The British Virgin Islands: The Sailing Capital of the Caribbean

The BVI is not for everyone - it’s essentially a sailors’ destination that also happens to work for land-based visitors. The 40-odd islands, cays, and rocks spread around Sir Francis Drake Channel create a protected body of water with consistent 15-20 knot trade winds and sheltered anchorages every few miles. Experienced sailors come from around the world to charter here. If you don’t sail, you can still have an exceptional holiday; you just won’t be exploiting the islands’ primary appeal.

The archipelago sits east of Puerto Rico. Tortola is the main island, with the capital Road Town and the only international-level airport. Most visitors fly via Puerto Rico, Antigua, or St. Thomas and take a ferry across.

Tortola

The largest island is also the most commercially developed, which in BVI terms is still relatively modest. Road Town has bars, restaurants, and the main ferry docks. The north shore has the best beaches: Cane Garden Bay is the most established, with calm water and a row of beachfront restaurants; Josiah’s Bay further east is rougher, less developed, and better for bodysurfing.

Sage Mountain National Park, at the island’s highest point, preserves one of the few remaining stands of native Caribbean forest in the region. The ridge trail gives views across to neighbouring islands on clear days.

Virgin Gorda

The Baths are the BVI’s most photographed site: enormous granite boulders scattered along the shoreline at the island’s southern tip, forming caves, tunnels, and tidal pools accessible by a short walking trail from the car park above. Arrive at opening (7am) or late afternoon to avoid tour-boat crowds at the busiest periods. Snorkelling around the boulder bases is excellent.

The north end of Virgin Gorda is entirely different in character: quieter, more developed for upscale tourism, with several of the BVI’s better resorts. The Bitter End Yacht Club on North Sound is the sailing hub, with moorings, provisioning, and a community of liveaboards.

Jost Van Dyke

A small island with a population measured in the hundreds, famous for White Bay’s beach bars and for the Soggy Dollar Bar - reportedly named because swimmers arrived from anchored boats with wet money. The Painkiller cocktail (rum, pineapple, orange, coconut cream) was invented here and is still the thing to drink. The island’s whole economy is essentially beach bars and charter boat provisioning; Great Harbour has basic facilities and a relaxed atmosphere that makes it a worthwhile overnight on any sailing itinerary.

Sailing

The December through April window is the peak sailing season: consistent trade winds, manageable seas, minimal rainfall. May and early June offer lower charter rates and still-reliable conditions before hurricane season begins. Full BVI hurricane season runs June through November; August through October is the highest-risk window, and several charter companies reduce fleets or close entirely during this period.

Charter options range from bareboat (you captain your own vessel) to crewed charters. The Moorings and Sunsail both have large bases in Tortola. For first-time charterers, a crewed week aboard a 45-50 foot catamaran with an experienced skipper is the obvious recommendation - you learn the islands, the anchorages, and the sailing conditions without the pressure of navigation.

The Wreck of the RMS Rhone

The British Royal Mail Ship Rhone sank in an 1867 hurricane off Salt Island, south of Tortola, and is now one of the most accessible and celebrated dive sites in the Caribbean. The wreck lies at depths of 24-80 feet, split into two main sections, with excellent visibility and significant marine life colonising the structure. Day dive trips depart from Road Town and Virgin Gorda daily. No significant diving experience required for the shallower sections.

Practical Notes

US dollars are the currency. Best visiting window is December-April. Fly into Tortola (EIS airport) via San Juan or St. Thomas; ferry connections to other islands from Road Town’s main pier. The BVI is an overseas territory of the UK; its legal and financial infrastructure reflects that, which is part of why it attracts international business alongside tourism.