Marina Cay
Encyclopedia
Marina Cay is an island
of the British Virgin Islands
in the Caribbean
.
The 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) island was uninhabited until 1937, when author Robb White
and newly married wife Rosalie “Rodie” Mason settled on the island. Originally having settled on the nearby island of Tortola
, White had found the insect problem to be unbearable, and spent weeks sailing during the day searching for a new island home.
The Whites spent three years on Marina, hacking a cistern out of the rough, rocky land and shipping in enough concrete to build a small, sturdy house. These adventurous years – during which the couple weathered a typhoon, fended off a randy Nazi skipper, aided Jewish refugees, and survived a surprise a visit from White’s mother-in-law – are detailed in his memoirs In Privateer’s Bay (1939), Our Virgin Island (1953), and Two on the Isle (1985).
White was recalled to military duty when World War II broke out; he flew as a pilot, fought near his birthplace in the Battle of Leyte Gulf (1944), and served on battleships, submarines, and aircraft carriers; he earned eight medals and retired with the rank of lieutenant commander after five years of service.
At the same time as White’s recall, he and Rodie lost Marina Cay; the British government had never issued them a license to hold the land and now formally refused, stating that White’s published writings had misrepresented conditions in the British Virgin Islands.
Today, Marina Cay is home to Pusser's Restaurant and Villa Rentals; the house Robb and Rodie built serves as a reading lounge for the modest tourist complex.
It was the setting for the (true life) story romaticised in Two on the Isle (ISBN 0709025734) by Robb White
.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
The 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) island was uninhabited until 1937, when author Robb White
Robb White
Robb White was a writer of screenplays, television scripts, and adventure novels; most of the latter had a maritime setting — often the Pacific Navy during World War II. White was best known for juvenile fiction, though he has proven popular with adults as well...
and newly married wife Rosalie “Rodie” Mason settled on the island. Originally having settled on the nearby island of Tortola
Tortola
Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local tradition recounts that Christopher Columbus named it Tortola, meaning "land of the Turtle Dove". Columbus named the island Santa Ana...
, White had found the insect problem to be unbearable, and spent weeks sailing during the day searching for a new island home.
The Whites spent three years on Marina, hacking a cistern out of the rough, rocky land and shipping in enough concrete to build a small, sturdy house. These adventurous years – during which the couple weathered a typhoon, fended off a randy Nazi skipper, aided Jewish refugees, and survived a surprise a visit from White’s mother-in-law – are detailed in his memoirs In Privateer’s Bay (1939), Our Virgin Island (1953), and Two on the Isle (1985).
White was recalled to military duty when World War II broke out; he flew as a pilot, fought near his birthplace in the Battle of Leyte Gulf (1944), and served on battleships, submarines, and aircraft carriers; he earned eight medals and retired with the rank of lieutenant commander after five years of service.
At the same time as White’s recall, he and Rodie lost Marina Cay; the British government had never issued them a license to hold the land and now formally refused, stating that White’s published writings had misrepresented conditions in the British Virgin Islands.
Today, Marina Cay is home to Pusser's Restaurant and Villa Rentals; the house Robb and Rodie built serves as a reading lounge for the modest tourist complex.
It was the setting for the (true life) story romaticised in Two on the Isle (ISBN 0709025734) by Robb White
Robb White
Robb White was a writer of screenplays, television scripts, and adventure novels; most of the latter had a maritime setting — often the Pacific Navy during World War II. White was best known for juvenile fiction, though he has proven popular with adults as well...
.