When is the cruising season in the British Virgin Islands?

December to May. The islands around the Sir Francis Drake Channel give shelter, and the trade winds blow steadily all winter, so passages are short and comfortable.

Where do BVI charters depart from?

Usually from Tortola, at Road Town or Nanny Cay. Some yachts embark in St Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, and clear into the BVI on the first day.

How long is a typical BVI charter?

Five to seven nights covers the principal islands: Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and, in settled weather, Anegada. Longer cruises continue east to St Martin and the islands beyond.

Which are the best anchorages in the BVI?

The Bight at Norman Island, with the Caves at Treasure Point; White Bay on Jost Van Dyke; the Baths and the North Sound on Virgin Gorda; and Cooper Island, quieter, with a beach club ashore. In January and February the most popular stops can fill by early afternoon, so the captain times the day around them, and the Baths are best before ten or after three.

Which permits and fees apply to a BVI charter?

Charter yachts need a BVI cruising permit, charged per guest per day and at a higher rate for yachts based outside the territory, such as those from St Thomas. An environmental and tourism levy is charged per guest on arrival, and the Baths and other national parks have their own fees and moorings. On all-inclusive terms these usually sit inside the rate, and the applicable charges are set out before anything is signed.

Is the diving and snorkelling good in the BVI?

Yes. The wreck of the RMS Rhone, lost off Salt Island in the hurricane of 1867 and protected as a national park, lies between around 9 and 26 metres. The Caves at Norman Island are snorkelled from the tender, and at popular reef sites the National Parks Trust has laid mooring buoys since 1991, so yachts and tenders moor rather than anchor on coral.

What is the weather like for a BVI charter?

From December to April the trade winds are steady and the weather dry, with the prevailing wind from the east in every month of the year. Around the turn of the year, the Christmas winds can bring a few days of 20 to 25 knots. The islands around the Sir Francis Drake Channel give shelter, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November.

Caribbean · yacht charter

British Virgin Islands.

Tortola-based cruising across the Sir Francis Drake Channel, with the Baths on Virgin Gorda close at hand and Anegada a passage for settled weather.

Speak to a yacht advisor

Overview

What to expect.

The British Virgin Islands offer the most protected winter cruising in the Caribbean: the Sir Francis Drake Channel runs through the centre of the archipelago, sheltered on both sides, with the principal islands all within line-of-sight. The result is consistent, easy, route-flexible cruising suited to first-time charterers and seasoned cruisers alike.

Embarkation is from Tortola (Road Town or Nanny Cay), or from St Thomas on the US Virgin Islands side with same-day clearance into the BVIs. The window runs December through May. A typical seven-night charter covers Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke; longer cruises extend north to St Martin or south to St Kitts.

Private yacht charter in the BVI

The British Virgin Islands are a cruising ground on a small scale. Tortola faces a string of smaller islands across the Sir Francis Drake Channel, with Virgin Gorda to the east and Jost Van Dyke to the north-west, and the distances between them are short. A yacht charter in the British Virgin Islands can change anchorage every day without a long passage: a full week of island hopping covers around seventy nautical miles.

The wind blows from the east through most of the year and the islands give shelter, so the passages are short and comfortable.

The islands from the water

Norman Island. The Bight is a natural first night out of Road Town, and the Caves at Treasure Point are snorkelled from the tender.

Jost Van Dyke. At White Bay, yachts anchor off a shallow beach and guests swim or take the tender in to the beach bars; Sandy Spit lies close by.

Peter, Salt and Cooper islands. Across the channel from Tortola, Peter Island has Deadman's Bay, and off Salt Island lies the wreck of the RMS Rhone, lost in a hurricane in 1867 and protected as a national park since 1980, between around 9 and 26 metres down. Cooper Island is quieter, with a beach club ashore.

Virgin Gorda. At the southern tip, the Baths are a field of granite boulders forming tidal pools, tunnels and grottoes open to the sea, a national park since 1990, best visited before ten or after three, outside the hours of the day boats. At the other end of the island, the North Sound is calm, protected water, with marinas at Oil Nut Bay, Saba Rock and the Bitter End.

Anegada. Around fifteen miles north of Virgin Gorda, Anegada is different: a flat island of coral and limestone, ringed by Horseshoe Reef, one of the largest barrier reefs in the Caribbean. The approach is made in good light and settled weather, and anchoring on the reef is prohibited. Ashore are flamingos in the salt ponds and rare rock iguanas, and the island is known for its lobster.

A week from Tortola

A classic week leaves Road Town for Norman Island, crosses to Jost Van Dyke, returns along the channel to Peter Island and the Rhone off Salt Island, then runs east to Virgin Gorda for the Baths and the North Sound, with Anegada as the last leg when the weather allows. No leg is much over twenty nautical miles. Yachts based in St Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, can start there and clear into the BVI on the first day.

When to go

The peak season runs from December to April, with steady trade winds and dry weather, and May extends it. The Christmas winds can bring a few days of 20 to 25 knots around the turn of the year. In January and February the most popular anchorages, the Bight and White Bay among them, can fill by early afternoon. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, with its peak in September.

The BVI Spring Regatta is sailed at the turn of March and April, and Christmas and New Year are the most sought-after dates of the winter. For January to March, the best yachts are often committed a year or more ahead.

