There is a reason the British Virgin Islands are known as, “Nature’s Little Secrets.” Delightfully quiet and picturesque, the BVI take in some of the finest and safest charter boat sailing areas of the Caribbean. With more than 50 islands and cays dotted with long, unspoiled powdery-white beaches and crystal clear waters, it is no wonder this area is called the Sailing Capital of the Caribbean. Here, all the action takes places both above and beneath the surface of the water. Sailors love the warm breezes that blow them from island to island, where you can sample the secret coves accessible only be sea, while snorkelers and divers have a rich and colorful underworld of reefs to explore. (See inside for our favorite dive and snorkel spots). Each island has its unique charms and attractions, offering you an infinite range of experiences.

known for its crystalline beaches and many upscale resorts, including North Sound's Bitter End Yacht Club. Huge granite boulders dot the area known as The Valley and the spectacular formation known as The baths is an impressive display of granite boulders that form a network of stony caverns, chambers and pools along the southeast shore. The mountainous Jost Van Dyke has its own laid-back charm. The island has just a few hundred residents, but some spectacular beaches and a number of entertaining beach bars including Foxy’s and The Soggy Bottom. Great Harbour, a small community hugging a half moon beach, has several good restaurants and beautiful White Bay to the west is popular with boaters and day trippers. Cooper Island, home of the Cooper Island Beach Club, offers good snorkeling, swimming and a great restaurant. Salt Island (pop.1) has two salt evaporation ponds and a beautiful reef-protected lagoon on the eastern shore. Offshore, divers and snorkelers will be amazed by the wreck of the RMS Rhone. Peter Island’s Yacht Club has about everything a super-deluxe island resort should have, including a well-equipped marina, but you will also find a secluded paradise in its Great Harbour. Norman Island abounds with tales of buried treasure in the 3 caves at Treasure Point which can easily be entered by snorkelers. If you have worked up an appetite, you can party aboard the Willy T or enjoy a Caribbean buffet at Pirates, both located in The Bight. Nearby, some of the BVI’s best diving and snorkeling can be found at The Indians, spectacular coral formations rising above the surface. Anegada is the BVI’s only coral atoll. Located about 20 miles to the northeast of Tortola, the sparsely populated island is ringed by a swathe of white sand that makes it a haven for beach lovers. Much of the low lying island is surrounded by the extensive Horseshoe Reef, and is inhabited by fascinating fauna including the Anegada Rock Iguana and the Roseate Flamingo. Scuba and snorkel enthusiasts will delight in exploring the many off-shore shipwrecks.

It is very important to me that I recommend the perfect-crewed yacht and crew for your Caribbean charter. To insure that I am up to date with every yacht and crew that I recommend, I inspect the yachts on an average of at least twice a year. I have just returned from the Virgin Islands where I was able to inspect approximately 100-crewed yachts and interview the crews for

Whether you would like to go sailing with Capt. Lee and Chef Nina onboard Elektra, or with Capt. Mike and Chef Sally on Viking Dream, or any of our other 100 fine yachts, I look forward to putting my knowledge to work to help you find the perfect yacht with crew for your group.

Till next time, Smooth Sailing and Fair Winds!
Gail Hartman, Crewed Yacht Charter Specialist

Go to our website at www.visailing.com to book your bareboat
or crewed charter.

As we are gearing up for the Caribbean high season (mid December to early April), there are many new and exciting yachts being introduced into the bareboat fleet. The popularity of catamarans continues to increase because of their extremely spacious exterior and stability under sail. In addition to these long-standing and well-known benefits, we are also seeing an industry trend to increase the interior comfort and performance of catamarans, making them attractive to even the most hard-core monohull sailors! Lagoon has really done a great job with two of their most recent catamaran models: the Lagoon 420 and Lagoon 440.

FOXY’S Old Year Celebration-December 30-January 1
These new year’s celebrations are famous throughout the islands for their delicious barbecue, wild dancing and live bands featuring local musicians as well as some famous names from the world of reggae. The anchorage at Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke is packed. Celebrating begins each afternoon and continues late into the night.

National Parks Trust Flower Show-February 1-9
Located in JR O’Neal Botanical Gardens in Road Town, this show highlights the green-thumbs of the BVI when botanical colors are most spectacular. Includes hibiscus, orchids, flower arrangements and of course, plenty of food and drink.

