Anegada

On the 24th we departed Virgin Gorda for Anegada at sunrise. It was a beautiful close reach to get there. We ran across rally friend Free Will leaving as we approached the channel. They were checking out and heading to Antigua today. The depth is low in the mooring field so anchored near the entrance channel. We went ashore to drop off trash and other chores. On the 25th we walked to Cow Wreck Bay via the beach.

We have not been to Cow Wreck since 2011 but were happy to catch up with two of its living legends. The first was Bell, proprietor of the restaurant/bar. We met Bell in 2002 the first time we went to Cow Wreck. She is one of the nicest people one can encounter in your travels. Since our last visit she has even hosted former US President Obama at her restaurant. She leaves most of the day to day management to her daughter now. She told us how she started the cleanup after Irma by lining up her conch shells and fixing her flowers before tending to the structures. In the hordes of tourists arriving you may not notice Walker Mangum, an unassuming bearded man walking about. We have caught up with him a half dozen times over the years. This guy literally put Anegada on the map. There was a day when all the charter companies prohibited their boats from going to Anegada because the charts were all wrong. Around 2001 Walker sounded the entrance and published “Navigating to Anaegada” on the web. When we first came to Anegada after this guide was published, the mooring field had around 12 boats in it on average. Last night we counted 48! Jim asked Walker what he thought of the masses of folks coming through now and he said he has somewhat mixed thoughts of contributing to making this paradise so popular. No doubt the Anegadans are better off.