BVI Catamaran Charter Guide: Best Routes from Tortola to Anegada
Sailing the British Virgin Islands rewards small decisions. Leave an hour earlier and you’ll glide into a quiet mooring field. Trim the main before you round a headland and you’ll cut five degrees closer to the breeze. Choose a catamaran and you unlock shallow anchorages, lazy beach approaches, and an easy platform for kids and friends who’d rather swim than trim. The route from Tortola to Anegada ties this all together. It is the quintessential BVI catamaran charter, a loop of trade winds, beach bars, and coral-sand anchorages that feels effortless when you plan it well.
I have run this passage more times than I can count, in everything from a nimble 38-foot cat to a 70-foot luxury platform with a crew of four. The distance isn’t long, yet the choices matter: which way you round Virgin Gorda, where you pick up fuel and water, how you time the open-water reach to Anegada, and when you let the day drift on Jost Van Dyke. What follows is a practical, persuasive guide, stitched from real miles under the keels and tailored for guests choosing between a BVI bareboat yacht charter, an all-inclusive BVI yacht charter with crew, or something in between.
Why start in Tortola
Road Town and Nanny Cay remain the best springboards for a Tortola yacht charter. The provisioning is simple, the chandlery shelves are full, and most fleets keep their best-maintained boats here. For a BVI catamaran charter, you’ll appreciate the wide fairways and calm water for your first docking and systems check. If you opt for a private yacht charter BVI with crew, this is where your captain will set expectations, walk you through the week’s wind pattern, and pencil in a weather window for Anegada.
A quick note on the boat. A 45 to 50-foot catamaran hits the sweet spot for a family or two couples with kids. It’s big enough for privacy, small enough to manage easily, and it draws less than 5 feet, which opens up beaches that monohulls must skip. If your group cares more about speed between anchorages and air conditioning at the dock, a BVI motor yacht charter can cover ground faster. But for the shallow draft that Anegada’s channel rewards, and for the stable platform at anchor off Sandy Spit or Deadman’s Bay, a sailing cat still wins.
The wind you actually get
The trades in the BVI are friendly, but they have moods. Expect 12 to 18 knots from the east to east-northeast most of the year. In late December through February the Christmas winds can blow 20 to 25 knots for days, which makes for fast crossings and rowdy mooring fields. In summer, the breeze softens to 8 to 12 knots and squalls are shorter, but you’ll want to watch the tropics and plan conservatively if a disturbance threatens. I plan the longer open-water leg to Anegada on a forecast of 10 to 18 knots and seas of 3 to 5 feet, ideally with some east in the wind so I can broad reach north and close-reach back.
Current is modest in the Sir Francis Drake Channel, but you’ll feel set and drift on the open reach to Anegada. Visibility is usually excellent in the morning, which is your ally in the shallows. Use it.
The essence of the route
Think of this itinerary as two loops threaded together. You warm up by working north through the Drake Channel, picking your way via Norman or Peter Island to Cooper and the Baths, then on to North Sound, Virgin Gorda. From there, you launch a day trip to Anegada, then swing back through the Dog Islands and Guana, and finish with a Jost Van Dyke exhale before returning to Tortola. If you only have five days, you can still make Anegada work. With seven to ten, you can linger in the places that click for your crew.
The following route assumes a BVI sailing yacht charter out of Tortola with a catamaran around 45 feet, a cruising speed of 7 to 8 knots under power, and easy sail handling. Adjust the hops based on your tender’s size, crew comfort, and the mood aboard.
Day-by-day: a proven route that keeps its promises
I like to start with a short shakeout sail. Leave the marina after lunch and point the bows toward the Indians off Pelican Island, 6 to 8 miles depending on your base. It’s a forgiving downwind slide to a snorkeling stop with vertical reefs and an easy pickup at Norman Island before dusk.
Day two is for rhythm. The reach up to Cooper Island is only a couple of hours, just enough to settle into reef etiquette and mooring pickup technique. Grab a ball by late morning and you’ll snag a lunch table at Cooper Island Beach Club. The turtles off the beach will oblige swimmers most afternoons. If you want more distance, continue to Trellis Bay on Beef Island for a jump-off to the Baths the next morning.
