1st February A bridge too far?

 

A fabulous day at Tortola in the British Virgin Isles. Yes I know who would have thought it. But having learned the hard way, together with the realisation that Sunday in Tortola might not be a hive of things to do, I took fate into my own hands and organised something to do in the form of a Tortola by sea and land trip. And what a great little choice it was.

TOM"s crutches meant he was first on board nabbing us padded seats at the front of the boat, the ideal location for sun, views and sea spray as the boat shed across some decidedly choppy waters. Or maybe the driver of the boat simply aimed at them just so we would get wet. It was all hands to hats to stop them being blown over board but it was a great start to the day.

In calmer currents we sailed around several nearby islands, each with its unique folk story about, who owned the island, an event that happened there in the past, how it got its name or why it currently acted as a magnet for a flotilla of very expensive sailing boats. A quiet soundtrack of Caribbean music, an informative commentary from local boatsman/guide Dave and a large glass of rum punch helped our 2 1/2 hours on board just float by if you'll excuse the pun. It did nothing for my hair however.

At the very upmarket Pusser's harbour filled with even more expensive yatchs and catermarans, we disembarked and found our land legs queueing for what appeared to be the sole single public toilet!, Then it was all aboard an open sided bus for the second half of the trip, up some very steep and twisty roads, that reminded us both of negotiating the Hardknot Pass in the Lake District. Running along the coastline offered great views of the golden beaches, surfers trying to catch a wave and quaint villages.

From a popular view point half way up Sage Mountain we gazed down across the tops of the rainforest into the cresent shaped strip of sand that formed the go to destination for many visitors to Tortola, Cane Garden beach, before continuing our ascent and then very steep descent back into Road Town, Tortola with fabulous views of our ship docked way below in the harbour.

And the fun was not over. We barely had time for lunch before we had to dash to a really good and informative tour of the ship's bridge conducted by one of the junior officers named Romeo. All the buttons, screens, switches, maps, ship plans, bells and whistles were explained to the gathered crowd of approximately 25 people. Together with a trip onto the outer wings of the bridge from where the crew supervise arrivals and departures.

Then Captain Derek appeared to answer any questions we had (they ranged from the astute to the absurd) in his own unique and humorous manner. Interrupted at one point by the Costa Fortunosa blowing its horn to signal it's departure, Captain Derek lost no time in demonstrating to his rival ship captain just which vessel had the biggest and loudest horn much to everyone's amusement

And to round off the day, a raucous poolside sailaway party, a chatty dinner in the 47, all followed by a lovely saxophone set from Harry in the Live Lounge.