Anchorage· Tortola· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Paraquita Bay (Hurricane Shelter)
18° 25.2′ N · 64° 34.5′ W · approximate
A large, almost landlocked mangrove bay on Tortola's south-east coast, entered through a very narrow gap at Whelk Point; Wikipedia calls it one of the largest natural harbours in the BVI, and its enclosed, mangrove-lined shape makes it a candidate storm shelter.
Practical
Position is the Paraquita Bay node on OpenStreetMap (node 5085437263), inside the bay between the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College campus and Whelk Point; not checked against a chart. Wikipedia (Whelk Point Fort) describes the passage into the bay as extremely narrow with wind and waves surging directly into the gap. The Maya Cove entrance channel (marinas.com) also runs past Paraquita Bay. Not a charter overnight stop. Its formal status, the permit/registration process, any fees and the rules for hurricane-season use could not be verified from an official source in this session: contact the BVI Ports Authority (+1 284-494-3435, bviports@bviports.org) and, if you are on a charter boat, your base, well before a storm threatens. Enter only with local knowledge and in daylight; expect the bay to be crowded with lines tied into the mangroves once a storm is forecast.
Best for
Planning a hurricane-season storm shelter on Tortola
Season
Hurricane season June 1 to November 30