| Other islands of the British Virgin Islands |
| Beef Island |
| Beef Island is an island in the British Virgin Islands. It is located to the east of Tortola, and the two islands are connected by the Queen Elizabeth Bridge. Beef Island is the site of the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (IATA code EIS), the main commercial airport that serves Tortola and the rest of the British Virgin Islands. |
| Trellis Bay is a short walk east of the airport. Trellis Bay is a small town (market, restaurant, coffee shop, local crafts) and beach. Long Bay is west of the airport. |
| In 2007, a major development on Beef Island was made subject to delays after challenges from an environmentalist group calling itself the British Virgin Islands Conservation Group. The proposed five-star hotel with a golf course and marina was proposed for development near Hans Creek, on the south east side of the island. After a judicial review, the British Virgin Islands court ordered the project suspended whilst the legal review was undertaken. |
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| Cooper Island |
Cooper Island is a small island of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. There are four privately owned properties on the island, plus a small beach club resort.
The island lies adjacent to "wreck alley", a popular wreck diving site in the British Virgin Islands where a number of vessels have been deliberately sunk as dive sites. A local dive store near the beach club rents tanks to certified scuba divers. |
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| Dead Chest Island |
Dead Chest Island is little more than a large rock outcropping located just under one half mile north east (0.4 miles at 27 degrees true) of Deadman's Bay on Peter Island, British Virgin Islands.
It is uninhabited, has no fresh water or trees and only sparse vegetation. It was formerly used as a firing range by the Royal Virgin Islands Police, but the opening of the nearby hotel on Peter Island coincided with the decision to build a proper firing range on the island of Tortola.
Deadman's Bay earned its name from a story where the infamous pirate Blackbeard left several of his crew on this island with nothing except a bottle of rum as punishment.
When the sailors tried to swim off of the deserted island to Peter Island, they perished.
It has also been suggested the island's name is related to the sea shanty "Dead man's chest", probably first written by Robert Louis Stevenson for his novel Treasure Island.
Stevenson found the name "Dead Man's Chest" in a book by Charles Kingsley and said "Treasure Island came out of Kingsley's At Last: A Christmas in the West Indies (1871); where I got the 'Dead Man's Chest' - that was the seed".
The island is now an uninhabited National Park, with several popular Scuba diving and snorkeling sites. |
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| Fallen Jerusalem & Broken Jerusalem |
Fallen Jerusalem (30ac/12ha) has been designated as a national park. Lying just 0.5mi/0.80km southwest of Virgin Gorda, Fallen Jerusalem makes for a good day trip for those looking to escape the crowds. Fallen Jerusalem is named for the large granite boulders scattered around the island that seem to be ruins of an ancient city, resembling building foundations and clearly defined roads.
The north side of the island offers boat moorings, and there are a few beaches to choose from for swimming and sunbathing. If calm weather permits, the fringe of the island presents good snorkelling opportunities. Birds such as boobies, terns, pelicans, noddies and gulls nest and can be spotted on Fallen Jerusalem. |
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| Ginger Island |
| Ginger Island is a presently uninhabited island of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. It is one of the last undeveloped privately held islands in the Territory. It is the location of two of the better dive sites in the British Virgin Islands: "Alice in Wonderland" and "Ginger Steppes". |
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| Great Camanoe |
| Great Camanoe is a small island located just north of Beef Island and northeast of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which forms part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. |
| Great Camanoe is primarily a residential island, divided into two residential communities, Indigo Plantation and The Privateers, both on the southern half of the island. Access to the island is by boat only. Visitors often anchor at Lee Bay or Cam Bay, a national park and good snorkeling site. |
| Great Camanoe was named after Pieter Adriensen (whose nickname was "the Commander", from which Camanoe is derived), who was effectively second in command of the Territory during the 1630s, when his brother, Abraham Adriensen, was appointing Patron of the British Virgin Islands by the Dutch West India Company. |
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| Great Thatch |
Great Thatch is an uninhabited island of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. It is one of the westernmost islands in the Territory. Although presently uninhabited, it was formerly occupied, and boasted a customs house and mail exchange where the mail would be delivered from Charlotte Amalie by skiff after the packet ships had called there.
