I would like to thank all who have shared my memories in my recently published book, Lest I Forget.
It was a joy for me to relive those special times and bring that little bit of history back to the Virgin Islands. I think many would be surprised at the collection of documents — legal, government and personal — that I saved over the years and was able to refer to for accuracy in my book.
Much has happened since that day in December 1949, when Captain Wladek Wagner and I with our new baby daughter, Suzanna, sat on the desolate beach of Trellis Bay, Beef Island, and dreamed a dream. The vision that we brought to reality became the foundation of the Trellis Bay we know today.
Having lived it, I remember well what Mr. Wagner’s vision was: Trellis Bay, a natural yacht haven for visiting sailors, complete with boatyard and dry-docking facilities, a clubhouse on Bellamy Cay, and guest cottages along the beach. Perhaps there are still those who remember Conch Shell Point, including our home, Tamarind.
In time, the yacht haven was established and working. Then along came the airstrip — the first small airstrip built for the VI government by Mr. Wagner, a link to the outside world. I remember it well.
With a handful of hard-working men from East End, a Public Works bulldozer and a second bulldozer loaned and delivered by the then governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marin, the mammoth job of clearing, levelling and initial surfacing of 2,400 feet was accomplished.
Today, although the boatyard facilities no longer exist and Conch Shell Point has a new look — an extension of the original runway — Trellis Bay, that valuable gem of nature, remains a natural harbour. It has become a hub of activity and the essential heart of Beef Island, if not of the entire area.
The VI has a special charm and distinction, partly because there are so many islands in the territory. They are a sailor’s delight. To many mariners and others who enjoy the waters, the vastness of the outer ocean can be intimidating. So much pleasure is found sailing bumper to bumper, so to speak, and finding comfort in peaceful, safe bays like Trellis Bay. All bays are not harbours, or safe.
Islands, bays, boats and sailing all belong together, and we, as caretakers of what nature has provided for us to use and to enjoy, must share the responsibility for their care, enhancement and preservation for future generations to enjoy as we have had the good fortune to do.
‘Beautiful as ever’
This year in particular I have received many outstandingly lovely pictures of Trellis Bay and the surrounding area, and it has been such a joy to see everything looking as beautiful as ever, if not more so because of the impressive number of boats happily at anchor.
How I wish I could make at least one more visit to that treasured place. So far, too many responsibilities and disabilities have been in the way, but I keep hoping. In the meantime I will continue to enjoy the e-mails that reunite me with Trellis Bay and people who were such an important part of the lives of the Wagner family: Wladek, Mabel, Suzanna and Michael — or Sudie and Mikie, for those who remember.
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