Anegada is known for miles of white sand beaches and the 18-mile
(29 km)-long Horseshoe Reef, the largest barrier coral reef in the
Caribbean, and the fourth largest on earth. The reef makes navigation to
Anegada difficult. While charter boats freely sail among most of the other
Virgin Islands, charter companies often forbid clients to sail to Anegada to
avoid running aground on the reef.
The reef has claimed literally hundreds of shipwrecks, including HMS Astraea in 1808, the Donna Paula (1819), the MS Rocus
