23 Nov 19 Tortola (Road Town), British Virgin Islands

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in 2019. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).

Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

We woke before 7 am; MT got up first, as we approached the port. The weather forecast was Sunny 81° F/27° C.

MT Saturday, November 23 6:38 AM – Tortola – sunrise as ship approached port in Road Town (telephoto 79 mm).

MT 6:38 AM – Tortola – sunrise as ship approached port in Road Town (telephoto 140 mm).

Viking Map of Road Town Tortola, the key lists:

 1 Port

 2 Soper’s Hole [off map to left]

 3 Pusser’s Landing [off map to left]

 4 Old Government House Museum

 5 Sunday Morning Well

 6 St. Phillip’s Church [off map to right]

 7 Sugar Works Museum

 8 Maritime Museum [off map to right]

 9 Old Main Street

10 Her Majesty’s Prison

7:14 AM – Tortola – view from our balcony as ship approached port in Road Town.

MT 6:53 AM – Tortola – view from our balcony as ship approached port in Road Town (mild telephoto 53 mm).

MT 7:01 AM – Tortola – view from our balcony as ship approached port in Road Town (mild telephoto 50 mm).

7:15 AM – Tortola – view from our balcony as ship approached port in Road Town (farther right).

7:15 AM – Tortola – view from our balcony as ship approached port in Road Town (even farther right).

7:15 AM – Tortola – view from our balcony as ship approached port in Road Town (even farther right, with side of balcony).

7:15 AM – Tortola – view from our balcony back to east in direction from which we had sailed (with side of balcony).

We had ordered room service breakfast delivered at 7:30.

7:50 AM – Tortola – room service breakfast on tray in our room.

Viking Daily description of “Tortola (Road Town), British Virgin Islands”:

“Spread cross miles of gleaming azure waters, the British Virgin Islands cap the summits an peaks of a chain of dormant underwater volcanos. Their lush beauty is unmatched, and Tortola, the largest of the archipelago, is among the most stunning. Sailors have been skirting these shores for centuries. The famed pirates Blackbeard and Captain Kidd even took up residence here. With the arrival of colonists from England and, later, defeated loyalists from the thirteen colonies of the newly founded United States, the island’s sugar industry boomed. Today, the capital of Road Town rests on a picturesque horseshoe-shaped harbor where yachts mingle with simple fishing Boats and rainforest-clad hills rise up to a blue sky.”

Map of British Virgin Islands (Note: Anegada is farther away from the other islands than shown on this map) (By Hobe / Holger Behr - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3365485).

The British Virgin Islands (abbreviated BVI), officially simply the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The North Atlantic Ocean lies to the east of the islands and the Caribbean Sea to the west. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles and part of the West Indies. The BVI consist of four main islands (including Tortola) and 50 other smaller islands an cays. The islands had a population of about 28,000 at the 2010 Census, of which approximately 23,500 lived on Tortola; current estimates put the population at 35,802 (2018).

In 1493, Christopher Columbus named these islands “Santa Úrsula y las Once Mil Vírgenes” after the legend of St. Ursula and the 11,000 virgins. The name was later shortened to “the Virgin Islands.” The often-used prefix “British” is commonly believed to distinguish it from the neighboring US territory which changed its name from the “Danish West Indies” to “Virgin Islands of the United States” when the US purchases it in 1917.

The Spanish Empire claimed the islands by discovery in the early 16th century but never settled them. In subsequent years, the English, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Danish jostled for control of the region. However, pirates such as Blackbeard an Captain Kidd were the first permanent residents.

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands. The island has a population of 23,908, of which 9,400 reside in Road Town.

Local tradition says that Columbus named the island Tórtola, meaning “turtle dove” in Spanish. In fact, Columbus named it Santa Ana. The Dutch established a permanent settlement in the island in 1648, frequently clashing with the Spanish who were based on nearby Puerto Rico. The Dutch colonists called the island Ter Tholen, after Tholen, a coastal island that is part of the Netherlands. In 1672, the English captured Tortola from the Dutch, and the name evolved to Tortola. The majority of early settlers came in the late 18th century, when the English Crown gave loyalists from the Thirteen Colonies after the American Revolutionary War land grants here to encourage development. They brought slaves with them for the sugar industry that dominated Tortola’s economy for more than a century. In the early 19th century, after Britain abolished the international slave trade, the Royal Navy patrolled The Caribbean to intercept illegal slave ships, and liberated slaves from these ships were settled on Tortola. After the abolition of slavery in the British colonies in 1834, planters found it difficult to make a profit in the sugar industry. With the downturn in sugar agriculture, a large portion of the white landowning population left the BVI.

Road Town is the capital of the BVI. It is situated on the horseshoe-shaped Road Harbor in the center of the island’s south coast. The name is derived from the nautical term “the roads,” a place less sheltered than a harbor but which ships can easily get to. In 1853, a town-wide fire destroyed nearly every building in Road Town.

