One of the reasons the British Virgin Islands are such a popular bareboat charter destination is how much you can experience within a relatively compact cruising area.
From our base at Nanny Cay, you can cruise to Norman Island, Peter Island, Cooper Island, Virgin Gorda, North Sound, Anegada, Guana Island, Jost Van Dyke and many other destinations — often with relatively short travel times between stops.
For the most part, exploring the BVI by bareboat is incredibly straightforward. But there are a few locations with special navigation considerations, National Parks rules, day-use moorings or charter-company restrictions that are helpful to understand when planning your itinerary.
At Virgin Charter Yachts, every bareboat charter begins with a chart briefing at Nanny Cay. We'll review the current cruising area, any restricted locations and important navigation considerations before you leave the dock.
Here are some of the things worth knowing as you plan your route.
Most of the BVI Is Yours to Explore
The good news is that the normal BVI cruising area gives you an enormous amount of freedom.
Popular destinations include:
- Norman Island
- Peter Island
- Cooper Island
- Virgin Gorda and The Baths
- North Sound
- Anegada
- Scrub Island
- Guana Island and Monkey Point
- Jost Van Dyke
You can create a very different itinerary depending on whether your group prefers snorkeling, beaches, restaurants, resort stops, quiet evenings or lively beach bars.
And because most destinations are relatively close together, you generally don't need to spend an entire day underway just to get from one island to another.
There are, however, a few places where it's worth understanding the local rules or conditions before you arrive.
Can You Take a Bareboat to Anegada?
Yes. Anegada is part of the normal BVI cruising area for qualified VCY bareboat guests.
But Anegada deserves a little more attention than simply pointing the boat north and heading toward the island.
Unlike the mountainous islands that make up most of the BVI, Anegada is extremely flat and surrounded by reefs and shallow water. There is a marked approach into the mooring field, and you need to pay attention to the channel markers and navigation information rather than trying to create your own shortcut.
Your yacht also matters.
Power catamarans generally have a relatively shallow draft compared with monohull sailboats with deep keels. Regardless of the boat you're operating, you should know its draft and pay attention to the marked approach.
Our Favorite Way to Plan Anegada
We like spending the night in North Sound before going to Anegada.
Then you can wake up in the morning, look at the weather and sea conditions and decide how you feel.
If conditions are good and you're comfortable making the trip, head to Anegada. If they aren't, you're already in one of the best cruising areas in the BVI and can simply spend another day exploring North Sound.
There's no reason to force Anegada into your itinerary just because you decided months earlier that Tuesday was going to be “Anegada Day.”
If you do go, we generally recommend arriving around late morning so you have plenty of time to secure a mooring and enjoy the island.
The Baths: Know How the Day Moorings Work
The Baths on Virgin Gorda are one of the BVI's signature experiences, but the moorings offshore operate differently from a normal overnight mooring field.
The National Parks moorings at The Baths are day-use moorings rather than overnight moorings, and visits are limited to approximately 90 minutes so other boats have an opportunity to use them.
If you're visiting by yacht, arrive early and don't plan on spending the night there.
There's another consideration: getting ashore.
You don't simply take your dinghy onto the beach. Visitors arriving from the offshore mooring area use the dinghy line and swim ashore. During periods of strong swell, particularly during winter, water access can also become difficult or unavailable.
How We Prefer to Visit The Baths
We often recommend taking your yacht into Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour and visiting The Baths by taxi.
It's a very short ride from the marina and eliminates the pressure of finding a day-use mooring. It also gives you more flexibility with your time and means you don't have to swim ashore carrying whatever you want for the day.
It's particularly convenient for families, guests who aren't strong swimmers, or anyone who wants more than 90 minutes to explore.
You can absolutely visit The Baths from the National Parks moorings. We just think arriving through Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour is often the easier option.
Day Stops and Overnight Stops Aren't Always the Same Thing
The Baths illustrates an important principle when planning a BVI itinerary:
Where you spend the day doesn't necessarily have to be where you spend the night.
Some locations are fantastic for snorkeling, swimming or exploring for a few hours but aren't intended as overnight destinations.
That's why we suggest thinking about your itinerary in two layers:
Where do we want to spend the day?
and
Where do we want the yacht secured that night?
