British Virgin Islands Cruising Guide
The BVI, from the helm
A free cruising guide for people who skipper their own charter boat. When to go, where to pick up a ball, where to drop the hook and what to skip, from two captains who worked these waters for years.
Start here
Three questions every BVI skipper asks first
When is the weather right, where do we actually go, and how does the week fit together.
Weather and the best time to charter
Trade winds, Christmas winds, north swells, hurricane season and what each month is really like on the water.
Month by month →
Islands and anchorages
Every stop written for the skipper: approach, moorings, anchoring, depths and what is ashore.
Pick an island →
Build your own itinerary
Drop your stops on the map and see distances, headings and a night-by-night plan before you book.
Open the planner →
Why the BVI
Most people start here. There are four good reasons.
The largest selection of bareboats
More companies, more boats, more sizes and layouts. You find the right boat for your crew and budget, and you have options when your first pick is gone.
The most protected cruising grounds
The islands ring the Sir Francis Drake Channel and break up the swell. Hops are an hour or two and you can see where you are going before you leave.
The best support
When something breaks, and on a charter boat something will, the bases are a short run from anywhere. A fix is hours away, not days.
The least amount of headaches
One country, one clearance, mooring balls in most anchorages and a whole territory set up around visiting boats.
The guide
Everything else you need before you cast off
Sample itineraries
Five, seven and ten night routes with maps, miles and a plan B for north swell.
Dive and snorkel sites
What you can reach from your own boat, and where to tie up.
Bars and restaurants
By anchorage: where to leave the dinghy and when to book.
Bareboat basics
Moorings, customs, provisioning, fuel, water and the rules nobody tells you.
Beyond the BVI
Done the BVI a few times?
Seven other cruising grounds, scored against the BVI for ease, shelter, moorings, paperwork and food, with the catch for each.
Who writes this
Two captains, not a marketing department
We are Cory and Emily. We ran charter yachts in these islands for years, have sailed every island in the Windwards and Leewards, and live aboard our own boat. Everything here is first hand, and we will tell you straight when something is not worth your time.
Ready to pick a boat?
Tell us your dates, your crew and your experience. We will point you at the right boat and the right base, and tell you honestly if your plan needs a rethink.