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| With the arrangements made and the "waiting time"
passed it was now time to depart for our week of sailing the British Virgin
Islands. Anne and I, flying courtesy of US Air frequent flyer miles, would
take a puddle jumper to BWI for the nonstop flight to St. Thomas. There
we would meet Ken and Darla for the short ferry ride to Road Town, Tortolla,
BVI. Jim and Cheryl would be there waiting for us, and Mike and Janet
would join us the following day. The ferry ride between St. Thomas and Road Town, BVI is short, a little over an hour, and gives you a chance to sit back, catch some ocean breezes and enjoy the sights of the islands. You get a good feel for the beauty of the US and British Virgin Islands. Admittedly the boats used, for the most part, do not instill a great feeling of safety, but they get the job done. Arriving in Road Town we cleared customs and immigration in a few minutes and jumped in a waiting taxi for the short ride to the Prospect Reef Hotel, our home for the next three days. Anne and I were well acquainted with the Prospect Reef Hotel having stayed there on a previous trip. We checked in and made our way to the room where we found our first problem ... no air conditioning! Now, mind you, this wasn't a problem for Anne and I, but Ken had it in his mind that he needed the air conditioning. Of course he really didn't, but that didn't keep him from changing rooms. With that settled we met Jim and Cheryl and made arrangements for dinner. It seems that since we had all been to the island before we each had our own ideas as to the best restaurant on the island. So we agreed we'd go to one couple's choice each night. Yes, eating is something this group does often and well. |
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 Prospect Reef Hotel's Salt Water Pool |
The Prospect Reef Hotel is a series of separate buildings located next to the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Jim and Cheryl's room and our room were in the same building and when party time arrived it was easy to get from our room to theirs ... all you needed to do was walk across the roof and you were there! -> |  Me negotiating the roof walk between Jim and Cheryl's and my room |
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Why is it when this group gathers it always seems to be at a dinner table? We started our days on Tortolla at the buffet breakfast at the hotel.
I must admit the Sugar Mill Inn, Ken and Darla's choice, was by far the best restaurant we visited during our stay on Tortolla No, we didn't just eat while on Tortolla. We took advantage of all the pleasures that the island had to offer. On our taxi ride over to meet Mike and Janet at Cane Garden Bay we enjoyed some magnificent views of the Tortolla, the Sir Francis Drake Channel and the islands in the distance. |
 Road Town Harbor and Peter Island across the Sir Francis Drake Channel |
Taking a taxi from our hotel to the other side of the island we met
Ralph, a friendly taxi driver. He would become our chauffeur for our remaining
days on Tortolla. The six of us piled into Ralph's taxi and headed over
the mountain for a day in the surf at Cane Garden Bay. Ralph was accommodating
and made sure he stopped at all the good spots for us to enjoy some magnificent
views of the island. I have to admit though, I was a bit nervous when
he'd pull over to the side of the road right next to the edge with a considerable
vertical drop. No, I'm not much of a rider I'm more of a driver. Tortolla is a tropical island with lush green vegetation and mountains in the center of the island. |
 Cane Garden Bay |
 Mike and Janet waving from the surf at Cane Garden Bay |
 Cane Garden Bay |
The southern coast of Tortolla, where Road Town and our hotel are located, is not known for it's beaches. To find the beautiful beaches you must travel to the north coast. One of the more popular beaches for land based tourists is Cane Garden Bay. Cane Garden Bay has everything a Sun worshipper would want: A beautiful white sand beach, exquisite surf, pretty scenery with Jost Van Dyke not far away, and lots of restaurants and bars. Naturally we spent some time frolicking in the surf then headed off to a restaurant for lunch and some cool refreshments, "Pain Killers" was the natural choice for everyone. |  A Patriotic Jim |
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