After breakfast, we disembarked to see a bit of Road Town on our own, before our (included) shore excursion in the afternoon.

In the Tortola Pier Park near the port, we were entertained by a man playing Caribbean steel drum music.

MT 9:30 AM (screen shot from Video) – Road Town: Tortola Pier Park - man playing Caribbean steel drum with recorded background music.

MT (video) 9:30 AM – Road Town: Tortola Pier Park - man playing Caribbean steel drum music.

Steel drums (also known, more correctly, as steel pans of pans) is a musical instrument that originated from Trinidad and Tobago. The modern pan is a chromatically pitched percussion instrument historically made from 55-gallon industrial drums that formerly contained oil or chemicals. Drum refers to the drum containers from which the pans are made; the steel drum is more correctly called a steel pan or pan as it falls into the idiophone family of instruments and so is not a drum (which is a membranophone). Nowadays, many instrument makers do not rely on used steel containers and get the resonance bodies manufactured according to their preferences and technical specifications. The note pattern is then marked onto the surface, and the notes of different sizes are shaped and molded into the surface. After tempering, the notes have to be softened and tuned. The pan is struck using a pair of straight sticks tipped with rubber.

Tortola Pier Park opened in 2015 with the mission to welcome visitors to the island in an  authentic way. Local artists, stilt walkers, authors, musicians, and storytellers gather here daily to practice their art and showcase the island’s cultural heritage in the long grassy area of the park surrounded by local boutiques and cafes.

On Old Main Street, we came to Her Majesty’s Prison, but we decided not to pay the $5 entrance fee to see the inside of the museum.

The official currency of the BVI has been the United States dollar (US$) since 1959, the currency also used by the US Virgin Islands (and also by Puerto Rico). Other islands we visited on this cruise used East Caribbean dollars (exchange rate US$ 0.37).

9:47 AM – Road Town: Her Majesty’s Prison; the sign (in English) to the right of the door at left reads: “H.M. Prison Museum.”

The oldest building in Road Town is Her Majesty’s Prison on Main Street, built in 1774. In 2011, the Premier and Minister of Tourism announced that the Government of the BVI would work on preserving an restoring historical sites. Following this, the refurbishment of the HM Prison as a museum started in 2014, and the museum was opened in 2016.

A bronze plaque nearby reads:

“HER MAJESTY’S PRISON

Built in 1774

This is the original prison and was in continual use until 1995.

Within the walls of the  prison the murderers were hanged and buried.

Arthur Hodge, a plantation owner, was sentenced for the murder of a slave and in 1811 he was hanged at the rear of the prison.”

Continuing on Main Street as it curved around to the northwest, we came to the Sunday Morning Well.

9:58 AM – Road Town: Sunday Morning Well – bronze plaque (in English) reads: “On August 1st, 1834, the Proclamation of Emancipation was read in the territory of the Virgin Islands proclaiming the 5,133 Negro slaves free. This historic site, popularly known as the Sunday Morning Well is one of the sites where the order was read, abolishing the English plantation slavery system.”

The Sunday Morning Well, located on Main Street, is the spot where, on August 1, 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act was first read aloud on the island. The proclamation gave freedom to slave workers on all of the BVI. This is  perhaps the most meaningful historic site in the BVI.

A 2008 article in “The BVI Beacon” says: “As the territory celebrated the August Emancipation Festival with pageantry, parades, and performances, residents should take time to remember the reason for the season. On Aug. 1, 1834, the Emancipation Proclamation was read at Road Town’s Sunday Morning Well, in churches, and in other locations around the islands.”

However, a 2017 report on “Virgin Islands news online” indicates that the Proclamation of Emancipation was NOT first read at the Sunday Morning Well. Local historians explain that it was actually read from the pulpits of two churches, the Methodist in Road Town and the Anglican on Virgin Gorda island. In 1834, it was not even called the Sunday Morning Well. It was just a trough for animals to be watered when they came in from the hills. The proclamation was read on a Monday, after which the liberated Africans decided they would have a celebration on the different plantations. They say that from then until now, the first Monday in August has been celebrated as Emancipation or Festival. The largest celebration and cultural event in the BVI is the Emancipation Festival, running from the end of July into early August.

Responses to this article by other readers contend that the Sunday Morning well was one of the sites where the Proclamation was read. Yes, it was read in the churches, but that was to the slave owners and other government officials. Slaves were not allowed to attend the churches. So, to the slaves, the site was wherever they heard that they were no longer slaves. The Sunday Morning Well is the most significant site to slaves and their descendants because it is one of the sites where their freedom was restored.

Others point out that there is no document called an “Emancipation Proclamation” for this territory. What is in existence is the proclamation of a holiday on August 1, 1834, which was most likely read aloud in churches.

