More a bruised color like those covering my body from sailing the late Christmas winds. Maybe its the crystal clear waters that allow for the transparency of conservation issues to be seen so easily, or that my attention was focused on something other than where my next rum drink was coming from; a past-time tourists invoke with alarming frequency in the BVI’s.
In all it was a great vacation and the sailing was glorious! The scenery was beautiful and the first time we jumped in the water, donned our masks and fins and floated away to do some reef watching, voyeurism quickly turned paradise into a heart sinking sadness; the reef was severely damaged. Our first snorkeling experience saw broken coral, few fish and a white, deathly pallor over the sea floor.
I sat on the stern of our sailboat and considered all the reasons for this devastation: anchor chains, snorkelers stepping on coral, oil from boat engines, waste going directly into the ocean and realized yet again that my own presence added to the destruction of an amazing eco system. I was not given a choice when chartering to use a holding tank as no pump out facilities exist. Even though we limit our engine usage, a diesel engine is required to set an anchor using a windlass and to charge batteries, and the heat from the raw water system pumps hot water directly into the reefs vicinity. Even though we made sure that all grey water coming from our boat would not contain sulfates or other chemicals and our bathing products were organic I felt personally liable for the severity of the problem.
Perhaps this was an isolated incident and other reefs were not so affected, I thought, and so we continued on with our sailing. Other sailors seemed satisfied with their snorkeling experience and I wondered if they new the difference. Had they seen a healthy reef before? Guilt began to settle over me, as we sailed what looked like pristine waters and I considered the irony of how the act of enjoying and loving your environment can destroy it.
Unfortunately the next stop showed the same depressing results; the reef was dying. The pilot book stated this particular area had some of the best snorkeling in the BVI’s! How was it possible that between publishing the book and now, a mere 2 years later, the reef could be so damaged? Was I missing something?
So I began talking to locals, Brits and West Indians about the local political situation (corrupt), the waste facility (that empties raw sewage into the ocean on Tortola), and lack of guardianship for the natural resources that sustain the local economy thru tourism. Lets not forget the incinerator that burned all the garbage and spewed acrid smoke the length of the island (no recycling here). There were changes in the air, a proposal for a new waste treatment plant, a company interested in creating a mobile pump-out station and a trickle of “green” ideas not yet in fruition.
To be fair, these issues are not endemic to the BVI’s. All countries wether tropical islands or not have to contend with issues of waste, garbage, preserving natural resources and education of inhabitants. It’s just easy to see the direct correlation in a small island country. My partner read just last night in Oceans that Bluefin tuna “are anticipated to be gone by 2012.” Two short years from now. That blew my mind. How quickly we can damage and kill is astounding, but the good news and one of the things I remember most about our vacation is the stunning clarity of the water and the beautiful fish and corals that are still holding on. With a little searching we did find some beautiful reefs, a field of purple fan coral, gigantic red sea slugs, 6 foot rays, a variety of reef fish and a few turtles too.
How lucky we are to view for a moment the beauty of our natural world. The aqua blue waters that we so love to sail are worth fighting for and I hope to continue to learn - even if those lessons are hard ones - how to take more responsibility for my contribution to the decline of ecosystems and species wether living on land or boat. My understanding of what harms an ocean ecosystem and the challenges that must be overcome to save our seas was especially difficult to process on a vacation.
Back home I find myself taking a deep breath knowing that I cannot turn my back on this issue: I care too much. Like the night we realized that our sandy anchoring spot was surrounded by coral heads when the wind shifted 180 degrees. We were suddenly putting the coral ecosystems at risk, so even though it was dusk, we pulled anchor and went across the channel to a mooring buoy, a safe spot for our boat and our peace of mind.
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