Anegada

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Anegada, while not exactly the 'missing Virgin Island', is nevertheless easily missed today.  Seafarers of old however, seemed to have had a hard time missing it – with the Horseshoe Reef extending several miles south of the island, and the island itself rising little more than 30' above the sea, it claimed more than its share of shipwrecks.  In fact, several hundred ships lie wrecked around this quaint island.

Cowreck Beach

Cowreck Beach

Because of Park protections of the reef and the archeological value of the wrecks, this area is closed to diving.  Those sailors wished they had missed Anegada, but you will be glad if you do not.  Unique among the volcanic mountains of the rest of the Virgin Islands, Anegada is best described as a sandbar that decided it wasn't going anywhere.  It is also the furthest north and east of all the Virgin Islands, and further away from the chain than any of the other islands are from each other.  This isolation has left Anegada a distinct flavor all its own, and has kept it off the more beaten path of most tourists.

Despite its attempts to stay hidden, Anegada is inhabited, but with only one settlement on the island, a more unique name than 'The Settlement' was never needed, and to this day remains the name of the town.  The privacy accorded by Anegada has drawn some celebrities, cruising on their private yachts.  Chief among the island's attractions is the Anegada Reef Hotel, famous for its lobster dinners caught fresh that day to order.  Celebrities and other vacationers may enjoy going 'missing' for a few days, to this delightfully rustic, secluded isle, and you will be mad at yourself if you miss a chance to see Anegada for yourself when you visit the Virgin Islands.
by Carter Wilbur

Loblolly Beach

Facts:

• The second biggest island in the British Virgin Islands group
• Approximately 12 miles to the northeast of Virgin Gorda
• Largest unbroken barrier reef in the eastern Caribbean
• 13 miles long by 3 miles wide
• 28 ft above sea level
• Two very large salt ponds to the west and many other marshes and ponds on the south coast
• Sparse population (a couple of hundred people) and indigenous culture
• Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, used it as one of his favorite hideouts
• The pirate captains Kirke, Bone, and "Prince Rupert of the Rhine" also ran profitable operations out of Anegada
• The island remains a notorious ship killer, and any attempt at a landfall without expert local knowledge may add today's explorers to Anegada's more than generous list of victims