There remains a significant ruin on the island, although it is extremely difficult to access as the paths are all heavily overgrown. At the property a significant civil disturbance occurred on the island in 1856 where local law enforcement officers were beaten in a smuggling dispute.
The island was formerly in private hands, but was repurchased by the Government of the Territory in September of 1997, and is now a national park. |
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| Guana Island |
| Guana Island is an island of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in the Caribbean. One of the few remaining privately-owned islands in its part of the world, Guana has seven white powder-sand beaches and 850 acres (3.4 km2) of tropical forest, mountains, hills, and valleys. The island is mostly natural preserve and has a small upscale resort. |
In the 18th century, two Quaker families came to Guana as part of what was called "the Quaker Experiment" which lasted for about forty-five years in the BVI. They used African slaves and cultivated sugar cane. When they were recalled to the United States and England, they left behind two cannons still on Guana today. Archaelogists have extensively studied the Quaker ruins and have also unearthed older artifacts that give insight into Guana's earlier Amerindian history.
Beth and Louis Bigelow of Massachusetts purchased Guana in 1934. With the help of local men they built six stone cottages and developed a reputation as creative pioneers. Their guests - professionals, intellectuals and world travelers - came for months at a time, attracted to the simple but rich life. |
| Henry and Gloria Jarecki bought Guana in 1975 and began improving accommodations and other facilities with the goal of maintaining the island's historic style and ambiance. An interest in conservation led them to establish a long-term restoration program to protect the island's flora and fauna and bring back once-common species. |
| Geography |
| Scientists say that Guana has more flora and fauna than any island of its size yet studied in the Caribbean and possibly the world. The restoration program has brought extirpated species back to Guana and other Virgin Islands. The stout iguana had survived only on Anegada but now flourishes on Guana and lives on other islands as well. Other plant and animal species that have been restored and protected include the red-legged tortoise, the Bridled Quail-dove, the Caribbean flamingo, the White-crowned Pigeon, Eggers' mallow tree, the Virgin Islands euphorb, Hohenberg's ground bromeliad, and a unique bromeliad found nowhere else. |
| Guana also has three reef areas. White Bay is a set of parallel patch reefs in shallow water, where there are no strong waves or currents. The reefs are home to about 100 tropical reef fishes, waving gorgonians called fan corals, and the various species of hard corals. Muskmelon Bay is a deep bay with reefs at 60 to 80 feet (24 m). Large, oceanic fishes like tuna and king mackerel may be seen there. North Bay is a windward, rough-water bay with deep reefs and wrecks. |
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| Mosquito Island |
| Mosquito Island (sometimes spelled Moskito Island) is off the coast of Virgin Gorda and has long been a favourite for scuba divers and sailors. Virgin Limited Edition plans to turn the island into a premier Ecotourism resort in the British Virgin Islands and will pay huge attention to and consideration of the environment to minimize its carbon footprint throughout its development. The island is located between Virgin Gorda and Necker Island, also owned by Sir Richard Branson. |
| Name |
| On old nautical charts of the British Virgin Islands, the island's name is often spelled "Moskito" (possibly as an older spelling of "mosquito" - older versions of the English language did make greater use of etymological spelling). Although modern charts usually spell the island "Mosquito" Island, and the Land Registry of the British Virgin Islands titles the island as "Mosquito" Island, Richard Branson has expressed a preference for "Moskito" Island, and most of the publicity material relating to his development has used that spelling. |
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| Necker Island |
| Necker Island is a small island in the British Virgin Islands just north of Virgin Gorda, located at 18°31′38″N 64°21′29″W / 18.52722, -64.35806. It is owned by Sir Richard Branson, famous for his Virgin brand, and it is part of the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio of luxury properties. |
| History |
| The island was named after the 17th century Dutch squadron commander, Johannes de Neckere, although it remained uninhabited until the late 20th century. Don McCullin and Andrew Alexander ran a survival test on the island in 1968. They were on the island for 14 days and chopped down most of the palm trees on the island for use as shelter. |
