10. Off to Virgin Gorda (Mick)

Time to switch islands. After a great week on Tortola we had to catch the midday ferry from Roadtown to Spanishtown on Virgin Gorda. Our taxi driver was great, like all the locals we've met, he was proud of Tortola and keen to tell us about it. First up was the racetrack, which we'd seen on our drive to Sage Mountain but had assumed to be an athletics track. I asked him how they got the horses to run in this heat and he said it was no problem, they loved it, went swimming in the sea every day. He also showed us the power station and explained how they got their electricity (all from imported diesel), why they'd changed their currency to the US dollar (the majority of their exports go to the US Virgin Islands) and how different the USVI are (St. John's is the "New York of the Caribbean", six times the population per square foot compared to the BVI). I was tempted to get him to take us round the island but we had a boat to catch.

The ferry was a hydrofoil so very quick and smooth. It was lovely and cool, reminded us that really the best way to manage the heat of the Caribbean is to be out on the water.

We also had a great view of the smaller islands as we crossed - Peter, Salt, Cooper and our favourite of course, Ginger, for you sir, a deal at just $20million.