Abtnoski Adventure in the BVI: Day 7

Saba Rock, Virgin Gorda to George Dog to Marina Cay

Another day, another early departure. The day dawned overcast and hazy. According to the NWS forecast I had read at Saba Rock, the haze and overcast, as well as the wind yesterday, were due to the passing of a tropical wave. The haze was called “Saharan conditions” and apparently consists of dust from the Sahara Desert that had blown across the Atlantic with the tropical wave. See pictures of the dust here: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=39210&src=nha and http://www.usatoday.com/weather/walm3.htm
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Dust/

While it was unfortunate that we had limited visibility, the clouds helped keep the temperature down, and we all needed a little break from sun exposure. (see picture)

Following our usual routine, we motored over to our snorkeling spot, charging the refrigerator holding plates while we traveled. Breakfast and coffee, then snorkeling. This time, we were at George Dog, a small uninhabited island between Virgin Gorda and Tortola. The seas were pretty high, as was the wind, and it was almost too much to land the dinghy. After much slipping and sliding and walking over shells and rocks, we managed to tie the dinghy up to some exposed rocks.

We snorkeled a bit, and beachcombed a bit, but it was really just too windy, so we headed back to the big boat and took off sailing to our next destination. We were now on the backside of Tortola, ½ way through our charter, and at last going downwind. And while this made the sailing more comfortable, it also made the sailing hotter which made us even gladder to have the ‘saharan dust’.

Marina Cay is a very small island, which has an interesting story, and is pretty enough. It is owned by the Pussers Rum Company, but I think it looks a lot prettier in the aerial photos than it does from the water or from the land.

Robb and Rodie White purchased Marina Cay for $60 in 1937, and built a house on the small uninhabited island as newlyweds. Their lives were hard as there was no water or electricity on the island, and even getting supplies seemed difficult. There is a photo of the alcohol powered refrigerator that must have seemed magical to them. In 1940, Robb was called to serve in the US Navy. On his return from the war, however, Robb and Rodie separated, and neither ever returned to their island. Robb wrote the book “Our Virgin Island”, which was later made into a movie called “Tale of Two Isles”.

The island IS beautiful, with lush (irrigated) landscaping, and a comfortable beach bar. There is also a bar at the top of the island, and we walked up the pathway for the view. (see picture) When we arrived, there was a woman sweeping, but no one else present. Only a few tables, and oddly, fewer chairs were scattered over the patio. Clearly, the bar was closed.

“When do you open?” Lydia, the only real conversant member of our group, asked the woman. She kept sweeping up the tiny leaves that littered the porch.

“December 31st”.

We took a few pictures and headed back to the beach bar, unwilling to wait 6 months even for a dark’n stormy.

As our supply of Dark’n Stormy supplies on the boat had dwindled, we stopped in at the Pussers Rum store to buy ‘provisions’. As we were checking out, a wise ass informed us that Dark’n Stormy’s really needed to be made only with Goslings Black Seal Rum and Barritts Ginger Beer (both Bermudian). As we were in the PUSSERS rum store, I thought this was a little insensitive. (The only place in the islands we saw Dark’n Stormys made with Goslings and Barritts was at the Soggy Dollar Bar in White Bay, Jost Van Dyke. Oddly, the only place we couldn’t get a Dark’n Stormy at all was at the Moorings Base Pool Bar).

I don’t mean to imply that dark’n stormy’s were the only rum drink we tried. We tested them all, mango-rum drinks, ice-cream rum drinks, rum and coke, and the local favorites the Painkilller and the Bushwacker. But most of these required more than just rum and a mixer, so these were our bar drinks, and we stuck to local beer and dark’n stormy’s on board.

Adjacent to the Pussers Store was a red, old-style British phone booth. Pictures are taken every 30 seconds. To see our group you can go to www.pussers.com and find the red box at Marina Cay. We’re in the hall of fame, or you can find us on Sunday July 5 at 105pm.

As this was one of our scheduled night’s out, we ate at the Marina Cay bar and restaurant (the open one). Our other options were to head to Donovan’s Reef on Scrub Island or take the ferry over to Trellis Bay on Tortola. As it was windy and rough, we chose the short dinghy ride over the longer (and undoubtedly wetter) trips to neighboring islands.

After 3 miserable nights with little sleep, I decided to try the cockpit. It was much cooler, even if, as Ed has previously said, sometimes it would be so windy it would blow your eyelids right open. It was a somewhat rolly night, and, yes, it was hot.