Five BVI bareboat itineraries we would actually sail: five, seven and ten nights, a quiet week at anchor, and a winter plan B for when a north swell shuts the north-facing bays. Each day has the distance, the rough time under way and what to do when you get there.
Routes start from Road Town or Nanny Cay. From Hodges Creek, Scrub Island or Trellis Bay, start at Marina Cay or Cooper Island and pick the route up from there.
Four rules for planning a BVI week
East first
The trades blow from the east. Do the upwind work early in the week and save the long downwind run to Jost for the end.
Tied up by three
Mooring fields fill by mid-afternoon in season, and reefs vanish in low light. Short legs, early starts.
One rest day
Plan a day with no sailing, usually in North Sound. It is the day the crew remembers.
Check the swell
From November to April, read the marine forecast every morning and keep a plan B.
The classic week: seven nights, everything once
7 nightsBest for: First-timers and mixed crews
East first while everyone is fresh, then downhill all the way home. This is the week we ran more than any other, and it still has the best balance of sailing, snorkelling and bars.
Not for navigational purposes. Route lines are a sketch that keeps off the land, not a course to steer.
- BCharter base
- 1Night stop, numbered by night
- Lunch or snorkel stop
- Reef: keep clear
Base to The Bight, Norman Island
About 6 nm, 1 to 1.5 hours
A short first hop after the briefing. Take a ball in the Bight, snorkel the Caves before sunset, then dinner at Pirates Bight or a look at the Willy T.
Norman to Cooper Island
About 9 nm, 2 to 3 hours, upwind
Start at the Indians before the day boats, then tack up the channel. Reserve a BoatyBall at 7 am or arrive at Manchioneel Bay by early afternoon. Turtles at Cistern Point, sundowners at the Rum Bar.
Cooper to the Baths, then North Sound
About 5 nm, then 9 nm
Leave at first light to get a parks mooring at the Baths by 8:30. Walk the boulders to Devil’s Bay, then sail up the west side of Virgin Gorda and into North Sound by mid-afternoon. Leverick Bay, Saba Rock or Bitter End.
A day in North Sound
No sailing, or 1 to 2 nm
The week’s rest day. Snorkel Eustatia Reef by dinghy, taxi up to Hog Heaven for lunch, watch the tarpon feeding at Saba Rock. Top up water and ice at Leverick. If it is Friday, stay for the jump-up.
North Sound to Anegada
About 13 nm, 2.5 to 3 hours
Go only on a settled forecast. Leave by 8:30 so you arrive with the sun high, follow the marked channel and take a ball at Setting Point. Order lobster as soon as you are tied up, then taxi to Loblolly Bay or Cow Wreck.
Anegada to Jost Van Dyke
About 26 nm, 4 to 5 hours, downwind
The best sail of the week: a long broad reach with Tortola sliding past. Lunch stop at Sandy Spit if the swell is down, then a ball in Great Harbour for Foxy’s.
White Bay, then across to Norman or Peter
About 12 nm, 2 to 3 hours
Round to White Bay first thing, anchor inside the reef and have the Soggy Dollar almost to yourselves until eleven. Leave by two for a last night at the Bight or Great Harbour on Peter Island, an hour from the base.
Back to base
About 5 nm
Most companies want the boat back by 11 am, fuelled. Do not leave yourself a long sail on the last morning.
Open this route in the plannerChange any stop, add lunch stops and see sailing times for your month.
The short week: five nights without Anegada
5 nightsBest for: Long-weekend charters and nervous crews
Five nights is enough for the greatest hits if you leave out Anegada and keep the legs short.
Not for navigational purposes. Route lines are a sketch that keeps off the land, not a course to steer.
- BCharter base
- 1Night stop, numbered by night
- Lunch or snorkel stop
- Reef: keep clear
Base to The Bight, Norman Island
About 6 nm
The Caves, a swim, an early night. You will be more tired than you expect.
Norman to Cooper Island
About 9 nm, upwind
The Indians first, then Cooper. Snorkel Cistern Point and book dinner at the Beach Club.
