You've planned the trip, chosen your power catamaran and finally arrived in the British Virgin Islands. So what actually happens on the first day of your bareboat charter?
At Virgin Charter Yachts, our bareboat charters begin from our base at Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola, and we've designed the first day to make the transition from arriving at the marina to cruising the BVI as easy as possible.
Before departure, you'll receive a detailed 1.5–2 hour onboard yacht briefing. Then one of our experienced checkout captains joins you for the included on-water checkout from Nanny Cay to Norman Island, where both the skipper and crew get comfortable operating the yacht and working together before continuing the charter independently.
By the time your checkout is complete, you're already secured at one of our favorite destinations in the BVI — and your vacation has begun.
Here's what to expect.
Arriving the Night Before? Consider a Sleep Aboard
If your travel schedule allows, one of the easiest ways to start your charter is with our optional Sleep Aboard.
Subject to yacht availability, a Sleep Aboard allows you to move onto your yacht beginning at 5:00 PM the evening before your charter.
Instead of spending the night at a hotel, you can come directly to Nanny Cay, unpack your luggage, get everyone settled into their cabins and wake up the next morning already aboard your yacht.
This can be especially convenient for larger groups. Nobody has to unpack at a hotel, repack the following morning and move everyone's luggage to the marina on charter day.
There is one important distinction:
A Sleep Aboard does not give you an earlier charter departure.
Your official charter still begins at 12:00 noon the following day, and our team may need access to the yacht that morning to complete final preparations. Your required briefings will also take place before departure.
Think of the Sleep Aboard as a convenient way to get settled — not an extra charter day.
Charter Day at Nanny Cay
Before you leave Nanny Cay, we'll make sure you're familiar with both the BVI cruising area and the particular power catamaran you'll be operating.
Your pre-departure process includes a chart briefing, a detailed onboard yacht briefing and then an included on-water checkout with one of our captains as you travel from Nanny Cay to Norman Island.
Your BVI Chart Briefing
Your chart briefing covers the BVI cruising area, navigation considerations, current restrictions, mooring information and other things you need to know before heading out.
This is also a good time to discuss your itinerary.
You don't need to arrive with every day of your vacation planned down to the hour. Tell us what your group wants to do, and our team can help with suggestions based on current conditions, your interests and how much time you want to spend underway.
Current information from your chart briefing should always take priority over an old cruising guide or something you found online before your trip.
Your Onboard Yacht Briefing
Before departure, you'll receive a detailed one-on-one briefing aboard your specific yacht, which normally takes approximately 1.5–2 hours.
We'll walk you through the yacht's systems and equipment so you understand how everything operates before leaving Nanny Cay. This includes the engines, generator, electrical systems, air conditioning, freshwater systems, heads, galley equipment, dinghy and other onboard systems.
Even experienced boaters need this briefing.
Every yacht is a little different, and it's much easier to ask questions while our team is standing beside you at Nanny Cay than after you've left the marina.
Once the onboard briefing is complete, it's time to get underway.
Your Charter Begins at Noon
Our standard bareboat charter start time is 12 noon.
If you're arriving in the BVI on the same day your charter begins, you need to arrive at our Nanny Cay base no later than 1:00 PM if you want to depart the dock that day. This allows enough time to complete the required briefings and on-water checkout before continuing to Norman Island.
That's one reason we encourage guests to think carefully about their travel schedule before booking flights.
Arriving the previous evening and taking advantage of our optional Sleep Aboard can make charter day considerably more relaxed.
For detailed information on flying into Tortola or St. Thomas, ferries, private water taxis and getting to Nanny Cay, see our Getting to the BVI Guide.
Your Included On-Water Checkout: Nanny Cay to Norman Island
Once your yacht briefing is complete, one of our experienced checkout captains joins you aboard for the trip from Nanny Cay to Norman Island.
This is your included on-water checkout, and it's designed to make sure both the skipper and the group as a whole are comfortable working together before you continue the charter independently.
Your checkout captain will initially take the yacht off G Dock at Nanny Cay.
From there, you'll move to the fuel dock area, where the skipper will demonstrate close-quarter maneuvering with the yacht.
This gives you an opportunity to get a feel for the powercat's twin engines, steering and handling in a controlled environment before heading out into open water.
Once that's complete, you'll leave Nanny Cay and head across to Norman Island.
The Checkout Is About the Crew, Too
Operating a bareboat isn't a one-person job — particularly when you're picking up a mooring ball.
While the skipper is responsible for maneuvering the yacht, we also want to make sure the rest of the group understands how to work together.
At Norman Island, your group will demonstrate picking up and securing a mooring ball.
The skipper handles the yacht while other members of the group work together at the bow to pick up the mooring pendant and properly secure the yacht.
This is important because a successful mooring pickup depends on communication and teamwork, not just the person behind the helm.
Our goal is to make sure everyone understands their role before the checkout captain leaves. That way, when you arrive at Cooper Island, North Sound, Anegada or another mooring field later in the week, your group already knows how to approach the process together.
