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The History of Norman Island—a Real Pirate Island in the BVI

Circumnavigating the uninhabited paradise of Norman Island, you would never guess from its brilliant beauty and inviting amenities that the island also holds a grin-worthy amount of rich documented pirate history. But we’re about to journey back in time to 250 years ago, when Norman Island, located at the southern tip of the British Virgin Islands archipelago, acted as a prime hiding spot for pirate’s booty.

The Tale of “Treasure Island”

Treasure Island book and BVI map

The year was 1750, and it was no secret that pirate vessels used the Virgin Islands as a place to hide and recuperate after their unruly activities at sea. One such notorious tale follows a crewmember aboard a Spanish treasure galleon. Following the mutiny of the ship’s crew, the seaman and a band of dubious crewmates escaped by the sea with half the vessel’s valuable cargo. And thus started the trek to find where the group could offload their newly attained plunder…

Norman Island enters the story — the perfect covert destination to stow a secret pirate fortune. Unfortunately for these swashbuckling buccaneers, their “hiding spot” wouldn’t remain a secret for long as news broke on Tortola that just across the Sir Francis Drake channel sat a wealth of buried treasure for whoever was willing to grab a shovel and dig their heart out. 

The documented portion of this pirate chronicle concludes that much of the loot was indeed recovered from the island. This labour was executed by a group of prominent Tortolian planters at the time. But in the end, the ultimate success landed in the hands of a Lieutenant-General of the Leeward Islands, who dispatched a warship to descend upon the island’s planters and retrieve the goods they had worked so hard for.

Among the playful rumours of BVI locals, tales still circulate of treasure discovered on Norman Island since the 18th century, and stories have it that there are still riches to be discovered. Many even believe that Norman Island and the tales of its treasures inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write the famed novel Treasure Island.

Top Things to Do

Treasure-hunting aside, there is no doubt that Norman Island is an “X”-marks-the-spot destination worth exploring during a British Virgin Islands sailing holiday. And here are some of our favourite things to experience at this historic BVI hot-spot:

Pirate's Bight of Norman Island
Norman Island caves
Pirate's Bight of Norman Island

The British Virgin Islands’ sailing paradise awaits you, where Sunsail offers BVI bareboat and 50th anniversary flotilla charter. So, play by your own pirate rules and start planning your next salty crew adventure today!

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Author Name: 
Ryan Smith

Contributor

Ian Pedersen

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