Charting a Bareboat Yacht & Sailing the BVI's

The BVIs, as they are called, are a fovorite bareboat and travel destination for sailors, fishermen, sun worshippers, and other independent travellers. Boating among the many islandss, mostly uninhabited and the charter waters offer protected sailing and open water sailing. The BVI is the premier bareboat destination for sailing in the Caribbean.  Seabbatical Long Term Charters base is located in Sea Cows Bay (Manual Marina), which is 5 min west of Roadtown allowing easy access to provisioning your charter Yacht.

The Islands

The British Virgin Islands comprise 16 inhabited and more than 43 uninhabited islands, including the island of Anegada. The islands fall into two types, with relatively flat coral islands and steep volcanic islands. The highest point is Crown Mountain Virgin Gorda and Sage Mountain is second located on Tortola where there is a magnificent rain forest with hiking trails.

Tortola

Is the largest island and where you wil do most of your provisioning.  There are 5 charter centers Manual Reef Marina, Roadtown, Nanny key, Sopers Hole West End and Hodges Creek East End.  Tortola has a small airport, Beef Island (EIS) served by commuter airlines from the surrounding international airports in San Juan, St Thomas, St Maarten and Antigua. Provisioning your boat at Tico, Riteway, Bobby's super Market all will delliver right to our boat.

Norman Island

Just a short 2 hour sail is some of the best snorkeling you will find anywhere. The 3 Indians and the caves of Norman Island are National Parks and fish are so plenty you will be surrounded Sargent majors and Yellow ail Snapper immediately upon entering the water.  When done snorkeling head around to The Bite for the evening or if seclusion is what your after the south side of Peter island is where you will find solitude.  Watch for a changing wind directions behind Peter Island but don`t be worried the holding is great with sand everywhere.  The bite on Norman Island has 2 popular bars, one on shore called Pirates Bite and the other bar is an old ship called The William Thornton both bars are well worth visit anytime of day or evening.  Don`y forget to take a nice hike up to Spy Glass Hill to get a great panoramic view of the islands.

Peter Island

 Just another 2 hour sail from Norman Island or Road town has an up upscale resort, Peter Island Resort owned by the Van Andel family, co-owners of Amway.  The resort has slowly and continually upgraded over the years and is very beautiful and open to the general public. The south side of the island has fantastic beaches and the northern shore is the main resort area.  Deadmans bay  has a magnificent beach with a bar & restaurant Deadmans Grill  open to the general public. Just over the hill is the main resort area and a superior restaurant Tradewinds

  Salt Island

Renowned for the wreck of the RMS Rhone was a royal mail steam packet ship that transported cargo between England, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. She was one of the first iron hulled ships, powered by both sail and steam. Built in 1865 at the Millwall Ironworks on the Isle of Dogs, London, she measured in at 310 feet (94 m) long and had two masts with a 40-foot (12 m) beam. Her propeller was the second bronze propeller ever built, and she was one of two ships deemed unsinkable by the British, we've all  have heard that before!!!  You can Snorkel the aft of the wreck and head over to the salt pond to by some royal BVI salt.

Cooper Island

Great snorkeling off the big rock Fire Rock to the south of the restaurant and if you go around the rock to the next bay you will see even more great snorkeling as well as a good safe anchorage.  Fire Rock is cover is Fire Corel so be carfull not to touch anything, which is a usual common curtesy we should offer or underwater friends. The restaurant Cooper Island Beach Bar is a fun place to eat drink and lounge on there beach with ample mooring balls to pick up for a safe night stay.

Ginger Island and Round Rock

It is one of the last undeveloped privately held islands in the Territory. It is the location of two of the better dive sites in the British Virgin Islands: "Alice in Wonderland" and "Ginger Steppes". The island is currently for sale.

Virgin Gorda & Fallen Jerusalem

Paradise found... yes you have arrived at paradise.  We can personally spend a week along the east shore of Virgin Gorda where you find the Baths.  A truly mystical place is what the Baths are, huge golden granit bolders that rise upto 5 storeys out of the water and have coconut palms coming out of the areas between the bolders and all this surrounded by golden soft sand and amzing snorkeling for miles.  You just have to come to this place and experience it for yourself, words just don't work here.  Just past the Baths and heading north you come to Spanish town Also known as The Valley, Spanish Town offers numerous shopping possibilities. The heart of the town is its Yacht Harbor marina, with many bareboat sailing activities everyday. It has its own airport and a ferry service is in operation from here to Road Town or Tortola. Overall, though, Spanish Town is small, with few bars and a relaxed atmospher where you can get some provision's, water, ice and fuel.  Head more north we come the Little bay, Savannah Bay, Mango Bay, Nail Bay.  all these bays are protected by a big reek which gets hammered by the north swell that come in often.  Great beach all along here but do be careful of the reef most of it is impassable by yacht.  As turn east and head to North Sound you pass outside of mosquito Island where you might spot Honey Moon Beach, a tiny sand beach found between the cliffs of Mosquito island where you can stop if its calm.

Virgin Gorda North Sound

The Bitter End Resort and Marina, Biras creek and Marina. Saba Rock resort and Marina, all are unique and have what you need and want for your visit.  Bitter End has a great bakery and provisioning store, Saba rock offers free water and Ice with their mooring ball selection. You might enjoy renting a couple small sailboats at the bitter end and do some racing. Or the Beach bar at prickly Paer is a lot of fun as well as a great beach.  You can take the dingy with a full tank of gas and run out to the big reef east of Bitter End. 

Marina Cay

Eight-acre island isurrounded by a soft, white sand beach. The island is nestled in a sheltered, emerald green, lagoon whose shallow waters are always calm and lukewarm. It is the ideal place for snorkelers to enjoy the colorful fish and sea life that inhabit the coral reef and the lagoon. Likewise it is a wonderful place for those wishing to learn to snorkel and scuba dive. The island is also home to an award winning Pusser's Restaurant specializing in seafood and cuisine of the Caribbean