Jost Van Dyke

Jost Van Dyke runs the barefoot philosophy at sovereign level: the little island's White Bay curves swim-in perfect (yachts anchor off and guests genuinely swim ashore, wallets in dry-bags), Great Harbour strings its sand lane of legendary beach establishments, and the east end hides the Bubbly Pool - a rock-guarded sea pot where north swells burst through the gap and jacuzzi the swimmers in white foam. Hillside trails climb goat paths to anchorage panoramas, the population counts in hundreds, and the island's contribution to Caribbean culture - the barefoot beach-bar idyll perfected - remains its principal export.

History

The island may be named after the 17th-century Dutch privateer Joost van Dyk, who used its harbours as a hideout, though there is no firm evidence, and although the English took the islands in 1672 it was largely ignored until the middle of the 18th century; a map of 1717 does not even show it. Ruined sugar works above Great Harbour show some cane was grown, in 1815 140 acres were under cotton with a population of 428, and after emancipation in 1838 the people lived by fishing, small farming and charcoal making, with 1,235 inhabitants by 1853, when cholera killed 196 of them (Wikipedia, Jost Van Dyke).

The landscape

• White Bay - the swim-ashore crescent at its famous best.
• The Bubbly Pool - swell-powered foam in the rock pot.
• Great Harbour's lane - the sand street of anchorage legend.
• The goat-path lookouts - harbour panoramas above the masts.

When to go

December to May for the sailing season's full life; the Bubbly Pool performs on north swells - locals know the day's forecast. New Year's fills the island to folklore capacity.

Good to know

Day-charter hours crowd White Bay midday - mornings and late afternoons restore it; the Bubbly Pool's fun turns rough-edged in big swell, respect the locals' line. Cash and unhurried expectations carry the island.

Nearby

Sandy Cay's islet, Tortola's West End and the channel anchorages.

Key facts