THE ALLURE OF ANEGADA: EXPLORING THE DROWNED ISLAND ABOARD TORTOLA CHARTERS

Anegada is the British Virgin Island’s only coral atoll. It sits serene and apart, yet it is located only about 20 miles to the northeast of Tortola and 14 miles north of Virgin Gorda – an easy and pleasant sail for those on a Tortola Yacht Charter. The sparsely populated island is ringed by a swathe of white sand, and is almost completely surrounded by the Horseshoe Reef. This reef is one of the world’s largest and is responsible for over 300 shipwrecks. Aptly named by Columbus, Anegada (the “drowned land”) is only 28 feet about sea level at its highest point.

For many years, Anegada was off limits for Tortola Yacht Charters. Fortunately today, however, many charter bases like the Moorings actually provide a cheat sheet to get there and explore this alluring speck of paradise. Even with the tip sheet, the approach to Anegada is spectacular yet a bit daunting for those on a Tortola Charter due to the vast 18 mile horseshoe-shaped reef that surrounds the island. The Anegada “Harbour” is simply a narrow, shallow opening in the coral reef in its southwestern side between the Anegada Reef Hotel at Setting Point and Pomato Point. Once you arrive on Anegada, it is just as spectacular as the approach. A true desert island paradise measuring only 11 by 3 miles, it is quiet and incredibly laid back with only a handful of small beach bars and restaurants. Although a Tortola Charter should be relaxing in and of itself, if you cannot chill out here – you probably never will!

Anegada can easily be toured in a day. After paying for your mooring ball at Anegada Reef Hotel, the best way to see the island is to rent a jeep. D.W.’s popular old blue Samari jeep is particularly fun for a group. Be prepared, however, for the sun as there is little shade on Anegada. After having a cold drink at one of a handful of establishments at Setting Point, head west on the South Shore Road paralleling the Anegada Harbour. Continue on to Pomato Point where the beaches begin. Since Anegada is an island of coral sand, its beaches are some of the best in the Caribbean. They offer miles of beautiful, uninterrupted beach.

Although the beaches are major attractions for surfer and kite boarding enthusiasts, they are so deserted that chances are you will not see another set of footprints in the sand. You can, however, always find a bit of shade at a beach bar. While at Pomato Point, stop in the small museum at the Pomato Point restaurant. Most of the collection of treasures in this small one-room museum comes from shipwrecks that floundered on Horseshoe reef. In the collection you can find an old map showing the location of over 200 wrecks, as well as canon and musket balls, ship timbers and copper rivets, many apothecary jars, gin/rum bottles, ink pots, a silver teapot and coins from many nations. Continue along the south shore and around Anegada’s West End Point, making a half circle around Flamingo Pond. Much of the island’s interior is made up of salt ponds, the largest of which is Flamingo Pond. The salt ponds are home for wading birds like the Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, stilts and terns. In addition, the salt ponds are the perfect habitat for roseate flamingos. Once thousands inhabited the BVI, however, the young could be easily rounded up and herded to boats for food. In 1992, the decision was made to reintroduce flamingos to the lagoon. The project has proved a success as wild flamingos have joined them to rear young.

up into bone meal for fertilizer. The turnoff takes you across a series of wave-like sand dunes. If you are in a jeep, it is great fun! Grab a drink at the Cow Wreck Beach Bar and Grill and take a cool catnap in the hammocks under the trees. Because the currents go towards the shore, Cow Wreck Beach is an especially good snorkeling spot for kids. Cow Wreck Beach is one of the famous beaches of Anegada located on the north Atlantic side. Guarded by a straight line of reefs just offshore, the beaches make sweeping curves on to shore to form protected lagoons.

Land peninsulas, names “points”, jut out to separate scenic bays and bights. They are perfect for sunbathing, beachcombing, secluded picnics, snorkeling or sea kayaking. In addition, the north side of Anegada has the most important BVI nesting beaches for green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles. After returning to the North Road, continue driving around the island. You will find a very scenic route on a smooth drive that winds between beaches and the salt pond. At the next left, next to a large sea grape tree, you will find the road to Cow Wreck Bay and Bones Bight, where it is possible to occasionally see the highly endangered Anegada rock iguana. Growing to six feet long, this harmless and very rare iguana uses the crater-like coral rock with its holes to make a home.

