Mardi Gras

Today is Shrove Tuesday so we decided that after the enforced fasting of Monday, we should have a real fat Tuesday. We treated ourselves to pancakes as we motored from our night’s refuge across to a port of entry for the British Virgin Islands. James had skilfully found an anchorage off Tortola and sneaked in to a few hundred yards off exposed rocks on GPS and dead reckoning.

Azure waters in British Virgin Islands

The weather continued to blow and it took forever to motor into the teeth of the force 6 across to Virgin Gorda. We baulked at the cost of the sheltered marina and instead dropped anchor in an almost sheltered spot off the entrance. There we saw another yacht casualty – the neighbouring vessel had its last hanging down limply, snapped at the mid point and attached only by the electrical cabling up the core.

I can see why this area is such a mecca for yacht charters. The water is again turquoise, as in Antigua, but there are also countless bays and islands to explore and all of this sheltered from the brunt of the Atlantic swells. We were joined by a forest of moorings and Sunsail boats who seem to all move at first light for the best spots at the known anchorages.

Anchored just outside the breakers

Continuing Mardi Gras, we ate our delayed supper of curry for lunch and waited for James to return. He jumped aboard in a flurry of activity and announced we were going into the marina after all. Bliss! Internet, real showers, unrestricted shore access.This was indeed a treat.In the evening, we talked about Shrove Tuesday and then Ash Wednesday, and about how some people give something up for Lent. Elizabeth replied "I'd like to give up Matthew!"

Swell rolling in outside Virgin Gorda marina

A couple on a 50ft Swan near us came to chat about our boat. He is working on a 52ft Sparkman and Stephens yawl, the Mah Jong, and hopes to get her afloat on Thursday. We went over for a peek. She's been out of the water, abandonned by her owner, for several years but they hope to get her in and ready for a classics race off Tortola this weekend, and we are invited to participate. He also knows Tim Blackman very well and raced against him and Infanta in Antigua and gave us news of the sale of Rebecca of Vineyard Haven - another BCYC boat. Classic sailing is a very small world.

The "Mah Jong", still needing a mizzen mast and lots of work