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Long Bay Beach on Beef Island the new hot spot for tourists

- as world famous Cane Garden Bay Beach remains closed
Tourists on Long Bay Beach, Beef Island on December 26, 2017. Photo: VINO
The world famous Cane Garden Bay Beach on Tortola remains closed. Photo: VINO
The world famous Cane Garden Bay Beach on Tortola remains closed. Photo: VINO
Vendors on Long Bay Beach, Beef Island on December 26, 2017. Photo: VINO
Vendors on Long Bay Beach, Beef Island on December 26, 2017. Photo: VINO
The Long Bay Beach on Beef Island is the new stop for cruise ship tourists following the natural disasters of August and September in the Virgin Islands. Photo: VINO
The Long Bay Beach on Beef Island is the new stop for cruise ship tourists following the natural disasters of August and September in the Virgin Islands. Photo: VINO
BEEF ISLAND, VI- Prior to the tropical wave of August and hurricanes Irma and Maria in September, the preferred beaches for especially cruise ship tourists on Tortola were Cane Garden Bay and Brewers Bay. A new beach has since been drawing the tourists- the unspoiled Long Bay Beach on Beef Island- another of nature's little secret.

Yesterday December 26, 2017 when two cruise ships came to these shores, our roving cameras went about exploring how tourists were making good of their time at Long Bay Beach.

From all indications, the many tourists to the beach were having a grand time.

“It is so beautiful out here, we are loving it to the maximum, beautiful indeed,” Andorra Paleintine told this news site as she struggled with the English language.

“Me come again with all family next time,” her uncle Palin Paleintine chipped in.

From all appearances government has permitted commercial activities on the beach, which is not the norm but gives the tourists an opportunity to get a drink to cool off, something to eat as well as shop a few souveniers.

The area was also flooded with taxi and livery buses and there was a line of portable toilets.

Cane Garden Bay Beach still closed

Meantime, there is still much debate about the continued closure of the world famous Cane Garden Bay and Brewers Bay beaches on the Western side of the island of Tortola. After Backbencher Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull (R2) had blasted his National Democratic Party (NDP) government for not paying much attention to his district post hurricanes Irma and Maria, a statement was issued by Government Information Service (GIS) indicating that there were health concerns as it relates to the water quality at the Cane Garden Bay Beach.

Subsequently, it was then stated that they beach would have been opened soon. “Soon is when I don’t know. Soon for them seems like next year December,” one taxi driver said in disgust.

Meanwhile, several discourses on social media have been ripe about the state of affairs at the beach. Posting on Facebook, one Glen Ashmore said that he spent a good part of several vacations studying the flow through Cane Garden Bay, primarily concerning the perennial holding tank debate.

He said normally the water changes completely every 6 to 16 hours with periods of north swells being faster and that the only time he found fecal coliform counts dangerous was the 24 hours after a major rain, with the highest counts within 100 yards of the ghut outlets.

"Until the ponds that once filtered the outflow from the ghuts can be recreated I don't see how that will change. The sewage plant behind the school is a different matter. Without power it can do little besides settle out some solids and can't do that for long. I have conflicting info on where it discharges. I had heard it was out past the reef on the Ballast Bay side and also pumped over the hill to Burt Point (which can't happen without power.)

I can say with some confidence that I would have no problem swimming between about 100 yards east of the dinghy dock to just past the cemetery if it had not rained in the previous 48 hours.”

27 Responses to “Long Bay Beach on Beef Island the new hot spot for tourists”

  • wize up (27/12/2017, 16:05) Like (11) Dislike (1) Reply
    And all the while I thought that "long bay beach" was part of this BVI....have as much and who vex vex 2 Dam small and simple minded(this 2017 not 1967) Give God all the Glory He left us a beach!!!!!
  • ... (27/12/2017, 16:52) Like (6) Dislike (10) Reply
    Malone and Kedrick looking out for the 7 and 8 Mitch it is time to make the switch
  • See (27/12/2017, 18:53) Like (21) Dislike (10) Reply
    wont take long to ruin Long Bay Beach now . Sad
    • NezRez (27/12/2017, 20:25) Like (12) Dislike (6) Reply
      @See, long bay will not be ruined as long as vendors keep it clean after each gathering. Solid waste needs to pick up garbage regularly on all beaches too. Keeping beaches so called natural by not putting in sanitary bathrooms is ridiculous when there are so many people using them yearly. Government needs to understand the basic needs to keep this in place. I love the idea of going to any beach and I can privately use a facility to releave myself. Wake up everybody, we have to make a change, just you and me.
      • vi (28/12/2017, 10:53) Like (14) Dislike (4) Reply

