7-Day BVI Catamaran Itinerary: Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada

The British Virgin Islands has been the world’s most chartered catamaran destination for nearly forty years, and the reason is geographic density. Sixty islands and cays sit within line-of-sight sailing distance across the Sir Francis Drake Channel. The route below — Tortola → Norman Island → Cooper Island → Virgin Gorda → Anegada → Jost Van Dyke → back — is the standard 7-day charter loop, refined by thousands of charter weeks. This is the day-by-day version with anchorages, mooring tips, and shore stops that have stayed reliable through Hurricane Irma (2017) and Hurricane Beryl (2024).

The week at a glance

Saturday-to-Saturday charter week starting from Road Town, Tortola (The Moorings or Sunsail), Nanny Cay (multiple operators), or Soper’s Hole (West End). Distances 6 to 25 nm per leg, typically 90 minutes to 4 hours under main and reefed jib. Trade winds 12 to 18 knots from the east-northeast through peak season. Mooring fees USD 30 to 40 per night, marina berths USD 75 to 145.

Day 1 (Saturday): Tortola check-in to Norman Island

Boat handover at the charter base typically 12:00 to 14:00. Provision in Road Town (Riteway or One Mart, USD 75 to 120 for week’s groceries pre-delivered). Cast off by 16:00 for the easy 6 nm reach south-east to Norman Island.

The Bight at Norman Island

Pick up a National Parks Trust mooring ball (USD 30) in The Bight. Norman Island inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, and the back-of-the-bay caves at Treasure Point are reachable by a 200 m swim from the boat. Snorkel before sunset.

Dinner at Willy T

The Willy T is the iconic floating bar moored permanently in The Bight. Painkiller cocktails (the BVI’s signature rum-pineapple-coconut), grilled mahi-mahi sandwiches, and the tradition of jumping off the upper deck after sundown — go once, you’ll see why. Around USD 35 to 50 per person.

Day 2: Norman Island to Cooper Island

An easy 6 nm reach east. Pick up a mooring at the Cooper Island Beach Club. The bar serves espresso (their renewable-energy power means the only espresso machine in the chain that works during a power outage); the dinner menu is small but well-executed — book a table by 15:00.

Side trip: the RMS Rhone wreck

From Cooper, an hour south-east takes you to Salt Island and the wreck of the RMS Rhone — sunk in the 1867 hurricane, now resting at 30 to 80 feet of water. PADI dive certification required. Local dive operators run morning charters; book the night before via VHF.

Day 3: Cooper Island to Virgin Gorda (The Baths)

A 12 nm reach north-east to Virgin Gorda. Pick up a Devil’s Bay mooring early — the boat handles 50 boats max, and the 09:00 to 11:00 window is when the National Parks daytime moorings are still available.

The Baths walk

House-sized granite boulders form a labyrinth of tide pools and cathedrals between Devil’s Bay and the official entrance at The Baths. Take the trail through the boulders (40 minutes one-way). The snorkeling at the south end of The Baths is the chain’s best — visibility 25 m, schools of jacks, the occasional southern stingray.

Spanish Town overnight

Move 2 nm north to Spanish Town for the overnight stop. Marina berths at the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour cost USD 95 to 130 a night. Eat at The Bath and Turtle for grilled rotis or Mad Dog’s for the conch fritters.

Day 4: Virgin Gorda to Anegada

The week’s one open-water leg. 12 nm north across an unprotected stretch — your charter contract may require an Anegada-channel orientation course, free with most operators. Reefs surround the island; entry only via the dredged channel marked on charter charts.

The Anegada lobster

Anegada is the only coral atoll in the chain and the only place in the BVI where Caribbean spiny lobster is the headline dish. Slow-roasted at Cow Wreck Beach Bar (north shore) or Anegada Reef Hotel (south shore). USD 65 to 95 per person for a full lobster dinner with sides. Order before 15:00 — Anegada lobster is harvested daily and sells out by mid-evening.

