Ideal for Winter Season
This nine-day Virgin Islands yacht charter circuit from St Thomas covers both the US and British Virgin Islands across nine days, moving from the national park coastlines of St John and the duty-free capital of Charlotte Amalie through the Treasure Island caves of Norman Island, the boulder grottos of Virgin Gorda's Baths, the shipwreck diving of North Sound, and the legendary beach bars of Jost Van Dyke, before returning to St Thomas via Tortola and Peter Island. Spanning two sovereign territories and the full social, natural, and cultural range of the archipelago, it is the most comprehensive single-route introduction to Virgin Islands sailing available.
- Day 1
St Thomas
Duty-free boutiques, world-class beaches, and the best natural harbor in the USVIs
Before raising anchor, spend the first day exploring St Thomas yacht charters home base, Charlotte Amalie, one of the finest duty-free shopping destinations in the Caribbean. The capital is well supplied with high-end boutiques, luxury jewelry stores, and tax-free bargains across watches, leather goods, designer clothing, and artwork, with further outlets at the Yacht Haven Grande marina complex on the eastern waterfront.
For beach time, Magens Bay Beach on the north coast is among the most celebrated in the entire Virgin Islands archipelago, a heart-shaped bay of calm, shallow water and soft white sand backed by lush hillsides. For a quieter alternative, Brewers Bay Beach on the south coast offers a more secluded setting ideal for snorkeling in calm conditions. Round off the evening at Oceana Restaurant and Bistro, one of the finest dining experiences on the island, with a menu focused on locally sourced Caribbean seafood and views over the harbor.
Find out more:
-
Oceana Restaurant and Bistro
Restaurants
-
Oceana Restaurant and Bistro
- Day 2
St John
Two-thirds national park, world-class snorkeling, and a natural hurricane shelter
The short crossing to St John brings you to the smallest of the three main US Virgin Islands, and the most naturally pristine, with approximately two-thirds of the island and its surrounding waters protected within the Virgin Islands National Park. The result is a coastline of extraordinary ecological quality, hiking trails through untouched tropical forest, and some of the finest snorkeling in the St John yacht charter area.
Trunk Bay is the island's most celebrated beach, and an underwater snorkel trail marked with plaques identifying coral and marine species makes it one of the most educational snorkeling experiences in the USVI. Waterlemon Cay nearby offers equally outstanding reef conditions with consistent marine life encounters.
For sailors, Hurricane Hole on the island's east end is a remarkable natural anchorage, a deep, three-sided inlet large enough to shelter a significant fleet, named for its role as emergency refuge during storm season. Spend the evening on board with a candlelit dinner anchored in one of St John's quieter bays.
Find out more:
-
Waterlemon Cay
Beach
-
Trunk Bay
Beach
-
Waterlemon Cay
- Day 3
Tortola
The largest of the British Virgin Islands and the gateway to the BVI charter circuit
Cross the Sir Francis Drake Channel into British Virgin Islands waters and arrive at Tortola, the largest and most populated island in the BVI and the natural gateway to any Tortola yacht charter circuit. Begin the morning at Trunk Bay Plantation ruins on St John's north coast before the captain navigates west. The historical sugar plantation ruins give a compelling insight into the island's colonial past and make for an absorbing hour before departure.
On arrival at Tortola, your chosen luxury charter yacht drops anchor at Cane Garden Bay, one of the most naturally sheltered and socially lively anchorages on the island, set in a wide, calm bay backed by lush hills and lined with small bars and restaurants where Caribbean life moves at its own unhurried pace. Try local dishes and listen to live music before returning to the yacht for a sunset dinner aboard.
From Cane Garden Bay, it is a short morning passage to Soper's Hole, the characterful western harbor on Tortola where the BVI's best-provisioned chandlery and a string of colorful waterfront boutiques make for a pleasant last browse before heading south.
Find out more:
-
Mount Healthy National Park
Attraction
-
Smuggler's Cove
Attraction
-
Mount Healthy National Park
- Day 4
Norman Island
The Treasure Island original, a legendary floating bar, and the BVI's finest cave diving
After a fresh lunch at Soper's Hole, the captain sets course for Norman Island, the uninhabited island widely believed to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and one of the most characterful stops on any BVI yacht charter. Anchor down in The Bight, one of the most sociable and sheltered anchorages in the Virgin Islands, and take the tender ashore to explore.
Willy T, a decommissioned Baltic trader permanently moored in the anchorage and serving as one of the Caribbean's most memorably unconventional floating bars, is worth a stop before the afternoon diving.
The Caves at Treasure Point are the diving highlight: three sea caves accessible by snorkel or dive, home to glassy sweepers, squirrelfish, and octopus tucked into the reef structure, illuminated by shafts of filtered light. The Indians, four rocky pinnacles rising from open water just offshore, offer some of the finest shallow snorkeling in the BVI for charter guests who prefer to stay close to the surface.
