One of the questions first-time BVI bareboat charter guests often ask is whether they should spend their nights on mooring balls or in marinas.
Our answer is usually: both.
Mooring balls and marinas provide two very different experiences, and a great BVI bareboat charter often includes a combination of the two.
Some nights, there's nothing better than being out on a mooring, swimming off the back of your yacht and watching the sunset from the flybridge.
Other nights, you may want to step directly off the yacht for dinner, spend the afternoon at a resort, book a spa treatment or simply enjoy the convenience of being connected to shore power with everything within walking distance.
There is another important consideration: not every BVI destination has marina dockage. Some of the most popular overnight stops in the islands are mooring-ball destinations.
Here's how to decide where to stay during your BVI bareboat charter.
What About Fully Crewed Yacht Charters?
This guide is primarily written for bareboat charter guests, because choosing where to spend the night is part of planning and operating your own BVI charter.
On a fully crewed yacht, your captain handles the overnight arrangements based on your itinerary, weather and guest preferences. Crewed yachts may anchor or use mooring balls depending on the location and yacht.
If you would like to spend a night at a particular marina or resort, let your captain or charter broker know. Marina dockage can generally be arranged when available but is typically an additional expense unless specifically included in your charter agreement.
For crewed-yacht guests, the important decision isn't really how the yacht will be secured overnight—that's your captain's job. It's whether there is a particular marina, resort or shoreside experience you'd like incorporated into your week.
What Is a Mooring Ball?
A mooring ball is attached to a permanent mooring system on the seabed. Instead of taking the yacht into a marina, you secure the yacht to the mooring and remain out on the water overnight.
For bareboat guests, mooring fields are found throughout the BVI and are an integral part of the charter experience.
Once you're on your mooring, the yacht becomes your home for the evening.
Swim or snorkel from the yacht, relax on the flybridge, prepare dinner aboard or take your dinghy ashore to visit a restaurant, beach or beach bar.
When it's time to come home, you simply dinghy back to your yacht.
For many guests, waking up on a mooring ball surrounded by Caribbean water is one of the best parts of a BVI yacht charter.
What Is It Like to Spend the Night on a Mooring?
A mooring night gives you the classic BVI yacht-charter experience.
You're away from the dock, generally with more privacy and open water around the yacht. Depending on the location, you may be able to swim and snorkel directly from the boat.
If you want to go ashore, you use your dinghy.
That might mean taking the dinghy to Pirates Bight or the Willy T at Norman Island, heading ashore for dinner at Cooper Island, exploring Anegada or visiting the beach bars on Jost Van Dyke.
Then you return to your yacht for the night.
Virgin Charter Yachts' bareboat powercats are designed to be comfortable away from the dock. Generators provide power for systems such as air conditioning, and our yachts have watermakers that allow you to produce fresh water while cruising.
You don't need to return to a marina every night to have power, air conditioning or water.
What Is It Like to Stay in a Marina?
A marina night is a very different experience.
Instead of being out in a mooring field, your yacht is secured directly to a dock. You can simply step off the boat and walk ashore.
Once you're at the dock, you'll normally connect the yacht to shore power rather than relying on the generator. Many marinas do not permit yachts to run generators while at the dock because of noise and exhaust around neighboring boats.
A marina stay is also an excellent opportunity to top up your fresh-water tanks from the dock, even though your yacht has a watermaker.
Depending on the marina, you may also have restaurants, bars, pools, beaches, spas, markets, provisioning, laundry, fuel, ice and other services within walking distance.
For VCY bareboat guests, however, a marina generally isn't somewhere you have to go simply because the yacht needs electricity or water. Our powercats are designed to operate comfortably away from the dock.
We recommend choosing marina nights because you want the convenience, amenities or experience of that particular destination.
