Spanish Town / Prickly Pear, USA cruise port guide

Cruising in the azure waters of the British Virgin Islands (B.V.I.) has been popular for a long time. Although Virgin Gorda boasts a small airport, it seems that most of the visitors prefer arriving by sea - aboard their own yacht or on one of the ferryboats from Tortola or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Virgin Gorda is also a popular call for cruise vessels. Columbus discovered the islands in 1493, an archipelago consisting of some 60 small islets and rocky outcrops of which Tortola and Virgin Gorda are the largest ones. After a frequent change of hands, ranging from the Spaniards to the Dutch and some notorious pirates in between, the British took over in the 17th century and still retain control to this day. As a Crown Colony the B.V.I. have a governor who is appointed by the Queen. The British established a plantation economy and developed the sugar industry with slaves to work the cane fields. When slavery was abolished in 1838, the plantations deteriorated and many of the Europeans returned home. In the 1960s, the beginnings of a profitable tourist industry got under way when Laurence Rockefeller established Little Dix resort. He foresaw that the islands’ balmy weather, powder-soft beaches and splendid sailing opportunities would make them an ideal holiday destination. Although the B.V.I. are only a short distance from the U.S. Virgin Islands, they are vastly different in character. The slow and restorative pace is perfect for visitors who want to get away from it all and simply enjoy the pleasures of this small hideaway. The British Virgin Islanders, too, love their unspoiled tropical home and are determined to maintain its easygoing way of life. Seven-mile-long Virgin Gorda has a population of about 2,500; the majority lives in the relatively flat southern portion. The northern half is mountainous; 1,370-foot Gorda Peak is the highest point on the island. Virgin Gorda’s chief attraction, The Baths, lies in the island’s southern part near the tiny capital of Spanish Town. The Baths consist of enormous boulders that form natural pools and underwater caves – an attraction seldom missed by visitors to the area.