At this point, the road basically disappears as you pass by a low mudflat area before entering the Anegada outback area. Marked by chalky white mud puddles, the “road” is extremely bumpy and hard. The vegetation is very different from the sand-hugging succulents of the dunes around Cow Wreck, the wild orchids, Loblolly trees and wide sage of Bones Bight, the whistling pines of the southern coast or the cactus on the rocky eastern coast. At first glance, the outback appears like scrubland, but there are actually many interesting plants that have adapted to the dry conditions, including wild frangipani trees, turpentine trees (locally called, “limbo gumbo”) and bromeliads.

gently sweeps along a sandy crescent covered with a variety of low succulent plant life- especially patches of beautiful bay lavender. Many people like to snorkel on the reef’s outer edge. To the left of the Big Bamboo (in the dark reef area in the middle of the lagoon) there are 3 small caves and a wreck. Further out, the reef is teeming with a diverse ecosystem of conch, lobster, corals, reef dwelling fish and big game fish. Use caution when snorkeling, especially if there is a northern swell, since rip-like currents are possible. Even if you do not snorkel, it is a great place to frolic in the surf! If you are not “beached-out”, the nearby Flash of Beauty is also a great secluded beach.

After leaving Loblolly Bay, take the concrete road to the left to reach The Settlement. Although some Anegadians have spread out and built homes in other locations, this is the village of Anegada where most of the island’s 200 inhabitants live. Primarily a fishing village, you will find a tiny post office, a couple of bakeries, a police/government administration building, 2 grocery stores, a general store, a medical clinic with a nurse on duty (the doctor is on the island only once a week), several interesting little homes and the rock iguana Head Start Rehabilitation Program nursery.

The remains of stone wall enclosures are widespread in The Settlement. In previous generations, when agriculture was important, these enclosed fields were planted with banana, sweet potatoes, corn and other crops. Grazing goats, cattle and donkeys trained not to climb over the low 4’ walls still return to pens in The Settlement at night along radiating animal paths that border the stone walls.

As you take the road back toward Setting Point, be sure to note the vast inland side of Horseshoe Reef. There are ancient islands made of conch shells, mangrove islands filled with nesting frigate birds, and extensive mudflats that are great for shallow water fishing. Anegada is known for its world-class bonefishing. If you still have some energy left after your jeep tour, there are some other things to do. Anegada does not have much in the way of organized watersports. You can, however, book both deep sea and bonefishing trips, or try sea kayaking among the islands inside Horseshoe Reef. The Anegada Reef Hotel can help you make arrangements. You can shop for handcrafted pottery and locally made jams and chutneys in Nutmeg Point, or you can simply while away the time until dinner.

Dinner on Anegada is a special and unique treat. Most restaurants catch their own seafood and will be happy to tell you where and how it was caught. The local specialty – the spiny but huge Anegada lobster – (reputed to be the best in the Caribbean) is delicious and worth ordering at least once. You must make reservations for dinner because it is caught and prepared fresh for you. The most popular spot for dinner is the Anegada Reef Hotel, where hotel guests dine alongside Tortola Yacht Charterers for cocktails and a candlelit dinner of beach-grilled fish, chicken, steak and lobster. Dinner servings are huge and come with several delicious sides. You can wear shorts and you definitely do not need shoes!

There is so much to see and do in the British Virgin Islands while on a Tortola Charter, that it is easy to overlook the flat island of Anegada. It would, however, be a big mistake if you did. Not only does this coral atoll have incredibly friendly locals, but it is teeming with wildlife, endless miles of beaches, mazes of reef, and world class bonefishing. To experience the allure of Anegada yourself, contact www.visailing.com. The rest of the world will seem a million miles away as you surrender to the undisturbed charm of the “Drowned Island.”

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