Terrence and Gwen Webster, of Gwen’s Barbecue Grill at Shoal Bay East, are pleading with the Government of Anguilla to do something quickly to halt the on-going erosion there.
The erosion has already destroyed a significant portion of what is considered one of the island’s best beaches. It is also posing a serious threat to Gwen’s Barbecue which is frequented by many tourists.
“The problem has now become even worse with the loss of a lot more of the beach,”Terrence said, pointing to a new chunk of the collapsing coastline, coconut palms about to fall, and a gaping hole under the foundation of the deck of the wooden building. Further damage has been prevented to that area by a make-shift barrier which, against the constant pressure of the water, can only be a temporary measure. “The next ground sea we will be in dire straits, in a big problem,” Terrence predicted.
He continued: “The sea has already started to eat out under the deck and we have to find a better way to slow it down. If we could get some big rocks they could be placed at the front of the building to break the waves and slowdown the erosion. We need to put a wall outside of the reef. The waves are not breaking any more over the reef because the water level has risen. The reef used to be above the water; now it is four feet beneath the water.”
Terrence and Gwen have already done much to help themselves. They paid a heavy vehicle operator US $15,000 to transport and place large boulders almost up to the level of the deck of the building but, as the sand eroded, most of the boulders fell down and became submerged. With the continuing erosion and the unsoundness of the area, they have placed a long caution tape in front the building to warn visitors to be careful.
“Nobody is doing anything about the problem. Everybody is just talking. What little has been done, was done by us and now we need help,” said Terrence. According to him, he and his wife took their complaints to members of the Executive Council who are well acquainted with their plight, having visited them several weeks ago. “From what I understand, they are planning to drive in some piles and ‘pump back the beach’ but when that is going to happen, I don’t know,” he said. “I have invested a whole lot of money, but I am hoping for the best with my fingers crossed.”
Terrence reflected on happier days at Gwen’s Barbecue Grill. “Tourists love over here. It is world known. At first we had up to 100 chairs and umbrellas across the beach, but now there is nowhere to put them,” he stated. “The beach was all over there and, looking at the erosion, we lost between 50 or maybe 75 feet of beach.
“When you fix the beach, it is not just for me, Gwen, Serenity nor Alamanda, it is for Anguilla. When the Minister, Mr Evan Gumbs came over here last week Friday, six guests walked up to him and told him if they don’t fix the beach they will not come back to Anguilla. That’s the way it is. I have seen tourists cry, man. When they see the beach they can’t believe it. All of them are asking if we are getting any help from the Government, but we are not getting any help from the Government. We are getting nothing from nobody. It is only Gwen and me in this struggle, and if you lose Shoal Bay, you lose tourism.”
The severe erosion is not just affecting the location of Gwen’s Barbecue Grill building which has recovered well from a fire some time ago. The entire eastern area of Shoal Bay East is badly eroded. Just north of Gwen’s Barbecue, only the torn wooden steps of a massage facility remain as a relic of what had been a physically relaxing and soothing place for many visitors.
For Gwen, Terrence, visitors and perhaps all Anguilla, there has been another matter for regret. With the disappearance of much of the foreshore and beach, there has been a change in the ecology: the nesting turtles, and their hatchings trekking down to the water, have also disappeared. “Between 15 and 20 turtles used to nest here each year,” one person commented.
