Landmark· Norman Island· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
Treasure Point (Norman Island)
18° 19.0′ N · 64° 37.4′ W · approximate
The cliffed headland on the south side of the Bight's entrance, home to the Caves and the heart of Norman Island's treasure lore. Norman Island is often said to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, and in 1750 silver from the mutinied Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe really was buried here.
Practical
Approximate position: the headland's tip read from the OpenStreetMap coastline, matching Coast Pilot 5's statement that Privateer Bay lies on the west side of Treasure Point. Noonsite (2018) mentions a day anchorage at Treasure Point; in practice use the National Parks Trust day moorings off the Caves (day use only, 90 minutes). Swell can surge along the cliff face in northwest swell, so stay clear of the rocks with the dinghy. The legend: Wikipedia: in August 1750 mutineers split the Guadalupe's treasure (reportedly 55 chests of silver coins); Owen Lloyd's vessel reached St Croix and then Norman Island, where it was buried; Tortola residents dug it up and Gilbert Fleming later recovered part. A later local tale says a fisherman sheltering in a cave in a storm found gold doubloons (unverifiable; Yacht Warriors names him as Henry Creque). The island takes its name from a pirate said to have bought or leased it in the early 18th century. Today the roughly 600-acre island is privately owned, uninhabited except for wild goats.
Best for
The headland you round for the Caves and Privateer Bay
Nearby
- The Caves (Norman Island)0.1 NM away
- Privateer Bay (Norman Island)0.2 NM away
- The Bight Mooring Field (Norman Island)0.3 NM away
- Willy T (Norman Island)0.3 NM away
- Kelly's Cove (Norman Island)0.5 NM away
- Winter north swell & Christmas winds (southern chain)0.5 NM away
- Angelfish Reef (Norman Island)0.6 NM away
- Pirates Bight (Norman Island)0.6 NM away