For example, you might visit The Baths during the day and continue to North Sound for the evening. Or stop at Monkey Point for snorkeling while traveling west and then continue to your overnight destination.
This approach also keeps you from trying to squeeze every interesting location into an overnight stop.
Mooring Ball or Marina?
Most nights during a BVI bareboat charter will involve either picking up a mooring ball or staying at a marina.
Which one is better depends on the experience you want.
A mooring gives you the classic BVI experience of waking up surrounded by water. A marina gives you convenient access to shore power, restaurants, showers, provisions and other shoreside amenities.
Many of our guests combine both during the week.
We've written a complete BVI Mooring Balls vs. Marinas Guide explaining how each works and some of our favorite places to use them, so we won't duplicate all of that information here.
Plan to Be Secured Before Evening
An important part of planning each day is allowing enough time to reach your overnight destination and get settled before evening.
VCY bareboats should be safely secured on a mooring ball or at a marina by 5:00 PM.
That's generally easy to accomplish because most BVI destinations are relatively close together.
We'd much rather see you arrive early, secure the yacht, get the dinghy in the water and enjoy the afternoon than spend the end of the day rushing to reach your next stop.
Visiting Jost Van Dyke and White Bay
Jost Van Dyke is absolutely worth including in a BVI itinerary, and White Bay is one of the most famous beaches in the Caribbean.
There are some special considerations for charter yachts visiting White Bay, however.
The entrance is protected by reef, the bay can become extremely congested, and the combination of limited space, moorings and other vessels creates additional risk. For these reasons, White Bay is restricted by many BVI charter operators, including Virgin Charter Yachts.
VCY bareboats aren't permitted to enter White Bay itself.
That doesn't mean you should skip White Bay.
We recommend securing the yacht at Great Harbour and visiting White Bay from there. You can still spend the afternoon on the beach, visit Soggy Dollar, Hendo's and the other beach bars, and experience White Bay without taking the yacht into the bay.
For us, it's simply the better way to experience Jost Van Dyke.
You can read more in our Jost Van Dyke Charter Guide.
Can You Take a BVI Bareboat Into the USVI?
With a Virgin Charter Yachts bareboat, plan your charter within the British Virgin Islands.
The USVI may look incredibly close on a chart — because it is — but crossing between the BVI and USVI isn't the same as cruising from one BVI island to another.
You're crossing an international border.
That introduces customs and immigration procedures, vessel documentation, charter licensing and insurance considerations. Policies regarding USVI cruising also differ among charter companies.
For VCY bareboat guests, the answer is simple: plan your itinerary within the BVI.
Fortunately, Norman Island, Peter Island, Cooper Island, Virgin Gorda, North Sound, Anegada, Scrub Island, Guana Island and Jost Van Dyke give you far more than most guests can comfortably experience during a seven-night charter anyway.
There's really no need to spend part of your vacation dealing with international clearance procedures when you have so much to explore within the BVI.
Your Chart Briefing Takes Priority Over Anything You Read Online
This may be the most important thing to remember.
Cruising conditions and restrictions can change.
Weather changes. Mooring fields change. Insurance requirements change. Navigation conditions change. Charter-company policies change.
Something someone posted online several years ago — including an old charter-company article — may no longer be correct.
Before every VCY bareboat charter, our Nanny Cay team reviews the current cruising area, restrictions and navigation considerations with you.
If you're uncertain about a destination while you're out on charter, call us before you go.
We would much rather answer a quick question than have you make a decision based on an outdated cruising guide or something you read online.
The BVI Gives You Plenty of Freedom
The beauty of a BVI bareboat charter is just how much there is to experience within a relatively small cruising area.
Spend the night at Norman Island. Explore Cooper. Visit The Baths. Spend a couple of days around North Sound. Head to Anegada when conditions are right. Stop at Monkey Point for snorkeling. Visit Jost Van Dyke and spend the afternoon at White Bay.
You don't need to visit every island, and you certainly don't need to push the limits of the cruising area to have an incredible week.
A good BVI itinerary gives you a general route while leaving enough flexibility to adjust for weather, conditions and the places your group ends up enjoying most.
And if you're unsure about any part of your route, our team at Nanny Cay is there to help.
Did You Know?
The BVI are only accessible by boat. Check out our charter yachts that can get you there. View Our Fleet
