In my last post, I began describing our sailing trip aboard s/v Xanadu.  Our next stop is Guana Island, just north of Tortola and east of Jost Van Dyke.  Monkey Point is the well-known landmark when navigating through the BVI’s, but White Bay is a small harbor facing west.  On our way to Guana Island, Bryson pointed out Cane Garden Bay, to the south, which is located on Tortola.  His description of it made me want to go there instead.  It sounded like a vibrant, cool place, with lots of restaurants, live music, and locals meeting up to drink and dance.  But we were headed to White Bay, and I was just the tiniest bit disappointed that we would be missing all the action at Cane Garden Bay.  That disappointment lasted all of one second.

As we approached the harbor, I noticed – well – nothing.  No boats.  No buildings.  No people.  Just the most pristine stretch of beach I have ever seen, with just the blue of the water in front of it, and the slightly lighter shade of blue sky above it.  A few perfect palm trees rounded out the view.  I felt like I was sailing into a postcard.  Imagine having what seemed like an entire island to yourself.  We anchored and swam in to the beach with the kids.  I noticed there was not a single foot print in the smooth sand.  I laid down on the sand and felt its warmth as I looked up at the gorgeous blue sky above me.  I had no intention of ever leaving that spot.  If you go to Google Maps and type in “Guana Island, British Virgin Islands”, you can see the island via satellite view.  You will see what I’m talking about.  The white of the beach is almost blinding.

The kids were having a blast playing in the sand.  I pried myself off the sand so we could take a long walk to one end of the beach where we finally saw another family.  There were a few more boats in the harbor now.  We smiled at each other, but we were both happy to move on our way, not wanting to disturb the feeling of being in your own private reality for an afternoon.  There was a lot to see in the brush and vegetation and we found some rock formations, which created a haven for miniature waterfalls, fields of moss, and tiny tide pools for little sea creatures.

We walked all the way to the other end of the beach, and finally saw some civilization.  There was a small resort community tucked back beyond the trees.  It reminded me a little of Gilligan’s Island, they way their huts were back beyond the lagoon.

Before leaving White Bay on Guana Island, we did some snorkeling.  I’m not the best snorkeler.  I can swim, but the Darth Vader sound effects disturb me a little.  The sound of my breathing makes me feel like I’m in a horror movie where the dumb swimmer who is snorkeling alone is about to get ripped to shreds by a pack of sharks.  Just thinking of that makes me start to breathe faster and more shallowly, which reminds me of how the music in Jaws gets faster and faster right before the attack.  Did I mention my astigmatism, which makes my depth perception even more skewed under water?  Basically, razor sharp coral that is 15 feet below looks like it is about to scrape my face, so I end up trying to swim without allowing my legs, feet, or arms to dip below the top three inches of water.  Other than that, I love snorkeling!

Seriously, though, I am trying to get more comfortable with it.  The world under the sea is so incredibly beautiful and makes what we’ve done above it seem like a crying shame.  It’s nice to be down there, realizing that so much of the earth still has oceans and reefs and this whole ecosystem within it.  (If I was a political blogger, I’d go off on a tirade here about saving our oceans and beaches, but I’d rather we all just skip the lecture and do what we can, when we can, to keep our oceans beautiful and healthy.  Thanks!  Please see my good friend Michael’s Public Service Announcement about keeping our beaches and oceans clean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptBEWzA_Q_8 )

As we left Guana Island, I looked back at the postcard and took some photos, wanting to remind myself often that this place really does exist.  I will be back again, to try to solve the puzzle of which is bluer – the sky or the water?  In the meantime, it is there right now, warming some lucky, lucky soul as he or she is cradled by the sand and lulled into a swoon by the gentle sound of the wind.

p.s. We do end up back at Cane Garden Bay on our last night in the BVIs.  Stay tuned for THAT story….