The British Virgin Islands
A Little Something for Everyone
We are not sure anyone else in the world gets this analogy, but …
We have said hundreds of times that the British Virgin Islands are the Las Vegas of sailing vacations. Not necessarily that What Happens There Stays There, but stay with me for a second.
Most people think of Las Vegas as a city devoted to gambling sprees, drunken debauchery and all the bachelor parties well documented in The Hangover. And it is. That said, going to Las Vegas with your spouse for a quick getaway weekend of shopping, spa treatments and a romantic evening at Cirque De Soliel is also a fantastic way to enjoy Sin City. Both of those vacations happen concurrently, at the same time in the same place all depending on what you decide you want that vacation to be.
The British Virgin Islands can be a raucous party cruise where you sail from one bar to the next. We’ve done that trip. It’s awesome. The first trip where we were the whole Captain and Crew was in the BVI with our entire family. Our young, adorable kids, and their grandparents. Three generations on one Lagoon 440. It was life changing. We did a slide show. Here you go:
We loved it so much, we took our kids back again a few years later. And it was just as amazing. Well, not everyone loved every moment of it. But still…
Our kids love sailing with us, and often ask about the next time we can go again. We even took them sailing to St. Martin, Angilla and St. Barth, not long ago and while that was a very different trip, that was another fantastic family vacation we will never forget. Besides going with our whole family, we have gone sailing in the British Virgin Islands with our close friends, some people we hardly knew, and even gone with complete ass strangers. But it doesn’t have to just be family or friends. Just like Las Vegas, there is so much to do in the BVI, you can make a sailing trip there whatever you want.
First Time Cruisers and Hard Core Sailers
There are a few things that make the BVI the perfect place to learn to be a bareboater. First of all, there is always wind. Of the dozen or so trips we have taken to the BVI, there has not been a single day where we did not encounter near perfect wind. Never too much and never too little. The prevalence of mooring balls makes it significantly easier find a place to tie up for the night without the stress of anchoring. (Our trips were all Pre-Irma, and we understand many mooring balls have not been replaced yet, but we are going again in June 2019 and will let you know if this is still true.) Sir Francis Drake Channel is like lake in the middle of the Caribbean. This makes all sailing (except to Anegada) line of sight navigation. It’s almost impossible to get completely lost. And there are more boats for charter than anywhere else in there world.*
Outdoors Types
If you are the Outdoors type, there are challenging hiking trails on the almost completely undeveloped Norman Island. Snorkeling at the Caves on Norman Island, The Indians, or Monkey Point are among the best in the world. Scuba Dive on the wreck of the Rhone. Kite board like Richard Branson in North Virgin Gorda Sound. Jump from the cliffs on George Dog. Deep sea fish on the north side of Tortola. Hike to the Bobbly Pool on Little Jost. Squeeze your perfectly fit ass through the rocks at the Baths. If you want to stay active, there is enough to keep you busy for several weeks in the BVI.
For the More Sedentary
While one of us would spend the whole day sailing if he could, the other member of our crew likes to spend most all of her free time on the boat sitting in the salon reading. This summer we are going with a group of people who are avid Puzzlers (whatever that is). If you’re looking to do nothing on your vacation, that is easy to find. Find your favorite cove, harbor or mooring ball and stay there all week if you want. We once ran across a Captain at the Soggy Dollar who told us he had the best mooring ball in all the BVI and might not leave it all week. There are near perfect, completely empty beaches on Anegada, at Sandy Spit, Sandy Cay, Green Cay, Guana Island and dozens of other places we haven’t even found yet. Whatever you want to do — or NOT do — on your vacation, it is easy to find your comfort zone sailing in the BVI.
*At least we think that’s true.
As noted above, our first post-Irma trip all be in June of this year. We will update and let you know what we find.