The British Virgin Islands !!!

Posted in Americas, Florida, Food and Wine
Well going back deep into my vault, times require me to put in my blog my life’s history and so I am doing just that. Many posts many spots on our wonderful Earth over the years and still keep going strong like duracell lol! Well here I am going down to my roots, the Caribbean , that wonderful sea, yes ! After all nothing comes close for a water, beach activity; and I have been to plenty everywhere. I have mentioned in a previous post about my sailing adventures in the Caribbean area. All pictures copies of paper photos. However, the islands are more than sailings so here is a bit more on the British Virgin Islands !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I. The British Virgin Islands are an archipelago of the Caribbean and an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. They are mostly known as a tax haven. The Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus during his second trip in 1493, who would have named the islands in honor of Saint Ursula, known in the legend of the eleven thousand virgins. Abandoned by the Spaniards who preferred the wealthier regions, the archipelago became the ideal haunt of the pirates English, French and Dutch buccaneers who plied the Caribbean Sea to carry out their raids against the Spanish fleet. Colonized in 1648 by the Dutch and annexed by the English in 1672, The British Virgin Islands are a group of around fifty islands of which only 16 are inhabited. The main island, Tortola, is separated from Saint John, in the US Virgin Islands, by only 2.3 km. The main inhabited islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, Peter Island and Salt Island . Road Town, the territorial capital is located on Tortola. Glad to tell you, I have been to all the previously name islands. Tortola  largest and most populated of the four main Islands, is a lush mountainous Island which was formed by volcanic activity. Crowning Tortola is the tallest peak, Sage Mountain National Park, at 1716 feet (great views over the bay it can be climbed!), which exhibits the characteristics of a tropical rain forest. Beef Island, an island located to the east of Tortola, and the two islands are connected by the Queen Elizabeth Bridge. Beef Island is the site of the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport the main commercial airport that serves Tortola and the rest of the British Virgin Islands. Adjacent to it is sailboat-filled Trellis Bay, a unique cultural village with craft shops and restaurants, awesome indeed at least from what I remember. However, I arrive here by ferry boat from Saint Thomas US Virgin Islands, got there by plane from Puerto Rico and there by plane from Miami. BVI Tortola arriving ferry from st Thomas c1988 Head for it is a must in Road Town ,Tortola’s version of an English pub, Pusser’s, and join the locals in their meeting place for Caribbean cuisine and famous Pusser’s Painkiller™ Cocktails (no 1 thru 5 base on amount of rum in it!), laced with Pusser’s unique wooden distilled rum that just won the world trophy for Navy Rums. BVI Tortola pussers rum bar on harbor c1988 Virgin Gorda is the third largest island of the four main islands The capital of Virgin Gorda is Spanish Town. The Baths is a beach on the island of Virgin Gorda ,located about 2 km south of Spanish Town, at the southern end of the island, between Spring Bay and Devil’s Bay. The Baths is an area of unique geological formations and one of the main tourist destinations in the British Virgin Islands. The rocks form natural pools, tunnels, arches and panoramic caves open to the sea. The largest rocks are about 12 meters long. This is heavens and glad visited, many nice memories and stories here as went on a singles cruise many years ago. You’ll navigate through caves, across boulders, up small ladders, and through short tunnels until you finally reach Devil’s Bay. Once you get there you’re rewarded with a swim in a beautiful little bay. The Bitter End Yacht Club is gorgeous and many nice antics here with my then Canadian girlfriend from Vancouver shhh…. Another spot and wonderful memory and an institution in the Virgin Gorda, BVI was the Hog Heaven (still open I heard) . This little dive bar sits high up in the clouds and offers the most beautiful views of Virgin Gorda and the North Sound including the Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock. Wonderful memories forever !! virgin-gorda-bath-outside virgin-gorda-bath-inside Named Anegada or the “Drowned Land” by the Spanish, Anegada is the only coral island in the Virgin Islands’ volcanic chain. It is known for miles of white sand beaches and the 29 km (18 miles) long Horseshoe Reef, the largest barrier coral reef in the Caribbean, and the fourth largest on earth.  Indeed this is awesome and a must visit. BVI Tortola just van dyke island bay c1988 Jost Van Dyke is the smallest of the four main islands of the British Virgin Islands. Jost Van Dyke, named after a famous Dutch pirate, has been a sailor’s mecca for years. Like many of the neighbouring islands, it is volcanic in origin and mountainous. Captain ‘Joost van Dyk’ was a 17C Dutch pirate who used its harbours as a safe hideout and to attack ships passing North of the island on way to Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, and Cuba. Great Harbour, the main port of entry, is always bobbing with sailboats and sailors coming ashore to the charming West Indian village that lines the beach with gift shops and restaurants. Since the late 1960s, Foxy’s Bar in Great Harbor has been a popular stop for Caribbean boaters. Indeed Foxy’s is the talk of the islands and a must for a cold beer and great storytelling for all. And still there !!! BVI Tortola st peter island beach from mountain c1988 And one not mention in tourist brochures because it is private but you can go as part of a group singles cruising trip as I was, it was party time galore! Peter Island is a 720 hectare (1,779 acre)  private island located about 5 miles (8 km) south-west  from Road Town, Tortola.  The island was named after Pieter Adriensen nicknamed The Commander who was the brother of  Abraham Adriensen  Patron of Tortola under the Dutch West India Company in the early 17C. Pieter Adriensen and Joos van Dyke built a fort and slave pens at Great Harbour on Peter Island to facilitate privateering and the nascent trade in slaves from Angola. Right now there is a coconut trees shaded semicircular beach which is heavens on earth.  A world  famoust resort is right on it. BVI Tortola st peter island beach coconuts c1988 Certainly the most popular and well known of all BVI dive sites, the Royal Mail Steamer “Rhone” sunk on 29 October 1867 was the setting for the hit movie “The Deep”, starring Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bissett. The Rhone foundered during a hurricane and is lying in depths from 20 to 80 feet.  This is a “must see Salt Island is located about 4.7 miles of Road Town, Tortola. The island pays duty of pound bag of salt to the Queen/King of UK! I came here from the ocean side for the wreck, which we had volunteers recreate the movie scene lol !!! The Blue Water Divers are still there and I am still in touch with them, great folks recommended,Oh yes way back in my younger days I was a PADI certified diver fyi,,,, BVI Tortola blue divers scuba dives c1988 The British Virgin Islands tourist office on the islands: https://www.bvitourism.com/the-islands The National Parks of BVI on Virgin Gorda:   https://www.bvinpt.org/the-baths The official Peter Island Resort : https://www.peterisland.com/ The official Pusser’s bar and store of Tortola: https://pussers.com/our-locations/pussers-road-town-pub/ The RestaurantGuru reviews on Pusser’s: https://t.restaurantguru.com/Pussers-Road-Town The official Blue Water Divers on diving sites: https://bluewaterdiversbvi.com/dive-sites/ There you go folks, indeed a secluded wonderful beautiful islands to visit in my Caribbean sea, Memories forever in my mind of younger wild days, and still fond of a lot. Never the youth out of me; hope you too can enjoy this heavens on earth Again, hope you enjoy this post on the British Virgin Islands as I. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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