Marina Cay

Marina Cay is a few hectares of island off Beef Island, ringed by reef, and it is known from a book: Robb White and his wife built a house on it in the 1930s and he wrote about the experience in Our Virgin Island, later filmed. The house still stands on the high point. The island was run as a small resort for decades, closed after the 2017 hurricanes, and access and facilities have varied since.

Background

The 8-acre island was empty until 1937, when the writer Robb White and his new wife, Rosalie Mason, arrived, having found the insects on nearby Tortola unbearable. Over three years they cut a cistern out of the rocky ground and shipped in concrete for a small, solid house. His memoirs Our Virgin Island (1953), In Privateer's Bay (1939) and Two on the Isle (1985) tell of those years. Eugene Tonkonogy, a later owner, ran it as a tourist resort and as his private retreat. Pusser's Restaurant and Villa Rentals operated here, with the Whites' house as a reading lounge, until Hurricane Irma destroyed them in 2017. Only a fuel station and a wooden landing for taxi boats remain.

Source: Wikipedia, "Marina Cay"

The landscape

• The Robb White house - the 1930s building on the island's high point.
• The surrounding reef - the coral ring around the small island.
• The anchorage - the sheltered water used by charter yachts.
• The short crossing - the few minutes by boat from Trellis Bay.

When to go

December to May is the season. Facilities have been intermittent since 2017 and should be checked. Hurricane season runs June to November.

Before you go

The resort closed after the 2017 hurricanes and what operates has varied since; nothing should be assumed. There may be no food or water on the island. Boat access depends on someone running.

Nearby

Trellis Bay is west, and Great Camanoe is north.

Key facts