Cooper to the Baths, then North Sound
About 14 nm in two legs
Baths at first light, North Sound by mid-afternoon.
North Sound to Jost Van Dyke
About 22 nm, 4 hours, downwind
The long downhill run. Break it with lunch and a snorkel at Monkey Point on Guana Island, then Great Harbour for the night.
White Bay, then Soper’s Hole or the Bight
About 5 to 10 nm
Morning at White Bay, then an easy last night at Soper’s Hole if you are returning to Nanny Cay or Road Town.
Back to base
About 5 to 8 nm
In by 11 am.
Open this route in the plannerChange any stop, add lunch stops and see sailing times for your month.
Ten nights: the full circuit, unhurried
10 nightsBest for: Repeat visitors and anyone who hates rushing
Ten nights turns the BVI from a tour into a holiday. You get two nights in the places that deserve it and the freedom to wait a day for weather.
Not for navigational purposes. Route lines are a sketch that keeps off the land, not a course to steer.
- BCharter base
- 1Night stop, numbered by night
- Lunch or snorkel stop
- Reef: keep clear
Base to Benures Bay or the Bight, Norman
About 6 nm
Benures if you want quiet and are happy anchoring; the Bight if you want dinner ashore.
Norman to Peter Island
About 4 nm
The Indians in the morning, then Great Harbour or, in settled weather, anchor off Deadman’s Bay for the beach.
Peter to Cooper Island, via the Rhone
About 5 nm
Snorkel or rendezvous-dive the Rhone from a parks mooring off Salt Island, then an early ball at Cooper.
Cooper to the Baths and Spanish Town
About 5 nm
Baths at first light. Spend the afternoon in Spanish Town: provisions, fuel, water, dinner at CocoMaya.
Spanish Town to North Sound, via the Dogs
About 10 nm
Lunch and a snorkel at the Dogs on the way. Two nights in the Sound.
North Sound
No sailing
Eustatia Reef, Hog Heaven, Saba Rock. Anchor at Vixen Point for a night on your own hook.
North Sound to Anegada
About 13 nm
Settled forecast only. Two nights if the weather holds: one day for Loblolly and Cow Wreck, one for doing nothing.
Anegada to Marina Cay or Trellis Bay
About 17 nm, downwind
An easy reach south. Snorkel Diamond Reef, and check whether the Full Moon party is on.
Marina Cay to Jost Van Dyke, via Monkey Point and Sandy Cay
About 14 nm
Two lunch stops on one downwind sail. Cane Garden Bay is the alternative night if there is no north swell.
White Bay, then Soper’s Hole
About 5 nm
White Bay all morning. Last night at Soper’s Hole or back at the Bight.
Back to base
About 6 to 8 nm
In by 11 am.
Open this route in the plannerChange any stop, add lunch stops and see sailing times for your month.
The quiet week: seven nights on your own anchor
7 nightsBest for: Confident anchorers who want to get away from the mooring fields
Every night here is an anchorage, not a ball. You need to be comfortable setting a hook in sand and checking it, and the week only works in settled weather. Check each stop against your charter company’s red-lined areas.
Not for navigational purposes. Route lines are a sketch that keeps off the land, not a course to steer.
- BCharter base
- 1Night stop, numbered by night
- Lunch or snorkel stop
- Reef: keep clear
Base to Benures Bay, Norman Island
About 6 nm
Protected, good holding in sand, a fraction of the Bight’s traffic.
Norman to Deadman’s Bay, Peter Island
About 4 nm
Anchor in sand off the palm-lined beach. Lovely in settled weather, though it can roll at night if any swell is running.
Peter to Hallovers Bay, Cooper Island
About 4 nm
The quiet side of Cooper. Watch for coral heads on the way in, anchor in sand.
Cooper to Savannah Bay, Virgin Gorda
About 7 nm
Baths first, then a long empty beach. Eyeball the way in with the sun high. Not in a north swell.