Mooring Ball vs. Marina: What's the Difference?
| Mooring Ball | Marina | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | On the water | Dockside |
| Getting ashore | By dinghy | Walk directly ashore |
| Swimming from yacht | Often one of the highlights | Generally not |
| Power | Yacht generator when needed | Connect to shore power |
| Fresh water | Watermaker aboard VCY powercats | Good opportunity to top up tanks |
| Restaurants & bars | Dinghy ashore | Often within walking distance |
| Pools & resort amenities | Depends on destination | Available at some resort marinas |
| Privacy | Generally more | More activity around the yacht |
| Best for | Classic BVI charter experience | Convenience, resorts, restaurants & spas |
Neither is inherently better.
They simply give you two different ways to experience the BVI.
Not Every BVI Bareboat Overnight Stop Has Marina Dockage
This is one of the most important things for first-time charter guests to understand.
You can't necessarily decide that you'd like to spend every night in a marina because many of the BVI's most popular charter destinations are mooring-ball destinations.
Norman Island
Norman Island is a classic mooring stop.
Spend the afternoon snorkeling The Caves, take the dinghy ashore to Pirates Bight or visit the Willy T, then return to your yacht for the night.
Being out on a mooring in The Bight is part of the Norman Island experience.
Cooper Island
At Cooper Island, you'll spend the night on a mooring in Manchioneel Bay.
From there, take your dinghy ashore to Cooper Island Beach Club for dinner or visit the Rum Bar, with its collection of nearly 400 different rums.
Anegada
Anegada is another destination where bareboat guests should plan on spending the night on a mooring rather than in a marina.
Once you're secured, head ashore and explore the island by Moke, scooter or vehicle, book an excursion to Horseshoe Reef, visit the beaches and finish the day with an Anegada lobster dinner.
Jost Van Dyke
Jost Van Dyke is also primarily a mooring-ball experience for bareboat charter guests.
Spend the day exploring the island, visit White Bay and the Soggy Dollar Bar via dinghy, then return to your overnight mooring in Great Harbour for the evening.
These destinations are a good reminder that spending the night on a mooring isn't a compromise because there isn't a marina. It's part of the BVI experience.
Where Can You Stay in a Marina in the BVI?
There are also several destinations where choosing a marina can add something completely different to your itinerary.
Oil Nut Bay
Oil Nut Bay is one of our favorite North Sound choices for guests who want a more upscale marina experience.
The Marina Village makes it easy to combine a night at the dock with dining and time ashore. It's particularly appealing if you'd like a change from several nights on mooring balls and want to incorporate a more resort-style experience into your week.
Bitter End Yacht Club
Bitter End Yacht Club is one of the classic North Sound destinations.
Staying at the dock gives you easy access to the restaurants, bars, watersports and everything happening ashore without needing to take the dinghy back and forth.
North Sound is worth more than a quick stop, so Bitter End can be a great place to slow down and spend some time.
Leverick Bay
Leverick Bay is particularly convenient for guests who want to explore Virgin Gorda by land.
From here, you can arrange a taxi or rental vehicle to explore the island or head up to Hog Heaven for one of the best views over North Sound.
You'll also find restaurants, shops and other services around the marina.
Scrub Island
Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina is a popular marina stop for guests who want resort amenities.
It's especially attractive for families because of the pools and waterslide, while adults may appreciate the restaurants and spa.
A Scrub Island stop can be a fun way to add a resort day to an otherwise yacht-focused vacation.
Peter Island
The rebuilt Peter Island Resort has made Peter Island an appealing marina stop again.
Consider staying here if you'd like to combine your yacht charter with a resort experience, dinner ashore or a spa treatment.
Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour
Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour in Spanish Town is a practical marina option if you want to explore Virgin Gorda by land.
It's particularly convenient for visiting The Baths, shopping or taking a taxi around the island.
Nanny Cay Marina
And, of course, Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola is where every Virgin Charter Yachts bareboat adventure begins and ends.
Our base is located here, and you'll find restaurants, shops, a beach, pool, provisioning and marine services around the marina.
Should You Plan a Marina Night Into Your BVI Bareboat Charter?
You don't necessarily need one.
Some guests love being on mooring balls and would happily spend every possible night out on the water.