The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 passed by Parliament abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. The act had its third reading in the house of Commons on July 26, 1833 and received the Royal assent on August 28, 1833. However it did not take effect until August 1, 1834.

9:59 AM – Road Town: Sunday Morning Well – view from east side, showing the bronze plaque.

9:59 AM – Road Town: Sunday Morning Well – view from north side.

After the well, we headed toward the nearby roundabout, from which we could take the James Walter Francis Highway back toward the port. On the way, we passed a farmers’ market.

MT 9:59 AM – Road Town: farmers’ market - very large avocados (compared to Don’s hand).

MT 10:00 AM – Road Town: farmers’ market - breadfruit (the lady selling them said they could be uses like potatoes).

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is species of flowering tree of the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) and its large fruits are a staple food of the South Pacific and other tropical areas. It is grown throughout the Caribbean. Breadfruit contains considerable amounts of starch and is seldom eaten raw. It may be roasted, baked, boiled, fried, or dried and ground into flour. Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread and having a potato-like flavor.

10:01 AM – Road Town: large white long-necked bird beside street, probably Fishlock Road, on the way to the roundabout.

10:01 AM (Cropped) – Road Town: large white long-necked bird beside street, probably Fishlock Road.

10:20 AM – Road Town: sign with map or Road Town (with compass incorrectly showing north in a direction that should be west, as on Viking map).

On the way back to the ship, we came again to Tortola Pier Park.

MT 10:17 AM – Road Town: MT and Don by sign at west end of Tortola Pier Park with “Welcome.”

10:30 AM – Road Town: “Come Again Soon” sign at east end of Tortola Pier Park near entrance to pier, where Viking Sea was docked along with Celebration Vitella and Marella cruise ships.

MT 10:24 AM – Road Town: MT and Don (seated) by other side of sign at east end of Tortola Pier Park with “Welcome.”

MT 10:25 AM – Road Town: MT and Don (seated and acting crazy) by other side of sign at east end of Tortola Pier Park with “Welcome.”

Back on the Viking Sea, we ate lunch at the World Café with a Canadian couple (Peter and wife) who go to Cuba in the Winter.

At 1:15, we went down to the pier for the (included) shore excursion “Tortola Scenic Tour & Beach,” starting at 1:30.

The Viking Cruise Documents described the 3-hour “Tortola Scenic Tour & Beach” excursion as follows:

“A Leisurely Drive and Soothing Dip

“Relax on ‘island time’ during this laid-back excursion to some of Tortola’s most scenic spots. Meet your guide and board an open air safari bus, heading out of road Town via Fort Hill and climbing through lush brush. Connect with ridge Road, which forms a spine along Tortola’s uppermost heights, with breathtaking views of azure waters and blankets of green wherever you look. Stop for photos and admire the spectacular views of the British Virgin Islands; you will also pass a vivid mural painted by local artists which depicts scenes of life after the islands’ emancipation from slavery in 1834. Next, continue west and descend to Cane Garden Bay, where you can relax on a palm-lined beach of crystal clear water and white sand. Enjoy a refreshment here along with free time to swim or grab a snack or drink at the restaurant and bar. Later, return to hour ship in Road Town.”

We were rather disappointed with this excursion since we only saw brief glimpses of the coast and nearby islands out the sides of the open-air bus and sometimes only from the other side of the bus. There were only a couple of places when the bus did “Stop for photos,” but still from the bus. The bus driver was also our guide, giving us some commentary by intercom from inside the cab. However, he made no comment when we passed the Sunday Morning Well as the bus headed east out of Road Town toward the Atlantic side of the island. The “leisurely drive” consisted of going up and down many hills, traveling downhill and around curves at fairly high speed, and honking the horn before going around blind curves. Some of the other passengers likened this to a roller coaster ride.

1:43 PM – Tortola: view of Atlantic from bus window.

1:44 PM – Tortola: view of Atlantic from bus window.

At one point, the driver actually stopped the bus for about 5 minutes.

1:47 PM – Tortola: view of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops).

1:47 PM – Tortola: view farther right of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops).

1:48 PM – Tortola: view farther right of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops).

1:50 PM – Tortola: view of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops).

1:50 PM – Tortola: view farther right of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops).

1:50 PM – Tortola: view of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops).

MT 1:42 PM – Tortola: view of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops) (mild telephoto 47 mm).

1:51 PM – Tortola: view of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops).

MT 1:42 PM – Tortola: view of Atlantic from bus window (this was at one of the brief stops) (mild telephoto 47 mm).

1:59 PM – Tortola: view back toward port in Road Town (through cab window), taken across bus to other side.

1:59 PM – Tortola: view back toward port in Road Town with cruise ship, taken across bus to open window on other side.