FOXY’S Music Festival-March
It is always a party at Foxy’s, but it reaches a fever pitch each March with tons of Caribbean talent from local bands to established island performers. Of course, revelers can also enjoy a mouthwatering Caribbean BBQ, dancing, drink and plenty of kids’ stuff. The fun begins Friday afternoons and continues ‘til dawn each night of the festival.

BVI Spring Regatta-March 31-April 6
Since 1972, this is one of the most popular events on the BVI social calendar. The event kicks off with a welcome party at Nanny Cay. Three days of destination cruising and racing follows before the main 3-day regatta.

Spanish Town Fisherman’s Jamboree and 11th Annual Wahoo Fishing-March 1-May 31
This is an annual event in celebration of fishing. The main focus is the fishing competition which also provides visitors with plenty of opportunities to try freshly-caught seafood.

Virgin Gorda Easter Festival-March 20-23
Celebrating the festival of Lent, Easter on Virgin Gorda is marked by a cacophony of color, food, drink and dance for 4 days leading up to Easter Sunday and includes live calypso music and scratch bands.

BVI Music Festival- May TBA
Cane Garden Bay Beach turns into a massive musical stage as throngs of visitors dance on the sand to reggae, blues, jazz, R&B and calypso music. Featuring a line-up including some of the best local and national bands from across the Caribbean. Food and drink are plentiful.

FOXY’S Wooden Boat Regatta-May TBA
The fun gets underway on a Friday night as revelers wave off the competing wooden boats as they set sail. With the boats gone, the party continues at Foxy’s until the boats return the following day. As with all events at the ever popular Foxy’s, all entertainment comes served with authentic Caribbean BBQ.

Highland Spring HIHO- June 29-July 6
One of the most popular windsurfing adventures in the Caribbean, the annual Highland Spring HIHO attracts participants and spectators from around the world. Participants are taken on a week-long voyage of discovery through the BVI aboard catamarans. Each day the fleet arrives at new islands for a day of windsurfing competitions, covering 150 miles during the event.

BVI Emancipation Festival-July 1-31
This annual celebration marks the 1834 Emancipation Act which abolished slavery in the British West Indies. All the islands celebrate with events including contests to be crowned festival Queen, live music, dancing, street performers, parties and parades. A hotly contested calypso competition is held to win the coveted crown of the Calypso King. Food and drink is also a big aspect of this celebration.

During the middle ages, it was a common belief that the full moon caused people to behave strangely. In fact, the word, “lunacy” comes from the Latin word, “luna” for moon. Full moon festivals are held throughout the Caribbean, but no other island throws a party quiet like the BVI. No where else in the Caribbean are these parties held every month. (See below for the full moon schedule).

GOING TO THE BVI FOR A CARIBBEAN SAILING CHARTER

From Madison, Wisconsin to Red Hook, St. Thomas, USVI, it took four planes, a cab and almost a whole day of sitting. (It was just like a day of sitting in school!). I thought I was going to die, but once I got there, it was worth every minute of travel. Once we finally touched ground, it was time for a cab ride to meet the rest of my family. When I got in the cab for the first time and we crossed over to the other side of the mountains, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster as we went up and down over all the hills. Another thrilling part was driving on the left side of the road! It took several miles and several turns before I could get used to it. The intersections gave me butterflies because it was hard to figure out who was coming and who was going. After dropping off other riders at their hotels, we finally got to Red Hook. All I could see was mile and miles of beautiful blue oceans and tones of sailboats. After that, my aunt and uncle picked me up and took me by dinghy to our catamaran. It was huge-I had never been on a sailboat that big before. The first night on our boat, I was so excited I thought I was never going to be able to sleep. But, I was wrong. It was like getting rocked in a cradle. I don’t think I have ever slept so good. When I got up I the morning, I got to eat breakfast while watching a beautiful sunrise. It had reds, blues, and pinks in it. You would never see sunrise like that in Wisconsin. Checking into customs for the BVI was fun! I got a really cool stamp in my passport. Spending a week sailing in the BVI was totally awesome. (I’ll tell you all about it-snorkeling, swimming, learning to drive a dinghy, eating, getting my hair braided – in other stories). It was the most fun I had in a week. Living on a catamaran in the middle of blue oceans and seeing beautiful sunrises every morning is a picture I will never forget. Even though it takes forever to get there, I can’t wait to go on our next BVI sailing trip!

--Tori Mackman, age 11