The British Virgin Islands are the most-chartered cruising ground in the Caribbean, and one of the most-chartered anywhere.
The reason is the geography. The islands sit in a tight cluster around the Sir Francis Drake Channel, the hops are short and line-of-sight, the anchorages are protected, and the trade winds blow steady through the winter. You get a different island every day without ever losing sight of land. It is the easiest good sailing in the Caribbean, which is exactly why the fleet is the size it is.
This is a 7-night round trip from Tortola, 92 nautical miles across the week, with two nights at Anegada because nobody has ever wished they had booked fewer.
Before we dive in, it's worth noting the route below is also available as an interactive map on our Caribbean charter page.
The route
Tortola → Norman Island → Peter Island → The Baths → North Sound → Anegada → Jost Van Dyke → Tortola.
Eight days, 92 nautical miles, round trip from Tortola. No leg over 32 miles, and most under an hour.
Day 1: Norman Island
Board in Tortola around midday and head south to Norman Island. Lunch is anchored off Privateer Bay, the cluster of sea caves R.L. Stevenson had in mind when he wrote Treasure Island; snorkel off the swim platform or take the tender in.
After lunch the yacht moves across to The Bight, a big protected horseshoe. Pirate's Bight on the beach has a pool, a restaurant and a bar; the Willy T floating bar is the noisier version. The sunset hike up the ridge is worth the sweat.
Passage: 1 hour, 7 nm. Mooring: The Bight (Norman Island), Privateer Bay day anchorage. Beach: Pirate's Bight. Dining: Pirate's Bight, Willy T.
Day 2: The Indians & Peter Island
A short hop to The Indians, four rock pinnacles between Norman and Pelican and one of the best snorkel and dive sites in the BVI: swim-through arches, coral walls, tarpon and blue tang.
By lunch the yacht moves round to Little Harbour on Peter Island, where the captain med-moors stern-to the rocks so the transom becomes a private swimming pool. Peter Island is mostly private, but the hikes are open.
Passage: 1 hour, 6 nm. Mooring: Little Harbour (Peter Island, med-moor), Great Harbour. Dining: The Drunken Pelican.
Day 3: Cooper Island & The Baths
Up the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Cooper Island Beach Club for lunch: solar-powered, with a rum bar holding the largest selection of rums in the Caribbean.
Mid-afternoon, cross to The Baths on Virgin Gorda, where house-sized granite boulders pile against the shore in a maze of caves, ladders and pools. Work through the trail to Devil's Bay, then move up to Mountain Point for the night: phosphorescent plankton in the water and one of the clearest night skies in the Caribbean.
Passage: 2.5 hours, 18 nm. Mooring: Cooper Island (lunch), Mountain Point (overnight). Beach: Devil's Bay. Dining: Cooper Island Beach Club, Top of the Baths.
Day 4: North Sound
A morning dive or snorkel around Mountain Point, then into North Sound, one of the largest and most protected anchorages in the Caribbean. The tender opens it up: Eustatia Reef, or a beach lunch on Prickly Pear.
Bitter End Yacht Club is back open after Hurricane Irma with the same dinghy dock and kite gear. Saba Rock next door is famous for the giant tarpon at the happy-hour feeding.
Passage: 45 minutes, 5 nm. Mooring: Bitter End, Saba Rock, Leverick Bay. Beach: Prickly Pear (by tender). Dining: Bitter End Yacht Club, Saba Rock.
Day 5: Anegada
Two hours north to Anegada, the odd one out in the BVI: no hills, no cliffs, the whole island topping out at 28 feet. The yacht threads the reef channel and anchors at Setting Point.
Take the open-truck taxi across to the north-coast beaches, Cow Wreck, Flash of Beauty, Loblolly Bay: white sand, no infrastructure, unreal water. Dinner is lobster caught fresh that day, booked through the crew.
Passage: 2 hours, 14 nm. Mooring: Setting Point. Beach: Loblolly Bay or Cow Wreck (taxi across). Dining: Anegada Beach Club, Wonky Dog, Lobster Trap.
Day 6: Anegada, second day
The second day is the reason people wish they had booked longer. Horseshoe Reef, the world's third-largest coral reef system, wraps the east and south of the island: endless dive and snorkel sites, most days with the boat to yourself.
Taxi across to Cow Wreck Beach for lunch, a shack on the sand with painkillers, grilled fish and hammocks. In the afternoon, kiteboard, paddleboard, or the salt flats for the flamingos.
No passage. Mooring: Setting Point. Beach: Cow Wreck. Dining: Cow Wreck Beach Bar, Flash of Beauty, Big Bamboo.
Day 7: Sandy Spit & Jost Van Dyke
A downwind run to Jost Van Dyke. First stop is Sandy Spit, a white sand islet off Green Cay with nothing on it: walk round it in sixty seconds, then swim.
By afternoon you are off Great Harbour or White Bay. Foxy's in Great Harbour has run since 1968. White Bay is the postcard: the Soggy Dollar Bar, home of the original Painkiller, and Hendo's Hideout. The walk to the tide-fed Bubbly Pool is a good end to the day.
Passage: 4.5 hours, 32 nm, the longest leg, downwind. Mooring: Great Harbour, White Bay (settled weather). Beach: White Bay / Sandy Spit. Dining: Foxy's, Soggy Dollar Bar, Hendo's Hideout.
Day 8: Return to Tortola
An early start from Jost Van Dyke and a short sail back across the channel to the marina in Tortola, with one last swim on the way if the schedule allows. Then a final goodbye with the crew, tips and a group photo, and either the water taxi to St Thomas or straight to Beef Island airport.
Passage: 1.5 hours, 10 nm. Mooring: Road Town or Nanny Cay Marina. Dining: Club 1973.
Who this suits
Broker observation rather than route description.
First-timers, families, and anyone who wants easy sailing with a lot of variety. The hops are short and protected, the beach bars are the point as much as the anchorages, and there is enough to do at Anegada and North Sound to fill the still days. It suits groups who want the Caribbean without a single long passage.
The one thing to know is that this is a social cruising ground. The anchorages are busy in season and the bars are the culture, not a distraction from it. If you want empty and remote, the Grenadines does that better.
Practical notes
The Caribbean season runs December to April, with steady easterly trades. Christmas and New Year weeks carry premium rates and get committed latest by September or October.
Most crewed catamarans here charter on the CYBA agreement under Caribbean Terms Inclusive: the fee covers the crew, all meals, the standard bar, fuel for around four hours of cruising a day and the water toys, with only a small advance allowance for extras. Larger superyachts often run on MYBA terms with an APA instead. We confirm the contract form per yacht.
If this is your first charter: how a luxury yacht charter works, a typical day on board, how to budget. The other Caribbean routes: the Leeward Islands and the Grenadines.
Talk to us
Caribbean fleet | browse everything | send us your dates
Get in touch | hello@frontieryachting.com | +32 487 22 08 22
