BVI Sailing Itinerary - 7 Day British Virgin Islands Sailing Vacation
7 Day BVI Sailing Itinerary - BVI Sailing Vacation
Planning your Itinerary | Sample BVI Sailing Itinerary | Family Sailing Vacations - Chartering with Children | Testimonials | Our BVI Charter Yachts
Planning your Itinerary
If you're planning a sailing vacation in the BVI, it's important to spend time planning a basic itinerary so that you find the time to see all the key BVI attractions, islands and ports that interest you.
Your itinerary depends on many things – such as how aggressive you want to be, how much time you have, the desires of your party, and your taste and budget. Suffice it to say that no matter what you’re looking for, it’s hard to be disappointed in the BVI.
With these caveats, we've outlined in red a possible 7 day itinerary starting and ending in Road Town that will give you a bit of everything: sandy beaches, excellent snorkeling, beach party bars, upscale moorings at internationally famous hotels, places of interest, and of course beautiful sailing. It will certainly keep most people happy!
Click here if you're looking for an itinerary of the Virgin Islands for a Luxury or Motor Yacht.
Sample 7 Day BVI Sailing Itinerary
Day 1 - Road Town to the Bight, Norman Island
A perfect sail for your first day to get used to the boat - you get out in the open water of Sir Francis Drake Channel, tack a few times, and end up in at the Bight on Norman Island that is well protected adn offers easy mooring. Along the way to Norman Island, you can snorkel at the Indians. When you arrive at the Bight, pick up a Mooring ball (or save a few bucks and practice your anchoring).
If you've arrived before happy hour, head to the Caves for Snorkeling and then Pirates Bight on the beach - no problem knowing when happy hour is becaue a cannon will sound! From there, have sunset drinks and/or dinner at the William Thornton, a great floating bar and restaurant that will definitely get you in the BVI mood after your long travels.
Day 2 - Norman Island to Cooper Island (or Marina Cay)
If you haven't snorkeled the Caves already, take your dinghy there and do some spectacular snorkeling, just drifting along with the current and going as deep into the caves as you dare. Don't forget your torch/flashlight so you can see in the dark caves.
Head back to your boat and sail to Salt Island to see the famous shipweck of the RMS Rhone. Continue on to Cooper Island and pick up a Mooring buoy at one of the many beautiful and secluded bays on Cooper Island.
As an alternative - if this sail is too short for you, head back across the Channel to Marina Cay, which offers a Pussers Resort on this quaint and picturesque island.
Day 3 - Cooper Island to the Baths, and then to the Bitter End, Virgin Gorda
The main attraction today is the huge rock formation called the Baths, on the south western tip of Virgin Gorda. We recommend getting there early in the morning or after 3 in the afternoon, so that you can explore them peacefully and at your leisure. If you visit between 10 and 2 - there is a very good chance that going through these amazing rocks will be more of a queue than an exploration.
Continue up the island past Spanish Town - you can provision here if you need anything - there is a nice market and the facilities are new. Then continue tacking up the island to on to North Sound, and anchor at the Bitter End Yacht Club.
Day 4 - Virgin Gorda to Beef Island (or Anegada)
Experienced sailors (or those boats with skippers) may want to make the sail to Anegada for unbroken sandy beaches, flamingos, snorkeling in the open Atlantic, and a great lobster cookout. Getting there is normally about a 2 hour sail and requires knowledge about how to sail around a large coral field.
If you want a more leisurely sail, just head for The Dogs for some snorkeling, and then on to Trellis Bay on Beef Island and drinks/dinner at the Last Resort or De Loose Mongoose restaurant. Caution - you may be enticed to dance quite late!
Day 5 - Beef Island to Sandy Spit to Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke
Today is a long sail down wind to Jost Van Dyke, with a swim and snorkel at a quintessential deserted tropical island – Sandy Spit. It’s nice that you will have a relaxing day, because there’s plenty to keep you awake until the wee hours with Foxys and Sidney’s Peace and Love in the Harbour!
Take your dinghy around to White Bay and have a Pain Killer at the Soggy Dollar Bar, and admire this gorgeous beach.
Day 6 - Jost Van Dyke to Peter Island
Head south to Sopers Hole if you need provisions, and then on to Peter Island for some time on its glorious beaches and to see the Sea Turtles. Stay at whichever of the harbors suit your taste. We think that Deadman’s Bay is one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere, but the anchorage can be a bit tricky due to thick sea grass.
If you intend to eat at the Peter Island Resort, you will need reservations, and a fairly thick wallet.
Day 7 - Peter Island to Road Town, Tortola
Sadly, all that remains now is a sail up to Road Town. Check your connection schedule, and give yourself plenty of time to sail and bring your boat back in and get to the ferry or airport!
You can read more about many of the attractions, sights and things to do on our "BVI must-see Attractions" page.
See our BVI Photo Album on Facebook for many more shots of this itinerary.
Family Sailing Vacations - Chartering with Children
At every stop, there are things for children to do, and with a little planning chartering in the BVI can be a superb holiday and learning experience for children. We have developed a page on family sailing vacations/chartering with children that provides pointers about how to plan a successful charter with kids. And you may also want to read our Blog about taking 6 families with 15 children to the BVI to get a true taste for how fantastic this type of charter can be.
Testimonials
Here's what a recent charterer of ours said about their 7 day charter in the BVI:
The Motu experience was the best vacation I have taken. First, simply being on a boat living in luxury with the flexibility to roam wherever your heart pleases may just be the perfect combination.
We did the BVI's under the Motu, a 60 foot cat that is in excellent condition. There are four rooms each with showers and a toilet. There is an upper deck and lots of space. Additionally, there are fun toys like the waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, kayaking, snorkeling, exploring, hiking, fishing and of course sailing.
Captain Luc and Freddie were dynamite. Freddie is one of the best cooks I know. She made mostly French food and we drank exclusively French wine, but it was all for the best. A cooler full of beer and a BBQ on the back of the boat topped it off.
We saw most of the BVI's including Anegada in one week. But you will want to stay longer! The crew went head over heels and were fun to hang out with.
Our BVI Charter Yachts
Please see our BVI Yacht Charter Guide for more information about chartering in the BVI. We have a complete range of beautiful and well maintained charteryachts, both monohull and catamaran, selected from only the best operators in the BVI (we have a close relationship with all of the best charter operators and skippers and have personally viewed many of these boats). Please browse through these yachts we have on the site, and let us know which one(s) may be of interest.
If you don't find the perfect boat or have specific needs, we can search for it for you, so just fill out our custom booking form and we'll get right on it!
More BVI Charter Guides: BVI Yacht Charter Guide | Tortola | Virgin Gorda | Jost Van Dyke | Peter Island | Anegada | BVI Attractions | BVI Blog
Our Caribbean destinations: The Windward Islands | Antigua | Grenada | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Spanish Virgin Islands | St Barths | Anguilla | St Martin/Maarten | St Lucia | St Vincent and the Grenadines | US Virgin Islands - St Thomas, St John, St Croix
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