The Baths make sense early. I aim to arrive by 8:30 a.m. when the water is clear and the boulders echo with bird calls instead of chatter. Anchor off in settled weather, swim a line ashore, and scramble the grottoes. If the swell is up, moor at Spanish Town and take a taxi. You’ll be on your way to North Sound by noon, a perfect time to ride the afternoon breeze to a protected anchorage behind Prickly Pear or off Saba Rock. This is where a luxury BVI yacht rental shines. Sundowners on the flybridge feel earned after a day in the sun, and the Sound almost always lies flat and sparkling.
North Sound is more than a staging harbor. On lay days, you can kite at Eustatia or paddle through the mangroves. Saba Rock’s bar still draws a happy crowd at sunset. Leverick Bay offers fuel, water, ice, and a hillside grocery. Top up here if you plan to spend a day and night at Anegada. The trick is to avoid rushing. Let the boat breathe, have the crew try every shower, run the genset, and make sure all the fridge zones hold temperature. If something needs attention, the shops at Leverick can usually help. This tune-up day has saved more Anegada runs than perfect wind ever did.
Anegada: how to go, when to go
Anegada is low and sandy, a world apart from the volcanic peaks of Tortola and Virgin Gorda. The approach has a reputation it no longer deserves if you prepare. The channel is well marked, the route is straightforward, and modern chartplotters are accurate here. What matters most is light and your eyes. Go in with the sun behind you if you can, ideally between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the reef’s colors tell you what the chart already knows.
From North Sound to Setting Point is roughly 12 to 15 nautical miles depending on your line. With 14 to 18 knots on the beam, a catamaran will skip across in two hours. In lighter breeze, you’ll run motorsail and arrive in three. I leave by 9 a.m. on a standard day, a touch earlier if a lunch reservation is waiting at Wonky Dog or Anegada Reef Hotel. Call ahead on VHF 16 or by phone and book a lobster dinner with a feet-in-the-sand table. People cross an ocean for this plate. The best charters time it so you eat ashore the night you arrive, then use the next morning for beaches, scooters, and conch fritters at Cow Wreck.
Anchoring options depend on wind direction. With easterly trades, moorings at Setting Point are comfortable. If it’s blowing from the north or the swell wraps in after a front, the motion can get sloppy and you may prefer to limit your stay to a long day with an early return to the Sound. Ask on the radio for conditions before you commit. Store a little humility for Anegada and it will reward you.
What to do once you’re there
Anegada’s charm is in the space between things. Loblolly Bay spreads out with long coral gardens for drift snorkeling. Cow Wreck’s sand looks like someone turned the saturation up and forgot to turn it back down. Big Bamboo serves plates that belong on postcards but taste better than the photos. If you went for an all-inclusive BVI yacht charter with a crewed catamaran, ask the captain to organize a taxi loop of the beaches with time gaps for wandering. If you’re on a BVI bareboat yacht charter, rent a Moke or scooters and map a loop: Cow Wreck for a late-morning swim, Flash of Beauty at Loblolly for a reef fix, and back past Potter’s by the Sea to book dinner.
Fishing is excellent on a guided day trip, but mind the protected zones. Kiteboarders get clean wind off Pomato Point on a typical easterly. The water clarity is often startling on the north shore in the morning, another reason to go early.
The return: give yourself options
I watch the forecast closely after Anegada. If the wind swings southeast and builds, the close reach back to Virgin Gorda gets lumpy. If it holds east, you can shape a sweet line toward the Dogs, pick a lunch hook off George Dog, and snorkel the underwater ridges with your tender as a safety shadow. If the crew is happiest in calm water, skip the Dogs and head for Trellis Bay. It’s not glamorous, but it’s protected, it’s convenient for provisioning, and it sets you up for an easy slide to Guana the next morning.
Guana Island’s White Bay remains the quietest afternoon within a half-day of Tortola. The sand is pristine, the water color belongs in a paint catalog, and the snorkeling along the northern headland is reliably good. The bay can roll in northerly swell, so check the buoy reports or simply judge the sea state as you approach. If you want lively instead, cut farther west and aim for Cane Garden Bay. It’s a classic BVI stop, music at sunset, and plenty of moorings. You’ll give up some serenity for the vibe.