- Day 5
Peter's Island
One of the Caribbean's most beautiful private islands and an exceptional sea turtle dive
Peter Island is a largely private island south of Tortola, quiet, unspoilt, and home to some of the most beautiful beaches on the British Virgin Islands charter circuit. Begin the morning at Great Harbour for a leisurely walk along the white sand before heading to the Peter Island Resort for a waterfront brunch and access to the resort's water sports facilities.
Deadman's Bay on the island's southeastern shore carries a darker history than its pristine turquoise setting suggests, named for the bodies of pirates reportedly washed ashore after attempting to swim from Dead Chest Island nearby, the subject of the famous seafaring rhyme.
The waters here reward those who venture below the surface: green sea turtles are regularly encountered in the bay's calm, clear conditions, alongside healthy coral coverage and a range of reef fish that make underwater photography particularly rewarding. Dine at the Dead Man's Beach Bar & Grill before an overnight cruise on your motor yacht charter to Virgin Gorda.
- Day 6
Virgin Gorda
The BVI's most iconic geological wonder and its most beautiful beaches
Virgin Gorda is the standout natural highlight of any Virgin Islands yacht charter, an island where enormous granite boulders form one of the most extraordinary coastal landscapes in the Caribbean. Begin at The Baths, the island's most celebrated attraction, where a labyrinth of grottos, tunnels, and tidal pools created by the boulder formations reward slow, unhurried exploration. The filtered light inside the grottos and the near-perfect water temperature make it one of those genuinely singular natural experiences that the BVI is uniquely equipped to deliver.
Despite its extraordinary natural beauty, Virgin Gorda remains one of the quieter islands in the archipelago outside of peak season, a quality that makes it ideal for a full day of pure relaxation.
Spend the afternoon on one of the island's powder-white beaches before a sunset dinner aboard the yacht. The North Sound to the north holds further rewards for the following morning, one of the most sheltered and exclusive anchorages in the Caribbean, best explored with a full day to spare.
Find out more:
-
The Baths
Landmark
-
The Baths
- Day 7
North Sound and The Bitter End Yacht Club
Shipwreck diving, world-class water sports, and fine dining in the BVI's most exclusive anchorage
Cruise north to the North Sound, a vast, naturally enclosed anchorage on the northern end of the charter routes in Virgin Gorda that provides some of the finest flat-water sailing and water sports conditions in the BVI yacht charter circuit. The sound's sheltered waters hold a number of historic shipwreck dive sites, remnants of vessels that came to grief on the surrounding reefs over the centuries, now colonized by marine life and offering accessible diving for all experience levels.
The Bitter End Yacht Club on the eastern shore is a landmark institution in Caribbean sailing culture, offering day access to its kiteboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, and on-site scuba diving facilities, a genuinely world-class water sports playground in a spectacular natural setting.
After depleting your energy reserves, the resort's restaurant delivers fine dining with exceptional views across the sound at sunset. Round off the evening at CocoMaya, one of the finest restaurants on Virgin Gorda, with a beachfront setting and a menu that blends Caribbean and Asian influences to excellent effect.
Find out more:
-
CocoMaya
Restaurants
-
CocoMaya
- Day 8
Jost Van Dyke
The social soul of the BVI, legendary beach bars, and an underwater cathedral
The last full day of the charter is spent on Jost Van Dyke, small in geography, enormous in character, and the undisputed social center of the Jost Van Dyke yacht charter circuit. White Bay Beach on the south shore is the first stop, a long sweep of pale sand home to both Foxy's Bar and the Soggy Dollar Bar, the latter famous as the birthplace of the Painkiller cocktail and one of the most beloved beach bars in the Caribbean. Both deliver live music, cold drinks, and a crowd that knows how to spend a Caribbean afternoon.
For divers, the waters around White Bay hold a beautiful coral reef accessible to all levels, while the more adventurous can seek out The Cathedral, an underwater tunnel that surfaces inside a cave within the island, one of the most unusual and memorable dive experiences in the BVI. Spend the final evening anchored in Great Harbour, watching the last sunset of the week settle over the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
Find out more:
-
Foxy's Bar
Bars
-
Foxy's Bar
- Day 9
Return to St Thomas
A final morning on the water and one last look at Charlotte Amalie
Today, your Caribbean yacht charter makes its final passage back across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to St Thomas, completing this nine-day circuit through some of the finest sailing waters in the Caribbean. Take a leisurely last breakfast on deck before the crew brings the yacht into Crown Bay Marina for disembarkation, and if flight times allow, one final hour in Charlotte Amalie for any last-minute duty-free shopping makes a fittingly unhurried close to the week.
Book with Ease - Speak with a Charter Expert
Our yacht charter experts will:
- Discuss your vacation plans
- Check availability & shortlist suitable yachts
- Negotiate booking & prepare your itinerary
*All distances are approximate
