Tortola 18:24N 64:36W
Lotus
Sun 31 Jan 2010 15:16
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Over the next couple of days we visited some of the
smaller islands and did lots of snorkelling and some diving. We
anchored up off Marina Cay and went ashore to the restaurant where we dined out
on dry chicken, dry fish, a couple of prawns and a dry mixed grill which took
what seemed like hours to arrive, perhaps they wanted to make sure all the food
was thoroughly dried out before serving it.
One of the dives we did was on the 'Wreck of the
Rhone' considered to be one of the worlds best wreck dives. Unfortunately,
Guy couldn't dive this site as he was flying the next day, but he and Ann
snorkelled above and Ann chased a turtle. The wreck was a 310 foot royal
mail steam ship that sank in 1865 and it was chocker block with life, the
big schools of snappers and squirrel fish just hanging in the water under
overhanging parts of the wreck were particularly cool. Guy lent us his
underwater camera but the photos don't really do it justice.
 
  
  We beam reached at 7 knots over to Hodges Creek
where we'd pre booked a marina berth so that we could have our Satellite
phone charger sent there from the UK. When we arrived nobody knew anything
about us, the satellite phone charger or how to run a marina. We were left
to find our own berth and with internet access we were soon able to track
our missing parcel. We said a tearful farewell to Guy and Ann who,
everything going to plan, will soon be moving to pastures new over in New
Zealand. After tidying the boat once the messy pups had left, (we couldn't
believe it took three days!) we set off to Road Town and the DHL
office. Having retrieved our satellite phone charger we spent a chilled
day having lunch and a mooch around the town. In the evening we went
ashore to the local Bat Cave bar via a Canadian boat who gave us shelter when
there was a sudden downpour enroute. The bar man in the Bat Cave looked
very familiar and imagine our surprise to see Nathan (aka Mr get your
sugared almonds, off Keswick market), who moved on from Keswick with his
wife Sue about a year ago. Nathan got us very drunk on 'Pain
Killers', a cocktail of Rum, orange, Rum, pineapple, Rum, more Rum and a
bit of coconut and whilst I arranged a trip out with Nathan and his misses
next week John discussed conspiracy theories about 9-11 with some Americans who
on first appearances were quite sane.
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