Jost Van Dyke should be saved for when your crew needs a laugh and a lime. Sandy Spit remains the crown jewel for a midday swim. Take the tender ashore, bring a dry bag, and enjoy the tiny island before the afternoon crowd swells. Great Harbour and White Bay remain busy, but a catamaran gives you flexibility. Anchor deeper and dinghy in. Foxy’s still has that grin-and-sing hospitality, and the Painkiller at Soggy Dollar tastes better when you earned it with a swim.
From Jost, it’s a comfortable reach home. I prefer to finish at Nanny Cay or Village Cay with time to spare, which makes check-in painless. A careful fuel top-off, a last rinse of the decks, and a quiet drink in the cockpit as the sun slides down Sir Francis Drake Channel closes the loop neatly.
Bareboat or crewed: choosing the right charter style
A BVI sailing yacht charter can be bareboat, skippered, or fully crewed, and the right choice depends on your group’s temperament. If you enjoy plotting courses, trimming sails, and fixing the occasional pump, a BVI bareboat yacht charter offers maximum freedom and the best value. If you want to sail but prefer a local at the helm for the trickier approaches, hire a skipper for the first two days to build confidence, then finish on your own. If you want to focus on swims, sunsets, and meals without lifting a fender, an all-inclusive BVI yacht charter with a professional crew unlocks the best coves and ashore experiences with zero stress. Families often pick crewed charters for the peace of mind and the food. Groups of friends with sailing backgrounds tend to bareboat. There’s no wrong answer, only the right experience for your people.
A BVI motor yacht charter changes the route more than you might think. You’ll clip distances quicker, which makes an Anegada day trip from Tortola feasible without the North Sound stopover. You’ll also burn more fuel, and some anchorages feel busier from a power yacht’s wide windage and higher profile. If you want to cover St. Thomas and St. John on the same week, power helps. If you want to drift over sandbars with the kite rigged and a drink on the rail, sail.
Moorings, marinas, and the quiet art of timing
Mooring fields in the BVI now operate largely on first-come, first-served with app-based holds in some locations. Don’t let a phone app steer your entire day. An early arrival still beats a reservation that dozens of boats are also chasing. I structure most hops to arrive by 1 p.m., which leaves a margin for an alternate if the first field is full. In the high season, Cooper Island and the Baths fill early. North Sound spreads out the traffic with multiple options.
Marinas are helpful midweek if you want a shore-power night, laundry, or a dinner ashore without a dinghy ride. Nanny Cay’s facilities are reliable. Leverick Bay is strategic before and after Anegada. Scrub Island offers a resort feel and a pool that kids appreciate. Use marinas as tools, not crutches. The charm of a British Virgin Islands yacht charter lives on the hook.
Fuel and water are easy, but lines appear after lunch. Top up in the morning while the dock is quiet. Keep 25 to 30 percent of your water tank in reserve for the Anegada leg in case you decide to stay an extra night.
Safety that matters in practice
Charts and electronics get you most of the way, but watchkeepers still save gelcoat. Post someone on the bow in shoal water, especially near Anegada, Eustatia Reef, and shallow bars off Sandy Spit. If a squall reduces visibility, slow down, center the boat in the channel, and wait it out. Reef for comfort, not just for wind speed. A reefed main in 18 to 22 knots makes for a happier crew and a boat that tracks better on the autopilot. If your catamaran carries a square-top main, ease traveler before main sheet in puffs to maintain twist and keep loads moderate.
Dinghies cause more injuries than big boats. Hand out lifejackets for every shore run at night. Teach the crew safe boarding at the transom step. In swell, load light and make multiple trips. It sounds fussy until you watch another crew try to pass a toddler to a bucking tender.
Food, drink, and the beats between the beats
You can eat ashore almost every night on this route and never repeat a menu. That said, the catamaran’s galley makes casual lunches on the hook the highlight of many days. Fresh bread from RiteWay in Road Town lasts two or three days. Restock produce BVI sailing charter at Leverick Bay. Freeze proteins before you leave and move them to the fridge gradually. For mornings after a late night at Foxy’s, strong coffee and papaya with lime aboard tastes better than any café.
