Pirates, Sailing and Rum: Top Things to Do in The BVI in 2023
The Best Sailing Hangouts
Explore The BVI the way the pirates did by sailing to islands that were once their staging grounds. In centuries past, the BVI was a perfect hideout for some of the Caribbean’s most notorious buccaneers, and exploring the islands where they once hung out makes for a great sailing itinerary.
Norman Island received its name from the pirate Norman, a dashing figure who is believed by many to have buried the booty from a plundered Spanish frigate on this island to the south of Tortola. Norman Island is also the setting for “Treasure Island,” Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel of buried treasure and skulduggery. Today, sailors will find treasure at the Caves, a series of semi-submerged caves carved in the cliffs that offer superb snorkeling. You can opt for a tot of rum at the Willy T, a pirate vessel cum restaurant in the Norman Island Bight. Or, check out Pirates, the aptly named beach bar, also at the Bight.
Another sailing destinations with a pirate history includes Jost Van Dyke. This Dutch buccaneer launched his raids from the island’s many hidden coves, now home to dozens of thirst-quenching beach bars. Peter Island with its lovely and quiet anchorages, Great and Little Harbours, is named after another notorious BVI pirate, the aforementioned Peter.
Little Thatch, a small island located in Soper’s Hole off Tortola’s West End, is named after Edward Teach. More commonly known as Blackbeard, Teach is perhaps the Caribbean’s most well-known scoundrel. You cannot go ashore at Little Thatch, which is owned privately, so sail a little further and you will come to Soper’s Hole, another former pirate den. Sopers Hole has several marinas including Sopers Hole Wharf and Marina, https://www.facebook.com/SopersHoleMarinaBVI/ a charming Caribbean style development, features several shops, restaurants and bars. Mooring balls are also available for sailors.
BVI Culture and History
Whether you are a history buff or not, the BVI offers several great ways to learn about the islands’ culture and past and have fun along the way. Combine the islands’ history, a day at the beach and a bottle of rum with a trip to the Callwood Rum Distillery in Cane Garden Bay. The ancient stone distillery founded in the late 17thcentury still produces its own potent brew. You can get a tour and a history of rum making here for the price of a bottle.
Mount Healthy National Park is located high above Brewer’s Bay. Here you will find the almost intact remains of an 18th century windmill that once powered the mechanism for crushing sugar cane, the first step in rum production. I love this park. It is small, but it is a window into the BVI’s past and with its park benches, and shady trees, a good place for a picnic https://www.facebook.com/NPTVI/
Od Government House Museum isn’t a place to find rum or its history, but it is another snapshot of the BVI’s past. Located on a knoll above Road Harbour, the museum was once the home of the BVI’s British Commissioners and Governors. Today the 1920s building has been refurbished and features a small museum of BVI history and rooms furnished in the colonial style of the governors that once lived there. While there, don’t mis the home’s beautifully landscaped gardens. https://www.oghm.org
Best BVI Natural Attractions
The BVI has an impressive number of national parks that preserve the British Virgin Islands’ astounding beauty. Here are a few of my favorites. Mount Sage National Park on Tortola, the BVI’s highest point, is a walk through the BVI’s primordial past and a forest that has the hallmarks of a tropical rainforest.
If you are sailing, don’t miss Sandy Cay. Located off the eastern end of Jost Van Dyke, this uninhabited island is a Robinson Crusoe type isle if there ever was one. Fringed by powdery white sand, this compact island has a walking trail around the island. Fantastic views of the sea and surrounding islands are at every turn.
The Virgin Gorda Baths, of course, are the BVI’s top natural attraction. These famous boulders and the sea pools that they enclose have been called one of the world’s natural wonders. If you visit them in the early morning or late afternoon when the crowds disperse, you will appreciate their ethereal and almost primeval delights when shafts of light penetrate through cracks in the boulders.
The J. R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens in Road Town are easy to get to and a beautiful way to learn about native BVI plants, along with numerous and colorful exotics from bougainvillea to allamanda. There is a cactus garden, which I love, and the indigenous plant garden showcases a variety of unique and endangered BVI species. The garden also propagates many of these unique species in its own nursery. More information on all of the above sites and Mount Healthy Windmill can be found at https://www.facebook.com/NPTVI/
Anegada, a coral limestone beach to the northeast of Tortola, is known for its endless beaches and the Horseshoe Reef, the largest coral reef in the Caribbean; all good reasons to visit this unique and lightly populated island.
When there, don’t miss seeing its unique wildlife, especially the Anegada Rock Iguana. This large prehistoric looking reptile is indigenous to Anegada. Shy and reclusive the iguanas require vigilance to spot. To ensure a sighting, visit the Headstart Nursery in Anegada’s settlement which raises hatchlings of this endangered species until they are large enough to be released into the wild. Another treat is to look for the island’s flock of roseate flamingoes. Once plentiful, their numbers were decimated in the 1950s through hunting. They were re-introduced through a National Parks Trust program.
Some of the Best Beaches in the BVI
The BVI has some of the best beaches in the Caribbean, so choosing a favorite is tough. Among my personal favorites is Smuggler’s Cove at the western end of Tortola’s north shore. This lovely little beach with white sand and good swimming. Snorkel the outer fringes of the coral reef to spot sea fans and a variety of colorful reef fish.
Cane Garden Bay on Tortola is in its own category. The white sand beach is beautiful, but the bay is also a water sports, food and entertainment hub that attracts both boaters and residents. If you are looking for nightlife ,this bay has several venues with live music most nights of the week.
Historically a rum producing center, and with lush tropical foliage at the back of the beach Brewer’s Bay is quieter and more tropical in its setting than other BVI beaches.
Spring Bay in Virgin Gorda is sprinkled with Virgin Gorda’s famous boulders and its calm waters and sifted white sand makes this beach one of my favorites.
White Bay is a lovely stretch of white sand on Jost Van Dyke that is a favorite of yachtsmen who anchor there for painkillers and burgers at one of the many beach bars that line its shores.
Ringed by endless white sand, Anegada is aptly known as the “beach island.” Loblolly is one of the most beautiful. An added bonus is a lobster lunch at its beach bar.
For more places to go and things to do in the British Virgin Islands, check out:
And for more about sailing:
Learn about Crewed Sailing Charters at the The BVI Charter Yacht Society website at:
https://www.crewedyachtsbvi.com
The BVI Tourist Board also has information on sailing in the BVI
