British Virgin Islands Sailing Odyssey: 8 Days Catamaran Island Hopping

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Tortola & Board Catamaran

Arrive at Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on Beef Island, connected to Tortola by the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. Transfer to the marina where your crewed catamaran awaits. Welcome aboard with a rum punch. Captain’s briefing on the week’s sailing route through the 60 islands and cays of the BVI. Afternoon: sail to Norman Island (believed to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island). Snorkel the Caves at Treasure Point, where pirate gold was allegedly hidden. Evening: first sunset anchorage with dinner prepared by your onboard chef. Overnight on the catamaran at the Bight, Norman Island.

Day 2: The Baths — Virgin Gorda

Morning sail to Virgin Gorda, the BVI’s third-largest island. Spend the day exploring The Baths National Park — a geological wonder of giant granite boulders (batholiths) the size of houses, creating a labyrinth of natural tidal pools, grottoes, and tunnels filled with crystal-clear water. Follow the trail through Devils Bay, climbing over and wading between the massive boulders. Afternoon: snorkel at Spring Bay with its powdery white sand and calm turquoise water. Evening: sail to the North Sound of Virgin Gorda and anchor near Prickly Pear Island. Dinner under the Caribbean stars. Overnight on the catamaran.

Day 3: Anegada — The Drowned Island

Full-day sail to Anegada, the BVI’s only coral atoll — dramatically different from the volcanic islands. Rising just 8.5 meters above sea level, Anegada is surrounded by the Horseshoe Reef, the Caribbean’s third-largest barrier reef and the graveyard of 300+ ships. Afternoon: explore the endless bone-white beaches and the salt ponds with their resident flamingo population. Rent a bicycle to explore the island’s 15 square miles of flat coral landscape punctuated by wild orchids and rock iguanas found nowhere else on Earth. Evening: the legendary Anegada lobster dinner at a beachfront restaurant — spiny Caribbean lobster grilled over open coals. Overnight anchored off Anegada.

Day 4: Jost Van Dyke — The Party Island

Sail to Jost Van Dyke, the island named after a 17th-century Dutch pirate. Morning: hike the trail to the Bubbly Pool, a natural Jacuzzi where Atlantic waves crash through a narrow gorge into a protected rock pool. Afternoon at White Bay, one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches, home to the legendary Soggy Dollar Bar — birthplace of the Painkiller cocktail (dark rum, cream of coconut, pineapple, orange juice, nutmeg). Visit Foxy’s Taboo at Diamond Cay for lunch. Evening at Great Harbour’s Foxy’s Tamarind Bar, the most famous beach bar in the Caribbean. Overnight anchored at Jost Van Dyke.

Day 5: Sandy Spit & Sandy Cay

Sail to two of the BVI’s most iconic tiny islands. Morning at Sandy Spit — a perfect miniature desert island smaller than a football field, ringed entirely by white sand and crowned with a single palm tree. This was the filming location for the classic Corona beer commercials. Snorkel the surrounding reef. Afternoon at Sandy Cay, a 14-acre uninhabited island donated to the BVI National Parks Trust by the Laurance Rockefeller Foundation. Walk the nature trail through pristine tropical vegetation and swim at the picture-perfect beach. Evening: sail to Cane Garden Bay, Tortola. Overnight anchored at Cane Garden Bay.

Day 6: Tortola — Rum & Ridge Road

Morning ashore on Tortola, the BVI’s capital island. Visit the historic Callwood Rum Distillery (est. 1780), one of the Caribbean’s oldest continuously operating rum distilleries, where rum is still made using a 200-year-old copper pot still — sample the legendary “Pantie Remover” rum. Afternoon: drive the Ridge Road with its heart-stopping switchbacks and panoramic vistas over the Sir Francis Drake Channel, where dozens of islands dot the turquoise sea. Visit Mount Healthy National Park, the site of a well-preserved 18th-century sugar mill and a stark reminder of the islands’ plantation past. Evening: enjoy Tortola’s restaurants and bars in Road Town. Overnight on the catamaran.

Day 7: Cooper Island & Wreck of the Rhone

Morning: scuba dive or snorkel the wreck of the RMS Rhone, the BVI’s most famous dive site. This Royal Mail steamer sank in the 1867 hurricane, now a spectacular artificial reef teeming with marine life — the bow section lies in 25m of water, intact and encrusted with coral. Afternoon: sail to Cooper Island for a final anchorage. Visit the Cooper Island Beach Club with its eco-brewery producing craft beer using solar energy. Farewell dinner on board watching the sunset over the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Overnight anchored off Cooper Island.

Day 8: Return & Departure

Morning sail back to the marina. Final breakfast on board. Transfer to Beef Island airport for departure.

Inclusions

• 7 nights crewed catamaran (captain + chef)
• All meals on board (gourmet cuisine)
• Open bar (premium brands)
• Snorkeling equipment & kayaks
• Dive equipment (Rhone dive optional)
• National Park entry fees
• Fuel, water, and marina fees
• Airport transfers

Why BVI

• 60+ islands and cays — the world’s finest sailing grounds with year-round trade winds
• The Baths, Virgin Gorda — giant granite boulders create a natural water park unlike anywhere else
• Anegada — the Caribbean’s only coral atoll with flamingos and the BVI’s best lobster
• RMS Rhone — a legendary 1867 shipwreck, now one of the world’s best dive sites
• The Painkiller cocktail — invented at the Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke