Anguilla News: October 1996

News reports from on the island, as they were posted to the Net:

[Public Market]

The Public Fruit Market

The public fruit market is a fun place to shop for tropical fruits and vegetables. You will find it in The Valley, across the street from the Anglican church.

Restaurant Reopens at Cap Juluca as "Eclipse"

Cap Juluca's restaurant is reopening November 4th as Eclipse, under the management of West Coast chef Bernard Erpicum whose original Eclipse in Los Angeles is a popular spot with food lovers and celebrities, and is reportedly co-owned by Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Seagal, and Robert Shapiro. The Maunday's Bay restaurant has been completely rennovated, has a new kitchen, and features a wood-burning oven in the bar for roasted fish and pizza. The cuisine in California-Provencal, a light style. The menu will include eggplant risotto with filet of striped bass, roasted red snapper, and breadfruit salad. Erpicum has worked in LA since 1968, most notably with with Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison. We will report more as soon as we try it.

Dawn Richardson Wins Scholarship

Dawn Richardson of North Hill, daughter of Joyce and Euroy Richardson, has been named Government's 1996 Island Scholarship Winner. She has just completed the two-year 6th form at Albena-Lake Hodge Comprehensive School, where she sat and was successful at the Cambridge A Level Examination in English Literature and History.

Amber Woodley Wins Essay Prize

Amber Woodley of Blowing Point is ten years old and attends Road Primary school. She recently travelled to Barbados as a finalist in the regional "My Caribbean" essay contest. The essay theme this year was "My Country's Undiscovered Treasures". Amber was declared second runner-up and received a US $500 scholarship. Here is her winning essay:
Anguilla, My Island, is one of the smallest of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. It is a small coral limestone island with an area of 35 square miles. Thirty-five white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters make this lovely island a treasure in itself.

Many of these beaches are small and very little is known about some of them. This is the main reason why tourists who come to our island go out to find them. They like these beaches because they are quiet and secluded.

Another Treasure which is not fully discovered is the Pre-Columbian history of our caves. As far back as 1868, the remains of a Giant Rat (amblyrhizer) was found in three of our caves, namely, Gavanagh, Fountain and Pitch Apple Hole.

The rodent was said to be 300 pounds and as large as a bear. It is said the rat was not meant for such a small island. It probably got here by holding on to a branch and drifted into Anguilla. This rodent was used for meat by the Amerindians.

Many other interesting things were found in the Fountain Cave. These include fourteen or more petroglyphs and an Arawak God named Jocaha. Many openings branch off from the main room; no one has yet discovered where they lead to or what is at the other side of them. One reason is that the openings are very small. I believe there are many things waiting to be discovered.

Evidence of Arawak occupation on the island was found at Rendevous Bay and Sandy Hill Bay. The Anguilla Archaeological and Historical Society now has a collection of pottery shards, several uncompleted vessels, carved stone, idols, and tools from these sites. We know that Arawaks usually settled by the sea coast so it is possible that more about the Amerindians will be discovered near our beaches in time.

We have folk stories, songs, dances and children's games that are unique to the island. These are hidden treasures because they are not written down or recorded in any form. Instead they are passed on by word of mouth from parent to child. You will have to come here to find such treasures.

Anguillans are warm friendly and Hospitable. Therefore our greatest hidden treasure lies within our people.

Insteel Construction from Modena

Modena Concepts Ltd. of Anguilla held a reception today to launch their first project using the Insteel 3D Panel Construction System. Guests toured Larry Stott's new home, noticing how cool the western bedroom was, due to the insulating value of the foam core of Insteel panels. There are many benefits claimed for this construction system but the one that most interested the audience was hurricane resistance. Insteel buildings survived Hurricanes Andrew, Luis and Marilyn without any structural damage.

[Larry Stott's house]

Question from a Reader

The email always brings interesting questions: 
I wonder if there is any way that I could rent a small motorboat
for a period of time to see some of the less accessible sites of
your beautiful islands. I am myself an avid snorkeler and diver,
and a competent boatsman.
Never having heard of anyone renting out their motorboat, I asked around. The results were conclusive: it is very unlikely that you could rent a motorboat in Anguilla without the owner. There are two reasons for this. First and most important is that there are treacherous reefs everywhere, including at the entrance to the harbours where most boats are moared. Second, Anguillans are passionate about two things: the boat and the vote. They aren't likely to chance a stranger smashing up their boat. The best way to explore the coast line and the offshore cays is to could contact one of our experienced charter captains such as Junior (264-497-4456) or Shawn (264-497-4040).

Evan Webster's Country Music Concert

Evan Webster of Island Harbour has wanted to be a country and western singer since he was a child. Evan has recorded a CD in Nashville entitled "It's About Time". Evan wrote all the songs, including the title track, the moving Anguilla, It's So Serene and Detour. Elite Productions is producing a concert of Evan with the Anguilla Country Starts and Friends for 8PM Saturday, October 19th, 1996 in Landsdome Bowl, The Valley. For more information, contact Elite Productions, Box 230, Island Harbour, Anguilla, BWI, 264-497-4671.