Others enjoy mixing in one or two marina nights.
A marina night can be particularly appealing if you want to:
- Spend a day enjoying a resort
- Book a spa treatment
- Have restaurants and bars within walking distance
- Explore an island by taxi or rental vehicle
- Give everyone a break from using the dinghy
- Top up the yacht's fresh-water tanks
- Connect to shore power
- Restock a few provisions
- Enjoy pools or other resort amenities
For families, a night at somewhere like Scrub Island can be a fun change of pace.
For couples, Peter Island or Oil Nut Bay might provide a completely different experience.
And after several nights of taking the dinghy ashore, simply being able to step off the yacht and walk to dinner can feel surprisingly luxurious.
What About BoatyBall?
Some BVI mooring fields include reservable BoatyBall moorings, while others have first-come, first-served mooring balls.
The most important thing to understand is that not getting a BoatyBall reservation doesn't necessarily mean you can't visit that destination.
There are first-come, first-served moorings throughout the BVI, and some destinations also offer marina dockage.
We have a separate guide explaining how BoatyBall works, where you'll find the balls, reservation timing, first-come-first-served options and what to do if you don't get the reservation you wanted.
Think of BoatyBall as one option for reserving certain moorings—not something that should dictate your entire itinerary.
How Much Do Mooring Balls and Marinas Cost?
Both mooring fees and marina rates vary by location, yacht size and season.
Marina dockage generally costs more than spending the night on a mooring, and there may also be separate charges for utilities such as shore power and water depending on the marina.
Rather than building your itinerary around the least expensive overnight option, we recommend thinking about what experience you want at each destination.
A marina night at a resort may cost more than a mooring ball, but if your family spends the afternoon at the pool or you enjoy a spa treatment and dinner ashore, that marina stay has become part of your vacation rather than simply a place to park the yacht.
For current dockage rates or help arranging marina reservations, our concierge team is happy to assist Virgin Charter Yachts guests.
Do You Need to Reserve Marina Dockage in Advance?
For popular marinas and busy charter periods, we recommend making reservations in advance when possible.
This is especially true if there is a particular marina or resort you definitely want to include in your itinerary.
You don't need to plan every night before leaving Nanny Cay, though.
One of the best things about chartering in the BVI is having the flexibility to adjust your plans based on weather, availability and what your group feels like doing.
Our concierge team can help VCY guests with marina reservations and dockage arrangements before and during the charter.
What Do We Recommend for a 7-Night BVI Bareboat Charter?
For a first BVI charter, we like a combination.
Spend several nights on mooring balls at destinations such as Norman Island, Cooper Island, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke. Those nights give you the classic experience of living aboard your yacht in the islands.
Then consider adding a marina night—or two—somewhere like Oil Nut Bay, Bitter End, Leverick Bay, Scrub Island or Peter Island.
You get the best of both experiences.
One night you might be swimming from the back of your yacht before breakfast and taking the dinghy ashore for dinner.
Another night you can plug into shore power, top up the water tanks, step directly off the yacht and walk to a restaurant, resort pool or spa.
That's one of the things we love about chartering in the BVI.
For a BVI bareboat charter, you don't have to choose between mooring balls and marinas. A great itinerary can include both.
Planning Your BVI Bareboat Charter
Virgin Charter Yachts has specialized in BVI yacht charters from our base at Nanny Cay since 1996.
Before every bareboat charter, our team provides a comprehensive chart briefing covering the cruising area, mooring procedures, restrictions and other important information for your week.
We can also help with marina reservations, itinerary suggestions and other concierge requests before and during your charter.
If you're planning your first BVI charter, our 7-Night BVI Yacht Charter Itinerary for First-Time Visitors is a great place to start. It combines mooring destinations and marina options into a route through Norman Island, Peter Island, Cooper Island, Virgin Gorda, North Sound, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke.
You can also find information on marina locations, cruising restrictions, fuel, water and other practical resources in our BVI Charter Resources Guide.
Did You Know?
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