Postcards

The perfect pilot escape

It has 292 inhabitants — not counting the pink flamingos — and at barely 28 feet above sea level, you'd probably miss it completely if you weren't airborne. But from the sky Anegada, the most remote of the British Virgin Islands, stands out in baby-blue shallows like a pearl set in colored glass. For a pilot in search of escape, there's not a more beautiful sight in the world.

"I've been flying there for 27 years, and I never get tired of it," said Neville Brathwaite, one of the co-owners of Clair Aero Service, which flies a Shrike Commander there daily from Tortola. "Everybody I take there loves the place."

Anegada means flooded in Spanish — probably because its discoverers figured that this pancake-flat coral atoll would just disappear in a good-size hurricane. Ten miles long and three miles wide, it lies 20 nautical miles or so from Tortola, or about 70 miles from the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. It is dry, flat, boomerang-shaped, and surrounded by waters teeming with sea turtles, lobster, porpoise, and tropical fish.

The north is edged with reefs like a lace trim while to the south brilliant white sand seems to stretch for miles underwater. From the air, it looks like the world's largest swimming pool.

"I think I've counted eight shades of green in those reefs at times," said Neil Perks, a former executive at Lancair who now teaches visitors how to fly a pontoon-equipped ultralight over the island. "And the beaches are absolutely wonderful — you can walk along them for 15 miles and not see another person, a fence post, or even a telephone pole."

For something completely different, spend your vacation learning to fly Perks' ultralight over the island. A former Cessna Citation pilot, Perks now cruises over reefs at a stately 40 mph and 200 feet in his 65-horsepower Quicksilver. He offers introductory flights for $60 and lessons at $125 an hour through his Ultralight Flying Adventures (284/495-2311).

Getting there is easy. American Airlines flies to both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, where you can rent Cessna 172s at Ace Flight Center in St. Thomas (340/776-4141), Premier Air in St. Croix (340/778-0090), and Fly BVI in Tortola (284/495-1747). Clair Aero of Tortola (284/495-2271) also rents 172s, but requires pilots to have a minimum of 300 hours. A one-hour checkout by an instructor is standard. Prices range from $90 to $115 an hour.

If you're flying from Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, you'll have to file an international flight plan with the San Juan Flight Service Station, which may be reached at 800/WX-BRIEF. You'll find Anegada on the Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands Terminal Area Chart. Information on travel to the Virgin Islands is available on AOPA Online.

As you pass St. John, a U.S. national park, San Juan Departure will switch you to Beef Island Tower in Tortola. Beef Island doesn't have radar, so expect frequent requests for position reports as you wing past the British Virgin Islands' capital, Road Town, and the island of Jost Van Dyke (named after a Dutch pirate), where porpoise sometimes accompany sailboats. Virgin Gorda is nearby and is known for bizarre rock formations called The Baths, but the private owners of its crushed-coral runway require you to have a commercial certificate to land there.

The Dutch were the first to settle in Anegada and the adjacent Virgin Islands, but the British took control of the islands in 1666 and sent plantation owners to begin developing them for the Crown in 1680. Anegada remained a fairly quiet place over the centuries, with more than 200 shipwrecks providing the only real excitement. One shipwreck spilled tons of cow bones used in the making of buttons near Anegada, and today the site is still known as Cow Wreck Beach.

The government here has taken pains to avoid the cruiseliner-and-Hard-Rock-Cafe kind of tourism that dominates in the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands. Casinos and nightclubs are few in the British Virgin Islands. Marinas and romantic inns abound. Personal watercraft such as Jet Skis are banned.

Oh, and British eccentricity flourishes out here. On your way to Anegada, you'll fly over Necker Island, which was bought by millionaire (and frustrated round-the-world balloonist) Richard Branson because he wanted a Virgin Island to add to his Virgin Atlantic airline and record empire. You'll also pass Salt Island, where two aging residents send one bag of sea salt annually to Queen Elizabeth II as rent.

Beef Island controllers will keep you on their frequency (118.4 MHz) as you enter the pattern for Anegada's 2,500-foot runway, which sits a scant 12 feet above sea level. Reservations aren't needed for customs or immigration (284/495-9501 and -9530), but they're a good idea, especially if you're landing around lunchtime. The landing fee is $10; immigration fees are $10 per person, and you'll need a passport.

If you've got the money, the Anegada Reef Hotel (284/495-8002) offers rooms for around $200 a night. The less economically endowed can find perfectly good rooms for between $55 and $80 a night at guesthouses such as Neptune's Treasure (284/495-9237) and Anegada Beach Cottages (284/495-9466).

But the best way to truly experience Anegada's utter quiet and unparalleled night sky is by camping at Neptune's Treasure, Anegada Beach, or Mac's Place (284/495-8020). Sites cost about $15 a night, about $10 more if you need to rent a tent. Less expensive weekly rates are available.

Bonefishing is spectacular in Anegada, while the snorkeling and scuba-diving are like being dunked in an underwater scene from a National Geographic magazine photograph. Parrotfish, clownfish, and a thousand other species live among brilliant corals. Manta ray, eel, and starfish abound.

Most guesthouses can arrange introductory scuba-dives under an instructor's close supervision if you've never tried it. Remember to wait before flying again to avoid the bends.

If you prefer to just relax on the beach, you'll find that Anegada's coral sand is as white and soft as powdered sugar. You'll also find that the island has a kind of contagious quiet about it — even the people, while friendly, speak quietly and not very often.

Anegada used to be home to hundreds of pink flamingos, but traders and hunters nearly wiped them out over the centuries. A new flock was imported in 1992, and they're slowly growing in numbers in the island's western ponds. The small local history museum near the beach at Pomato Point can give you the whole story.

The island's best restaurants are also on the beach, and the specialties are fresh conch (pink conch shells are used as lawn ornaments here) and grilled lobster served with melted butter and spices. You can choose your lobster from cages floating just off the beach. One lobster costs about $35, but they're far larger than their Maine cousins — easily enough food for two people. After you've eaten under the stars, Whistling Pine in The Settlement, the island's only town, offers island music and dancing.

Anegada is a favorite stop for privately chartered sailboats, and you'll find plenty of sailors (and sailor wannabes) at the bar. After a few drinks, don't be surprised if you're invited on board for a barbecue or a ride around the island.

When it's time to leave, remember to file your international flight plan and make your U.S. Customs reservation before leaving your guesthouse — finding a phone elsewhere can be difficult, since much of the communication on Anegada is done by marine radio. If you're flying back to the United States, remember to give Customs at least one hour's notice and do your paperwork before you leave.

Whether your visit's a day or a week, you'll find Anegada has a kind of hypnotic quiet that brings out the introspective side in everyone. It's a place for writing journals in the sun, dozing in hammocks, or walking alone through the wildflowers with a camera.

"Given a weekend anywhere, I'd take Anegada any day," said Julie Haycraft, manager of Fly BVI. "It's inspirational."

Links to additional information on flying in the Caribbean may be found on AOPA Online. Chris Hawley, AOPA 1286179, is a pilot and news reporter who formerly lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico.