La première île que nous avons visitée fut supposement nommée ainsi a cause de sa relation avec les pirates. Mais tout ici dans les Iles vierges autant britanniques qu’américaines est mis en relation avec ce gang de truands qu’étaient les pirates! Tous les bateaux loués arborent un drapeau blanc et noir à la tête de mort...çà devient un peu tannant à la fin! Voila notre voilier sans drapeau de pirate!


Norman Island - on the Sir Francis Drake Channel - often referred by the locals as "Treasure Island", is purported to be named after the pirates and legends of buried treasures. Sailboats Charter companies must have bought hundreds of pirate flags as every boat of their fleet harbour the typical back and white pirate head flag...everything is related to pirates...after a while it gets a little too much. Here is our La Buena Vida seen in the Norman anchorage - without Pirate flag...



Nous avons aime notre séjour sur cette île à cause des sentiers qui la traversent et qui nous permettent d’avoir des vues superbes du côté de la mer des Caraïbes ou de l’Atlantique! Parfois il nous est difficile de croire que nous avons vraiment traversé des Bermudes jusqu’ici!


We quite liked Norman for the good swimming, hiking and yes, happy hours that the island offers. The hike that we liked best was one that lead us to the top of the hill from where we had magnificent views of the Atlantic waters and surrounding anchorages. Looking at the Atlantic, it is sometimes difficult to believe that we actually have crossed from Bermuda to here!!!






This hike also offered us our first glimpse of the island’s plant life. Although there are frequent rain showers, the terrain is rocky and does not appear to retain water. What is striking about hillsides are the abundant greyish green Pipe Organ Cactus sticking out the bushes and the ochre brown cliffs. Other trees that we encountered were the Tamarind tree, West Indian Locust tree, sea grapes and humongous century plants. The only animal life encountered during that hike was the soldier crab, who lives in abandoned shells, mostly the West Indian Top Shell referred to as Whelk. They migrate in thousands during the month of August, laying their eggs on the beach and are found everywhere in the Virgin Islands.
As for snorkeling, there are caves at the edge of the anchorage that offers really good snorkeling. Many colourful tropical fishes, parrot fishes, sergeant majors, grunts, and groupers. We also saw squids and southern stingrays...all this in an underwater landscape composed of various corals.












Ces randonnées sur Norman nous ont donne un bon aperçu de la flore des Iles britanniques - terrain très rocailleux, peu propice a l’agriculture bien que bananes, plantains, papaye et autres fruits tropicaux y poussent. Il y a plusieurs arbres dont le plus commun sur cette île était bien le tamarinier! Dont les fruits sont souvent utilises dans la cuisine des îles! Quant à la faune, le bernard-l'hermite est la seule créature que nous ayons rencontré lors de nos promenades...





Après de si dures journées, nous avions le choix d’aller prendre l’apéro sur le William Thornton, un cargo danois de 1915 qui fut converti en...bar ou d’aller au resto Pirates (!) sur la plage.

Of course, after such outdoors adventures, one gets thirsty...anchored at Norman is The William Thornton, a 1915 black Danish Baltic trader sailing vessel that has been converted into a bar restaurant with a dinghy dock.

The other possibility is at the restaurant-pub Pirates (!) Located on the beach....both with different styles and atmospheres!