OK, here is a little something to feed the DIF during the off season:

The BVI claims it has 60 islands and cays. I can only come up with 48. Check this list over and find the other 12. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Little Tobago
Great Tobago
King Rock
Cable/Watson/Castle Rock
Jost Van Dyke
Diamond Cay
Little Jost
Green Key
Sandy Spit
Sandy Cay
Great Thatch
Little Thatch
Frenchman Cay
Tortola
Nanny Cay
Buck Island
Beef Island
Bellamy Cay
Little Cay
Guana Island
Great Comano
Little Comano
Marina Cay
Scrub Island
West Dog
Great Dog
George Dog
West Seal Dog
East Seal Dog
Little Seal Dog
Mosquito Rock
Mosquito Island
Prickley Pear Island
Eustatia Island
Necker Island
Saba Rock
Virgin Gorda
Fallen Jeruselem
Broken Jeruselem
Round Rock
Ginger Island
Carvel Rock
Cooper Island
Cistern Point
Salt Island
Dead Chest
Peter Island
Key Cay
Carrot Rock
Norman Island
The Indians
Pelican Island
Anegada

Nanny Cay
Drowned island
Little Anegada
Little Wickmams cay
Oyster Rock
Bellamy Cay
Cockroach Island
Flanagan Island
Little cay
Spanish Island
Little Seal Dog

Thats me out...

Thanks. That covers 8 of them so now missing only 4 islands.

Can't find anything on Drowned Island other than another name for Anegada and can't find anytning on Spanish Island.
Flanagan is USVI.

There is a small island just south of Deadchest. Not sure it has a name.
G

Cable Rock off Tobago.

Post deleted by casailor53

what about little seal next to west seal--does that count?

I see those rocks south of dead chest but can't find any name.

Castle, Cable and Watson are all the same rock. Emray says Cable, DMA says Wason and British Overseas Survey says Castle.

I did remember Cistern Point however, one of my crew's favorite snorkels.

3 more to go

Flanagan is USVI, unless there are two.

I don't know the name of it (so it might have already been mentioned), or even if it has a name, but what about the rock that is the eastern end of the reef on the east side of Marina Cay.

So how far should we go in counting rocks? Should the Indians be counted as several individual rocks? How about the tip of Mountain Point, where there are a few rocks separated by shallow water?

Maybe whoever came up with the claim of 60 was just trying to drive the rest of us nuts. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Dan <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

? vanishing rock

Actually, the government claims to have "[color:"red"]more than 60[/color] islands, keys and rocks".

I did this excercise several years ago and found the claim to be true.

The devil is in the little bits and in some cases, reclaimed land. Those missing from your list are:

Road Reef Cay - where TMM is located. Hard to notice, but it is separated from Tortola by a very small bridge.

Wickhams Cay 1 - once a separate island but now part of Road Town Tortola due to land reclamation. There also used to be a couple more tiny islands in Road Harbour which were swallowed up in the land reclamations of the 1960's. Bird Cay and (I think) Dead Horse ... or something like that. There was never any place named Wickhams Cay II, but Bird Cay is part of that area now.

Road Reef Cay - The small island (past Prospect Reef heading west) just off the highway at Slaney Point. (Where all the pelicans roost.) It is only separated from Tortola by about 4 to 8 feet of water.

Carval Rock - Between Ginger and Cooper here

You already listed Carvel Rock - which is just off Cistern Point here

And ... there is also "The Carvel" ... aka Caravel Rock off Norman Island - here

Then there are the whale rocks here - Great story about how they got their name. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Nanny Cay is actually made up of (I think) 3 small cays. Miss Peggy Cay ... and I can't remember the names of the others. I have the info somewhere. They were reclaimed when Nanny Cay was first built. They were basically just sand bars.

Red rock - at the entrance to Fat Hog's Bay.

Manual Reef Cay (aka Lil Cay) - is in Sea Cows Bay, just south of the marina.

The map was completed in 2005/2006 and I was lucky enough to get a copy of it. However, Ermin says it isn't really finished and has not yet been approved by government. They have had too many other important things to deal with.

Oyster rock is considered an underwater rock off The Bitter End ... so doesn't really count.

George, the rocks south of Dead Chest are called Governor Goat Rocks which are a group of 5 separate rocks. There is also a rock on the north side of Dead Chest called Black Rock.

casailor53, the partly submerged rock east of Marina Cay is also named Black Rock.

There are actually hundreds more named (above water) rocks that appear on a map done by Ermin Penn (who is the historian for the BVI Tourist Board) and 16 other local folks (including Ivan Chinnery) who, up until the map was done, had this local knowledge in their heads.

Hope this helps Glenn.

I think that is more than I wanted to know! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Sorry, I am a geography and history buff. I tend to get carried away on this stuff. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Blush.gif" alt="" />

On the above website that talks about "carvel rock" - I think that's wrong. That's Cistern rock and CarvAl rock is large outside rock and dive site.

I don't think anyone mentioned Thumb Rock, a dive site on the NW side of Great Camanoe. It is possible to swim between the two.

There is also a pinnacle that goes maybe 15 or 20' above the surface in the S end of Lee Bay on Camanoe. Not sure if it has a name.

And Liane, thanks for answering my query and giving Black Rock a name. I knew that, but too much Mt. Gay over the years!

It could very well be wrong ... but according to the map from Town and Country Planning dated August 2006 and revised July 2010, that is the name shown on the map.

Nothing is written in stone. I am sure there are many corrections that need to be made.

Found it! Little Anegada is located at the very eastern tip of Anegada