Tortola, BVI

February 2-3 - Trelllis Bay to Virgin Gorda

I failed to mention on the last blog that when we anchored at Lee Bay, the anchor seemed to catch well. But it was a good thing that, later, I decided to go for a swim/snorkel. When I got a look at how the anchor was set, it turned out to be stuck on a rock - probably not enough to hold us through a good blow, but enough to cause a problem in the morning when trying to bring it up. We got the anchor reset at a spot that was all sand.

Back to the story - the day after Greg left, we spent working on the boat. Dave’s major project was to install another, larger Raycor fuel filter while I worked at getting a flow valve on the salt-water intake for the galley faucet. That night, we went to the airport and picked up another one of Dave’s friends.

Rob walked out of the airport customs area earlier than scheduled. He was a little peeved at the baggage handlers. They had thrown his carry-on baggage on the tarmac and managed to break one of the bottles of Crown Royal he had brought for Dave. Besides the small carry-on bag that contained all his clothing, Rob brought another large suitcase filled with lots of goodies for us. When we got back to the boat, it was like Christmas. .

In the morning, after coffee, we set off for Virgin Gorda. By the time we got to the Baths, an anchorage and snorkeling spot on the western end of VG, all the moorings already were taken by visiting yachts. We had to settle for anchoring outside.

The snorkeling was pretty good. The uniqueness of The Baths are the huge boulders that lie along the beach and in the water. They boulders, some over twenty feet high, create a unique setting for snorkelers in that you see mini walls, caves and ledges in shallow areas.

From The Baths, we took a short hop to Spanish Town, a place that two hundred years ago, had a thriving Spanish community. But all we saw of it was the marina and it’s immediate surroundings - some stores, bars, restaurants and a market.

We had not been at a marina since the Caicos and Turks. It was nice to just be docked. I had the first “land” shower in quite some time. Our standard shower for the most part, consists of getting out the Joy liquid soap (because it suds up in salt water), getting all cleaned up and jump in to the water. After washing the soap off, we typically rinse off with fresh water. It works great and uses very little of our fresh water!

In the evening, Rob master-minded a tasty meal consisting of tortillas, refried beans, shrimp, grouper and cheese with a salad. Hey, this guy seems like he’ll work out just fine!