Elvis Sighting in Anguilla

Most of the time The Universe gives you exactly what you ask for.  Anguilla was the perfect recovery island from the intensity of the previous ten days.  A lost world, forgotten by the cruise ships and resort developers, Anguilla is about as laid back as you could imagine.  Now we know why Jimmy Buffet raves about the place!  The idyllic Road Bay anchorage was just peaceful enough to lower our collective blood pressure, while still partying appropriately for a proper Caribbean holiday.  The 10,000 full time residents have no local economy except tourism, and there’s not much of that. In fact, we’re hard pressed to believe there are even 500 residents on this arid island.   

The vibe at Elvis' is exactly what nearly all people Caribbean-bound seek...Sand between your toes, the sea lapping nearby, music, sun and stars, and of course good, cool, refreshing drinks. The bar at Elvis' is actually a wooden boat! Benches sit around the classic boat, right in the soft sand of Sandy Ground. Brett is the American half of the team, Elvis is the local dude!

We met Keith at the top of the hill after hiking the highly recommended unmarked goat trail, and he promptly informed us that “Obama was coming” this week. 

Obama is coming!

While cruising past Crocus Bay on our way to St. Maarten, we saw hundreds of beach chairs and four people! And to top it all off, the two sweet ladies in Customs and Immigration (yes, they have TWO ladies who spend about one hour a day each checking people in and out) didn’t even charge us a dime! 

We enjoyed Elvis’s bar, Nat’s BBQ crayfish and lobster, and a whole slew of Canadians.  Bill and Jackie toured us around in their car, and joined us for the delightful sail to St. Maarten.  Diane and Scott moved on to Dominica after enjoying the evening’s festivities on Kai Kanani.  We await their promised report from Dominica.

On to Saint Maarten!

Kevin really liked this sign - "never seen one in the US!"

Kai Kanani peacefully resting on anchor after the arduous journey.

Beaches, beaches everywhere – 33 beaches say the locals!

Headed up the famed goat trail to the top of the hill – didn’t see any goats on the trail, though we did see them on most of the menus!

View of the harbor from the top of the hill.

Kai Kanani II?  Craig had serious boat envy when this incredible 120+' schooner dropped anchor in Road Bay.

Bill and Jackie from Vancouver Island, BC

Diane and Scott from Toronto

Partying hard, Diane had a REALLY good time on Kai Kanani!

Palm Grove, Nat's Place.  I asked for a smoothie as advertised; "The electricity isn't here yet, Theon is bringing the generator soon".

From www.Anguilla-beaches.com:  Palm Grove One of our first discoveries back in 2002 when we started vacationing in Anguilla, Palm Grove is a favorite. A wooden shack on the beach, serving fresh-caught grilled crayfish and hot Johnny cakes, the food and location is hard to beat. The owner, Nat and his son, Theon, make great company, too. My Dad always looks forward to long chats with Nat over a rum punch.

Crayfish are miniature lobsters, exactly the same in every way. Locals claim they are a different species, however.

Savannah Bay. We were entertained by three incredible kite surfers for the hour it took Nat to prepare our lunch. 

Dirt road to Palm Grove – no utility poles notes Electrician Kevin.  Everywhere we go Kevin’s been commenting on the lack of quality and safety standards in the islands.  It’s a miracle people don’t get electrocuted every day!

Farmer Duke from Jamaica.  We found the only farm in Anguilla and had a minor feast of fresh tomatoes, green papaya (Craig is planning to make Som Tom) and peppers. Yummy!

Farmer Duke's offering of the day.

It's not exactly Monsanto's Big Ag!

On our way to St. Maarten we sailed by Crocus Bay, the five star part of Anguilla.  This hotel is apparently abandoned. But the palm tree cell tower really caught our attention!

Crocus Bay.  Four people, hundreds of beach chairs.

The Thrilla to Anguilla

Holy Seven Seas, (really only two, the Caribbean and the Atlantic).  We were triumphant – just barely!  No trophy, but many horrible memories. Unlike Ali and Foreman’s notorious Thrilla in Manila, only Kai Kanani and her crew bear the evidence of the grueling 15 hour 75.3 mile match. Although battered and bruised from stem to stern, we share this blog post from Anguilla’s idyllic Road Bay, where last night we celebrated our victory with Mommawannas in Elvis’s iconic beach bar.

Anegada Passage,  channel in the West Indies, connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Caribbean Sea; it is 75 miles wide and separates the British Virgin Islands (west) from the Leeward Islands (southeast). It has the greatest depth (more than 7,550 feet [2,300 m]) of any channel in the eastern Caribbean. The passage is one of the two through which subsurface water enters the Caribbean (the other being the Windward Passage).

Results of the match:  Kevin and Craig are battered and bruised in so many places we can’t even count them.  Our hands and arms are limp from the 15 hour death grip just hanging on for dear life!  Kai Kanani handled the 25 knot winds and ten foot seas valiantly but suffered as well.  The recently repaired bow pulpit deck is once again cracked from crashing through the waves.  At least now we understand the design flaw and can repair it properly.  We lost the main staysail sheet block, which parted violently but luckily caused no other damage.  Topping off the horrendous night, moments after we anchored, but before the dinghy was back in the water, the Stars and Stripes, along with the teak flagpole, waved goodbye forever as they decided to jump ship and float off into abyss. 

We look forward to recovering for a few days.  St.Maarten awaits!

Last memories of the battered Stars and Stripes.   The flag was ready for retirement, but darn, the teak pole was still very much functional!  Please stand and salute our fallen comrade. 

As First Mate Kevin said, better to break everything that's going to break now instead of on our 250 mile open ocean return voyage!  Note the block that should be attached to the traveler. below....

