7 Nights - Sample Itinerary
Day 1Board at noon at Crown Bay Marina, St. Thomas, USVI. After a leisurely lunch at the marina, head out to Christmas Cove at Great St. James or Caneel Bay at St. John for overnight anchorage.
Day 2
No trip to the BVI is complete without a visit to Foxy’s Bar and Restaurant in Jost Van Dyke for a “Pain Killer.” And there is Foxy’s boutique, complete with tee-shirts to prove we’ve been there. Foxy has traveled the world over and he has a bit of talent with the guitar – he will probably make up a ballad just for you. Be sure to take a stroll down the main street, a path running along the beach – not much going on, but then, that’s the charm.
Steam to Monkey Point off Great Guana Island (so named for a rock formation that resembles the head of an iguana), and watch the pelicans dive for fish. There are 2 beautiful beaches here. Have lunch at Monkey Point. Steam to Marina Cay, made famous by the author Rob White (Perry Mason series), who purchased the island in the 1940’s and built his island home with sack-crete and sea water. The library and cistern have been incorporated into the present day structures at the resort. Pick up a copy of White’s Two on the Isle for some excellent reading and light island history. Great snorkeling with squid – “arrow fish” – as Jacques Cousteau would call them. Overnight at Marina Cay.
Day 3
Early morning cruise to the world-famous “Baths,” at Virgin Gorda. Natural sea water pools have been created by uplifting of gigantic boulders of plutonic granite. Fabulous snorkeling at The Baths and nearby Fallen Jerusalem.
Enjoy the spectacular beaches at the “Baths” for the rest of the morning, steaming on to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor & Spanish Town for lunch and exploring ashore. After breakfast, take a leisurely cruise up to Virgin Gorda Sound – a great place to spend two or more days. Visit the famous Bitter End Resort and Biras Creek, which fronts on both the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Overnight at Virgin Gorda Sound.
Day 4
All day and overnight at Virgin Gorda Sound. Travel by tender to Eustacia Sound for great snorkeling and views of Richard Branson’s private retreat at Necker Island (available for rental). Overnight and next morning at the Sound. Rent an open jeep for a drive around this mostly undeveloped island, stopping for a refreshing drink at Little Dix Bay, the island’s premier resort.
Day 5
Steam to Anegada, the “drowned island,” low-lying and not visible until you are there! For the experienced diver & snorkeler, explore the many shipwrecks claimed by the Anegada Reef. Novices can snorkel on the north shore. Anegada is inhabited, but sparsely so. Ask your captain to arrange a beach barbecue at Lowell’s Anegada Reefs Hotel – very informal and native style. Overnight at Anegada.
Day 6Onward to Peter Island, owned by Amway. Peter Island resort is lovely, with a beach restaurant for casual dining and one of the better dining rooms in the islands. The beach at Half Moon Bay is spectacular and available. You can hike across to the windward beach for great beachcombing. Overnight anchorage at Great Harbor (great for snorkeling or waterskiing) or little Harbor, Peter Island.
Day 7
The Bight – one of the most popular anchorages at uninhabited Norman Island, reputed to be the Treasure Island of Robert Lewis Stevenson fame. Snorkel with very friendly fish at the popular “caves,” water-ski or windsurf. More excellent snorkeling at “The Indians,” in the channel between Norman Island and St. John in the USVI. Steam into Leinster Bay or Caneel Bay in the USVI for overnight anchorage.
Day 8
Disembark at noon at St. Thomas.
