The beginning of December provides a good opportunity to update our many friends on the variety of events and activities that have been happening at Nanny Cay. Fortunately we had a quiet Hurricane Season giving the staff time to get ready for the start of the season. With visitors starting to arrive and the slips starting to fill up there is a real buzz about the place.
Recently, the marina was busy hosting the 53 boats who sailed from Hampton VA to Tortola in the annual Caribbean 1500. This year marked a couple of firsts: the first time the rally had been run by the World Cruising Club which also run the ARC Europe rally departing from Nanny Cay in May 2012; and the first time the arriving boats have been able to clear BVI Customs in Nanny Cay where previously they had to make an additional stop at Soper’s Hole. After 7-10 days at sea the crews are pretty exhausted and the skippers were appreciative of this initiative – they also liked the rum punch on arrival!
We have hosted a number of big events starting first in October with the traditional Cedar School costume party. Every year the attendance rises with children (and adults!) making a big effort to dress up in their scariest costumes. We are fortunate that the beach and land surrounding the PegLegs beach bar is the perfect environment for live music and staging events in a classically Caribbean environment. That same night saw the inaugural Bounce party with DJs travelling from as far afield as the UK to entertain the crowd.
Under the direction of new manager Gary Roy, PegLegs Restaurant has a new menu and the beach bar has a new roof! Both are well worth a visit if you are pondering your Christmas party options. November was busy for the traditional Thanksgiving spread and the BVI Gaming Night, a fundraiser for the BVI Humane Society, was very well supported and great fun. If you haven’t been to PegLegs for a while please do come down for lunch, dinner or brunch, which is coming soon.
An element of Nanny Cay life that has been of great personal satisfaction has been the growth of youth sailing here. The Royal BVI Yacht Club now has an established wooden clubhouse and dinghy park on the grass in front of the swimming pool and, with new coach Omari Scott presiding, seldom a day goes past without a gaggle of Optimist dinghies tacking up the channel in front of the beach. We look forward to continuing our sponsorship and support.
This year’s PegLegs Round Tortola Race was dedicated to the memory of Dave West who tragically passed away at the beginning of November. It was therefore very fitting that his crew sailed his Melges 32 Jurakan to victory and I was honoured to present them with the trophy. Dave was a familiar presence in the Nanny Cay community and will be greatly missed.
Finally, I would like to welcome new marina manager Brendan Joyce to the team. Brendan takes over these duties from me so no pressure there! I would also like to thank the readers of VI Property & Yacht magazine for voting us the 2011 Best Marina in the BVI – it is clear that we are not the only ones who believe Nanny Cay to be a vibrant and happening place both on and off the water.
