Welcome to the September issue of BVI Property Guide
“I’m all for moderation, but sometimes it seems
moderation itself can be a kind of extreme.” —from “Lull” by Andrew Bird
September in the BVI is intimate. This is when you really get to know your neighbours and friends who’ve stuck around to enjoy the island at its most peaceful. In Cane Garden Bay, the beach chairs stay stacked, and the otherwise popular tourist beach becomes a private escape. The bars and restaurants that stay open during this period are filled with friendly, smiling residents enjoying their chance to decompress before the madness of the season begins again.
This month, I interviewed John Chenoweth about his archaeological research on Little Jost Van Dyke. John’s important work aims to enrich the history of the BVI by telling the story of the slaves and owners that lived on the Lettsom plantation, as well as trying to solve the riddle of some of the contradictions raised by the Lettsoms' religion—Quakerism. John intends to do this using the artefacts he finds, basically trash from the inhabitants of Little Jost in the eighteenth century. Mr. Chenoweth’s research teaches that BVI land has a value outside of property and development—its value is in the information that it provides about past BVI residents.
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Some of our most famous current residents, owners and developers, those who are involved in the fine balancing act of sustainable development, are visibly embracing environmentalism, making it trendy. This might be the last push that the BVI needs to convince other developers why it’s cool to go green.
If you’re planning on taking on some renovation, design or decorating projects during this quiet time, look to the past for inspiration. Many of the features of traditional Caribbean architecture and practically accounted for the conditions of our climate. While the past can inspire, modern advances provide new, durable materials.
Instead of lazing around the quiet islands, I plan on enjoying this month to its fullest—discovering parts of the BVI I’ve never encountered before and ticking things off my list of weekend projects with an occasional stop at the beach for a quick swim.
Moderation is boring.
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Traci O'Dea