2:00 PM – Tortola: view of cruise ship (not ours, but viking Sea is behind it) in port in Road Town, taken with telephoto across bus to open window on other side (telephoto 119 mm).

MT 1:52 PM – Tortola: view of cruise ship (not ours, but viking Sea is behind it) in port in Road Town, taken with telephoto across bus to open window on other side (mild telephoto 50 mm).

2:05 PM – Tortola: mango tree from bus window (mild telephoto 56 mm).

2:07 PM – Tortola: view from ridge back to Atlantic side from bus window.

2:08 PM – Tortola: view from ridge back to Atlantic side from bus window.

Along the Ridge Road, we passed a long series of murals painted on a concrete retaining wall, unfortunately on the other side of the bus.

2:10 PM – Tortola: view of series of roadside murals, taken by Don holding his camera outside the right side of the bus and across the top of the cab (which, like other safari buses on the island, said “Taxi”).

2:13 PM – Tortola: view of mural of “Cutting Sugar Cane,” taken across bus to window on other side.

2:13 PM (Cropped) – Tortola: view of mural of “Cutting Sugar Cane,” taken across bus to window on other side.

As the bus headed back toward the Caribbean side, we began to get glimpses of Toad Town down below.

2:18 PM – Tortola: view back toward harbor in Road Town from bus window.

2:18 PM – Tortola: view back toward harbor in Road Town from bus window.

2:28 PM – Tortola: view back toward harbor in Road Town from across bus to window on other side.

2:37 PM – Tortola: view back toward harbor in Road Town and nearby islands, with telephoto from across bus to window on other side (telephoto 105 mm).

Then, we came to Sage Mountain, the highest point on the tour route.

2:41 PM – Tortola: sign for Sage Mountain National Park and with arrow pointing down to Cane Garden Bay, with telephoto from across bus to window on other side (telephoto 93 mm).

2:48 PM – Tortola: view from bus window back to Atlantic side, appearing to be black-and-white photo (telephoto 93 mm).

Then we began to approach Cane Barden Bay.

Cane Garden Bay is situated on the north shore of Tortola, about 5 miles west of Road Town. The long, lovely bay is sheltered from heavy winds. Its northwestern beach, with turquois water, it is the center of activity in the BVI and on Tortola. Its beauty is often compared to Magen’s Bay on St. Thomas.

2:53 PM – Tortola: view of Cane Garden Bay, taken over the cab by holding camera outside of bus; blue sign is for “Welcome to Cane Garden Bay.”

Before stopping at the bay, the bus made a stop around 3 pm at the Callwood Distillery.

2:59 PM – Tortola: our open-air tour bus (blue) parked approaching Callwood Distillery.

3:00 PM – Tortola: MT, our driver/guide (white shirt), and others of our tour group (Viking Sea 38) at Callwood Distillery.

3:00 PM – Tortola: MT, or driver/guide (white shirt), and others of our tour group headed for entrance of Callwood Distillery.

3:01 PM – Tortola: sign near entrance for “Callwood Distillery – Site of a sugar plantation and rum distillery. For over 400 years rum has been produced and sold here. The original boiler is still operational.” (telephoto 72 mm).

3:01 PM – Tortola: Callwood Distillery: MT and our driver/guide just inside door; sign on shelf inside said: “No pictures allowed inside before buying a bottle of rum or pay a fee of $2.00” (so Don stayed outside for this photo).

Sometime between 3:15 and 4 pm, we stopped at Cane Garden Bay for brief swimming on the beach (MT went in, but Don stayed on beach), and the bus driver/guide gave each of us a coupon for a free rum punch drink. We took no photos while there.

4:12 PM – Tortola: view of Cane Garden Bay from bus back to beach after swim.

4:21 PM – Tortola: view, from our front-row seat through front bus window over cab, toward port in Road Town, as bus prepared to go down another steep hill and around a curve.

4:21 PM – Tortola: view, from our front-row seat through front bus window over cab, toward port in Road Town, as bus went down another steep hill and around a series of curves.

4:22 PM – Tortola: view, from moving bus with telephoto, of port in Road Town, with Viking Sea and another cruise ship behind it (telephoto 93 mm).

4:23 PM – Tortola: view, taken by holding camera out right side of bus, of port in Road Town, as bus prepared to go around another downhill curve.

4:24 PM – Tortola: view of port in Road Town (when bus stopped, doctor in row behind us on the left side took photo for us).

4:34 PM – Tortola: Road Town - view, across near our ship, of our tour bus and the hills we must have traversed on the tour.

We got back to the Viking Sea around 4:30, too late for the Port Talk for Basseterre, St. Kitts, which had started at 4:30. We showered and went to dinner at 5:30 in the Restaurant but found it didn’t open until 6 pm. Then meal service was very slow and took until 7:30 to eat. So we had to forget about the 6:45 “The ABBA Songbook” concert by the Viking Sea Singers and just went to our room.