Over the last week or so, I’ve been working my way East along the north side of Tortola.
After having cleared in and an overnight on Jost Van Dyke Island, I sailed over to spend the next night at Cane Garden Bay on Tortola. All of the good anchoring spots there (sandy bottom) were taken up by a very large mooring ball field. I was therefore forced to anchor outside of it, and the holding was poor on hard rocky bottom. There was also a lot of jet ski traffic from teenagers circling closely around my boat.
So the next day I motored further East around the Headland and anchored in Brewer’s Bay where I was able to find some free sandy bottom as there were no mooring balls. I ended up spending several days there – and there were no jet skis! I felt safer on my open water swims.
I did however swim into a large jellyfish and got stung. After that I became a bit wary about swimming in the open water near where I’d anchored at the entrance to the bay. Instead I had fun unsuccessfully trying to safely land the dinghy through the Caribbean surf, to swim near the beach.
After a few days at Brewer’s Bay, which, truth be told, was a bit rolly, I motored about 8 miles further east to Lee Bay on Great Camanoe Island. This is a very small anchorage with a small rocky beach, but is constantly frequented by charter condomorans squeezing in very close to me, to anchor closer in.
So I’ve been having a relaxing time here in Lee Bay, swimming hanging out on the “quarter deck” in my hammock but also prepping the guest cabins for some friends who arrive on Friday night from England for 10 days of Caribbean sailing aboard Nakee!
