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British Virgin Islands
S through W
Saba Rock | Salt Island | Sandy Cay | Sandy Spit | Scrub Island | Slaney Spit
Sprat Rock | Whale Rock | Wickham's Cay I | Wickham's Cay II
Information for each of the British Virgin Islands beginning with S through W. Find details for beaches, anchorages, scuba diving sites, location, coordinates, noteworthy features and events.
BVI Facts and Information:
Note: Where no map is indicated, please refer to the British Virgin Islands map for locations. Coordinates are are not to be used for navigation.
| Saba Rock |
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Map | Information & Photo |
Location: |
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North Sound, Virgin Gorda. |
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Soon Come! |
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Very small private island resort offering a restaurant, bar, hotel rooms and a marine museum filled with artifacts from the Wreck of the Rhone.
Saba Rock was leased from the BVI government by Bert Kilbride, a scuba diving legend, ladies man, historian, preservationist and all around amazing guy. Bert had a hand in starting several British Virgin Island businesses including Drake's Anchorage, Dive BVI & Kilbride's Underwater Tours. Bert is now in his early 90's. He and his fifth wife Gayla are touring the U.S. in their "land yacht" but Bert visits often and is still diving! |
Anchorage: |
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This is a lovely anchorage with 10 mooring balls. They also offer free water and ice for visiting yachts using their moorings.
Additional Information: Saba Rock |
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| Salt Island |
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Map | Picture & Information |
Location: |
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Between Dead Chest and Cooper Islands. |
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Soon Come! |
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Currently uninhabited island which was once home to a village of over 200 salt harvesters. The last surviving salt collector passed away in 2004 and since then, only one descendant of this bygone era occasionally stops by to greet visitors. Its a fascinating place to visit!
The wreck of the Rhone is off the south western shore, near Lee Bay. |
| Beach: |
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There's a lovely beach in Salt Island Bay which is usually deserted. |
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BVI National Parks Trust daytime anchorage at the wreck site . There's another daytime anchorage in Salt Bay. |
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| Sandy Cay |
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Map |
Location: |
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North of Tortola, south east of Jost Van Dyke. |
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Soon Come! |
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Picture postcard, 14 acre, uninhabited, palm fringed island which hosts thousands of snorkelers, scuba divers and visiting sailors annually.
This daytime anchorage can become quite rough if the swells are running. Use caution if trying to land a dinghy on the beach. Ashore, you'll find a lovely little nature trail to explore with rewarding views once atop the cliffs of the north shore. Sandy Cay is often confused with and mistaken for Sandy Spit. The way to know which is which is that Sandy Cay has a lot of vegetation while Sandy Spit does not. |
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| Sandy Spit |
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Map & Pictures |
Location: |
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South east of Little Jost Van Dyke and just yards from Green Cay. |
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Soon Come! |
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Sandy Spit is exactly what one imagines when longing for a Caribbean holiday! This tiny yet picture perfect islet is simply breathtaking. A small cluster of vegetation in the center and two lonely palm trees punctuate the lovely white sand beach which surrounds the island.
Neighbouring Green Cay is connected to Sandy Spit by a very shallow, coral shoal. A truly grand place to stop and enjoy an afternoon of swimming snorkeling and taking in the beauty of the BVI! Though Sandy Spit is not designated as a British Virgin Islands National Park, it together with Green Cay and Sandy Cay probably should be! Snorkeling is wonderful! |
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| Scrub Island |
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Location: |
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North east of Beef Island and east of Great Camanoe. |
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Soon Come! |
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230 acre, privately owned island is home to Donovan's Reef Restaurant. The island is in the process of being developed as a residential community with up to 50 homes, a marina, shops and 3 beaches.
Additional information: Mainsail BVI |
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| Slaney Spit |
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Map |
Location: |
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South shore of Tortola just west of Road Harbour. |
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Soon Come! |
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Small uninhabited cay with an abundance of pelicans and other sea birds. You can wade from shore out to the spit in waist deep water. Can be a great place to collect shells from time to time. I've also seen an Osprey out on the eastern point several times.
Please note: I was unable to find a name for this cay so I made one up! |
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| Sprat Rock |
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Map |
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Off the north east tip of Trellis Bay, Beef Island. |
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Soon Come! |
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A red cardinal buoy situated just north of Sprat Rock marks the entrance to Trellis Bay. |
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| Whale Rock |
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Map |
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South of Beef Island, starboard of Well Bay Beach. |
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Soon Come! |
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This is just a big (and easily seen) rock. I heard a great story about how it got its name. I have no idea if the story is true or not, but its too funny to resist!
It seems that some fellows from the BVI Customs Department were "patrolling" (I don't know if it was night or day) and somehow hit this particular rock, sinking their boat. When asked how on earth they managed to sink the boat, the captain replied, "We hit a whale!" ;)
There's good snorkeling in this area. |
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| Wickham's Cay I |
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Map |
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Road Town, Tortola (West). |
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Soon Come! |
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When I moved to the BVI, I heard stories about how the owners of the small home on Waterfront Drive (now Le Cabanon Restaurant) would stand on their railing and dive into the water! Its hard to imagine, but it points out just how much land reclamation has taken place over the past 30 years. Road Town and Road Harbour have taken on a completely new configuration. Both Wickham's Cay I & II were at one time separate entities and were not part of the main island.
Wickham's Cay I is now a large part of the downtown core and represents the central banking area of the British Virgin Islands. It is also home to Village Cay Marina as well as many shops and businesses. |
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| Wickham's Cay II |
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Map |
Location: |
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Road Town, Tortola (East) |
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Soon Come! |
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Together with its twin sister (above), Wickham's Cay II was also swallowed up in an effort to expand the Road Town area making this small cay part and parcel of the main island. This land reclamation effectively created the Inner Harbour.
The Moorings bareboat and crewed charters are based here as well as Tortola Marine's full service boat yard with travel lift and dry dock storage. You'll also find several other marine businesses including riggers, sail makers and yacht charter companies. |
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Contact our bareboat charter broker for information about
Sailing and motor yacht vacations in the British Virgin Islands
Phone: (284) 495-4168 Tortola, British Virgin Islands
 Bareboats BVI |
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