Reservations matter for Anegada lobster, less so elsewhere. Call in the morning and confirm your headcount. If you’re aiming for Saba Rock at sunset, arrive early. The moorings fill, and the dinghy dock gets busy.
Weather wrinkles and seasonal specifics
Winter itself is not a problem, but north swells can be. They bend into bays that are normally placid. Cane Garden Bay can roll; White Bay can dump surf on the beach. On those days, Great Harbour is the safer overnight choice on Jost. The Christmas winds make Anegada a blast reach one way and a romping close reach the other. Reef early and make a game of VMG. In summer, afternoons get hot and the breeze can nap. Start early, arrive early, and swim through the heat. Hurricane season requires a sober plan. Book with operators who offer clear weather policies and keep a flexible attitude.
A realistic seven-night blueprint
Here’s a pacing model that balances sailing, swimming, and shore time without forcing the miles. Think of it as scaffolding, not a script.
Embark Tortola, short hop to Norman Island. Snorkel the Indians, dinner aboard in the Bight. Reach to Cooper Island. Lunch onshore, snorkel off Cistern Point. Quiet sunset. Early to the Baths, then sail to North Sound, Virgin Gorda. Evening at Saba Rock or Leverick. Weather window to Anegada. Lunch ashore, sunset lobster, stargazing on deck. Anegada beaches in the morning, sail back to the Dogs or Trellis Bay depending on conditions. White Bay, Guana Island for a calm night, or Cane Garden for music if swell allows. Jost Van Dyke day: Sandy Spit swim, White Bay swim-ashore, night in Great Harbour. Reach back to Tortola, fuel, water, check out with time for a last swim.
If you need to compress to five nights, skip Norman or Cooper, go straight to Virgin Gorda, and keep Anegada as a day trip with an early departure.
What changes with different boats and groups
Two families with small kids will love shorter hops and anchorages with easy beaches. Norman, Cooper, the Baths via taxi, North Sound’s pool-like water, and one calm night at Anegada are perfect. A group of friends chasing bars will add Willy T, Cane Garden, and longer Jost time. A couple on a luxury BVI yacht rental with crew can linger at Guana and choose quiet corners of North Sound that a bareboat might overlook. Power yachts can extend to St. John in the USVI for a lunch run, but factor in customs.
If you intend to learn, ask your skipper to teach. The BVI is a classroom with forgiving margins. Practice med-mooring on an empty dock, reefing on a reach, and stern-to anchoring with a stern line ashore at a quiet cove. You will use those skills elsewhere.
Small decisions that deliver outsized joy
Keep a dry bag by the helm with your documents, a handheld VHF, sunscreen, and a spare set of sunglasses. Put a mask and fins in the dinghy so any swim becomes a snorkel. Freeze water bottles for the Anegada run and hand them out as they sweat cold in the cockpit. Clean as you go. A tidy catamaran feels bigger and more luxurious, even if you didn’t pay for the largest platform.
And when the boat is trimmed, the crew is happy, and the afternoon light turns the Sir Francis Drake Channel into hammered silver, put the autopilot on a gentle course and simply sit. This is why a Caribbean yacht charter BVI pulls people back year after year. It isn’t about ticking off harbors. It’s the slow ceremony of getting there, the play of wind on water, and the confidence that you chose a route that gives everyone on board the week they hoped for.
Final thoughts before you cast off
The best British Virgin Islands yacht charter routes respect the weather, give the crew time to breathe, and save room for the unexpected. Tortola to Anegada and back is a framework that supports almost any mood, from barefoot luxury to hands-on adventure. Whether you book a Virgin Gorda yacht charter with a captain who knows every coral head by nickname, or a private yacht charter BVI bareboat where your crew shares the helm and the galley, the islands will meet you halfway.
Plan with intention, sail with curiosity, and leave a little space in the week for the moments that won’t fit on any itinerary. That is the real difference between a trip and a charter you’ll remember.

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