Friday, November 18, 2016 – Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, BVI – Overcast – warm – high 70s.

Distance from Gustavia, St. Barts to Virgin Gorda, BVI:  94 Nautical Miles

A beautiful day in Virgin Gorda.  It is considerably cooler today so walking around should be easier.

No lecture today – I expected to have my third one today.  So I have the day free.

Ellen is on tour today – I am going to take the tender into town with her and check out some of Spanish Town, while she does the sightseeing.  It was much warmer the last time we were here and we did not get to see much of the town.

I walked up and down the main street of Spanish Town (difficult to do since there are no sidewalks and the cars are pretty squeezed into the streets).  I found mostly bars and restaurants in my brief walk so I decided to head back to the Quest.  Before I left, I took a picture of our ship at anchor.

Azamara Quest in the Harbor

I spent the morning catching up on my travel journal accompanied by my iced decaf mocha latte in the Mosaic Cafe and then enjoying a banana daiquiri in the Living Room.  I was inside because I need to plug in my computer.

Ellen’s photos from her “Virgin Gorda Land and Sea” tour are included below.  She got some great shots of the harbor from the hills on the island, visited a historic Copper Mine, and the iconic Baths (massive stone structures on the beach).

Quest Anchored in Harbor

Virgin Gorda Airstrip

On the Boat

The Copper Mine is a BVI National Park.  Copper was mined by the British in Virgin Gorda from 1838 to 1862.  Some of the descendants of the original miners still live on the island

The Copper Mine

Probably the most interesting site on VIrgin Gorda are The Baths.  These granite rock and boulders are located along the beach on a BVI National Park about 1.2 miles from Spanish Town.  They are volcanic in origin but they cooled below the surface.  Eventually, erosion exposed the huge rocks and also smoothed their surfaces into the smooth configuration we see today.

The Baths (series above)

While hanging out on the deck,I watched the crew secure the last tender in its davit. 

All set to head back to Miami.

After dinner, we saw comedian Bruce Smirnoff in the Cabaret Lounge.  He is an absolute hoot and not very PC which makes him even funnier.