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April 27, 2005
N18.3 W64.3 Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
We left Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten at the 4:30pm swing bridge opening, during which we discovered that our spedometer was not working. It is a wee paddlewheel on the bow of the boat, which is removed from inside the boat, while water rushes in. What an experience. It is important because if we loose electronics and no sight of land, it really is the only way to tell where we are (speed plus direction = position). Especially at night.
It was an uneventful trip with little sleep. We had better than expected winds, and arrived before first light. The passage through to the bay where we have anchored is very rocky and narrow, so we sailed for a bit until the sun rose.
After anchoring, we did laundry! Ahhh, we love laundry day. All the rain in St Kitts and Sint Maarten soaked most of our clothes, which lay in a heap on the floor in the forward cabin. So, we left the laundry to dry on the boat and came to shore to check email, etc.
We will return for a lovely snooze in the breeze. And maybe a cold beer, too. It must be noon somewhere?
Columbus discovered the Virgin Islands on his second voyage, when he stopped off St Croix for fresh water. He named the islands ‘The Virgins” after St Ursula and her 11,000 virgins, who, threatened by the marauding Huns in 4th century Cologne, died rather than submit to pagan assault. The islands’ strategic geographic position quickly became important for trade. Annexed to England in the 17th century, the British Virgin Islands became separately administered from the rest of the British West Indies in 1956.
Posted by dave at April 27, 2005 12:43 PM