Last Friday we went on an adventure sailing the BVI on a Moorings Power Cat yacht with Southern Tide. Like I mentioned here, this was a bucket list trip for us. It’s something we’ve been dreaming about doing as a family ever since JB and I were there in 2014. But, we have been waiting for the boys to be a little older. So, when the opportunity came along, we couldn’t say yes fast enough!
It was an added bonus that my parents were able to come along. This made the trip so, so special. The British Virgin Islands have now been added to my favorite tropical islands list!
I received several questions prior to and during the trip, so I’m going to structure this post based on all of those. I’ll cover how we got to the BVI, details about our private charter, our full itinerary, and more!
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Getting to the BVI
Before we could start sailing the BVI, we had to get there! We took a flight from Tampa to Tortola, with a layover in San Juan. Another option is to fly into St. John and then take a private boat or ferry into Tortola. The bonus of this would be that flights into St. John are a bit cheaper. However, you then have to pay for a longer ferry ride. So we chose to fly into Tortola instead. T day we got in ended up being super rainy, so I was glad we weren’t stuck on a ferry for a couple hours.
From the airport, you can arrange a transfer to pick you up and take you to The Moorings. This is where their fleets are docked, and there’s a hotel and a market there. Many people will stay a night in this hotel at the start of their trip. This would allow you to get provisioning for the sail, as the market has everything you need for the adventure. But, we were able to go directly to our boat for our first evening, as the captain and chef had taken care of all of the provisioning!
How to Book a Private Charter
When it comes to sailing the BVI, I would highly recommend booking directly with The Moorings. We had such a great experience with them. They offer a couple of different private charter options. One is a fully-crewed charter, which is what we took. You can also do a partial crew, which has a captain, but no chef. Lastly, you can sail the BVI without a crew. This would be a different experience, but definitely doable! However, I will say, after having Francesco and Nika sailing with us, I don’t know how we could ever go again without them! (:
Our Crew for Sailing the BVI
Speaking of our crew, I want to dive a little deeper into the crew on our charter because they made such an impact. Francesco was our captain and Chef Nika prepared the food. They are a couple and worked as a team to secure all of the Mooring Balls, ride us ashore in our dinghy, and plan out the days. We really didn’t have to lift a finger or even think! This made it one of our most relaxing vacations.
Our Captain
Francesco made us all feel incredibly safe when sailing the BVI. He was always looking out for our well-being, which is extra important to us when we’re on the water! His experience was evident. I also appreciated the awesome itinerary he created for us.
Our Chef
I could really go on and on about Chef Nika’s cooking. My mom has celiac, so I was a little nervous how well the chef would adhere to gluten-free cooking. We opted to all eat GF that week, and she certainly delivered. Every meal was incredibly special, from presentation to taste.
You can read more about each of our crew members here. We would book them again in a heartbeat – they were wonderful!
Itinerary for Sailing the BVI
Our itinerary for sailing the BVI was the perfect mix of exploring and relaxing. I was excited to return to some of the same destinations that I visited years ago, as well as go on some new adventures. Here’s a day-by-day breakdown of our trip!
Day One
On the first day, we arrived much later than expected, due to our flights being delayed. So we just hopped on the boat, had our safety briefing during dinner, and then went straight to bed!
Day Two
On the second day, we woke up, had breakfast, and then went to The Baths. JB, my dad, and I had been there before. However, none of us had done the hike to Devil’s Bay. And now that we have, I can honestly say that this hike is a must! It’s a little slippery when you are inside The Baths, so you may want to bring water shoes. While we were there, we had lunch on the boat, and then the boys took out the kayak and swam around a bit.
Afterward, we sailed to Saba Rock for dinner. If I’m being honest, we preferred Nika’s cooking to Saba Rock. But, Saba Rock is an experience in itself! After dinner, we docked nearby for the night.
Day Three
On our third day sailing the BVI, we spent time on Dog Island. I loved snorkeling here in the past, so we did a lot of that! Then, we went to Marina Cay, which has ton of coral washed ashore. There’s also a little cafe and lots of motorized sports you can rent here.
