I was invited down to the
British Virgin Islands
(BVI)
by my good friend Verne Wheatley who is the District Office Manager of the
Island of
Virgin
Gorda in the
BVI. I had met Verne at the NY Boat Show a few years back and
about the only tie I get to visit with him is in NY at the show. He was
always talking up and promoting the
BVI and how
great the fishing was, the snorkeling, the diving, the food etc.
So in early March Verne sends me an e mail about coming to visit the
BVI.
I had never been out of the country and had made public on my radio show
many time, the desire to remain within the four walls of the good ol’ USA.
He wants me to come down and attend the
Spanish Town 10th Annual Wahoo Tournament and broadcast my radio
show from there. I was hesitant because I had not missed a live radio show
airing of The Fishing Line in 13 seasons and would hate to have it happen
because the phone lines were not up to date.
Upon some further urging I took the plunge and the
tourism department of the
BVI flew me
down to broadcast our radio show and to see the island of
Beef Tortola
and
Virgin
Gorda where I would be staying and where the tournament was being
held. Boy am I glad I did…it was fantastic.
Day 1: I fly out of JFK and 3-1/2 hours later
I’m in San Juan, Puerto Rico where I have an hour layover before jumping on
a Caribbean Sun puddle jumper (55 seat prop aircraft) to take us to the
island of Beef
Tortola. We land and go through customs, where I learn by December of
2006 there will be no more birth certificates
allowed as international passage I.D. so I suggest you get a passport now,
and Verne is there to meet us. We take a 25 minute water taxi or ferry ride
over to
Virgin
Gorda. The entire ferry ride I can’t
help but notice how nice the people are, how clean and clear the water is,
the mahi-mahi breaking water on the balls of bait in the harbor and the
entire way across from
Beef Tortola
to
Virgin
Gorda and just how nice it was to be out of NY!!
We unload at the ferry dock on
Virgin
Gorda and Verne takes us to get our transportation for the week.
We climb into the Jeep to find the steering wheel on the correct side of the
car (for Americans), but we are now driving on the left hand side of the
road which was actually very easy to get used to and easy to drive the
climbing green, forest hills of the 8-1/2 mile long island of
Virgin
Gorda. Roads are mostly newly paved and easy to drive, but I
learned quickly from driving a five speed standard at home on Long island, I
was best suited going in and out of gears on this automatic transmission to
make climbing and descending hills much easier and safer. You will notice
the farm flavor of the Island as chickens and roosters are everywhere along
the side of the roads and there were no pigeons! Goats too added the
mountain flavor to the driving as flocks of goats roamed the streets and at
night disappeared as they all went home to sleep…it was cool and weird to
see. I would worry about them driving at night but they were no where to be
seen.
We get to our accommodation at the
Mango Bay Resort. We are right on the shores
of the west side, the Caribbean side, of the Island looking at unbelievably
clean and clear water, the kind you see on post cards and I know why…we were
in a post card setting that’s for sure. These accommodations on
Virgin
Gorda are NOT like San Juan where there are 40 story hotel and
after hotel after hotels all lined up along the beaches for miles, these are
“live in” homes with kitchens (some outdoors) where you shop for food and
cook yourself and relax with beautiful relaxing furniture inside the room
and out and with air conditioning should like it cooler than the sunny and
balmy 75 to 85 degrees we had every day. This
Mango Bay is top shelf all the way and you can
ask for fins and a snorkel to use for your time there from the front desk at
Mango Bay which is a short drive or walk from where you will be staying.
So we check into the
Mango Bay on Friday afternoon and first thing I want to do is swim. Jump
in the crystal clean green water to find an aquarium of fish at my feet and
snorkeling in chest high water with coral reefs all around. I spent very
moment I could from this point on snorkeling and swimming these Caribbean
waters. It took a while to get use to breathing through my mouth and using
the snorkel but in 15 minutes I was set and exploring the coral reefs of
this beautiful place. The entire area is filled with coral reefs in
different depths and even if you can’t swim, there is rock and reef close
enough you can just walk to its edge and dunk you head with snorkel and mask
and see the fantastic colored sea life before your eyes. Just unbelievable
and something that will make me take up scuba diving, but not in NY because
down in the
BVI the
visibility is 60 to 100 foot every day!
So now it’s Friday supper time and we go to eat and
check out the fair grounds because this weekend it’s Easter and they have
huge Carnival and Easter celebration on
Virgin
Gorda…it is their Mardi Gras’ without the beads so to speak and
Saturday and Sunday nights are the huge celebrations. The entire Island is
on fire with tremendous salsa and calypso bands and high energy combinations
of the two, the style name I can’t recall at every bare and restaurant.
Being a musician myself I know a good act when I see one and the bands on
stage this evening are superior…going 1, 2 and 2-1/2 hours without a break!
