Since our last post, we have been on the move. After a rolly night in White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, a peaceful night was spent in Little Harbor, JVD. We then stopped at Sandy Spit, a small island between JVD and Tortola. This has a beautiful beach but showed tremendous erosion this visit. We were not able to get to a path that winds around the island. The northerly swells had been continuing so the swim back to the boat was interesting.

We had to get back to Tortola to have the transmission checked so we sailed to Cane Garden Bay, a beautiful beach with over hanging coconut trees lined with multiple beach bars and restaurants. What would our charter be without some boat problem. This time the transmission inconsistently engaged.  Always it would eventually engage, but a little nerve wracking when trying to pick up the anchor, etc. Yes, the mechanic confirmed it was the transmission and adjusted some cable, but…

Next stop was North Sound on Virgin Gorda which was about a 15 mile sail upwind. I quickly confirmed that a Hunter 41 with an in-mast main does not sail upwind. The best we could do to get any vmg was to sail 60 degrees apparent. This has led to a lot of motor sailing. We stayed on a mooring at Saba Rock which included a “free” bag of ice and 200 gallons of water for the boat. With the inverter and blender on board, we discovered smoothies for cocktail hour. At Saba, during happy hour, they feed Tarpon fish that are 4-5 ft and have a tank with a pet green Moray ell. Not having a reliable transmission, anchoring has been out. We stayed in North Sound for 3 nights mandated by the Patriots. We had to be somewhere that had good TVs. This was the Bitter End Sports Bar. We watched the game with Jack and Tommy Desmond of Marion. So now we have to plan our trip to be somewhere to watch the Denver game this Sunday. We snorkeled around Eustacia Island and climbed a hill (550 feet) with great views of North Sound. We were surprised to see the once posh Biras Creek resort shut down this year.

From North Sound we headed to Anegada about 15 miles reach from Virgin Gorda. Anegada means sunken island. It is a coral island with maximum elevation of 28 feet, which makes it very different from the other mountainous islands. There are fewer than 200 residents on this 10 mile long island that is ringed by a coral reef. It is noted for its spiny lobster which is so good grilled. We were treated to watching the Denver – Steelers game while we devoured our meal. We rented a car so we could do some exploring of the island this time. Not much to see except a beautiful, continuous beach around the island. This is one of the habitats for rock iguana. They are being threatened on the island by feral cats who eat the young. There is a project ongoing (Iguana Headstart) that collects the young iguanas after hatching and raises them to a size that cats can’t get them.

Discussions with the charter company about our transmission problem ranged from switching boats (only a 42 foot cat was available) or fixing the transmission. So here we are in Fat Hog Bay Tortola to get the transmission rebuilt. We arrived from Anegada yesterday and had the transmission removed. It was rebuilt today and back on the boat today – working. Not your typical “island time” repair. We rented a car today and drove around Tortola while the boat was being repaired. We spent a few hours at Josiah’s Beach. The beach is perfectly oriented to the north east to take advantage of north swells. Beautiful sandy bottom and gentle surf for body surfing. Good people watching as the real surfers ride the waves on their surfboards.

Poor WIFI doesn’t allow us to add pictures.  We will update if possible later.