Tortola Christmas 2023 - Day 4: Cane Garden Bay, Virgin Gorda

It rained last night, and was threatening more this morning, but by the time we ate breakfast at the house and loaded up the car, it had mostly cleared up.

First, we zipped up the road along the northern coast to Cane Garden Bay. We'd had it on good authority (from Kina, and Cruise Mapper that there was only a single cruise ship in port today, and a (relatively) small one at that [~1000 passengers], so it seemed like a good day to go to one of the most popular spots on the island.

We encountered some light rain on the drive, but the clouds gave way quickly and the view coming down the hill into the bowl of the bay was lovely.

According to our (admittedly limited) research, the CGB area, as I've just decided we should call it, would have something for everyone: Jeanne, Sabrina, and Lauren could go enjoy the beach while Rudy, Steve, and I checked out the Callwood Rum Distillery. And then there were plenty of beach bars/restaurants if someone wanted lunch or whatever.

We parked in some random lot that looked like a parking lot, adjacent to where the pickup-truck taxis were loading/unloading cruise passengers.

I only had a vague idea where the distillery was, and we didn't see anything obvious on the drive in, so we walked a scant 1/4 of a mile back the way we'd come in, looking for a road that led inland.

The first road we found looked promising, until we followed it a bit and found nothing but goats and some houses.

Back at the main road, we found a sign for the distillery just past our wrong turn. Still nothing obviously resembling a distillery. I knew the Callwood operation was small, so it could be just behind this derelict boat.

It was smaller than expected. If a taxi full of cruise tourists hadn't been leaving when we arrived, I'm not sure we would have believed this was the place. It turns out the building is about 400 years old, though, and they've apparently tried to keep it in original condition.

The sole employee led us inside, where he seemed happy to give up his well-rehearsed spiel and administer a few $1-for-all-5 tastings. 10:20 AM seemed a bit early for rum, but we didn't want to upset him.

While making smalltalk, he lamented the fact that many of the cruise tourists were older and on medication that prevented them from drinking alcohol. The entire operation could probably fit in a 3-car garage, including their barrel racks. The photos on the website show them running a still outdoors. It was a neat little place, and I'm glad we took the time and effort to find it.

Leaving Callwood, we started at the absolute end of CGB beach and began a search pattern to locate the shorter half of our party.

There were indeed plenty of sand-adjacent fine-dining locations, but none of them seemed to be open (yet?).

Having reconvened the fellowship, we enjoyed about an hour at the beach and in the water. The waves were not as rough here, and there was no lateral current, unlike there had been at Smuggler's Cove.

I think we left CGB around 11:30 AM; we had to get the rest of the way across Tortola, to Beef Island, to catch a 1 PM ferry. The views along Ridge Road were lovely. Everyone loved the steep hills and sharp curves, especially Jeanne.

Once we found the short bridge the Beef Island, we circled around to the back of the small airport to find the ferry terminal.

We were about 15 minutes early, so a few of us admired the Mokes in the parking lot. This one was going to need some TLC, I suspect.

This one had been converted to electric, as Rudy discovered when he inexplicably popped the hood.

Other people used the downtime for more productive tasks, as usual.

I was admiring the other vessels using the port. I can't remember why we decided to use the human ferry instead of the car ferry; I think the details were scarce, and the schedule very limited. If we were to do it again, I might try harder to find that info. It does look a bit sketchy, though.

The people ferry, operated by Speedy's, was simply a joy, however. Not only was it nearly empty (except for packages, luggage, and other small cargo), but they also gave us complimentary punch or egg nog, turkey or ham sandwiches, and some sort of king cake.

Unlike the ferry from St. Thomas to Tortola, this one had a large rooftop seating area, although it was nearly empty. The extreme wind might've had something to do with that. Nobody else would join me, and I didn't last long.

That hat is strapped on. I learned my lesson (twice) on other boats, over the years.

In addition to the snacks and drinks, they were also running a free Christmas raffle. Since we were approximately 50% of the passengers, Sabrina won. The prize was a free round-trip ticket; we had already paid. (Also I think it explicitly says "on a future voyage" or something. Maybe we'll have to come back?)

We had opted for the ferry-and-taxi combo deal, which included transport by pickup-truck-taxi (think: 5 or 6 bench seats with side rails and a roof, bolted onto the back of an F250. These are common in BVI, and we had seen them elsewhere in USVI, too).

