Having completed our trip to Anegada, and with the weather forecast all over the place, we decided to spend a few days in the Channel Islands. First was Cooper Island, where we stayed two nights. This was a complete contrast to the remoteness of Anegada: The mooring field was packed with charter boats full of visitors on either the first or last day of their trip, and either way, intent on having as much fun as possible! The clear water and protection from the wind made this a great spot for swimming and paddle boarding. We also snorkelled around the rocks off Cistern Point and saw some very nice fish. Just under the dinghy tie-up line looked like an aquarium – probably because so many people have been feeding the fish! The coral is still quite small but hopefully is recovering. I swam around a corner and saw first one, then two, then eight huge tarpon lurking in the gloom – I turned around quickly! We had drinks at the Cooper Island Beach Club one night and were lucky enough to score a table for dinner the next night. It gets busy here, and justly so; the food is excellent and much of the veg is grown on the island.

With strong northerly winds in the forecast (definitely not what you expect down here!), we decided Norman’s Bight would be the most comfortable place for the next night. We were pleased to find the trails have been maintained, and we enjoyed a good hike along the top of the island. Willy T’s is back! We decided to give it a miss, but still enjoyed the sight of numerous overladen dinghies headed over there with drinks already in hand.

We spend a couple of nights on Jost Van Dyke, which I’ll deal with in a separate post, then for Anne and Marcus’s last night we came back round to Peter Island an anchored off White Bay. This was a lovely secluded spot with spectacular views and a nice beach. Peter Island was a super-exclusive resort which is still rebuilding after Irma: The beach was bristling with signs telling us not go further than the beach. Nevertheless we had some good swimming, and saw several turtles. We wish the resort well for the future.