The Most Dangerous Place in the World............
 |
| North Sound, Virgin Gorda |
Let me explain. Everyone who fancies themself a sailor comes here to rent a boat. And the rental companies are only too anxious to provide them with 50 ft. catamarans for a mere $8,000 per week, not including diesel, food, or.........ugh, damage.
The problem is that these folks aren't qualified to sail (and we speak from experience). Imagine if National Car Rental was willing to rent Lamborghinis to people without drivers licenses and you get the picture. On L'ORIENT, happy hour is enhanced by "Port TV", or the sport of watching people in these under-captained boats.
Yesterday, in a very wide anchorage..............like 200 yards wide............it was just us and a catamaran. So of course a 3rd boat approaches and promptly anchors right across the anchor chain of our neighbor. This might not sound like a big deal..............but it's a really big deal. The first catamaran pulls up his chain and now the chains are tangled, and two $1,000,000 boats are tied together in dangerous proximity. They are moving back and forth like two bulls locked by the horns. We saw the commotion and promptly picked up our anchor and fled the area.................but re-anchored close enough to watch the drama...............90 minutes later, they separated.
This doesn't include the nightly "guy who unties his dinghy before he starts his engine", the "guy who puts down 51 ft of chain when he's in 50 ft. of water", "the couple with a dead dinghy engine and no oars" and the "girl who forgot to take her Dramamine".
Anyway, we are being extra vigilant and (to quote the Bee Gees) stayin' alive.
 |
| Notice our distance from the other boats - oh, and the rainbow |