Next, we headed to Guana Island. This was my favorite spot – It’s so secluded and beautiful! We went ashore and enjoyed the beach and did a lot of snorkeling. I loved having my first painkiller overlooking the sunset, and the boys enjoyed watching all of the fish in the light. We ended the day with dinner on the boat.
Day Four
We woke up on Guana Island, and the boys immediately started snorkeling. After breakfast, we sailed to Jost Van Dyke. We hiked over to the Bubbly Pools which took about 20 minutes, (40 minutes round trip). The boys loved this! We had lunch at Foxy’s Taboo, which was a great laidback spot. After this, we went to the other side of the island to dock, walk around the town, and visit the other Foxy’s. Once again, we had a delicious dinner back on the boat.
Day Five
This was such a fun day sailing the BVI. We started by snorkeling The Indians, where we found a turtle, tons of coral, beautiful fish, and a shark. Later that afternoon, we sailed to Norman Island and snorkeled the caves. This was such a great spot! We had lunch there and snorkeled some more. Then we went to Willy T’s, and WOW, lol! I don’t really recommend this for kids…or adults. I could have done without that. Looking back, I wish we would have done the Norman Island hike instead.
Day Six
This was our final day of the trip. We woke up, had breakfast, and sailed back to shore to catch our flight and bid our crew goodbye!
Sailing the BVI Packing Tips
I listed everything we brought in this BVI packing list. But now that the trip is over, I wanted to note a few things that turned out to be key!
- Pack lightly! For clothing, I feel like you can get away with just bringing bathing suits, shorts, flip flops, t-shirts, etc. That’s why Southern Tide was the perfect wardrobe for all of us. We just hung our bathing suits out on the line to dry every night, and even when we did go out on shore, it was all very casual.
- Choose your luggage wisely. There’s not much room for storage on the yacht. So, it’s good to pack your items in something like this duffle, which can easily be folded down.
- Plan to stay consistent with your vitamin and wellness routines. It’s easy to let these go by the wayside during vacation, but I would say this is the time to stay consistent. Pack those vitamins, and stay on top of it to boost your immune system. Also, make sure to always pack a stocked first aid kit. You’ll want to include bug spray and bug bite relief too!
- A dry bag is a must! This will keep everything safe as you go ashore.
- Don’t skip the essentials. Hats, UPF swim shirts, and reef-safe unscreen are daily musts when sailing the BVI. Even if it’s overcast, the sun is still quite strong, so cover up as much as possible.
- Bring Teleties! I know I’m obsessed, but seriously, I never did my hair during the trip. I just used a Teletie for a slicked back bun every day.
Your Sailing the BVI Questions, Answered
I wanted to address some of the questions I received about sailing the BVI. If I happen to leave off your question, feel free to email me or send me a DM. I’d be happy to help!
What are the sleeping quarters like?
This varies from yacht to yacht. You can see a layout of our charter here. Our beds were about the size of a king in two rooms and a queen in the other. You have AC, and each has their own bathroom. The rooms aren’t huge, but we really only spent time in them to sleep.
I get sea sick. How was it sleeping on the boat?
We brought sea sickness bands and Dramamine, but ended up not needing either one. None of us got sea sick – Not even my oldest, who normally tends to when he goes offshore fishing. I actually ended up liking the little rock to sleep at night!
What is the price range for Sailing the BVI?
A price range for sailing the BVI really depends on the boat and the experience. For more information, you can get quotes here. I think it’s more affordable than people realize! You also have the option of not having a crew on your ship, which would save money.
Anything you wished you had brought?
This is TMI, but worth mentioning. You can’t flush toilet paper down the toilet. So you may want to bring some doggy bags and water wipes.
Sailing the BVI as a Family
Sailing the BVI was truly an experience of a lifetime, and I’m so excited we were able to check it off of our travel wish list! If you’ve ever thought about taking on this adventure, I cannot recommend it enough. For more of our favorite destinations, check out the posts below!
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