Anegada is almost level with the water. Its highest point reaches about 28 feet above sea level, rising faintly from the landscape defined by the horizon. If you sail that way, the island will appear late. It is a thin strip of white and green that appears to be floating in the Caribbean Sea. Early Spanish explorers called the island “Anegada,” meaning “drowned.” This is a reference to how low the island sits and how easily it blends into the sea. The name was kept. The character was like that too.
It is the only coral island in the British Virgin Islands and is made of limestone and reef, not volcanic rock. There are no peaks, no zigzag roads leading up into the clouds. Open skies, salt pans, bush and one of the widest beaches in the region.
The terrain of the north coast offers something special.
Cow Shipwreck Beach.
Cow Wreck Beach is one of those places that will reset your expectations of what a Caribbean beach should be. It looks spacious without feeling empty. It’s quiet without feeling distant. You can walk for 20 minutes and pass only a few other people. If you swim out, you can see the sandy bottom below.
This is the northern coast of Anegada.
beach carrying island
The sand at Cow Wreck is powdery and bright, edged by dunes and low vegetation. Offshore reefs break the Atlantic waves before they reach the beach, leaving wide, swimmable channels of water that remain calm most days. The color changes from clear underfoot to dark turquoise farther out and to darker blues where the reef runs parallel to the shore.
You can cross far before the water reaches your shoulders. You can float without drifting. You can walk east or west and feel like you have the island to yourself.
There are no towering resorts behind you. Behind the trees are scattered beach bars, guesthouses and private villas. Infrastructure is minimal. The experience is direct.
This is what draws people back to Anegada. The clarity of the beach, water and sky.
Kaurek Beach Bar
At the center of it all is the Cow Wreck Beach Bar, a low, colorful wooden structure just steps from the sand. Painted signs hang from beams. Surfboards and license plates decorate the walls. The table is simple wood. The bottom is sand.
I order at the bar. The pain reliever arrives cold and strong, topped off with grated nutmeg. The rum punch leans heavily towards local pours. Cold Carib and Presidente line up coolers. The soundtrack is relaxed and breezy, with reggae, classic rock, and island standards.
The kitchen serves conch fritters, grilled fish, burgers and lobster when in season. Portions are generous. The settings will do the rest.
You can sit under the shade of the bar roof or take your drink to one of the loungers facing the sea. Shoes are optional. Time is flexible.
The name Cow Wreck comes from a ship that once ran aground on a reef off the coast of Anegada and washed ashore with its cargo, including livestock. The only wreck you may face these days is sunburn if you forget how strong the light is here.
Anne’s Guesthouse
Just beyond the bar, you’ll find Ann’s Guest Houses, set behind the beach. This is Anegada at its most personal: a simple cabin, bright, colorful paint, and a front porch with chairs angled toward the wind.
The rooms are comfortable and unfussy. Install air conditioners where you need them. Some units have a kitchenette. Outdoor seating becomes the headquarters for the evening.
When you wake up, you can walk to the beach within a minute. You spend your days in the water or under a thatched umbrella. You return to the front door as the sun sets and the north coast sky turns a soft pink.
There is no hustle and bustle at the front desk. There is no valet parking service. All you can hear is the keys, the sand, and the wind moving through the trees.
beyond this beach
Anegada’s beaches stretch far beyond Cow Wreck, each beach feeling like its own address on the horizon.
on the north coast Loblolly Bay It flows wide and brightly, and offshore reefs keep the water calm and clear. Beach spots like Big Bamboo and Tipsy’s allow you to set up a chair on the sand and sip a cold drink, but walk a few minutes in either direction and you’ll find wide-open coastline with no one in sight. The sand remains white and fine, and the water is shallow and glassy in places dotted with sea grass and coral.
further west, flash of beauty It offers a long, uninterrupted beach with few structures behind it. The Atlantic Ocean shows more energy on certain days, sending a steady set of waves that roll and flatten near the coast. It’s the kind of place where you can bring a cooler, put up an umbrella, and just sit still.
On the south side of the island, near Setting Point, the waters are calmer and better protected. The sand narrows in places, leading to small marinas, fishing boats, and dockside restaurants. This is where ferries arrive and charter boats dock, and tarpon can be seen moving in the shallows near the dock.
The common thread throughout Anegada is space and accessibility. There is no gate. There are no long rows of armchairs. Just a few miles of white sand beach surrounded by low vegetation and open skies. You can spend all day driving from beach to beach and still leave areas unexplored.
Cow Wreck has a name and a bar, but the entire island appears to be one extended coastline.
Lobster, finished in the Anegada style
Anegada is famous for its lobster, and Cow Wreck is one of the places to get it.
In season, spiny Caribbean lobster is sliced and grilled, brushed with butter and garlic, and served with rice, salad and fried plantains. The meat is sweet and firm and is caught directly from the surrounding sea. The portion is generous and often spills over the edge of the plate.
Throughout the island, lobster dinners are a ritual. The restaurant has long tables. Coolers are filled with beer. Grills are fired before the sun sets. Cow Wreck’s setting adds another layer. That is, lobster eaten with your feet in the sand, with the Atlantic Ocean just yards away. There is also a lobster festival held every year.
It’s simple food, well-cooked, and served without ceremony.
Why Anegada feels different
Most of the British Virgin Islands rise sharply from the sea. Anegada is flat and sprawling, reaching nearly 28 feet at its highest point. The result is a constant horizon. You can see the sky in all directions. You can feel the trade winds without being disturbed.
Flamingos gather in salt ponds inside the island. Bonefish move through the shallows. The offshore reef system, including Horseshoe Reef, is one of the largest in the Caribbean and attracts divers who know the area well.
The roads are sandy and quiet. There is less traffic. You can rent a Jeep or Moke and find directions using your memory rather than signs. This island rewards slow exploration. Loblolly Bay on the north coast, Flash of Beauty Beach further west, and small settlements near The Settlement and Settlement Point.
There is a grocery store, a few restaurants, a ferry dock and a small airstrip. That’s the framework. The rest is beaches and water.
Cow Wreck also stands out here because it has it all in one place: sweeping coastline, laid-back bars, local lobster, and a guesthouse just steps from the sand.
How to Get to Anegada
One of the things that makes Cow Wreck special is the travel.
You can usually reach Anegada by ferry from Tortola, either from Road Town or Trellis Bay. Depending on the situation, it will take approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. The cross-ocean approach builds anticipation. The island slowly appears as a thin line on the horizon.
Small planes also connect Anegada to Tortola and sometimes San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight is short and low, giving you a clear view of the coral reefs and the pale outline of the island against the blue.
Once you arrive at Setting Point, rent a car or take a taxi across the island to Cow Wreck Beach. It takes about 15-20 minutes to cross scrub and salt ponds before coming into view of the north coast.
There is no cruise dock. There are no large yachts lining the shore. Access requires a decision. It filters out the crowd.
cow accident incident
Throughout the Caribbean, there are beaches with softer sand or more dramatic backdrops. There are bars with bigger menus and louder music. There are resorts with longer lists of amenities.
Cow Wreck offers something else: satisfying simplicity. Beaches, bars, guesthouses, lobster and the skyline are all within a few hundred yards.
You swim in clear water protected by a reef. Eat seafood caught from the nearby sea. I sleep in a villa where I can go barefoot. When I wake up, all I see is white sand and blue sea.
