Part of a Caribbean volcanic archipelago, the British Virgin Islands consist of 50 islands scattered across miles of an incomparably turquoise sea.
Traveling by water is one of the best ways to see the island's numerous reef-lined beaches and deserted picturesque coves where scavenging pirates once buried their treasures.
We had originally hoped for a day sail from St. Thomas USVI, but to actually see several islands in the course of a day and add in some snorkeling, we knew we'd have to take a powerboat. We boarded the New Horizons Breakaway at Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina, stored our gear and settled in for a 9 1/2 hour day of adventure on the high seas.
The sun on our faces and warm breezes encircling us never felt so good as we headed to our first island destination. Sailboats and stretches of palm-fringed beaches with sugar-white sand came into view as our small boat traversed the turquoise waters entering Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour and Spanish Town.
Covering only eight square miles and sparsely inhabited, this third largest of the Virgin Islands is a sleepy, idyllic Caribbean hideaway where goats and cattle own the right-away over island traffic. The name, given by the explorer Christopher Columbus is Spanish for "Fat Virgin." To these sea-weary mariners, the island's profile on the horizon somewhat resembled a voluptuous woman lying on her side.
A 10 to 15-minute, open-air taxi ride from the port transported us on a scenic uphill drive to the southwest entrance of Baths National Park, a seven-acre protected nature preserve. Along with our boat guides, we toured this labyrinth of massive, awe-inspiring granite boulders forming an array of cavernous passages meandering through sheltered sea pools.
As if the spectacle of the Bath's cavernous beauty wasn't enough, the sinuous spelunking trail exits to a picturesque clearing with stunning views of the horseshoe- shaped Devil's Bay.
Snow white talcum powdered sand was perfect for a rest from the hike under a shaded umbrella.
Shallow clear waters and delightful coves called to us for a relaxing swim. Turquoise, crystalline waters of the bay teem with elusive rays, blue tang and other tropical fish, inviting snorkelers and divers to explore more underground caves and magnificent coral reefs. Boulders strewn along the beach invite hikers to climb atop for even more astonishing views of the Baths.
After departing Virgin Gorda, we headed to Diamond Reef located just off the uninhabited Great Camanoe Island. Known as one of the most spectacular snorkeling spots in the Virgin Islands, it was named after a diver who lost a diamond ring here that was never again found.
Colorful fish were so plentiful that we could hardly keep up with them or the hidden treasures found along this tropical reef's coral formations-including stingrays lurking on the bottom of the sandy ocean floor.
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By lunchtime, we were famished and headed to Pusser's Restaurant on the island of Marina Cay. The flower covered, eight-acre island is ringed by a soft, white sand beach. Its shallow waters are always calm and lukewarm as the island is nestled in a sheltered turquoise lagoon. Corona beer commercials were filmed on this idyllic isle.
The thatch-roofed laid back restaurant right on the beach is named after a five-blended West Indian rum, the key ingredient in the Virgin Islands' most popular knock-your-socks-off-if-you're-not-careful Painkiller. The menu includes a great selection of fresh seafood and other items with a definitive Caribbean twist.
Heading to our fourth and final stop, the island of Jost Van Dyke was so-named for an early Dutch settler and former pirate. With one of the most stunning beaches in all the Caribbean, this picture-postcard island is only three by four square miles dotted with palm trees, overgrown vegetation-covered sugar mill ruins and rugged trails crisscrossing the island.
Jost has managed to retain the local culture that much of the Caribbean has lost. Its inhabitants fish, grow their own food, build boats and go barefoot most of the time.
Getting to the shore of Jost Van Dyke is the fun part. There's no dock or anchoring of large boats ashore so we had to get as close to the beach as possible. With our waterproof cameras and other items secured as best we could, we took a leap of faith plunging into the calm, crystalline waters and swam to shore.
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Jumpers Beware; the clear inviting water can be deceptively deep in spots with the sandy bottom visible for up to 30 feet. (Life jackets were available to those who are not strong swimmers.)
Every day's a party at Soggy Dollar Bar, the reputed birthplace of the infamous Painkiller. The bar was aptly named as patrons have been paying bar tabs with wet money ever since they opened. Caribbean tunes serenaded us as we swayed in our hammocks in the warm Caribbean breeze. Wispy clouds floated overhead. It's no wonder country singer Kenny Chesney's featured this island in his songs. It's a paradise we almost want to keep secret. But we're quite sure the word's already out.
After all, who wouldn't want to come to this heavenly water wonderland?
Jost Van Dyke's main street is actually a sandy-covered lane and since the late 1960s, Foxy's Bar in Great Harbour has been a popular stop for Caribbean boaters. The shanty bar named after the 75-year old singer, songwriter and poet has a catchy theme, "Live de life, drink de beer". Their four distinct brews are made at their own local microbrewery, which happens to be the only brewhouse in the entire British Virgin Islands.
After catching some rays and beach time, we swam back to the Breakaway for our return trip to St. Thomas. Tired but relaxed, we were treated to more of the stunning charms of the Caribbean, venturing past numerous inlets, cays and islands, mostly uninhabited. Lush green layers of mountains and miles of secluded pristine beaches beckoned in the distance with their own sirens' calls.
A quote by famous naturalist and preservationist John Muir came to mind. "When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty."
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