favorite anchorages (BVI)
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Muskmelon Bay, Guana Island
Batfish found diving in anchorage at Muskmelon Bay
Sunset looking down north side from Muskmelon Bay
Looking out at Beef Bluff anchorage from Hans Creek
Hans Creek, Beef Island
Sphinx at Salt Island Anchorage
Turtle at Salt Island
Moray Eel at Salt Island
Grouper at Salt Island
Sunset over Salt Island
Money Bay, Norman Island
Sunset looking out from Money Bay
Sunset behind at Money Bay
Sunset over Seal Dog looking out from Mountain Point, Virgin Gorda
Anchored on Horseshoe Reef, Anegada
Conch shells at East Anegada
Beach on East Anegada
Conch Mountain, Anegada
Sunset anchored on Horseshoe Reef, Anegada_tmb.jpg)
Sunset off of Anegada
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I recently read a thread on a bulletin board about"what's your one particular harbor" from the Jimmy Buffett Song,"But there's this one particular harbor So far but yet so near."
I started thinking about mine. I supposed at any one time, I have 7-8 that circle in and out of the "favorite spot" and it seemed like a good time to list them!
Muskmelon Bay on Guana Island
Only a couple sand patches to anchor in there, so no one ever is in it. It being a pelican roosting area, if we tie the bum of the boat onto the rocks, we wake up in the morning and feel like we are in Disney land somewhere but better watching the birds dive bomb the silversides, and then snorkeling and watching the Tarpon round them up from underneath You can dive left here, you can dive right, it does not matter it will be spectacular. This is one of the few anchorages where guests "never want to leave" and indeed, we have ended up spending two nights here quite often. It is the only place that i have ever spotted a batfish in the BVI and that was right underneath the boat in the muck! We often see bioluminescence in the water here and the fishing is good at night. You can water ski, kayak, or just about anything you want. You can take a walk up to the top of the rocks and watch the worlds most glorious sunset.
Money Bay on the back side of Norman Island.
Could possibly be the overall favorite. You feel like you are going on an adventure as you have to go around to the outside. The fishing on the corners on the way around usually means that we will be having Mackerel for dinner that night. It is really a one boat anchorage so you watch expectantly as you go around the corner waiting and waiting to see if anyone else is going to be in it! You are so excited for your guests when it is empty! Another anchorage where we tie ourselves in by our bum to a tree. The guests are always amazed that their is an anchorage there. Once we get ourselves positioned there is maybe 3 inches under our stern. The snorkeling is spectacular, there are always sand dollars to pick up. If there is a bit of swell then we can use the kayaks as surfers on the swell that comes around the corner. Once we are tied in there, there is no room for anyone else. There is no cel service, no lights, (except maybe the haze of St Croix at night). In fact, we never put up an anchor light so we can see the stars at night. This is the place if we are going to have a beach bonfire that we will have it. Without fail, every person we take back there says that it is exactly what they were looking for, and it is the one place they insist we go back to when we return. I will say the stories of pirate ships from there for another day (think about it, Money Bay?? Of course there is a story! Very sad the last couple years watching the roads being cut over here from Willy T's and the salt pond filled in and leveled. THey also have built a barge ramp right in the little corner where there was the worlds most romantic tiny white beach. THe one anchorage that made me literally cry when I saw it being developed and still brings tears to my eyes. The memory will never go away from this one.
Beef Bluff, Hans Creek.
At one time, we used to be able to go right into Hans Creek way up wiggling our way right into the mangroves and we were perfectly tucked up against any winds (always amazed the guests, no northeast gets through to there or seas since we navigated behind the rocks) Being one of the last remaining mangrove areas, we delighted in walking the reef while it was at low tide, we could always count on seeing octopus etc in the tide pools of the reef. The area was such a fish nursery and tons of Pelicans, that we would take the kayaks and explore up as far as we could get. There are a couple spots along here that the fishermen would throw over their cleaned conch shells so we could go and snorkel or walk to grab one. The view down the channel was spectacular, and I have to say, it did not come in as high at Money Bay because we COULD see other boats and lights!
Salt Island
will always have a special place in our heart. We often say that in Tortola we have a country home and a city home. The city home is our mooring in Baughers Bay, and our country home is at Salt Island. We anchor up by the sphinx, and laugh when we see the million boats anchored at Salt who do not know what they are missing! The snorkeling in the corner by the Sphinx is second to none. I have snorkeled that entire bay back and forth for months. I know where to find every little octopus! There is also a conch pile up by the Sphinx. You can walk on land, talk to Henry, look for old bottles, go up to the top of the hill where we have put a geocache, walk around the Salt Ponds, or it is another place that we have had bonfires. How can you beat the view? We have also found many old bottles in this scruffy underwater dive, and with it being a scruffy underwater reef, no one ever dives here! I have many friends here. Without a word of a lie, it is the scruffiest reef in the world but the most prolific for sea life and anemones and triton shells! Since noone ever dove here, I did get in the habit of feeing my friends. The grouper particularly liked Chicken parmesan but would turn up his nose at bread! They would know when we anchored there, and would be waiting underneath for us, the grouper, the turtles, the eels, the lobster, the Trigger Fish, the Large Snappers and on! I had to stop feeding them a couple years ago, as they became too aggresive, and I think other people dove my spot as they would talk about the grouper who begged for food! The little turtle became so friendly, he would let me massage him under his flippers, go up for air, and then come right back down and lay down beside me! I think you can see why Salt Island is very special to us. Plus it is easy to dive the Rhone from here, and easy to get to town from here. Usually too rough for monohulls to sit here so we get the deserted thing again. If we have a vision of somewhere we want to go sit for a week this is it. It feels like home!
Horse shoe reef on the east side of Anegada.
Although maybe not technically an anchorage, we do this whenever we can. If we get flat water that we can get out and dive Horseshoe Reef and the Rocus, this is where we anchor over night! 6 miles from anywhere. We tend to take the big dinghy and go explore Conch mountain on that side of Anegada, as well as make our way into the beaches on that side which are wonderful for beachcombing. Because of all the shells and seaweed conch mountain sure smells over here! We feel like we are in the middle of nowhere, the diving, stars, sunsets and sunrises are absolutely amazing.
