BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide
British Virgin Islands: the perfect cruising grounds
Tortola, the Sir Francis Drake Channel, the Baths of Virgin Gorda: why the BVI are considered the world's best sailing playground.
There is a reason sailing schools worldwide send their students to the BVI: some sixty islands packed around a sheltered channel — the Sir Francis Drake Channel — reliable trade winds, no passage longer than two hours, and mooring buoys everywhere. You learn here, you feast here, you come back.
The unmissables
Out of Tortola (Road Town): the Baths of Virgin Gorda and their granite mazes, the wreck of the RMS Rhone off Salt Island (one of the Caribbean's finest dive sites), the legendary beach bar of White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, and the loop out to Anegada, the coral island barely above the waterline, for the evening's grilled lobster.
When to go
High season runs December to April: 15-20 knot trades, blue skies, regatta atmosphere. Summer is calmer and cheaper; hurricane season (June-November) calls for weather-watching and flexible cancellation policies.
Budget and boats
This is catamaran country (€2,500 to €8,000 per week depending on size and season) and one of the deepest charter markets in the world — hence one where price comparison pays the most. Mooring buoys (30-40 $ a night) and the BVI cruising permit add to the budget; on board, everything is paid in US dollars.
Skill level
Paradoxically, these are some of the easiest waters anywhere: flat sea in the channel, line-of-sight navigation, organised moorings. A coastal skipper comfortable picking up buoys will feel at home immediately — and a local skipper remains a fine option for a first Caribbean week.