How many of you have been to the eastern shores of Anguilla, recently? We are talking specifically about Sile Bay and Savannah Bay, via Pond Ground Village. But, let us warn you, that the road, if it can be called one, is a terrible four-wheel drive distance until you get on a plain area of flat land that stretches far to the east, and the north, and is covered to a large extent by various shrubs. It is said to be the Flemings’ and the Websters’ land. Immediately to the west are a number of buildings known as “Spindrift” and below them is another cluster of buildings called “Moon Rackers.” It is not known why the latter were named so but, on a clear night, the moon, at the east, has to be a beautiful sight to behold!
When you arrive there, at Sile Bay, it appears to be a different place from the rest of Anguilla. The views are spectacular, kind of romantic, and keep you thinking. Beyond the distant seascape, according to the world map, lies the African coast but, of course, you can’t see it as it is thousands of miles away. What you can imagine is Anguilla lying to the east in the path of the Atlantic Season hurricanes which, most times, blow down from the African coast bringing flotsam, other debris and destruction.
What comes into view, early along the bay, is a mass of old concrete barriers, now disintegrating. It is said that a previous landowner had erected the barriers to stop the sea from flooding his land. But, from the breaks in the structures, it is obvious that they were not so successful in doing so. The sea, with its boundless might, came in despite them.
The tour guide with The Anguillian newspaper, Adrian Ruan (Agy), a frequent visitor to, and a knowledgeable person of, the area, said Hurricane Irma in 2017, sent mountains of sea water and loads of sand across the land. The long period that the water stayed on the land destroyed large trees. Today, their dead branches are the only tokens of their pre-existence. Other trees, like the cedar and button wood, are yet alive but, wind-swept, they are mere dwarfs stretching across the mass of bedrock – the cedar trees showing their presence by their pink flowers.
Sile Bay is not one of those beaches on the island where sand-mining is a problem. Many persons wanting sand, for big or small usages, simply drive to the bushland where the mounds of the white, fine aggregate are! The sand-deposit area extends past “Lil Pond” farther to the north, continuing across the area leading to Savannah Bay.
The tour to the east of Sile Bay came upon an unusual patch of red sand. Just how it got there is anybody’s guess, but the newspaper’s tour guide said nobody knows where it came from. Higher up, is a rock-bound flat area of beach land. It is puckered with small craters resembling what NASA shows on the moon or mars. Could the name, “Moon Rakers”, mentioned earlier, have originated from this area? The tour guide did not know.
The tour ended at the top of the bay. Lo and behold, what a sight! It is a mountain of fresh or decaying sea moss or sargassum – probably the most extensive mass of washed-up litter seen anywhere on Anguilla’s coastline!! It was piled up through rocky inlets by the constant pounding waves – only retrieving to bring in more of the smelly debris.
It is certainly not an area that showcases Anguilla’s world-class beaches. Nobody really goes to that part of Sile Bay anyway. So the unsightly sea moss can remain there – until, perhaps, the sea eventually takes it way. The only problem is that it might be dumped on Junks Hole Bay, to the northwest – a much frequented beach by tourists and locals. Then, perhaps, some cleaning by patriotic persons may be necessary.
But for an interesting pastime, a visit to Sile Bay and its environs is not a bad idea.
The tour guide had the final say when the question about what possible development could be undertaken there.
“A Dry Dock,” he calmly suggested.
For now, it is an intriguing scene on the eastern coast of Anguilla.
Nat Hodge
