If you are looking for a catamaran rental and the idyllic tropical island, you will find it just 5 miles southeast of Tortola, across the Sir Frances Drake Channel. Just 1 ½ miles long by ½ mile wide, tiny, mostly uninhabited Cooper Island is an unspoiled paradise. If you’re looking for highways, malls, nightclubs and crowds, you won’t find it here. But, if you want the perfect escape from the stress of everyday life, then this must be a destination on your BVI catamaran charter itinerary. With only 4 private properties on the island, plus a small beach club complex with a handful of colorful but simple rooms with kitchens, ceiling fans, and private baths with outdoor showers, Cooper Island is a quiet place to unwind.
Cooper Island is surrounded by coral reefs and dive sites. The main anchorage on Cooper Island is Manchioneel Bay, located on the northwest shore. Named for the tree with small poisonous green apples, Manchioneel Bay is made up of a beautiful stretch of white-sand beach lined with coconut palms. Although the bottom of the bay is covered in patches of seaweed, often making it difficult to get to an anchor, there are approximately 40 mooring balls available for overnight anchoring. Sitting in the cabin of your rental catamaran, swaying gently at anchor in the clear calm water in the gentle tropical breeze, you gaze out to shore at bougainvillea, frangipani, lime trees, hibiscus, oleander, tamarind, flamboyant, loblolly, yucca, orchids, cacti and other exotic plants, as well as listening to the pleasant song of the birds. It’s easy to see why Manchioneel Bay is said to be the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet’s famous Cheeseburger in Paradise.
Most people who rent a catamaran to Cooper Island do nothing, and that’s the idea! You can relax on the beach, read a book, browse the Sea Grape boutique, swim, have a shot of your choice of rum, watch other charter yachts glide down the Sir Frances Drake Channel and watch the sun go down. over some of the other islands. If you’re feeling more energetic, you can explore the island on foot, snorkel or dive, and even take a boat ride to nearby Salt Island.
The best snorkeling is just off the beach. The seagrass in Manchioneel Bay is an interesting snorkel. Look for green sea turtles, eagle and stingrays, starfish, and a large bed of queen conch. On occasion, you can also find seahorses. If you follow the rocks parallel to the shoreline south of the Beach Club jetty, you’ll see plenty of reef fish, including Parrotfish, Blue Surgeonfish, Angelfish, as well as several sea urchins and a large resident octopus. For great snorkeling take your boat south of Manchioneel Bay to Cistern Point and moor your boat to the line attached to 2 buoys and snorkel around Cistern Point Rock and the crest of the coral reef. Cistern Point is noted for its photogenic ledges covered in brilliant coral, flowing gorgonians (sea rods and sea fans), and abundant tropical fish, often in groups like gray snappers and blue tangs. Occasionally you may see a sleeping nurse shark and even a huge lobster or two. There is usually a school of barracuda floating around the mooring line, but they are harmless.
If you like diving, Cooper Island is in the heart of a diving paradise. Cooper Island, along with Salt and Ginger Islands on either side, has 11 of the BVI’s 50 best-known sites. Sail Caribbean Divers, a PADI Gold Palm, 5-star resort, has a dive operation located within the Cooper Island Beach Club. They offer a full range of diving experiences for all levels of divers. If you’re traveling by catamaran, you can meet them at Cooper Island, or they’ll meet you, and in 15 minutes, you can be diving a spectacular reef or wreck site. Devil’s Kitchen, on the windward side of Cooper Island, is one such place. It is a series of ridges with chambers, caves and corals with lots of lobsters, some moray eels and even a possible sighting of sharks. Other dive sites include Thumb Rock, Markoe Point, and the wrecks of the Pat and Marie L.
If you’re looking for more adventure, leave your catamaran rental in Manchioneel Bay and take a 15-minute boat ride to Salt Island. Salt Island is named after the island’s three evaporation ponds. Salt Island was once an important source of salt for Her Majesty’s ships. Today, the island and its salt flats still belong to the Crown, but are exploited by the local population. Every year, at the beginning of the harvest, the Governor accepts a bag of salt as an annual rent. There is a small ruined settlement right next to Salt Pond Bay that you can visit. For the last few years, only one person seems to live there. He usually takes a siesta in a hammock in the shade of some palm trees. If he catches it at the right time, he can point you in the direction of the salt ponds and can even explain how the harvest is done. You can also buy a small bag of salt. Salt Pond Bay is affected by a swell and therefore it is only one day of anchorage. Make sure your anchor is in place before heading out to explore the salt ponds. For those who want to dive the Rhône wreck, head to Lee Bay, just around the corner from Salt Pond Bay. This bay is not well protected and is also affected by waves. The Rhône is protected by the National Parks Trust, so anchoring over the Rhône is strictly prohibited, but if your charter yacht is less than 50 feet, you can moor in Lee Bay and then cruise to the Rhône, using the dinghy. mooring line provided. Just watch out for divers in the water if you make a boat!
The Wreck of The Rhone is one of the most famous dive sites in the world. Before she sank during a hurricane in 1867, The Rhone had been the pride of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company and carried 313 passengers. During the storm, she hit Salt Island, broke in two and quickly sank. Today, the two halves of it are well preserved on a sandy bottom and its steel remains have become home to countless species of fish and encrusting corals. The Rhone is a perfect two tank dive. The bow section, which lies in about 80 feet of depth, reveals the coral-encrusted cargo hold and other interior chambers. Outside, careful examination of the wreckage reveals the ship’s foremast complete with the crow’s nest and its bow spirit on the sand. The support beams for the horizontal platform are located on its sides – the famous “Greek columns” so often photographed. The stern section contains the boat’s once-mighty engine, her propulsion shaft, and a massive 15′ propeller found in 25 feet of water. The Rhône wreck is most famous as the filming site for the movie “The Deep” starring Jacqueline Bisset. The hatch, which featured prominently in the film, makes an incredible entrance to this “treasure ship” for divers who can easily navigate the well-lit interior. Other dive sites outside of Salt Island include Rhone Reef; the colorful Vanishing Rocks and Blonde Rock battled against the tide. Blonde Rock is a pinnacle that rises from a depth of 60 feet to just 15 feet below the surface. Its rocky ledges, tunnels, caves and ledges are home to crabs, lobsters, beautiful fan corals and hordes of reef fish.
Whether you’re just filing or taking part in something more exhilarating on and around Cooper Island, you’re going to get hungry at some point. Most yachts chartering a catamaran cite the restaurant as their main reason for returning to Cooper Island. Cooper Island Beach Club’s restaurant is a great spot for casual outdoor dining on the beach with views of the anchored boats. Open for lunch and dinner, chefs Norma, Sheril and Gail-Ann create magic in their small kitchen. Try their excellent pasta, local fish, veal marsala, beef, lamb or conch curry, rotis and the local West Indian specialty of conch fritters served with a spicy dressing. Save room for homemade desserts like mango papaya cheesecake, carrot cake and chocolate brownies. Shoes are not required, but make dinner reservations!
Cooper Island is just one of the BVI gems known as “Nature’s Little Secrets”. With its casual grace, endless ocean views, and spectacular island scenery above and below sea level, Cooper Island is paradise in all its tropical splendor. Organize your catamaran rental and let yourself be captivated by the intimate charm of Cooper Island!
