Tortola Island: Forgotten Treasures of the Caribbean

By Paul Pickering

Sunrise over Tortola's Paraquita Bay

The magnificent view from Tortola's peaks

On the ivory sand of Josiah's Bay, the Caribbean Sea surges and retreats to the calypso rhythm, the rolling waves betraying a therapeutic silence.

Like a colossal volcanic periscope, the island of Tortola emerges from the incandescent sea, its forested peaks gazing upon the primitive archipelago that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island".

Settled by the Spanish after Columbus' second expedition of 1493, the Virgin Islands soon became a battleground for pirates of the Renaissance - the small scattered islands proving ideal for the concealment of plundered treasures.

When the English systematically overpowered the Dutch, French, Spanish and Danish in the 17th century the British Virgin Islands (or BVI) were established.

Today the BVI has become an exploratory playground for the adventurer or holiday-maker seeking respite from the commercialism of the Carib's 'down islands'. With its abundance of marinas and watersports facilities, the BVI is well-equipped to support the growing interest in boating vacations.

Like Sir Francis Drake and the infamous Blackbeard before them, today's visitors set sail from Tortola's Road Town in search of the island treasures that locals call 'Nature's Little Secrets'.

While Tortola is the industrial and communications hub of the BVI, it is much more than a convenient launching point.

Mushroom Tea

Tortola is an island characterised by eccentricity. As your taxi driver weaves nonchalantly around stray goats and overtakes soft-top Jeeps around blind corners you'll realise that this is a town governed by abandon. En-route to the north shore, our driver points out the recently completed racecourse development.

Curiously, he also informs us that gambling is illegal here and the island has only two horses.

The overt hedonism of this island culminates with the infamous full moon party at Bomba Shack on Capoon Bay. As the legendary Bomba tells us, the inaugural party was conceived as a way of calming down his crazy wife. It has since blossomed into an island institution.

The plaque on the front of Bomba's eccentric beach bar proclaims that "at midnight we create a mushroom tea - a sacrifice to calm everybody down". The debauchery that ensues would prompt even the most sympathetic of tourists to question what exactly the locals are winding down from.

It certainly isn't the solitude of Tortola's idyllic beaches, where shadows cast by coconut palms and sea-grape trees provide respite from the afternoon swelter.

The Baths on Virgin Gorda

The plaque from Bomba Shack on Capoon Bay

It couldn't be the cosy ambience and cosmopolitan cuisine of harbour-side restaurants, furnished with the aroma of traditional West Indian roti. In fact, Tortola has enough sensory delights to make the decision to sail out of Road Harbour a difficult one. Thankfully, the waters of the BVI are all the temptation required to lure visitors into a truly memorable voyage.

Fat Virgins

The consistency of the Caribbean trade winds, the enticing transparency of the water and year-round sunshine have established the British Virgin Islands as the sailing capital of Central America.

For sailors in these parts, dusk is accompanied by the comforting sight of islands bobbing on the horizon like the ice blocks in their rum. With terra firma never too far away, the BVI is perfect for everyone from experienced 'bareboat' yachtsmen to novices intending to let a professional skipper impart their local knowledge.

For many visitors, the spectacular Virgin Gorda is the first mooring on their BVI expedition. The name, which literally translates to 'Fat Virgin', was conceived by Columbus upon noticing that the island's shape resembled a reclining woman.

The feature of this resort-laden island is The Baths, a coastal playground where swimming, snorkelling and exploration is supervised by an assembly of huge granite boulders. The countless grottoes and reefs that accent this coast make The Baths a compulsory day-trip.

Make Mine a Painkiller

Having satisfied their curiosity on the dramatic Virgin Gorda, tourists often choose to spoil themselves at the tiny sun-drenched oasis of Jost Van Dyke.

With only 200 inhabitants, this island trades on its hospitable Great Harbour, a safe mooring point where sea-goers can anchor for some socialising and recreation.

When the sun retreats here relaxation makes way for revelry. At the Soggy Dollar Bar, pilgrims come to worship at the birthplace of one of the Caribbean's most popular cocktails: the Painkiller (dark rum, coconut cream, pineapple and orange juice). On New Year's Eve and Halloween the BVI descends upon Foxy's Bar to dance until sunrise on the powdery-white sand.

The coral island of Anegada is the black sheep of the BVI. With a highest point of just 28 feet above sea level it's no mystery why the Spanish called it 'The Drowned Island'. Surrounded by an 18 mile horseshoe reef - one of the world's largest - this island is erupting with wildlife.

Clear springs emerging from the coral reef support a unique ecosystem including sea lavender, frangipanis and wild orchids. On the Bones Bight nature trail you may be fortunate enough to spy the rare native rock iguana.

Offshore, scuba divers can explore the Spanish galleons, American privateers and British warships long-since claimed by the sea.

BVI: Brilliant Variety of Islands

While Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada are the most popular spots for visitors, there are more than 50 other islands making convincing arguments for further patronage. Many tourists opt to seek total seclusion on one of the private resort islands. Richard Branson's Necker Island has become a celebrity haven, but can be hired by the day or month (for the right price). Others such as Guana Island, a nature reserve-cum-resort, and the Crow's Nest hilltop villa on Peter Island redefine our conceptions of the private paradise.

Every inhabitant of the BVI has a secluded link in the chain that they call their own. The islanders trade stories of their secret sites just as parents speak proudly of their children. Unfortunately, X-marks-the-spot maps are rarely forthcoming.

The locals will also tell you that the treasures seized by Blackbeard and his peers are still hidden throughout the region's temperate waters. Visitors will assure you that they've already been found.