Virgin Islands yacht charter
Green islands in sight of one another
Green, hilly islands in sight of one another, with short, sheltered hops and beach bars across two territories. December to April or May is the season. It suits families and a first Caribbean charter best.
The Virgin Islands are a cluster of green, hilly islands, most of them in sight of one another. Some are British (Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada and dozens of smaller ones) and some American (St Thomas, St John and, further south, St Croix). The sailing is short and sheltered, the trade wind blows steadily in winter, and in the evening there is almost always a beach bar or a quiet bay to choose between. Two territories means one formality: you clear customs and immigration when you cross between them.
Why go, and whom it suits
Families: short distances, calm water inside the Sir Francis Drake Channel, beaches, snorkelling straight off the yacht, and the boulders and pools of The Baths on Virgin Gorda. American families can fly direct to St Thomas from several mainland cities.
Couples and honeymoons: St John's bays inside the national park, Anegada's empty beaches, and dinners ashore in small places. In the busiest weeks the popular anchorages fill up; the crew knows the quieter ones.
Friends and celebrations: the beach bars are part of the islands' reputation: the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke's White Bay, Foxy's at Great Harbour, and the Willy T, a floating bar in the Bight at Norman Island. Add wreck diving on the RMS Rhone, and fishing.
The honest limit: the islands are well known and well visited, and in high season the famous stops are busy. This is not the place for empty, remote cruising. The Bahamas' out-islands or the Grenadines are quieter.
Two territories
Most of the cruising is in the British islands; St Thomas has the main airport.
For how the Virgin Islands compare with the other island groups, see the Caribbean, the Bahamas and the Atlantic.
The British Virgin Islands
Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada, and the chain of small islands along the Sir Francis Drake Channel: Norman, Peter, Salt and Cooper. This is where most of the cruising is.
The US Virgin Islands
St Thomas, with the main airport and Charlotte Amalie's harbour; St John, two-thirds of it a national park; and St Croix, a longer crossing to the south.
The Spanish Virgin Islands
(page to follow). Culebra and Vieques, part of Puerto Rico, west of St Thomas: quieter, and less visited by charter yachts.
When to go
The main season runs from about December to April or May. Expect steady trade winds from the east, stronger on some days than others, warm days, and the busiest and most expensive weeks over the festive season and Easter.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs officially from 1 June to 30 November, with most of its activity between mid-August and mid-October. Charters do run in late spring and early summer; if you are looking at those months, read the contract's weather terms with us first.
The seasonCalmer
What a week costs here
The charter fee is each yacht's own weekly rate, shown "from" on her page; the festive weeks cost more. Each yacht's rate is in its own currency, usually US dollars here.
There is no VAT as in Europe, but there are taxes and fees:
- The BVI have their own charges for charter yachts and their guests, and the BVI's marine parks need a marine conservation permit from the National Parks Trust. Each yacht's quote shows what applies to her.
- The USVI have their own taxes, and the quote shows what applies.
APA, the Advance Provisioning Allowance, is paid with the balance: money held by the captain for fuel, food, drinks, moorings and similar costs, spent on your instructions and accounted for at the end, with anything unspent returned. Budget up to 40% of the charter fee for it; long or remote passages can need more.
Our guide sets out what a crewed charter costs, line by line.
The weekly rate on each yacht’s page. "From" is her lowest season.
An advance for fuel, food, drinks and berths, spent on your instructions and settled at the end.
Set by the country the charter starts in, added to the fee.
From St Thomas to Tortola
Both territories, one way. The yacht, the wind and the customs offices’ hours decide the real route.
Both territories, one way: from St Thomas to Tortola. The yacht, the wind and the customs offices' hours decide the real route.
Board in the afternoon on St Thomas. A short move to St John's north shore and a swim.
Trunk Bay's underwater snorkel trail in the morning, then Maho or Francis Bay. A quiet night inside the national park.
A short hop across, and clear into the BVI at Great Harbour, which has a customs and immigration office. White Bay in the afternoon.
Snorkel The Caves, and spend the evening in the Bight.
Dive or snorkel the wreck of the RMS Rhone, then a quiet anchorage at Cooper.
The Baths early, before the day boats arrive, then North Sound for the night.
Back down the channel to Road Town or Trellis Bay, and disembark. Fly from Beef Island, or take the ferry to St Thomas. A one-way week can carry a delivery fee, stated before you sign.
The yachts that cruise here
Most of the yachts we show in the Virgin Islands are motor yachts over 40 metres, and many cruise both the BVI and the USVI. The US coastwise laws, which keep foreign-flagged yachts from carrying passengers between US ports, do not apply to the US Virgin Islands; a week that continues to Puerto Rico or the US mainland is different (see the US Virgin Islands page).
Catamarans are common in these islands. If a catamaran is what you want, say so, and we look further.
The yachts on this site are a selection, not the limit of what we arrange: ask about any yacht, of any size.
Chartering in the Virgin Islands
Rene GaspersicYour broker
Where do charters start?
In St Thomas (USVI) or Tortola (BVI), usually; sometimes Virgin Gorda. It depends on where the yacht is based.
How do we get there?
St Thomas has direct flights from the US mainland. For the BVI, most guests connect through San Juan or St Thomas to the main airport on Beef Island, or take the ferry from St Thomas.
Do we need a passport?
For the BVI, yes: everyone needs a passport to enter and leave, and some nationalities also need a visa. For the USVI alone, the rules depend on your nationality, and we go through them with you. Bring a passport regardless if the week crosses into the BVI.
What does clearing customs involve?
When the yacht crosses between the USVI and the BVI, the captain clears the yacht and the guests in and out at a port of entry, with your passports. The BVI also ask each traveller to fill in an online immigration and customs form before arrival. It takes an hour or two of the day.
Is the sea rough?
The Sir Francis Drake Channel is sheltered. The trade wind gives a lively sail across open stretches, and the crossings to Anegada and to St Croix are more exposed.
Is it good for children?
Yes. Short moves, beaches and easy snorkelling.
Can we go to Anegada?
Usually, in good weather. It is flat and ringed by reef, so the yacht goes in daylight, with care.
Can we fish or dive?
Both, usually; say so when you enquire. Some yachts carry dive gear and an instructor, and the crew know the local fishing rules and the protected areas.
What about hurricanes?
The official season is 1 June to 30 November. Most charters are in winter and spring.
Is it very busy?
The famous stops are, in high season. A crewed yacht can move early and late, when the day boats and the bareboat fleet are not there.
Can we combine it with the Leeward Islands?
In a longer charter, yes: St Martin, Anguilla and St Barths are a long crossing east. Some yachts work both.
The Virgin Islands or the Bahamas?
Virgin Islands | Bahamas | |
|---|---|---|
Landscape | Green hills, deeper water, reefs | Flat cays, shallow sandbanks |
Distances | Islands in sight of each other | Short in the Exumas, longer between island groups |
Ashore | Beach bars, small towns, national parks | Few towns; beaches and cays |
Formalities | Two territories: clearance between them | One country |
Talk to a broker
Tell us roughly when, how many of you there are, and what the week is for: a family winter break, a honeymoon, a birthday with friends. Dates and budget can stay loose. We come back with a short list of yachts that fit, say plainly what each one is like, and stay your contact from the first email to the last day on board.
Rene Gaspersic
charter broker
Email info@soretoyachting.com · Phone +44 7342 933198 · WhatsApp +44 7342 933198
Plan
Virgin Islands.
Two short steps. Dates and budget can stay loose. We reply personally, by email, phone or WhatsApp.