Every time I glance through the old newspapers, I stumble upon the sad news of the loss of another inter-island boat.
It’s a wonder that anyone survived to reach the ripe old age of sixty or seventy!
The Loss of the Anegada Sloop, Fiddler
Sadly, the sloop, Fiddler of Anegada, about two tons register, was lost during a voyage from St. Thomas to Tortola in a heavy squall. ~ August 31, 1906
She foundered off Sea Cows Bay, Tortola about 7 pm in the evening.
The Weather
Warnings
The newspapers carried a few sketchy details.
“In St. Thomas, about 4 o’clock, four signal guns were fired from Fort Chrisitan warning everyone of a cyclonic disturbance that was quickly approaching.
People at once began preparing.
Houses were secured, all boats moved to places of safety, steamers in port dropped down to the lower part of the harbor and other precautions were taken.
Happily, nothing serious happened in St. Thomas other than strong winds which blew from the west with lots of rain.”
Report from Tortola
“One report from Tortola, however, relative to the storm, was that exceptionally strong winds and heavy rain were experienced there from Saturday night to Monday morning.
The only damage reported on the island was that half of the roofing sheets from the Methodist Church were blown off, but at sea, the loss of an Anegada sloop was discovered when she failed to return home.”
The Victims
“Onboard were two brothers, the only crew.
Richard George, the captain, was saved after a narrow escape from drowning.
He had been in the water for about three hours floating on a clothes chest.
The other brother, John George, drowned and no sign of his body was ever found.”
The more I delve into the maritime history of the islands, the more vessels I discover with a sad ending.
Here are a few others that met the same fate with the loss of life, the Syria, RMS Rhone, Kite, the Faith, Come Back, the Spider, and the Fancy Me.⚓️