Marinas and arrival

Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, on Beef Island and joined to Tortola by a bridge, has nonstop flights from Miami and connections through San Juan, Antigua and St Maarten. Guests can also fly into St Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, and take a ferry to Road Town, around 50 to 60 minutes, or from Red Hook to West End, around 30.

Road Town's Village Cay Marina takes large yachts, and Nanny Cay and Soper's Hole, at West End, are the other Tortola bases.

Yachts and what a week costs

Most crewed charter yachts in the islands are based on Tortola, and many are sailing catamarans on all-inclusive terms, where one weekly rate covers the yacht, crew, meals, drinks, fuel and water toys; indicatively, a crewed catamaran in high season costs around USD 30,000 a week. Motor yachts and superyachts are usually quoted plus expenses, with an Advance Provisioning Allowance of typically 25 to 35 percent of the rate for running costs.

A BVI cruising permit, charged per guest per day, and an environmental levy on arrival are added, usually inside the rate on all-inclusive terms, and the applicable charges are set out before anything is signed. The crew gratuity is customarily 15 to 20 percent of the charter fee. For the choice of format, see crewed or bareboat charter, and for budgets, what a charter costs.

How a BVI charter is arranged

We shortlist the yachts that suit your group, check where each is based, since a yacht from St Thomas changes the embarkation and the permit, and settle the route with the captain. For a longer winter, the BVI combine with Antigua or St Barths, and the Caribbean holds other routes.

Tell us your dates, the size of your group and what you have in mind, and we will come back with a shortlist. Start the conversation.

Fleet

Yachts available in British Virgin Islands.

Available on request

The current selection for British Virgin Islands is shared privately on request. Speak to a yacht advisor for a curated shortlist.

Request the selection

Season

When to cruise.

Best months: December to May
Prevailing winds: Trade winds, 15 to 20 knots
Typical base ports: Village Cay Marina · Nanny Cay Marina · Soper's Hole Marina · Oil Nut Bay Marina · Bitter End Yacht Club

Yachts anchored in a turquoise bay in the British Virgin Islands

December through May. The protected waters of the Sir Francis Drake Channel make the BVIs the most consistent winter charter ground in the Caribbean: routing flexibility is the rule, not the exception.

Ports

Marinas and anchorages.

Village Cay Marina
Nanny Cay Marina
Soper's Hole Marina
Oil Nut Bay Marina
Bitter End Yacht Club

Frequently asked

Practical questions.

When is the cruising season in the British Virgin Islands?: December to May. The islands around the Sir Francis Drake Channel give shelter, and the trade winds blow steadily all winter, so passages are short and comfortable.
Where do BVI charters depart from?: Usually from Tortola, at Road Town or Nanny Cay. Some yachts embark in St Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, and clear into the BVI on the first day.
How long is a typical BVI charter?: Five to seven nights covers the principal islands: Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and, in settled weather, Anegada. Longer cruises continue east to St Martin and the islands beyond.
What does a BVI yacht charter cost?: Many BVI charters are on crewed catamarans with all-inclusive terms, where one weekly rate covers the yacht, crew, meals, drinks, fuel and water toys; indicatively, a crewed catamaran in high season costs around USD 30,000 a week. Motor yachts are usually quoted plus expenses, with an APA of typically 25 to 35 percent. Cruising permit fees apply, and the crew gratuity is customarily 15 to 20 percent.
How do guests reach the British Virgin Islands?: Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, on Beef Island and linked to Tortola by a bridge, has nonstop flights from Miami and connections through San Juan, Antigua and St Maarten. Guests can also fly into St Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, and take a ferry to Road Town, around 50 to 60 minutes, or from Red Hook to West End, around 30 minutes.
Which are the best anchorages in the BVI?: The Bight at Norman Island, with the Caves at Treasure Point; White Bay on Jost Van Dyke; the Baths and the North Sound on Virgin Gorda; and Cooper Island, quieter, with a beach club ashore. In January and February the most popular stops can fill by early afternoon, so the captain times the day around them, and the Baths are best before ten or after three.
Can a BVI charter include Anegada?: Yes, in settled weather. Anegada lies around fifteen miles north of Virgin Gorda's North Sound, a flat island of coral and limestone ringed by Horseshoe Reef, one of the largest barrier reefs in the Caribbean, so the approach is made in good light and anchoring on the reef is prohibited. The island is known for its lobster, its flamingos and its rare rock iguanas.
Which permits and fees apply to a BVI charter?: Charter yachts need a BVI cruising permit, charged per guest per day and at a higher rate for yachts based outside the territory, such as those from St Thomas. An environmental and tourism levy is charged per guest on arrival, and the Baths and other national parks have their own fees and moorings. On all-inclusive terms these usually sit inside the rate, and the applicable charges are set out before anything is signed.
Is the diving and snorkelling good in the BVI?: Yes. The wreck of the RMS Rhone, lost off Salt Island in the hurricane of 1867 and protected as a national park, lies between around 9 and 26 metres. The Caves at Norman Island are snorkelled from the tender, and at popular reef sites the National Parks Trust has laid mooring buoys since 1991, so yachts and tenders moor rather than anchor on coral.
What is the weather like for a BVI charter?: From December to April the trade winds are steady and the weather dry, with the prevailing wind from the east in every month of the year. Around the turn of the year, the Christmas winds can bring a few days of 20 to 25 knots. The islands around the Sir Francis Drake Channel give shelter, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November.