Big Robbery at Fair Play

Police report that the Fair Play Jewelry Store was robbed of US $74,000 in goods over the weekend. A reward of US $5,000 is offered for any information leading to the recovery of the goods or the arrest of the perpetrators.

Little Girl with Hole in Heart

Little Denesha Pogson will celebrate her 6th birthday in a New York hospital this year. The Anguilla Rotary Club has arranged for critically-ill Denesha to receive surgery to repair the hole in her heart. Air travel was provided by the American Airlines Advantage program for children in need, arranged by Millie Hodge, the local American Eagle manager. Carol Neuss, president of Anguilla Rotary, went with Donesha and her mother to New York, where they were put up at the Ronald McDonald House on the hospital grounds -- like a 4-star hotel for kids awaiting surgery, with every conceivable toy.

In other good news, Mensah Richardson, who was sent to Florida with his mother Joan for orthopedic treatment, is being fitted with braces for his knees. Surgery will not be necessary.

News Items

The HMS Argyll was visiting Anguilla recently and her crew of 183 enjoyed Anguilla's beaches, restaurants and bars, and played softball against local teams.

The scuba shop in Island Harbour, Anguilla Divers, reopened recently with new owners and a new dive boat. The new owners are Freda and Wim Haagedoorn of Belgium and Jane and Richard Herbert of the USA. The newly reopened shop is a PADI International Dive Shop with PADI certified divemaster and instructors. They run two dive trips daily on their new boat, The Adventure. It was built by Glenn Richardson of Island Harbour and was custom designed for diving in Anguillian waters. It is captained by Terence Webster. For more information, call 264-497-4750.

A group from the Chamber of Commerce in Guadelope visited Anguilla recently for one day. The team visited various sites around Anguilla where they might be interested in infrastructure investments (water, port, power, etc.).

Anguilla is hosting a large number of visiting travel agents this month, checking out the local hotels for their clients.

The House of Assembly has approved a EC $7 million loan from the Caribbean Development Bank, which will be used for the improvement of the Sandy Ground road, among other projects.

Cap Juluca is doubling the size of their gift shop.

Anguilla Rums is a new business in Sandy Ground that is going to blend/bottle custom Anguillian rum products.

Allamanda Beach Club continues to upgrade their location on Shoal Bay with more lavish gardens, Zara's Restaurant featuring Shamash, and a more elegant path to the beach.

Some of the older PCs donated to the Anguilla Library Compuer Club are starting to die, victims of age and our harsh climate. We would love some new donations. Why not bring your old laptop with you when you visit this winter?

The road to Jobsie Bay has been improved and regraded, making it useable by passenger cars. There is still one bad bump where you turn sharply left and toward the sea, up away from Long Pond. I suggest you have your passengers get out while you drive over it. Coming from The Valley to Sandy Hill, turn right after the radio tower and the Tropical Flower wholesale.

Fund Raisers

There will be a recital of classical and jazz music at the the Ruthwell auditorium on Friday Oct 25th at 7:30 PM to raise money for the music department of the Albena-Lake Hodge Comprehensive School. It will feature distinguished musicians from the University of the Virgin Islands as well as local pianist Leonard Vanderpool.

The local Dominican community is throwing a dinner party on November 9th at beautiful Paradise Cove at 7 PM to celebrate the anniversary of Dominica's independence. Entertainment includes traditional Dominican dance and music. Proceeds to benefit the St. Mary's day school building fund.

Do Hotels Put a Surcharge on Phone Calls?

In Europe it is common for hotels to put a large surcharge on any long-distance calls you make, sometimes up to 600%. In Anguilla the hotels add 20% to the amount charged by Cable and Wireless, which is about US $2 per minute to the USA.

Menu of Blanchard's Restaurant

Blanchard's on Meads Bay is one of our most dependable gourmet restaurants. Below is chef Melinda Blanchard's current menu (menus of other restaurants). When we went to dinner there last week we shared three appetizers and a desert - it was delicious. Telephone 264-497-6100 for reservations.

[Sunset on Shoal Bay]

Shoal Bay Sunset (click to enlarge)

Anguilla Web Sites

Country musician Evan Webster and Rapper Drak have allowed Julian Niles to put samples from their CDs on a special music page of his Anguilla Web Site. If you know any other Anguillian musicians who would like to have a place on the Internet, have them contact Bob Green at 4079. It can be arranged.

Anguilla's first hotel, Lloyd's Guest House now has a web site. Lloyd's is a fun place to stay for those who want to experience Anguilla with the Anguillans. It is charming, friendly, spotlessly clean, and conveniently located above The Valley. 264-497-2351.

Sandy Ground Dive Shop Ready for Season

Tamariain Watersports is now The Dive Shop, Ltd. but is located in the same place in Sandy Ground, with a deck added out front for divers to relax and soak up rays. They are starting their 14th season with all the old faces back. Douglas Carty, the Divemaster, was the first Anguillian to become a PADI Divemaster, and he was featured on FOX morning TV last week. Christine Kay has returned as the Chief Instructor -- many people on Anguilla have mentioned to me how easy she makes it to learn diving. Captain Eddie Hughes in the boat, Lemira Connor in the office, new co-owner Peter Burling, and original co-owner Thomas Peabody round out the crew.

