The Busy Boater

There’s no shortage of things to do, see, eat, and drink when sailing The British Virgin Islands (BVI). From relaxing on the beach with a painkiller in hand to exploring caves for buried treasure, there’s no shortage of activities (and inactivities) to fill your time.

On our first bareboat charter in the BVI, we followed a commonly prescribed itinerary, counter-clockwise around Tortola. This took us to the most popular spots with plenty of moorings, services, and obvious things to ‘do’ near the towns. However, there’s plenty of room in the islands to find a quiet spot to take a nap on your own private island (the boat) or go for a hike or swim. Below are my thoughts on the things to do in the British Virgin Islands on your bareboat charter.

Top Ten Things to do in The British Virgin Islands

Take a Leap Off the Willy T

An old ship named The William Thorton has been converted into a two-story dive bar, called Willy T’s. We heard that they give you a free t-shirt for jumping naked off the top deck into the ocean. Obviously, this was our first stop…actually it’s moored in the Bight at Norman Island; one of the closest harbors to the charter docks in Road Town, so it is a logical first stop for multiple reasons.

We arrived before lunchtime. Being offseason, it was pretty quiet. The bartender told us they aren’t allowed to give out t-shirts in exchange for bad decisions anymore. They did note, however, that nobody would stop us from taking the plunge. I don’t know who picked up the tab, but there were drinks waiting for us at the bar when we climbed back aboard. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bay, our boat was floating out to sea, as we failed to properly tie up to the mooring ball. Don’t let it happen to you!

Treasure Point Caves

Grab a snorkel and swim into these caves on Norman Island in search of hidden pirate treasure. Legend has it, gold coins have been found here. Look for settled weather to explore the caves because the bay is not very well protected. This makes anchoring challenging, not to mention swimming near the caves if there’s surf. I say anchoring because there are only three mooring balls here, so it will probably be a great opportunity for you to work on your anchoring skills.

Make Salt on Salt Island

There are salt ponds throughout the British Virgin Islands, and salt production used to be a major industry here. There’s a large salt pond on the aptly named Salt Island that is part of the BVI National Parks, making it easily accessible to bareboat charterers. We took the short walk through what looked like a primitive graveyard to a disgusting black pond to get some salt water to boil. It worked, and we took the salt home. Nobody in our party was brave enough to ever taste it, though. Sometimes you don’t want to know how the sausage is made.

Even if you aren’t lookin’ for that lost shaker of salt, don’t write off Salt Island entirely: off to the North of the harbor we found some great surf to run the dinghy through. That was a real hoot.

Explore the Baths on Virgin Gorda

The Baths are a rock formation along the beach on the West side of Virgin Gorda. The rocks form interesting caves and pathways on the beach and the hillside to explore. There’s also lots to see below the water here where you’ll find some of the best snorkeling in the British Virgin Islands.

Eat a Roti

You’ll find this East Indian Street Food throughout the West Indies thanks to the global reach of the British Empire. Similar to a burrito, a roti is curried veggies or meat wrapped in flatbread. If you are coming here from the US, you’ll have the opportunity to try this at just about every restaurant in the BVI. If you are coming from the UK, you know what I’m talking about already.

While you are eating, don’t be surprised if a few guests visit your table. There are lots of dogs, cats, and chickens that are part of the community here in the British Virgin Islands. The cats and dogs are friendly, and would just love to be pet.

Take a Shower in a Phone Booth

The food isn’t the only thing in the British Virgin Islands influenced by the British. This phone booth at Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda had been converted to a shower on the dock…right next to the fill hose, so Instagram is the most obvious use if you’ve already got a shower on the boat. After going for a dip in the ocean when Hurricane Irma roared through in 2017, the booth has a bit more patina and a bit less iron then it used to.

Watch the Sunset in Cane Garden Bay

Cane Garden Bay, a beautiful site in itself, is well positioned for watching the sunset. As you can see below, it also has a generous selection of mooring balls.

Full Moon Party

The original BVI Full Moon Party was at Bomba’s Shack, and it was a legendary tribute to hedonism. Think extreme inebriation, nudity, bonfires, oh and music. Unfortunately, Hurricane Irma took this landmark back from whence it came: the ‘building’ was made of accumulated trash that washed up on the beach.

