Dreams of Sailing Back in Time to the Old Saba Rock: Uncommon Envy
Eight guest rooms, 10 boat slips, and a spectacular over-water bar/lounge and restaurant, all of it stretched over one acre of islet surrounded by the clear, calm Caribbean Sea – this was the old Saba Rock.
Or so I read/heard about, and was told.
Like The Willy-T and most other choice corners of the BVI’s, I’ve never got to visit the old Saba Rock before Hurricane Irma took it away. It had long been on my list, though, and not just because of its unique and beautiful surroundings.
This little island is big when it comes to history, owned, as it was, for the 30 years preceding 1999 by Bert Kilbride.
Legendary Treasure Hunter, Bert Kilbride
Who’s that?
Well, if you’re big into scuba diving, or treasure hunting, or adventure of any kind, then Bert Kilbride is a name you should know.
In the Virgin Islands, no name is more synonymous with finding sunken treasure. Notably, Bert recovered so many colonial-era artifacts on the Anegada Reef that he was appointed “Receiver of Wrecks” by Queen Elizabeth in 1967.
Bringing Scuba to the Masses
At the same time, few people have done more to turn the world on to exploring watery depths. If you took your first baby steps into scuba diving by completing a Resort Course, you have Bert to thank. He created the curriculum back in the 1960s.
Bert’s colorful life covered many other interests that are right in line with our uncommonness. (Learn more about Bert here.) Staying at the old Saba Rock, I hoped, would give me a chance to tap into his spirit.
Even if it didn’t, I’m guessing that the fine eats, drinks, and views of other nearby islets – Prickly Pear, Necker, Mosquito, Eustacia – on offer at the old Saba Rock would have surely sufficed, right?
If you have memories of the old Saba Rock, please share them with us in the comments section below…
*Photo credit: Flickr user kansasphoto.
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