It's also a great opportunity to ask questions. If there's something you're unsure about, we'd much rather work through it together at Norman Island on the first afternoon than have you trying to figure it out on your own later in the charter.
You're Not Losing Your First Day to a Checkout
One of the nice things about the way we've structured the checkout is that you're traveling toward your first destination while completing it.
Norman Island isn't a training area that you visit and then return to Nanny Cay.
It's one of the BVI's most popular charter destinations and our recommended first-night stop.
Once you've successfully picked up and secured your mooring ball, the checkout captain arranges their own transportation back to Nanny Cay.
You stay at Norman Island and start your vacation.
There's no need to return the captain to our base, and there's no need to make another passage simply to get somewhere worth spending the night.
You're already there.
Why We Like Norman Island for the First Night
Norman Island is one of our favorite places to start a BVI charter for several reasons.
First, it's close to Nanny Cay. You don't need to spend your first afternoon making a long passage immediately after completing your briefings.
Second, The Bight has a large, protected mooring field, which makes it an excellent place to settle in for the evening.
And most importantly, Norman immediately feels like you've arrived in the BVI.
Once the yacht is secured, there is absolutely no reason to rush somewhere else.
What Should You Do That First Afternoon?
Our recommendation is simple:
Enjoy where you are.
You've probably spent a day traveling to the BVI, completed your briefings, moved onto a new yacht and cruised across from Tortola.
You don't need to turn the rest of the afternoon into another itinerary.
Put the dinghy in the water. Go for a swim. Have a drink. Relax aboard the yacht and take in the fact that you're finally on vacation.
If you want to go ashore, Pirate's Bight is right on Norman Island and is a great option for dinner or drinks.
For groups looking for something livelier, the Willy T floating bar is also at Norman Island.
Your first evening should feel easy.
There will be plenty of time to explore during the rest of the week.
Save The Caves and The Indians for the Next Morning
Norman Island is also home to two of the BVI's best-known snorkeling sites: The Caves and The Indians.
But you don't necessarily need to squeeze them into your first afternoon.
One of our favorite ways to start Day 2 is to wake up at Norman Island, enjoy breakfast aboard and then head out for a morning snorkel before continuing east.
The Caves are an easy snorkeling option and can be particularly fun for families. The Indians, just north of Norman near Pelican Island, are another excellent snorkeling and diving site.
From there, you can continue toward Peter Island or Cooper Island and begin making your way toward Virgin Gorda and North Sound.
That's a much more natural progression than trying to race farther east on your first afternoon simply to cover more miles.
What If You Don't Want to Stay at Norman Island?
Your charter doesn't require you to spend the night at Norman Island simply because that's where the checkout finishes.
However, for most guests, we don't see much benefit in immediately leaving.
You're already secured at a beautiful BVI destination with snorkeling, restaurants and plenty to do.
Why turn the first afternoon into another transit day?
There may occasionally be a reason to continue elsewhere based on your itinerary, weather or another reservation, and our team can discuss that with you during your chart briefing.
But for a typical seven-night bareboat charter, Norman is an easy and enjoyable way to begin.
Don't Try to Do Too Much on Day One
This is probably our biggest piece of first-day advice.
A BVI yacht charter isn't a road trip where the goal is to cover as many miles as possible.
The islands are close together, and you have an entire week to explore them.
Your first day already includes moving aboard, completing your briefings, getting familiar with the yacht and cruising from Nanny Cay to Norman Island.
Once you're there, stop.
Swim. Have dinner. Watch the sunset. Enjoy your first night aboard.
Then wake up the next morning ready to explore.
Where Do You Go After Norman Island?
There isn't one itinerary that every guest needs to follow, but Norman puts you in an excellent position to begin moving east through the BVI.
One of our favorite routes is to snorkel The Indians in the morning and then continue toward Cooper Island for lunch or your next overnight stop.
From there, you can work your way toward Virgin Gorda, North Sound and potentially Anegada before eventually heading west toward Jost Van Dyke.
For a complete example, see our 7-Night BVI Yacht Charter Itinerary.
A Better Way to Begin Your BVI Charter
We think the first day should make you more comfortable, not more stressed.
That's why we don't simply finish the paperwork at Nanny Cay and send you out to figure everything out on your own.
You'll receive a detailed onboard yacht briefing and BVI chart briefing before departure. Then an experienced checkout captain travels aboard with you from Nanny Cay to Norman Island.
At Nanny Cay, you'll demonstrate close-quarter maneuvering. At Norman Island, we'll make sure the skipper and crew can work together to pick up and properly secure a mooring ball.
By the time the captain leaves, you're already secured at your first BVI destination.
No returning to Nanny Cay. No losing the first day of your charter.
Just get in the water, relax and start enjoying the BVI.
Did You Know?
The BVI are only accessible by boat. Check out our charter yachts that can get you there. View Our Fleet