| Ownership by Sir Richard Branson |
Sir Richard first became aware that some of the islands in the British Virgin Islands were up for sale in 1979. In 1978 (then) Richard Branson went to the British Virgin Islands for a holiday in order to investigate the prospective real estate. On first observing the islands, Branson envisioned using them to put up rock stars for his record label. Upon arrival, they were given a luxury villa and travelled around islands for sale by helicopter. The final island he saw was Necker Island, and after climbing the hill and being stunned by the view and wildlife, fell in love with the island. After making a lowball bid of £200,000 for the £3 million island, however, he was turned down and evicted from the island. A while later, the owner, Lord Cobham, in need of short-term capital, eventually settled for £180,000, under certain conditions. The Government imposed a relatively common restriction on alien landholders; that the new owner had to develop a resort within five years or the island would revert to the state. Branson committed, determined to build a resort on his tropical dream island, notwithstanding his relatively modest capital at that time in his career.
When Branson bought the 74-acre (300,000 m2) island, it was uninhabited. It took 3 years and approximately US$10 million to turn it into a private island retreat.
Using local stone, Brazilian hardwoods, antiques, art pieces and fabrics and bamboo furniture from Bali the architects and designers created a 10 bedroom Balinese-style villa crowning a hill above the beach. |
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Each of the 10 bedrooms has open walls giving a 360-degree view and cooling winds from any direction in the house. The island has accommodation for 28 people and rents out at a reported US$47,000 a day. All that includes two "private" beaches, private pools, tennis courts, breathtaking views, a personal chef and a wide array of water sports equipment.
Numerous famous figures have stayed at the resort, including the late Princess Diana, Janet Jackson, Harrison Ford, Mariah Carey, Eddie Murphy and Oprah Winfrey.
The island is available for weddings, relaxation breaks, sports vacations and even complete rentals for any purpose. One of the high profile recent guests is Larry Page, Google's billionaire co-founder, who married his girlfriend, Lucy Southworth, on the island in early December 2007. Branson rented out a majority of Virgin Gorda as well, as Necker was far too small to fit his 600+ guest party.
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| Privacy |
| Although the island is entirely privately owned, under British Virgin Islands law, all beaches up to the high water mark are technically crown land, and are open to the public. In practice, the security personnel which accompany guests to Necker Island are known for making it difficult for ordinary members of the public to enjoy the beaches, particularly when high profile guests are in residence. On one of the occasions when the late Princess Diana stayed at the resort, security personnel kept a 150 metre perimeter around the island, beyond which the public were excluded. |
| When the island was being purchased, environmentalists expressed concerns that Necker Island was one of the relatively few places in the world that a rare species of gecko lives and breeds. When Branson was granted an alien land-holder's licence to enable him to purchase the island, it was made conditional upon Branson's agreement that any legitimate scientific expedition to study the geckos should have full and unfettered access to the island. |
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| Norman Island |
Norman Island is located at the southern tip of the British Virgin Islands archipelago. It is reputed to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's pirate novel Treasure Island.
The island is uninhabited and privately owned by Dr Henry Jarecki. Its area is about 600 acres (2.4 km²), and is about 2.5 miles (4 km) long. A large harbour known as "The Bight" offers one of the most protected anchorages in the area. It is considered to be one of the "Little Sisters," along with Pelican Island, Peter Island, Salt Island, Dead Chest Island, and Ginger Island. This group of islands is smaller, lower, and more arid than other islands to the north and west. |
Norman Island is a well-known destination for cruisers and other tourists because of 3 water-level caves at the base of cliffs just outside the western edge of The Bight. The caves are ideal for snorkeling, and push deeply enough into the cliffs that darkness makes the experience like a night dive.
