A 7-Night BVI Yacht Charter Itinerary, Day by Day
A classic 7-night BVI yacht charter leaves Tortola and heads east by way of Norman Island, Peter Island and Cooper Island to The Baths on Virgin Gorda, crosses north to Anegada for two nights, then comes back past Tortola's north shore and Jost Van Dyke. Most legs take an hour or two, so the week goes to swimming, not sailing. It's a typical shape rather than a timetable, because on a crewed charter the weather and the people aboard decide each day.
Why seven nights suits the BVI
The islands are close together. Cooper Island is about 6 nautical miles from Road Town, and Jost Van Dyke is about 5 miles northwest of Tortola. You're under way for a bit, then you're back in the water.
Seven nights also leaves room for Anegada, the flat coral island about 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda. Plenty of bareboat weeks leave it out, often because the charter company restricts it.
What follows is the sample week from our site, stretched by a day to fill all seven nights. You don't have to start on Tortola, either. Pickup at different islands can be coordinated.
Day 1, Tortola to Norman Island
Road Town, the BVI capital, sits on Road Harbour on Tortola's south coast. From there it's a short run across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Norman Island.
The first swim is The Indians, four fingers of rock just off Norman that you can only reach by boat. It's one of our favorite snorkel spots, and after a day of flights it does more good than a nap.
The night is spent in The Bight, one of the most protected anchorages in the area. Norman Island is one of several islands said to have inspired Treasure Island. It has no permanent residents, unless you count the goats.
Day 2, the Caves and Peter Island
Mornings at Norman are for the Caves. There are three of them, at water level along the cliffs just west of The Bight, and you snorkel straight in.
Then it's a short hop to Peter Island, a private island with a resort, for an afternoon at Deadman's Bay. Local legend says the name comes from pirates who were marooned on nearby Dead Chest Island and drowned trying to swim across. The beach is a lot nicer than the story.
Day 3, the Rhone and Cooper Island
Salt Island lies between Peter and Cooper, and off it is the wreck of the RMS Rhone, a mail ship lost in a hurricane in 1867. It's been a national park since 1980 and ranks among the best-known wreck dives in the Caribbean. It's an optional stop on the way.
Cooper Island is small and easygoing. Moorings in Manchioneel Bay are first come, first served, so it pays to get in early. Ashore, the Cooper Island Beach Club has a restaurant and a rum bar. Turtles show up regularly off Cistern Point, which is also a good snorkel in its own right.
The bay is calm, which makes this a good afternoon for the toys. MAVERICK carries two Seabobs, an eFoil, two paddleboards and two kayaks, plus snorkel gear in every size.
Day 4, The Baths and the run to Anegada
Go early. The Baths, at the southern tip of Virgin Gorda, is a national park of granite boulders, the biggest about 40 feet long, with pools and grottoes wedged between them. It gets busy, and an early start puts you ahead of the day-charter crowds.
The rules are strict. Boats use the National Parks moorings, which need a permit, and anchoring isn't allowed. Dinghies can't land on the beach, so you either swim in from the boat or tie the dinghy to the line off the main beach. The trail through the boulders to Devil's Bay has ladders, and in places you'll crawl or wade. Wear water shoes.
Watch the flags, too. The National Parks Trust flies safety flags here, and a red flag means boats can't use the mooring field. Winter swells are a common reason. On those days The Baths can still be reached by land from Spanish Town.
After lunch on Virgin Gorda, head north. Anegada is about 12 nautical miles from North Sound, and the way in is a buoyed channel through the reef to the harbor at Setting Point.
Day 5, Anegada
Anegada doesn't look like the rest of the BVI. It's coral and limestone, and its highest point is about 28 feet above sea level. Around it runs Horseshoe Reef, one of the largest barrier reefs in the Caribbean, and that reef is why many bareboat companies restrict the trip. On a crewed boat, it's the crew's problem.
Taxis and rental jeeps wait at Setting Point, and the north-shore beaches are 15 to 20 minutes away. Loblolly Bay has coral close enough to the beach for easy snorkeling. Cow Wreck Beach is where our sample week ends the day, at sunset. Somewhere in between there are flamingos in the salt ponds and lobster, split and grilled on the beach.
There's more to it than fits here, so we gave it its own post: Anegada by private catamaran.
Day 6, Tortola's north shore
Our sample week sails straight from Anegada to Jost Van Dyke. With seven nights there's time to break the trip on Tortola's north shore instead, in Cane Garden Bay or near Guana Island, a private island off Tortola's northeast coast. Both are on our list of favorite stops.
One winter catch. Storms far out in the North Atlantic send swells south, and north-facing anchorages like Cane Garden Bay can turn rolly or even untenable. When that's happening, a sheltered bay somewhere else is the better bed.
Day 7, Jost Van Dyke
White Bay is lined with beach bars. The best known is the Soggy Dollar Bar, named for the wet bills of sailors who swam ashore to pay, and people still swim in. The bar says the Painkiller was first mixed there in the 1970s. We're not about to argue.
Sandy Spit, a scrap of sand and palms off Little Jost Van Dyke, is the one you've seen on postcards.
For the night, move around to Great Harbour, the island's main port and a quieter place to sleep. Foxy's is at the eastern end of the harbor.
Day 8, Sandy Cay and back to Tortola
Last swim at Sandy Cay, a small uninhabited island owned by the National Parks Trust. There's a short hiking trail if anyone still has the legs. Then it's a short sail back to Tortola to disembark.
Changing the route
Treat the order above as a starting point. It changes day to day with the weather and with what you want to do.
On a honeymoon, it can make sense to trade stops for time: two nights on Anegada, say, or a quiet anchorage in place of White Bay. Our honeymoon charter page has more on a couple's week aboard, king suite and underwater lights included.
With kids aboard, shorter hops and longer stays in sheltered bays like The Bight and Manchioneel Bay usually suit everyone better. The kayaks and paddleboards earn their keep there.
And weather has the last word. Strong trade winds or a northerly swell can push Anegada or The Baths to another day, or off the plan.
Meals, the open bar, snacks, fuel and the water toys are included aboard MAVERICK. For the rest, and for packing, see What's included on a crewed charter, and what to pack.
When to go
Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30, with most of the activity between mid-August and mid-October. Winter brings the northerly swells mentioned above. There's more on choosing dates in The best time to charter a yacht in the BVI. Flights and ferries are covered in Getting to your BVI yacht charter.
Plan your week
It helps to have your dates and group size ready, plus any stop you won't give up.
To check MAVERICK's availability, ask your yacht charter broker. New to chartering? Any charter broker can walk you through how it works.