We got a bit of a late start to Anegada from ONB, waiting until the dock help came on duty and for us to have a leisurely breakfast. To make sure we avoided the anchoring debacle of our last trip I grabbed an Anegada Boatyball at 7am that was in the deeper part of the anchorage.

It took some time to traverse the channel to North Sound but once again had at least 3 feet below our keel. Once we cleared out of North Sound we found ourselves with the typical-for-this-trip 15-20 knot winds, 4-6 foot seas that were occasionally higher. By this time we'd gotten the knack of raising the main without getting tangled in the lazy jacks but when the wind hit the sail the top batten shot out like it was coming from a speargun. Well on the bright side we wouldn’t have to worry about that guy getting tangled up in the lazy jacks anymore.

Wind was on the beam so it was a quick but very rolly trip. Thanks to Bonine, this didn’t seem to bother the crew. We got pushed a bit west of Walker’s Anegada approach waypoint and had to head up a bit more than we liked. The channel is well marked with navigation buoys so the approach is long but easy to make. I didn’t focus as much on the chartplotter so I’m not sure how well the buoy locations matched to Walker’s waypoints, but either way the approach gets you safely to the anchorage.

On our last trip in 2018 we discovered the depth sounder on the boat was way off which made for some tense moments anchoring one night and finding a deep enough buoy the second night. In both instances we were showing negative soundings. The charts said we were fine, as did the location of other monos, but still it’s nice if everything had agreed.
Our friends had gotten to Anegada a day earlier and told us lobster was in short supply at some places so reservations needed to be made quickly. They were set for the Anegada Reef Hotel but by the time we made our reservations there was only 1 lobster dinner remaining. So our crew of 5 ordered other items and ordered the lobster as a 6th entrée to serve as an appetizer for all.

The 11pm and number of people restrictions were in place so we ate early and didn’t stay very late. The food, drinks and service were all excellent.
The next day we headed for a day at Cow Wreck which everyone agreed had the best conch fritters we’ve ever had in the BVI. Takeout only and 7pm curfew were now in effect so sitting by the bar was not permitted but we could take food out to the seats nearby.

I’ve been looking forward to dinner at the Wonky Dog for months and was disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to dine at the restaurant. Still they were doing takeout, albeit very early takeout and we had the most wonderful lobster dishes. Two of us had the Lobster Rockefeller, one the Thermidor, another the Jerk Mango and one just the grilled lobster. All were great. I guess we’ll have to plan a post-COVID trip where we can enjoy the full restaurant experience.

The next day we headed out for a 5.5 hour rolly sail to Cane Garden Bay. The lack of cushions behind the helm made for a bit of soreness by the time we arrived at CGB. Fortunately we were on a port tack the whole way so my son, the designated port tack helmsman, bore the brunt of the discomfort.

…. To be continued

Louis from Houston