These days there Full Moon parties on beaches throughout the BVI that carry on the tradition. The party in Trellis Bay is probably the longest running. When Bomba’s was in full swing, Trellis Bay was known to host a family friendly alternative without the raucous and nudity. Foxy’s on Jost van Dyke hosts another long-running celebration. There are several others that have popped up more recently, such as one on Cane Garden Bay.

Grab a Painkiller at Pusser’s Landing

At Soper’s Hole at the West End of Tortola, belly up to the bar at Pusser’s Landing, order a painkiller, and sit back to watch the goings on. There’s a great view of the marina from here, which has a few charter boats and a ferry dock. We also watched some kids tacking back and forth on a Hobie Cat (so jealous!). A painkiller cocktail is a riff on a pina colada that adds nutmeg and orange juice. It seems to be the unofficial official drink of the BVI. They are most commonly made with Pusser’s Rum, which seems to be the unofficial official rum of the BVI. A fitting choice since they hold the rights to produce the British Royal Navy’s rum recipe. We had no complaints about either of these customs.

Grab a Painkiller at the Soggy Dollar Bar

The Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke claims to have invented the Painkiller. It’s called the Soggy Dollar because your money gets wet swimming from your boat to the beachside bar. While this destination was high on our list, we ran into a suspicious character on the beach asking us to pay him mooring fees. We were told that day use of moorings is free, but if spending the night, someone would come collect from a dinghy. Neither was it evening, nor was this gentleman on a dinghy. We hopped over to the next bay, made some dark n stormys, grilled up a few cheeseburgers and hung out in the sun with #NoWorries. If you’ve been here, lets us know about it in the comments.

Top Four Things not to do in the British Virgin Islands

Don’t go to the big attractions when cruise ships are in

Cane Garden Bay, Virgin Gorda Baths, and Road Town can all get crowded when cruise ships are at dock. Check with the BVI Port Authority to see when ships will be docked in Road Town, and how many passengers they’ll be bringing along.

Don’t plan on spending a lot of time in Road Town

Road Town is the capital of the British Virgin Islands. It serves as the cruise ship port and home to most of the bareboat charter companies. We didn’t find much to see or do in Road Town. We expected a more metropolitan city, but it was neither that nor a quaint Caribbean town. Nothing wrong with it, as it serves a purpose, but you’ll find more interesting things to see and do elsewhere.

Don’t go to Anegada

The voyage to Anegada is much more challenging than between any of the other British Virgin Islands.

• Anegada lies 14 nautical miles North of Virgin Gorda with an elevation of less than 15 feet.
  • This puts Anegada over the horizon from the other British Virgin Islands, making it the only island that cannot be approached by line-of-sight navigation.
  • The distance also means you’ll have two to three hours of sailing each way.
  • The low elevation also means the anchorage is less protected from the weather
• Over two miles of poorly charted, shallow coral surround the island. This coral that can severely damage your boat if you run aground.
• Anegada does not have any yacht services (fuel, water, dock), so you must plan for these resources before sailing to the island.

Because of these challenges, many charter companies do not even allow first time cruisers to go to Anegada.

Anegada has a lot going for it. Great snorkeling, less crowds, and beautiful beaches. However, there’s just so much to see and do on the other islands, that on your first weeklong trip to here, there’s putting the time, planning, and effort into the voyage on an unfamiliar boat in unfamiliar waters only takes away from your ability to enjoy everything else the BVI has to offer.

Don’t Make a Rigid Itinerary

Make a loose list of things you want to do. Order them counterclockwise around the country, starting with the location of your charter company (probably Road Town). Each evening, check the weather and discuss with your crew a plan for the next day based on where you are that night and how the wind will affect sailing, swells, and anchoring the next day. Depending on when you are visiting, the crowds might also impact your itinerary: do you need to arrive early to pick up a mooring or do you need to find a less crowded harbor to drop anchor? You’re on island time. Relax and try to forget what day of the week it is.

You can read more about planning for a bareboat charter in the British Virgin Islands in our destination overview here where we discuss how to get to the BVI, charter options, when to go, and more.