The Dive Shop is a PADI 5 Star facility. Their dive boat is a 40 foot wide-bodied cat for stability. It was designed and constructed locally by well-known builder David Carty. Dives are scheduled daily at at 9:00 a.m. (deep) and 10:30 a.m. (shallow). To book a dive or ask questions about diving in Anguillian, call 264-497-2020 or email to [email protected]

Computer Club Has New Home

The Library Computer Club has moved its computers and meetings into a nearby room of its own offered by the The Anguilla National Trust. This allows the club to give computer lessons to younger children who were too noisy for the main lobby of the public library. The location is across from Ronald Webster Park in the heritage building with purple doors and cute trim (Photo of new club house.)

The Computer Club web site now has a resources page with lesson plans and software tools that you can download. You could use it to start up your own computer club, copying Anguilla's.

If you are visiting Anguilla, please drop in and see the club any Monday or Thursday around 4PM.

Does Anguilla Have Mosquitos?

All it takes is one mosquito to ruin a nights sleep. In Anguilla, like all tropical countries, there are some mosquitos, but the arid climate normally keeps the problem down. They are worst from June to December, the rainy season. Tricks:

Menu from Ripples

Ripples Restaurant on Sandy Ground main road is a popular place to eat and drink before heading over to Johnnos for some dancing. They are open daily 12-12 (5-12 on Thursday). 264-497-3380 for reservations. Here is there dinner menu (other menus).

News Tidbits

Anguilla is hosting visiting managers of the Cable and Wireless and their spouses October 27 to 31st for their annual conference. 57 people are expected in total. Meetings will be held in Library and Resource Center, which has a air-conditioned meeting room (about 40' by 60') perfect for conferences of this size or even larger.. Cable and Wireless is an international communications company based in the UK that runs the phone system in Anguilla.

Anguillian Barrister-at-Law Don Mitchell was award the Queen's Counsel (QC) last week. This recognizes him as a senior attorney who has attained the highest levels of the profession, and it means he gets to wear special silks and sit at a special stand inside the regular "bar".

Albert Lake's Elodius Beach Resort is located on Shoal Bay between Milly's Inn and Shoal Bay Villas. It consists of two 2-story duplex apartments. Rates vary from $75 to $150. 264-497-3363. Fax 3034.

The Anguilla Beautification Club planted 20 flamboyant trees at the Valley Primary School recently. The trees were grown from seeds to around 3 feet before replanting around the school playground. It is hoped that the local goats will be kept under control long enough for the fast-growing trees to establish themselves and provide shade.

The Optimist Club opened a 4-day Windball tournament on Thursday October 24th. Windball is cricket played with tennis balls. Their goal is to raise money for the playing field in Welches village. The Optimist's are also sponsoring a Youth Talent Explosion on December 7th at Landsome Bowl. Anyone aged 13 to 20 is invited to join this competition--first prize is a Round Trip to Puerto Rico with accomodations and everyone gets a free t-shirt. m

Tourism Week is November 2nd to 9th in Anguilla. The theme this year is "Our history makes us precious, our people make us priceless." Activities include a beach extravaganza on Sunday the 2nd at Meads Bay with boat races, music, volleyball, domino tournament, fashion show and more.

There will be a culinary competition on Tuesday, November 5th at Serenity Restaurant as part of Tourism Week. Gourmet chefs and bartenders from around Anguilla will be competing for Chef of the Year and Bartender of the Year. Noon to 6 PM. For more information, call 264-497-2944.

There will be an Anguillian Cultural Festival and Street Fair on Saturday Nov 9th. 4-11 PM. Parking lot of Ronald Webster Park, The Valley. Taste local foods, fish, and Joe Gumbs soda. Buy local crafts. Enjoy Anguillian music, poetry and dance.

Anguilla hosted the General Purposes Committee of the Methodist Church. Twenty-six officials from throughout the Caribbean attended. Members stayed in private homes during their week stay.

Librarian Russel Reid just returned from meetings of the Med Carib project and PAHO in Rio. Med Carib is a project to gather medical information into a regional database. PAHO stands for Pan American Health Organization. Russel says the meetings were very useful and Brazil was incredible.

Anguilla will host an International Arts Festival and Competition in 1997. Up to 100 regional and international artists will be invited to Anguilla for two weeks in late July and early August (overlapping with Carnival). A competition will be held of art by the participants on Anguillian themes. The organizers hope to have two prizes, $10,000 US for first prize and $5,000 for second. The festival even has a web site.

Anguillian civil servants have received a 15% across the board pay increase, the first in many years.

More Questions on Moving to Anguilla

Here is another email query that is related to moving to Anguila: 

   Does your lawyer have email? I have a BUNCH of questions regarding
   the benefits of having an Anguillian company, and the legal side
   of moving to Anguilla, and don't want to burden you with them...

There are several lawyers with web sites and email.

. . . continue virtual vacation (preceding month)

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