Planning your itinerary
When I look at BVI discussion pages on Facebook one of the most common requests is for input on a charterer’s itinerary, or float plan, for their week of charter. It makes sense; if you are only spending a short time in the islands you want to make sure you are taking advantage of the best places to visit. Trouble is, some of the best places are also some of the busiest, and over time I think this knocks them off the top of the list!
When initially planning your trip, consider the prevailing winds. They generally blow from the east, which means that anything requiring you to sail north or south is a good thing as you are on a comfortable broad reach. Most ‘easterlyish’ headings will have you tacking, and similarly you’ll want to find a reaching course for westerly headings too.
For my preference, I like to get up to the eastern end of the Sir Francis Drake channel at the start of the week. This gives me options. I can visit the Cooper Island Beach Club, an old favorite.
It's popular, but the numbers ashore are really limited by the size of the oring field, so that’s a natural cap on crowds. Visiting the Baths on the southern tip of Virgin Gorda is worth it if you get there super early in the morning before the crowds show up. Think about picking up a buoy there at sunrise if you can (you cannot overnight there). Its worth it!
The sail from the baths to the Dogs, a bunch of islands popular for snorkeling is a decent reach to the North West. From there, you can sail close hauled to the northern tip of the North Sound for a day or 2 of exploring. Leverick Bay, The Bitter End, Oil Nut Bay etc are all good hang out spots in this large natural harbor on the North of Virgin Gorda.
From there, it's a couple hours of broad reach north to Anegada. I would plan to arrive early afternoon after a good morning sail, then rent a car and explore for the afternoon, before dinner ashore in any number of decent casual shore side restaurants. Note - most of these places want you to book, AND order food by early afternoon. It's a tiny island. They don't cater for walk-ins so much.
At this point in the week - well you still have choices! You could retrace your steps back to the Francis Drake channel between Tortola and Virgin Gorda. There are plenty of places still to explore. You could hang out at Guana Island north of Scrub Island, or at the Marina at Scrub Island itself.
You could visit the beaches on the western shore of Virgin Gorda. Savannah Bay is a favorite of ours. There isn’t much ashore at these spots, but they are peaceful out of the way places and you can find yourself alone for the evening with your BBQ grill and beers if you’re lucky!
Alternatively your could go for the long reach down to Jost Van Dyke - to visit places like Diamond Cay or Little Harbor (quiet and not full of visitors) or otherwise White Bay and Great Harbor (homes of the Soggy Dollar Bar and Foxy’s respectively). We make that a part of our trip sometimes, but we have stopped making it a regular destination. There is so much more to see that doesn’t require the full sail downwind.
Getting back upwind provides a few choices (all within the BVI this is, I’m not commenting on options across the border into St John or St Thomas. Cane Garden bay, with the right weather and the absence of cruise ships visiting in Roadtown can be good. Certainly a good spot to watch the sunset in the western sky from. Sopers Hole on the West End of Tortola is a lively marina spot with buoy moorings and alongside options. Watch the weather here, as the wind can funnel between the steep slopes of Frenchman's Cay and Tortola which can make boat handling in close proximity to other boats, or docks, challenging.
After that you are probably coming to the end of your week. Where to spend the last night? If you want shore life - I’d recommend the Bight at Norman Island. Plenty of moorings and options of the Willy T or Pirates ashore for dinner and a night out. If you want to keep yourself to yourself, then either Great Harbor or Little Harbor on Peter Island offer options. The latter is more of an anchorage. There are plenty of buoys in the former.
Then its back to your base on the south side of Tortola, feeling a little sad that it has all come to an end so soon, but also feeling fulfilled for what you have experienced!
If this grabs you as a vacation idea then get in touch! We have weeks available to charter Artemis in the latter half of this year and into the year ahead. Don't delay though as they are filling up fast…. Message me here, or click the Artemis link in this paragraph to get in touch.
Fair winds, and have fun planning!