It was only about 2 miles from the ferry terminal to our destination. I got some of the best views of the local cactus that I'd seen, on that ride. Being very high up helps.

That destination was "The Baths", about which we had done almost zero research, beyond multiple personal recommendations.

The red flag was flying above the ticket office, so the beaches were technically closed for swimming. We didn't know there were beaches, so this was no real loss for us.

We followed the suggested, one-way route around the loop trail. The start of it was hot, sunny, and full of cactus. There were some complaints about the weather conditions. But it wasn't raining, so I'll take the win.

As one does in the tropics, we saw plenty of lizards on the trail. They were larger here than the ones we encounter, hunting for bugs back at the villa. They were also not shy. There's no zoom in the reptile photos here; they just let me get that close, and it's not like I was stealthy. Lauren, in particular, would have preferred that they were more shy.

Some of the cactus were very tall; Steve for scale.

We were nominally looking for "The Baths", but first, we encountered Devil's Bay.

This is where some of the beaches were, but the signs were all "swim at your own risk" anyway; it was a bit of a hike to get out here, and there certainly weren't any lifeguards.

I didn't exactly "swim", but I certainly went most of the way into the water to cool off. The surf was violent enough to dissuade me, more than any red flag could have.

I guess maybe we went in the wrong side of Devil's Bay, because we didn't find this fancy sign until we were leaving. But we followed the recommended "one way trail", so it's a bit confusing.

Not much past The Bay, we found the start of The Baths.

There were several tunnels under the enormous boulders, like this, where one could squeeze/limbo through and find a tranquil pool on the far side. The barrier of boulders stopped the raging surf, but still let in enough seawater to keep it cool and refreshing.

There was an area that might've been good for a swim, on a calmer day, where a 15 or 20 people were testing their luck, or watching others test theirs. We did not venture out onto the rocks, or into the churning currents.

To continue on the trail, we all had to limbo through this passage; some people cheated by being short.

The rest of the trail, rated as "moderate" on the sign, was a winding maze of ladders, bridges, water crossing, and rock-passage squeezing.

We occasionally stopped to let a group pass us, or for someone going the wrong way, as we were in no particular hurry and wanted to enjoy the amazing natural scenery.

In places where it wasn't obvious which way to go, there were green arrows painted on the rock. They were also there in a few spots where it was very obvious where the trail was.

Once we escaped from the boulder maze, we found the beaches that were closed with the red flag.

A few of us attempted to wash our shoes in the battering surf, before Steve came back to inform us that there were foot-rinse stations up ahead.

We had about an hour until the return ride to the ferry, and we'd worked up quite an appetite a thirst, so we made a water stop at the Top of the Baths. While there, we also had a round of cold drinks and hot snacks.

Our fancy wristbands were all we needed to get back on the truck-taxi, around 5 PM, as the clouds started to roll in.

Back at the ferry terminal, we sat in the shade and admired the tenacity of this family of chickens, while waiting for the barely-organized chaos of the port to clear up. The 5 PM to Road Town hadn't yet left, and people were trying to load cargo as passengers were departing on the small pier. There was a queue for the Beef Island boat, and employees kept asking us which ferry we were taking.

Eventually, the earlier ferry departed, and all the remained was a snarl of vehicles trying to pick up and deliver packages and cargo to and from the same boat, simultaneously. Some people resorted to rolling a cart down the pier, while some opted to drive it. Smaller packages were piled unceremoniously on the pavement, presumably awaiting pickup.

Our return voyage didn't include any snacks, although I'm not sure any of us looked for them. There was another Christmas raffle, but we didn't win because there were more than 12 people on the vessel this time.

Back on Tortola, we navigated the post-ferry rush as the sun was setting, then drove practically the entire length of the island back to where we're staying. We opted to head through Road Town and take the coast road, rather than stay on the ridge road, what with the crazy roads and the darkness.

Having reached the relative calm of the West End of the island (Road Town was a Christmas-light-adorned hive of activity), we stopped for dinner at Tramonti (casual waterfront mediterranean place adjacent to a boutique hotel). It was quite good, and surprisingly speedy service, so we were back at the villa at a reasonable hour.

Here, you catch a rare glimpse of the tour guides hard at work, sorting through photos and discussing plans for tomorrow.

The consensus is that we've probably had enough adventure for now, so tomorrow will be a slower-paced beach sort of day. Perhaps it will be the nearby Long Bay Beach, upon which we have not yet stepped despite it being at the bottom of the hill and visible from the many decks here.