We received 6 brand new boards (11′ and 12′ boards in 31′ wide and 4.5′ thick – a bit less volume than the Fanatic ones and good for intermediate paddlers) last week and decided to take them to Virgin Gorda on our Powerboat Rock Hoppin’.

Virgin Gorda is the third-largest (after Tortola and Anegada) and second most populous of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Located at approximately 18 degrees, 48 minutes North, and 64 degrees, 30 minutes West, it covers an area of about 8 square miles (21 km2). Christopher Columbus is said to have named the island “The Fat Virgin”, because the island’s profile on the horizon looks like a fat woman lying on her side.

It was just voted 3rd best island in the Caribbean Bahamas and Bermuda by the readers of Travel+Leisure Magazine.

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The Baths on Virgin Gorda

The Baths are the key attraction on Virgin Gorda. They are  a sublime jumbled collection of sky-high granite boulders by the sea. The rocks are made of volcanic java from about 70 million years ago and form a series of grottoes that fill with water and shafts of kaleidoscopic sunlight and look truly otherworldly.

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When we do day trips to the Baths from St. John, we usually drop the people of close to the shore, they can swim in and climb around the boulders and we pick them up one beach down. While it is great to climb and walk around the boulders, exploring them on a paddleboard is a totally amazing experience.

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Lucy had great fun exploring The Baths, Devil’s Bay and Spring Bay on the new 11′ board which is great for sporty ladies (the 12′ is better for the guys). Many people choose a day of island hoppin going from Virgin Gorda to Norman and Jost van Dyke, but with a paddleboard you might consider spending the full day exploring Virgin Gorda. You can explore the boulders from both sea and land and then had to Coco Maya or The Rock Cafe for some food.

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There are more photos from this adventures on our Faceboook Page