The island has no permanent inhabitants (other than wild goats), though there is a restaurant and bar named "Pirates" located in the Bight. There is also an old barge named the William Thornton (or "Willie T" to locals) which operates as a bar and restaurant. |
| History |
It is said that the island was named after a pirate who bought it or leased it at some point during the early 18th century, although supporting evidence for this contention is difficult to find.
However, Norman Island also has a documented history of pirate booty being stowed upon the island. In August of 1750 a Spanish treasure galleon named Nuestra Senora de Guadelope sought shelter from a storm on the North Carolina coast. The crew mutinied and the treasure, said to consist of (amongst other things) 55 chests of silver coins, was loaded into two Bilanders, one of which was manned by Owen Lloyd. The first vessel perished, but Lloyd escaped to St. Croix. After disposing of some of the money, he proceeded to Norman Island where the treasure was buried. Lloyd and his crew were later arrested in St. Eustatius, but word of the treasure spread, and residents of Tortola went to Norman Island and dug it up for themselves. Part of the booty was later recovered by Gilbert Fleming, Lieutenant-General of the Leeward Islands at the time, who travelled to Tortola with two companies of soldiers.
Fleming persuaded Abraham Chalwill, the acting Lieutenant Governor of the British Virgin Islands (who had coincidentally lead the search for the treasure on Norman Island) to issue a proclamation whereby the treasure would be returned and the people who had dug it up would receive a one-third share as a reward. |
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There the historical record ends, but local rumours abound that a member of a well-known local family had been fishing near Norman Island and took shelter in one of the caves on the Western coast of Norman Island during a storm. The surge repeatedly banged his small boat against the walls of the cave, whilst the storm surge caused the water level to rise several feet. When the fortunate fisherman woke the next morning, a large number of rocks had broken off into his small craft, as had a small chest, supposedly filled with gold doubloons. The story cannot be verified as no legal application for treasure trove was ever made, but it is known that members of the family ceased being fisherman and left Tortola at about the time to open some shops in Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas. Rumours persist of more pirate gold to be found on Norman Island, although to date no applications have ever been made for treasure trove.
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| Peter Island |
Peter Island is a private island located in the British Virgin Islands, about 5.2 miles[vague] south-west (195 degrees true) from Road Harbour (Road Town), Tortola, is part of the BVI archipelago that runs along the Sir Francis Drake Channel.Peter Island is the largest private island in the BVI and the fifth largest of 60 islands, quays, and exposed reefs that comprise the BVI.
Dead Chest Island, an uninhabited island, is close to Peter Island.
The beaches face the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and Sir Francis Drake Channel. The island is predominately undeveloped with hiking and biking trails on which to discover the tropical flora and fauna indigenous to Peter Island.
The only hotel, the 52-room Peter Island Resort, ranked in Conde Nast Traveler’s “Gold List,” and the Travel and Leisure “T+L 500” for 2007, is accessible by boat or helicopter.
The island was named after Pieter Adriensen (nicknamed "the Commander") who was the brother Abraham Adriensen, Patron of Tortola under the Dutch West India Company in the early 17th century.
Pieter Adriensen and Joost van Dyk built a fort and slave pens at Great Harbour on Peter Island to facilitate privateering and the nascent trade in slaves from Angola. |
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| Salt Island |
Salt Island is one of the islands of the archipelago of the British Virgin Islands located about 4.7 miles south east (151 degrees true) of Road Town, the main town on Tortola. It is named after its salt ponds, which were once an important resource.
Salt Island is most notable for the wreck of the royal mail packet steamer, RMS Rhone which sank in a hurricane on October 29th, 1867 after she was driven back on Salt Island while attempting to head to safety at sea. All but a few of the ship's crew were lost.
The wreck of the Rhone is one of the best snorkelling and scuba diving sites in the Caribbean. Some of the underwater scenes in movie The Deep were filmed in and around the wreck. |
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