A Mother of Courage:

In the early 1960's Mrs. Marie  Penn would take her 3 boys to the doctor for their 60day medical check up.  The Local Hospital was in Road Town Tortola British Virgin Islands. Today this hospital is known as the Peebles Hospital, Road Town.  The Penn's lived in West End Tortola 5-6 miles as the crow flies from Peebles Hospital.  The only form of transport for Mrs. Penn in those days was the small family rowboat.  Come rain or shine the boys were loaded into the small rowboat and Mom would row all the way to Peebles Hospital, against the wind and she would not let any of the boys do one paddle, they were too small and she was a mother working for her family. This went on for 10 years and at that time Mrs. Penn would have been 67 years old. The boys Belto 11,  Reiss 5 and Sally 9.  

In those days the channel Mrs. Penn rowed up was called the Virgins Gangway, but was named The Sir Francis Drake cannel by Queen Elizabeth 11  in 1966.   Once the doctor had seen the boys they would get back into the rowboat, raise a small home made 4x4 mast and sail, then relax.  They would happily enjoy the gentle pull of the trade wind back home.  In March 23 1966 Queen Elizabeth officially named West End Tortola SOPERS HOLE, as well as naming the Queen Elizabeth Bridge which connects Tortola to Beef island.  The road which now connects West End to Road Town Tortola is named The Sir Francis Drake Highway.   Had the queen know of Mrs. Penns 60 day adventure to the clinic for her boys she would surely have been knighted,  Lady Marie Penn. Provide by Mr. Reiss Penn.