It is just awesome and everyone is so friendly it was just fantastic. After
meeting al the dignitaries and putting down a few refreshments with Verne
and many new friends, I call it a night at 3:30 a.m.! Whew!! Stay
tuned for Day 2 next time so check back for the next installment of my trip
diary.
Day 2-Saturday:
I start Saturday waking at 7:45 tired but warm and relaxed in
the Caribbean sun and humidity. Off to breakfast we go where folks on the
Island of
Virgin
Gorda have been up most of the previous 24 hours. I arrive at a
small diner like place to order bacon and eggs while most in the place are
eating fried chicken since internal clocks are now off schedule. After
breakfast it’s down to the docks for a look over the area for this upcoming
radio show this afternoon. All the fishing boats in the touney were gone
before sun up and the peaceful tranquility of my new surroundings bring a
peace to the soul as only being in the Islands can. Back to
Mango Bay Resort I go.
Ten minutes after leaving the dock I’m lying in a
lounge chair resting and napping on and off between snorkeling sessions I
have partaken upon myself, as it is taking a little time to remember how to
breathe through a tube as I did so well yesterday (LOL). The waters are much
clearer than Friday’s session as winds have changed direction bringing in
clearer water and visibility is back to 100 feet. The riled up sand from
Friday’s winds have settled. I nap on and off, eat a little lunch, swim and
snorkel and nap again resting for the big radio show and the big night ahead
of us as the Easter Weekend and Carnivale is upon us beginning at 9 p.m.
this evening.
I leave the
Mango Bay Resort around 2 p.m. and head to the
Spanish Town docks for the
Spanish Town 10th Annual Wahoo Tournament and radio show. There
are fish all over the place and the fishing on Saturday while not as good as
it could have been, is still decent enough and some wahoo to 26 pounds are
weighed in along with plenty of dorado in the 5 to 20 pound class and some
small football blackfin tuna. Winds are NW and not the greatest for this
sort of fishing, but still much better fishing and weather than it is back
home in NY come Easter that’s for sure.
The radio show goes on at 4 p.m. and things are working
perfectly for the first 45 minutes before I lose the long distance carrier
for the next 15 minutes, but everything kicks back in and we run the rest of
the show smoothly. After the show we hang around the docks having
refreshments, chatting with the tourney crew and anglers and the great,
friendly residents and folks at Spanish Town. We eat dinner and leave around
7 p.m.
Now back to the hotel we go and did I mention there are
NO traffic lights or street lights on the mountain like roads on the entire
Island? How about that! There are a few stops signs but no one is in a hurry
as the slow paced vacation atmosphere of the Island is still upon me, but
about to come to a halt. More on that later, but back at
Mango Bay Resort I shower and take a quick 20
minute nap and arise at 8:15 for round 2 of Saturday’s festivities. A few
sips of some top shelf tequila and we are off to the Carnivale to meet my
host Verne Wheatley along with Mike Collins of the
Virgin
Gorda Fishing Corporation, the folks putting on the tourney.
We arrive at the fair grounds where the Island is
coming to life anticipating the events and music of the night. Everyone is
so friendly and I feel like a dignitary. Even when Verne is not with me,
it’s as if the entire Island was made aware of The Fishing Line Radio show
coming and the broadcast form the docks. I’m allowed access to the grounds
and Verne arrives a little later and the festivities are off and running
after hearing some short speeches from the many dignitaries, government
officials and residents.
The music starts and the crowd starts to grow. There
are booths set up all around the perimeter of the fair grounds selling
everything from goat water (goat soup), to fried chicken to local delicacies
and every liquor and beer you can imagine. Heineken in the bottle…$2, double
tequilas or bourbon and Hennessey $3….you can see how you can have an
awesome time in the Island right? But aside from that it’s the people and
the Easter celebration, a Mardi Gras in the Islands, which is what makes the
time…well…fantastic.
Listening to bands play the crowd grows larger by the
hour. Calypso and the Latin influenced fast paced music non stop for hours
has everyone dancing the night away as the festivities are exciting,
wonderful and joyous while at the same time peaceful. With all the
refreshments flowing I did not see a single argument between anyone!
Incredible and very unlike a Yankee Red Sox game! Hanging with great people
like Verne Wheatley, Mike Collins and everyone from the Tourism board of
Virgin
Gorda…and having a great time, the next thing I know it’s 4 a.m.
and time for bed! Wow what a night! However the Island remains awake and the
place is jumping right into morning and after sunrise the street festival is
setting up for Sunday already…wait it a minute…it is Sunday already!
The boats fishing have all left as it’s now Easter
Sunday and the final day of the tournament. Stay tuned for Day 3…Easter
Sunday…it does not stop!!