Round two for the pulpit deck.  Recently repaired when Kai Kanani was hauled in Tortola, it's now cracked exactly the same way it was before.  Crashing into the waves many times during the night, the upward forces were too much to handle.  Now we know it's a design flaw, and we can fix it properly next time.  Craig's not too happy....

Wounded warrior.  The deck is not fastened to the steel pulpit in enough places.  We'll add steel top strips and through bolt in three additional places.  

Sailing Disneyland: 11 BVI Islands in 7 Days

Dennis and Doris from S/V Magic were the first to describe the Virgin Islands as sailing’s Disneyland.  We couldn't agree more!  The sailing is fabulous, seas are gentle, there are a gazillion beautiful and fun places to visit, and the people are as welcoming as you’ll find anywhere.  What a great time with our “Seven Day VIP Pass”.  We didn't have to wait on lines, and the rides lasted longer than 3 minutes!  Check out the video of our Space Mountain Ride between Salt Island and Peter Island, where the GPS recorded Kai Kanani’s fastest romp, 11.2 knots surfing the waves (Ok, we confess to motor-sailing).

  

We're about to dock at Penn's Landing, Tortola...parking karma thanks to Vern and Walter!

                                                        

Friday Night pizza dinner at Red Rock Restaurant, a Penn's Landing tradition.  Walter Garrimort, first on the left, is the owner of Penn's Landing and is now a Skyline customer, as we develop his new identity and website.

Janoos helped us dock from his Hylas 54.  Moments later he's talking into his computer on the dock, and asks us if he can show his friend in Poland Kai Kanani.  Took us a second to figure out he was Skyping, and used his webcam to show off the boat.  A day later he offered to buy  Kai Kanani, and insisted I take his card and promise to call him first if I ever decide to sell.  Sorry, Luigi in Palmas Del Mar asked first last year, but you're #2 on the list!

Hiking Sage Mountain.  Can you see the "lock" on the fence?

It's not really that high, and it only takes about 30 minutes to hike up there.

The Universe was shining down on us at the top of the BVI's.  Note the rainbow!

There are no fast food restaurants, not even a McDonalds in BVI.  Where's the beef... on the road?

Leverick Bay Marina, North Sound, Virgin Gorda 

Virgin Gorda, East Coast

Breathtaking views of Virgin Gorda.

The Baths, Virgin Gorda.  One of the most spectacular places on our Planet!

Breathtaking views of Virgin Gorda #2.

Breathtaking views of Virgin Gorda #3.

Partying on the Willie T, Norman Island.  Willy T is a barge/bar/restaurant in the Bight, Norman Island, where the partying gets pretty wild and the girls are known to jump off the upper deck topless.  We met a guy who's parents partied there before he was born...and he was warned not to go too far back in the photo book, or he might see photos he would never forget!  Finding a dinghy "docking spot" is as challenging as the Walmart parking lot the day before Christmas.  All the dinghies look alike - finding yours in a drunken stupor can be quite the task.

Stadt Amsterdam at anchor in The Bight, Norman Island.  Gorgeous!

Queen Mary II at anchor in Road Harbor, Tortola

Sunrise in Jost Van Dyke.  Moments later, Shawn Joseph accidentally hauled our anchor while trying to anchor right in front of us, causing Kai Kanani to quickly drift.  Kevin and Craig awoke only five minutes earlier, in time to start the engine and scurry out with just a scratch to Kai Kanani and the Moorings catamaran.  Shawn took responsibility, the other owner was a decent guy, and the New Year celebration continued!

Safe distance away...as long as somebody doesn't pick your anchor up off the  sea floor!

Soper's Hole, West End, Tortola.  Note the original dockside Pusser's restaurant/bar.

Pusser's menu in Soper's Hole, Tortola.  "Excess on occasion is exhilarating.  It keeps moderation from becoming a habit".  The grilled lobster, conch fritters, potato chip tree and painkillers are really good too!

Pusser's famous Potato Chip Tree.

Grilled Caribbean Lobster at Pusser's.  Yummy!

New Year's eve we joined the incredible revelry on Jost Van Dyke.

 "Foxy's Tamarind Bar, located in the Great Harbour on tiny Jost Van Dyke (JVD), is the site of one of the most enjoyable and raucous New Year's Eve parties in the Caribbean -- Old Year's Night. Revelers come from all around the Caribbean -- the world, even -- to enjoy the two-day festivities with live bands, great food and flowing drinks." http://travel.usnews.com/British_Virgin_Islands/Things_To_Do/Foxy_s_Bar_22084/

The party can start now, we've arrived!

Hundreds of boats were docked, anchored, moored, rafted up...totally insane!

It's a beach party extraordinaire with more than 2,000 partygoers!

The boys from Louisiana at Foxy's.  We ran into them later in Leverick Bay with a flotilla of more than 40 boats and 450  young beautiful people partying their butts off.  Check out www.theyachtweek.com

Kevin about 3 AM.  Not sure he'll remember Jan 1, 2014...probably best.

Key Bay, Peter Island.  After a 15 minute rocky hike, there's a very secluded bubbly pool.  One of the Universe's very special places.

Just a pretty picture.  The more the merrier says first mate Kevin.

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Entering Sopers Hole, Tortola.

Such a good sunset we had to share.

All Tinged up, plus Craig's now famous tuna salad.  I was married to a really good cook and learned a few tricks.  Note the locally grown spinach and lettuce from Aragorn's organic farm on Tortola.  If you don't know Ting, it's a  Caribbean carbonated grapefruit drink.  All natural, it must be experienced!  Yummy!  This was our pre-departure meal before tackling the Anegada Passage.

It was  hard to leave BVI, but Anguilla and points beyond were calling through the rigging.  Little did we know that Kai Kanani vs the Anegada Passage would be a championship match!