Day 5: Anegada to Jost Van Dyke

A 24 nm reach south-west to Jost Van Dyke, the BVI’s party island. Pick up a mooring in White Bay or Great Harbour.

White Bay and the Soggy Dollar

White Bay is the iconic anchorage — perfect crescent of white sand, water visibility 15 m at the dinghy line. The Soggy Dollar Bar on the beach claims to have invented the painkiller cocktail (the name is a joke about how guests used to swim ashore with money in their pockets). Bring USD 25 cash for two painkillers. Lunch at the bar.

Great Harbour and Foxy’s

Move 1 nm east to Great Harbour for the overnight. Foxy’s Tamarind Bar has been running Sunday-night BBQs with steel drum bands since the 1970s; if you’re there on a Sunday, this is the dinner. Other nights, the dinner is grilled fish and the chicken roti at Ali Baba’s.

Day 6: Jost Van Dyke to Sandy Cay or Norman Island

A flexible day. Sandy Cay is the small uninhabited cay 1 nm north-east of Jost Van Dyke — pristine beach, snorkeling, no facilities. Three hours of swim time, then either back to White Bay or south for the long-leg return to Tortola.

Day 7 (Friday) — return preparation

Sail 8 nm south-east to Soper’s Hole (West End, Tortola) or 12 nm east to Road Town for Saturday-morning return. Last lunch at Pusser’s at Soper’s Hole for the rum cake and a final painkiller before docking at the charter base.

Practical tips for this exact route

Book the Anegada-channel course before departure — most operators include it free if scheduled at handover. Reserve White Bay moorings at Jost Van Dyke by 10:00 of arrival day; mid-week the bay fills by 13:00. Bring USD 600 to 900 in cash for moorings, dinghy fuel, restaurant cash tips, and customs fees on the Anegada side. Reef-safe sunscreen is mandatory inside the National Parks.

Boats that work this route

The Lagoon 46, Bali 4.6, Fountaine Pajot Saona 47, and Lagoon 50 are the standard charter boats. All four handle the open-water leg to Anegada comfortably. Browse the BVI catamaran fleet with cabin layouts and pricing.

For BVI overview detail, see our complete BVI catamaran charter guide. For comparison with other Caribbean charter grounds, see our Bahamas guide. Full BVI destination details, or request a personalised quote with your dates.

Frequently asked questions

Can a first-time skipper do this route?

Yes, with appropriate certificate (RYA Day Skipper or equivalent) and a captain orientation. Many charterers book the captain for the first 24 hours and take the boat over after Norman Island. The Anegada channel and the open-water leg from Virgin Gorda to Anegada are the two technical demands; everything else is friendly tradewinds reaching.

What’s the actual sailing distance for this 7-day route?

About 110 to 130 nm total depending on whether you skip Anegada or do the Sandy Cay side trip. Most days run 6 to 12 nm. The Anegada day is the longest at 12 nm one-way (24 nm if you return same day, more typical to overnight there).

Where do I clear customs?

You don’t, if your week stays inside BVI waters. Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, Norman, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda are all within the same British Overseas Territory. Day-trip exits (e.g., to St. Thomas, USVI) require customs clearance at Soper’s Hole or Road Town.

What if hurricane forecasts hit during my charter?

Most charter operators have storm-path policies that allow itinerary changes (typically routing south to the southern BVI bays) or full refund if a named hurricane is forecast within the charter window. Confirm the storm-path policy at booking, especially for September and October dates.

Is December really worth peak pricing?

December 26 to January 4 is BVI’s most expensive week — full pricing plus a USD 1,500 to 3,000 holiday surcharge. The trade-off: the most reliable trades, fully staffed restaurants, and the iconic New Year’s Eve at Foxy’s. For better pricing with similar weather, target mid-January through early March.

About this guide

This guide was prepared by the Catamaran Charter Caribbean editorial team — charter brokers who have run the Tortola loop above more than a hundred times across thirty years of charter weeks. Last reviewed: May 2026.

If anything has shifted, write us at www.catamaran-charter-caribbean.com/contact.