13 April Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands Where the USD Is King

Yes here we are in the BVI where the local currency is the USD. Not that it matters too much. This was a tender port i.e. we didn’t dock and for some reason Viking tendered us in to a tourist dock a taxi cab ride away from the only town, Spanish Town, on the island. Our tour today was another catamaran ride with an opportunity to see how the rich and famous live when not aboard the yachts we saw at St Barts. There were some spectacular homes ala Architectural Digest. We never got close enough for good pictures, but wealth spent on each was easy to see. It was difficult to imagine how construction materials and craftsmen arrived at some of the sites. What the camera could capture was the blue of the sea. Spectacular!!

Masks required to enter any of the stores. We weren't told, so we saved a lot of money. No souvenir T-Shirts from here.

This guy really moved across the water

The Baths-- Huge boulders that in many places cover tidal pools.

Not quite as large as those in St Barts

Richard Branson Resort under construction

Beach stop. No swimming due to rough seas

We also saw the baths. Huge boulders ejected from the local, now inactive, volcano. It was your average river stone rock garden times 100.

We stopped at a resort port as well as a beach to stretch our legs. Rough surf warnings prohibited swimming. A warning heeded by everyone at every beach we passed. The resort port was nice. Danny Edmunds our Expedition Leader (The Cruise Director equivalent) did not remind us that masks are mandatory here so we could not enter any of the shops.

We returned to the ship wind blown and salty from the spray. Today we had an antigen nasal swab required for our arrival back in the USA at San Juan. Results are provided in advance of our arrival. After it was lunch time and a nap. All the fresh air, keeping your sea legs on the catamaran, not to mention a rum punch while on board are very tiring.

After dinner there was a sing along in the Explorer Lounge with Elmer, Scott, Dani, and James. It was by far the largest crowd we’ve seen to date. Great fun was had by all with songs as old as Fly Me To The Moon, Beatles, and the almost mandatory YMCA.

I’ve got to add that the information about shore excursions and local requirements has been infrequent, inaccurate or simply not given. In today’s briefing about the immigration process for tomorrow in San Juan, Mr. Edmunds was unable to answer some basic questions. Do we need proof of COVID vaccination? Do we need to complete the VERIFLY app? Will we go through immigration and customs in New York? How difficult is the rain forest hike? The last is frequent question after the very difficult climb/hike Tet Paul Nature Trail, in Soufrière, St Lucia. He failed in every case to give a helpful response, nor did he offer to get a definitive answer.