        Why solid waste dept has to pick up your darn trash? When you are finished partying and using the beach, walk with your garbage and place it in the nearest garbage receptacle. Set of lazy, nasty people
        • NezRez (28/12/2017, 15:14) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
          @ Vi, If you read the response, it said the vendors SHOULD pick up their garbage after each gathering. solid waste still needs to do a regular pickup of garbage that is left there just by the visitors alone. And by the way, I am NOT a vendor but a BVIlander who wants things to run smoothly. I for one always discard my trash properly.
  • cay (27/12/2017, 20:01) Like (8) Dislike (11) Reply
    the smell of that pond its like the cane garden bay sewerage
    • smell (29/12/2017, 09:57) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
      @ cay....all ponds smell when they are drying out. Really.? That is how nature works a certain time of year.
  • Finally eyes opened (27/12/2017, 20:09) Like (18) Dislike (2) Reply
    It is good we are now using another beach besides cane garden bay because taxi drivers acted as though it was the only beach to take tourists to. True, cane garden bay had restaurants and bathrooms, so maybe now government will put bathrooms on all beaches, which is the most sensible and sanitary thing to do using common sense, and allow vendors to sell their wares, making sure they clean up after. Other beaches have been ignored all these years and it’s about time other beaches are shown to the tourists and all districts can now make a living utilizing all beaches. Not only that, these other beaches are so much easier to get to. East end long bay, well bay, Josiah’s bay, brandy wine bay, Cooten bay, Elizabeth beach, etc. all these other beaches just need to have things set in place for people to enjoy, not just tourists. Cane garden bay has been reaping all the benefits for so long, now feeling it for only a couple of months since the storm, makes them see how others feel not making any money for all these years. Government is supposed to advertise ALL of our beaches, not just one or two. Glad long bay had a blast this week and hope everything works out fine for all the rest too. Government cannot cater to only a few but all of the BVI
    • The Visitor (28/12/2017, 15:00) Like (2) Dislike (4) Reply
      You can look at the concentration in Cane Garden another way too. The cruise ship visitors spend very little money and use the local restaurant facilities without buying anything. They crowd out the over night guest who do spend money. While sheeple watching can at times be intertaining there is a limit to how much fat crammed int speedos one can take.

      When it comes to alternatives for 5,000+ day visitors there are few. Josiah's and Elizabeth have dangerous currents and rip tides just waiting to grab a few unthinking visitors. Brewers is too small to accomodate very many people. That leaves Long Bay, West End, Smugglers Cove and Long Bay, Beef Island. At least one of those three will have to be developed for the cruise ship trade. That means restrooms, vendor spaces,road improvements and government employees to clean and maintain the area.
      • Josiah’s Bay resident (28/12/2017, 19:51) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply
        @ The visitor . Josiah’s Bay only have high tide for surfing during the winter months. For the summer and spring months the water is calm and safe for swimming. The place is rebuilding after the storms and will be nice all year round for either surfers or swimmers.
  • Local (27/12/2017, 21:17) Like (7) Dislike (6) Reply
    Long bay beach is obviously beautiful and we are happy to have a place to take the tourists and locals. The only shameful part of doing so is the portable $#it pits we have up there as restrooms. They have no running water to wash hands and you are expected to urinate or stool on top of some else's stool because they cannot flush
    • . (03/01/2018, 19:05) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      And when the magical potty flushes for you plus 5000 tourists, where do you think it magically flushes to? Ain't out in the same bay they swimming in? And that is better than "stooling" your nasty stool on top of other people's nasty stool? Or is your stool so precious it deserves to swim where tourists swim? How do you think Cane Garden Bay got so polluted?
  • Everything gone gone (28/12/2017, 00:42) Like (5) Dislike (12) Reply
    Where do residents go to swim now? Are we loosing natures little secret piece by piece?
    • Beachcomer (28/12/2017, 19:32) Like (5) Dislike (2) Reply
      I am on the beach and how many locals you see? Very earlier in the morning a dedicated few of our seniors and hardly anyone else unless they are having a party or something else and that is not often. Some People are just bad minded they don't want something until they see other people using it.
  • Welsah (28/12/2017, 00:55) Like (2) Dislike (5) Reply
    Dangerous beach , tricky
  • Just Sayin (28/12/2017, 08:53) Like (3) Dislike (9) Reply



    there goes the neighboir hood (beach)
  • runway ronnie (28/12/2017, 09:15) Like (1) Dislike (3) Reply
    it is a nice beach, right next to the airport runway. too funny to believe.
  • forthemoment (28/12/2017, 12:38) Like (7) Dislike (7) Reply
    I prefer that some beaches are left for locals and do not become a tourist/commercial destination, however for the mean time this is a good idea.
  • yes (29/12/2017, 12:17) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    The beaches should have toilets and be monitored. We should have no drifters(bums) to come and relieve themselves and then the bathroom is in a mess afterwards. Example, the Brandywine bay beach bathroom is disgusting. The Minister or who ever is over these facility needs to be held accountable.
  • james (30/12/2017, 10:50) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
    Best use of Long Beach is for cruise ship tourists, since they only come for a few hours. Hurry up and get CGB rebuilt so that the longer stay tourists have a place to return to. BVI needs income from both the cruise ships and the long stay tourists. It's either that or let Hess build a new refinery there, belongers need to eat & work
    • . (03/01/2018, 19:14) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      You act like that is possible, to have income from cruise ships and long stay tourists. As a former tourist, I can tell you, it isn't. No one is going to pay what it costs to fly to the BVI and stay in the BVI only to share the beaches with 1000's of cruise ship pax. There are just too many other pristine places with beaches to visit.
  • suggestion (30/12/2017, 13:11) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    is to build proper bathroom facilities and charge or place a token bin to use facility. A private entity can built/rent such facility and place someone to manage such and charge according while maintaining the place clean.
  • Hazel (02/01/2018, 20:38) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    All beaches should have bathrooms so people don’t have to relieve themselves in the water or bushes. It is the humane thing to do.
  • CleanupCGB (03/01/2018, 23:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    When they clean down by the wedding and remove those derelict vehicles from CGBay then tourists should return. CGBay is a powder keg of nastiness..ghettoish look that needs to be addressed. Why CGB looking so terrible as a leading tourist destination? NDP serious about saving CGBay...then regulate the place.


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