Plastic Palms in Paradise

Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Sun 8 Jan 2012 15:29
What am I talking about you might well wonder?? Today we went exploring as we felt we had earned a day off.  Glenn picked us up and we headed out to Sandy Spit.  This is a tiny piece of beach just between Virgin Gorda and Necker Island.  The Spit is about 3 times the size of the boat in total.  When we arrived there was no-one else there and hardly any yachts in sight either - perfect.  The island is topped with 3 small palm trees and that is all.  We landed the dinghy and set of to walk the entire length of the island!!  Walking past the palms we told to 'knock on the trunks', you guessed it - they are plastic!!  Can you believe it?  We are in the Caribbean, on a deserted island and the only thing on the island are 3 plastic trees!
The sand was lovely and warm and this is probably the best place in the BVI's to collect shells and we found a good few pretty ones.  You did have to be careful with your feet though as there were also lots of sea urchins.  The previous living thing on the island was the turtle who, looking for a place to lay eggs had left large semi-circular tracks in the sand.
From Sandy Spit, you can get a good view of Necker Island, owned by Richard Branson, who is often seen at Saba Rock, and the playground of the very rich as the current daily rate is about $40,000 for the hotel!!  The whole resort takes a maximum of 24 people so that is quite a decent turnover!!  
In the afternoon, we hiked up Guy's trail behind the Bitter End Yacht Club.  Some friends of Glenn were kiteboarding for a promotion video and we had a great view of them.  You could also see in the distance the island of Anegada where we will visit at some stage but the anchorage there is very weather dependant, and added to that you can't go on a Tuesday or Wednesday as the charter flotillas visit then - definitely to be avoided!!

 The end of Sandy Spit 

 Those plastic palms of paradise!!

 In the surf

 Beyond Saba Rock and out to sea - how beautiful is the water?

 The anchorage entrance via Mosquito Island in the middle - it's not a very enticing name but rumour has it that it has been bought and will be turned into and eco-resort.  Although the common spelling, ie that of the biting insect is used on the charts, it is said to have been named after the Moskit tribe, which sounds far better!!

 A lone boat anchored - we hope to move out of the main Sound and into the bay behind this yacht in the next day or so when the swell dies.