BVI's # 2 Virgin Gorda

The Baths, Virgin Gorda

Finally, winds have diminished and we are off to the famous "Baths" on the southern tip of Virgin Gorda.

 

The Baths comprise unique, large boulders stacked up to six storeys high, with tidal pools , caves, grottos and hidden beaches interspersed.

They are one of the world's most famous rock formations, and certainly the most visited, and often the busiest sight in the Virgins, but well worth the visit. As busy as the anchorage appears with visiting boat traffic, there are many more visitors arriving by car or bus.

Violent volcanic events many millions of years ago formed the beginings of the Virgin Islands. Earthquakes followed millions of years later, pushing the granite formations above the ocean floor, forming some of what we see today. The smoothness of the boulders we see today is created partially by weathering, but mostly by the reaction to carbonic acid, when rain water is mixed with naturally occurring carbon dioxide.

There are mooring balls available, if you fortunate and arrive early, but the majority of boats anchor and dinghy ashore.  The dinghy mooring area is clearly marked, and like most folks,

Alan disembarked passegers on the beach and returned the dinghy to the mooring area, then swam/snorkelled ashore to join us. The surge was still strong, requiring that dinghy operators be strong swimmers.

As we explored the rock and pool formations, we arrived at Devil's Bay beach, which on this particular day was much calmer, and easier to land a dinghy on the beach for drop off and pick up.

We enjoyed a glorious day exploring this magnificent treasure, followed by a dip in Devil's Bay to cool off before reversing the trek and heading back to the dinghy.

The trail through the rocks and grottos is well marked, and narrow at times, necessitating single file traffic at times. It is pretty straight forward, and safe, but having to climb a small ladder and scale up a rock using the rope rail to pull one self up means that this part of the trail is not handicap accessible.

Previously I have written of the nudity here in the BVI's, and the Baths were no exception. As my sister and I emerged out of one of the grottos, into one of the  pools, a man ("Willy Wanker") emerged from behind a rock (somewhat younger than the bathing beauties at Gorda Sound)  but still not what I expected to see here in busy paradise.He was proudlysporting just his sun hat and a "woody" as he exited from behind a rock. Not sure what he was up to and certainly not wishing to find out, we continued through to the next grotto.

Before heading back to the boat, we visited Mad Dog's for a libation.



Other than Mad Dog's beach bar, T shirt and hot dog vendors, there are no services ashore. The Top of the Baths restaurant is a walk/climb above, but we did not make the climb.

Gorda Sound and Bitter End Yacht Club (BEYC)
Waiting for winds and swell to disipate, we spent the next two days in Gorda Sound, and once again witnessed the bathing Beauties......I mean old boys. This time one was wearing a bathing suit, but dropped it around his ankles as he cleansed his parts with the hand held shower. Note to self, when chartering a rental boat, disinfect the shower head. You never know where it has been!
Super Bowl Sunday commenced with a tasty breakfast buffet.

We later toured the resort grounds in an effort to walk off some of the excess calories consumed.

As members of AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruising Association, we proudly fly our burgee. While relaxing aboard, we heard someone calling Kaos from the dinghy. Upon further investigation, it was Mike and Jeannie Linden from Jeannie Marie. We met them in 2007 while cruising the "Loop". They were chartering a boat with friends and recognised the burgee and the boat while on a shore excursion for provisions. It is always fun to catch up with fellow cruisers, and this once again demonstrated the benefits of flying an association burgee.

We watched the game aboard, with about half of the group happy with the outcome.
A breezy morning greeted us as we unhooked the mooring ball, at Cooper Island, and heading off to the famous "baths" on Virgin Gorda. Wind continued to build, causing uncomfortable short chop on top of the ocean swell, making for a less than comfortable ride. Conditions made a visit to the "baths" untenable, and since one of our guests was turning slowly green, we decided to cruise the coast looking for a calm bay. After cruising numerous bays and upscale resorts, it was determined that North Sound on Virgin Gorda was the only area of shelter in this part of the islands. As we entered the Sound, our ride and comfort improved dramatically, and passenger John began to feel human again.

As we secured our mooring line, we were greeted with more nudity. Two older men on the sail boat directly in front of us appeared naked and proceeded to shower off the stern of their boat. Not a sight I choose to remember.