A week in the British Virgin Islands
This is a guide to highlights, not a fixed schedule. We adapt based on weather, crew preference, and whatever spontaneous magic presents itself.
We cast off from the Moorings Base in the morning and motor out into the Sir Francis Drake Channel. First, a safety briefing including man-overboard procedures. Then practice under power for anyone who wants it: starting, stopping, figure-8s. Then we hoist the sails and head east toward Cooper Island, tacking across the channel. Great practice for a new crew. Once moored, the pool opens immediately. Cooper has fantastic snorkeling — a small rocky island teeming with fish, and grassy shallows full of sea turtles. Evening: the rum bar at Cooper Island Beach Hotel has one of the best sunsets in the Caribbean. Maybe the world! Trust us!
A big day. We arrive early at The Baths — an otherworldly maze of house-sized boulders forming cathedral-like rooms filled with knee-high sparkling water. We try to get there before the cruise ship excursions arrive. Then north along Virgin Gorda to Leverick Bay, buzzing past Necker Island. At the top of the bay: Saba Rock (tiny island resort, great bar with swings, fine dining, one-hole golf course) and the famous Bitter End Yacht Club (wood-fired pizza, great "sailor's vibe", regatta recovery area, huge knots on the wall). The Canadian kid on the Rum Runner will appear at our boat with frozen daiquiris in hand when we hail him on VHF 72.
Weather permitting, we head due north toward Anegada — the only non-mountainous island in the BVIs. It appears from the sea like something from another world. We navigate a tricky shallow entry and arrive by lunchtime. The most important task: order the lobster. The local guys will catch however many we need. While they're at it, we can rent scooters or buggies from the (very grumpy) local lady and explore the island, visit the flamingo observatory, and head to Loblolly Bay or Cow Wreck Beach for the afternoon. Lobster dinner at sunset.
The biggest sailing day and arguably the best. A long downwind run to Jost Van Dyke with Tortola and a parade of islands visible the whole way. We stop at Sandy Spit — a castaway island the size of a baseball infield with a cluster of palm trees — perfect for a swim and a Wilson-from-Cast-Away photo. Then the Bubbly Pool (warm Atlantic swell swirling in a natural rock bowl), then White Bay Beach — Tim's favorite beach in the world. The Soggy Dollar Bar serves the BVI's national drink, the Painkiller. At the end of the day we moor at Great Harbour and hit Foxy's for dinner.
A short crossing back to Tortola's north shore. Cane Garden Bay has a beautiful beach lined with restaurants and bars, lots of sea turtles in the shallows, and the last remaining rum distillery in the BVIs at the far end of the beach — a rustic family operation offering short tours and tastings. This tends to be a relaxing beach day. For the more ambitious, Sage Mountain (highest point in the BVIs) is nearby and hikeable.
We round Tortola's southwest corner past Soper's Hole marina, thread through the Narrows (a channel where the whole Caribbean tries to squeeze through to the Atlantic — it can get exciting), and sail upwind to the Indians. Extraordinary snorkeling: shallow coral arches teeming with fish on one side, a wall that drops into the abyss on the other. Then on to The Bight at Norman Island — supposedly the inspiration for Treasure Island. Sea caves explorable by kayak. A great beach restaurant. And Willy-T's — a permanently anchored battered old ship converted into a bar, with a jumping ledge upstairs from which everyone jumps, with steadily decreasing amounts of bathing attire as the evening goes on.
Last trim of the sails across the Drake Channel. We may stop at Peter Island Resort (newly reopened, day-pass program, pool with a killer view). Then back to the Moorings Base — with the greatest of ease. Disembarkation by 9 am.
Note: This itinerary is a guide to highlights, not a fixed schedule. There are many other islands, beaches, and restaurants we may visit — Marina Cay, Scrub Island, Guana Island, Trellis Bay, Fallen Jerusalem, the Dogs, Sandy Cay, and more — based on weather, crew preference, and the mood of the moment.
