain. We waited ashore for the front to pass and zipped back to the sailboat during the gap that followed. We raced the main part of the squall to the west heading for Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke. We considered pulling back into Little Harbor again, but Great Harbor is just past the next point. As we pulled into the mooring field the wind caught up to us and the rain came from the skies so hard it hurt. Even though we had difficulty seeing anything, we expertly caught and secured the mooring ball very quickly. Mike was driving and he couldn't even make out the people on the bow grabbing the ball. It was some kind of rain. The water actually felt good now that we were securely tied to a mooring ball. We each stepped out into the heavy downpour and enjoyed a freshwater shower.

The squall passed and the sun came back out like nothing had ever happened. We did a quick visit to the shore including one drink at Foxy's Bar and a little overpriced grocery shopping at Rudy's Market. Returning to the boat, Mike and Brenda put away the groceries while Karen and Peter took a dinghy ride around to White Bay. They visited Coco Loco's Bar to sample the rumored "Best Bushwacker in the BVI". Peter claims it was really good, but he would keep searching.

They returned bearing tasty fish tacos for Mike just as another gentler round of rain began falling. We grilled some chicken and had an interesting red potato and pea mixture to accompany it. The day was completed with Brenda filling out the paperwork required to check out of the BVI tomorrow. We will be sailing to the USVI (St. John) for 2-3 days of fun. Our reward for the busy day was our first good sunset of the trip.

 

 

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