Savannah Bay to North Sound
About 7 nm
Vixen Point at Prickly Pear, or Deep Bay for real solitude.
North Sound to Anegada
About 13 nm
Anchor in sand off Setting Point if the balls are full.
Anegada to Little Jost, via Sandy Cay
About 25 nm, downwind
Walk round Sandy Cay at lunchtime, then a BoatyBall or anchor off Diamond Cay.
Back to base
About 10 to 12 nm
A longer last morning: leave early.
Open this route in the plannerChange any stop, add lunch stops and see sailing times for your month.
The north swell week: a winter plan B
7 nightsBest for: December to March charters when a ground swell is forecast
A few times each winter a north swell closes Cane Garden Bay, White Bay, Sandy Cay and sometimes the Baths for three or four days. This is the week we would sail instead: every stop faces south or sits behind a reef.
Not for navigational purposes. Route lines are a sketch that keeps off the land, not a course to steer.
- BCharter base
- 1Night stop, numbered by night
- Lunch or snorkel stop
- Reef: keep clear
Base to The Bight, Norman Island
About 6 nm
Fully sheltered from the north. The Caves usually stay snorkelable.
Norman to Great Harbour, Peter Island
About 4 nm
West facing, deep and flat. Take a ball.
Peter to Marina Cay or Trellis Bay
About 10 nm
Behind the reef. Snorkel Diamond Reef.
Marina Cay to North Sound
About 11 nm
Check the flag status at the Baths by phone before you commit to stopping. Two nights in the Sound, the best shelter in the BVI.
North Sound
No sailing
Wait it out in comfort. If the swell has dropped and the forecast is settled, Anegada becomes possible.
North Sound to Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke
About 22 nm, downwind
Great Harbour and Little Harbour are both fine in a north swell. Taxi over the hill to White Bay and look at the surf from the beach, and walk to the Bubbly Pool, which is at its best in exactly these conditions.
Jost to Soper’s Hole
About 4 nm
Short hop, fuel and water, dinner ashore.
Back to base
About 8 nm
In by 11 am.
Open this route in the plannerChange any stop, add lunch stops and see sailing times for your month.
Build your own
Pick your nights on the map, add lunch stops and see distances and sailing times for your month.
Open the itinerary plannerBrowse every anchorageBVI itinerary questions
How many days do you need to sail the BVI?
Seven nights covers the whole circuit including Anegada without rushing. Five nights is enough for Norman, Cooper, the Baths, North Sound and Jost Van Dyke if you skip Anegada. Ten nights lets you spend two nights in the best places and wait out a day of weather.
Which way round should I sail the BVI?
Go east first. The trade winds blow from the east, so beat up the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Cooper, Virgin Gorda and North Sound early in the week while the crew is fresh, then enjoy a long downwind run back west to Jost Van Dyke at the end.
How far apart are the islands in the BVI?
Most hops are 4 to 10 nautical miles and take one to three hours. The two long legs are North Sound to Anegada, about 13 miles, and Anegada or North Sound to Jost Van Dyke, about 22 to 26 miles downwind, which takes four to five hours.
Can you sail to Anegada on a one-week bareboat charter?
Yes, if the forecast is settled and your charter company allows it. Go from North Sound, leave by 8:30 am, arrive with the sun high and follow the marked channel into Setting Point. If the weather is doubtful, skip it: Anegada is the one leg of the week with open water and a reef at the end of it.
What is the best BVI itinerary for first-time bareboat skippers?
Keep the first day to an hour’s sail to the Bight at Norman Island, take mooring balls every night, be tied up by mid-afternoon and plan one day with no sailing at all in North Sound. Our classic seven-night route does exactly that.
Distances are rounded and times assume five to six knots; upwind legs take longer. Your charter company’s red-lined areas, return time and weather advice override anything here.
Want one of these routes costed for your dates?
Tell us the week you are looking at and who is coming. We will match a boat and a base to the route you like, and say honestly if your dates suit it. It costs you nothing and you pay the same price as booking direct.