On Sunday we were planning to head to Tortola, but got sidetracked with a visit to Sapphire and a realization that it was Sunday and the Sunday Sapphire Beach Jam would be going on. We decided to stay at Sapphire and hang out, which was good because here we ran into so many old friends. Seems that everyone shows up at Sapphire on Sunday. We saw Damaris (the famous VI Chef) and she told us she is getting married in July. My D and Damaris’granddaughter from New York became friends on our last trip, so I promised to call her when we come back in the summer and we could get the girls together. Yay Damaris!! Congrats!

After a full day at the beach party, we headed home and then out to Molly Malone’s for dinner (Red Hook). They have a really interesting menu….with really excellent food. They had an Irish guitar player/singer from Philadelphia there, who, after learning that were from Philly, sang a song he wrote about Irish immigration to Philadelphia. Then the owner, Mike (Dex's golfing buddy), came out and sat with us for a few – also from Philadelphia. I had the Irish Stew (perect), Dex had a scallop stir fry (sooooo yummy looking and he said it was excellent) and D had a burger and fries. Molly’s is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. Excellent food – lots of fun! I have also had the conch chowder on other occasions, and highly recommend it. This is also an excellent place for breakfast!

The next day was our last full day. We went to Lindberg beach (Emerald Beach??)for the morning (absolutely beautiful beach) and then met Dex for him to take us in his 4X4 to Mermaid’s Chair and to Neltberg Beach. Ever since seeing Neltberg in a spread in Caribbean Travel and Life magazine, I’ve been wanting to get there. The challenge was the either nobody had heard of it OR they had heard of it, but had no idea how to get there. After gabbing some saltfish pate’ (this one tasted kind of dry to me)from the truck just outside of Lindberg Beach, we set out for the West End.

Emerald Beach...

The first attempt was for Mermaid’s Chair. We were told that we had to access the sandbar that is Mermaid’s Chair via the road to Botany Bay beach. However, there is now a big security gate atop that road and the security guard wouldn’t let us down there. We were told by someone else that there was construction going on and the residents were very upset about it, so the builder had to erect security gates to keep the construction from being sabotaged. Ok, so we decided to skip it. Off to Neltjberg.

It took us about an hour to find the AREA where the access road us for Netjberg. Ronnie Lockhart (owner of The Crystal Palace www. http://crystalpalaceusvi.com/ )had previously told me that I should look for graves and a driveway that looked like it belongs to a house, but it is really the road. We asked countless people, and everyone was puzzled and just shook their heads. Dex was a trooper because I could tell he wanted to give up and go hit golf balls, but I was being relentless. Finally, we spotted the graves. We pulled over and asked an old man working on his car in his yard where we might find the road to Netjlberg. The man motioned to the dirt driveway next to his car….and the adventure began.

We were HIGH on the mountain and could see a beach waaaaay below. The road was nothing more than a dirt path with plenty of dips and giant holes. Even in the 4X4 truck, we had to go very slowly. It took about 10-15 minutes of bumping and switchbacks to get to the bottom.

Here you can see the road to Neltjberg (the zig-zagging line on the right side)

There were a couple of other jeeps down there. We parked and made out way through a little clearing of palm trees and out onto a beach that looked like something out of Gilligan’s Island. The sand was darker than the other sand on the island. The water was a deeper blue. Palm trees dipped right into the water from the beach. The vegetation was so lush. The beach didn’t seem to be a good swimming beach. There were rolling waves (would they be there without the North swell??) and plenty of rocks and reefs up close to the shore. If you are into nature and seclusion, this IS the beach. There was one villa being constructed out on the peninsula to the right…but no other homes in site. We hung out down here for a little bit, until my D was stung by a bee. Then we made the sloooooow crawl back up the mountain. I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I’ve experienced Neltjberg.

I've posted history on Neltjberg at the bottom of this entry.

Neltjberg...

It was mid afternoon by the point and we decided to head back to Indigo for an early supper and a swim. My D met another friend who kept her company for the rest of the afternoon while I savored the final sunset and more great Mojitos.

We headed back to the villa to begin packing and getting ready for the next day’s departure. I stood on the gallery and bid farewell to the island stars. Stargazing in the VI is really like being in a planetarium, as the starts seem to be in front of and aside you, as much as above you. I didn’t hear as many tree frogs in this area of STT as I do in my normal spots on Peterborg. I didn’t feel as secluded as I normally do. I was glad to get the experience of this part of the island, with its sophisticated looking shingled road signs and perfectly manicured lawn gardens. The homes are lovely, and less grand than those on Peterborg, which are usually gated and sit on their own grand estates. Certainly, this was another winning location and very convenient to Red Hook.

History of Neltjberg (courtesy of VI Daily News)...
The Neltjeberg plantation, once more than 200 acres, first was settled in 1690, Mills said. The ruins visible today probably were constructed in the 18th century, though some buildings were added on to or modified during the years.

A large set of ruins, those of the old rum factory, are just off the rough dirt road that ends right before the beach and are barely visible from the road in the deep shadows of vegetation.

The factory walls that remain are about two stories tall, and the floor — which still has an old boiler, a large metal bowl now filled with rainwater and fallen leaves — sinks down several feet below ground level. Overall, the factory, which later was converted into a house, is in poor shape today: The roof is long gone, several walls have fallen down and numerous trees grow inside. Still, several walls remain and appear sturdy as they soar high above the forest floor.

Nearby are many other ruins, including a horse mill, the equestrian equivalent to a windmill. Here, horses or donkeys would walk in a large circle, yoked to gears that powered the factory’s presses. Just up the hill are the partial remains of what is believed to be old slave quarters.

Historian David Knight said slave society was very stratified, and rock-walled buildings such as this one would have housed supervisors or others at the upper level of society. Common laborers likely were housed in simple thatched-palm huts.

The plantation produced rum and molasses until the middle part of the 19th century, researchers believe. A devastating hurricane in 1867, followed a few weeks later by a massive earthquake, damaged much of the plantation’s operations and marked the beginning of its end. The privately owned ruins at Neltjeberg are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation is an honor, but it has no bearing on what can be done with the ruins.

One more of Neltjeberg Beach..