The whole BVI
on one chart.
Every anchorage and what its ball costs, tonight's wind and swell moving over the chart, the cruise-ship days, and BoatyBall in the app's own language. Bareboat, skippered, or fully crewed, seven nights aboard.
BoatyBall tonight
Ball plan for Mon: reserve Cooper Island at 7 (calm tonight, 36 BoatyBall balls); if the app is empty, run for a white at Trellis Bay by 2.
Same chart. Pick who's on the helm.
Seven nights aboard either way. Skipper it yourself, put a BVI captain on your bareboat, or hand the week to a crew. Weekly figures are boat hire only; fees are below.
Captain and chef. You just show up.
Meals, bar, fuel, water toys and the crew who run it all. A 48 to 55 ft crewed catamaran for six to eight guests is the sweet spot; the big luxury yachts climb from there. Budget a 15 to 20 percent crew gratuity on top.
Seven days, 79 miles, a ball every night.
Pick the quiet day for The Baths.
Every ship in Road Town sends taxis to The Baths and Cane Garden Bay by mid-morning. Ships anchored off Spanish Town or Norman Island fill those spots directly. This is the week from our port schedule.
Road Town 2,050
Road Town 4,224
Road Town 3,950
Road Town 2,081
Road Town 2,050
Two ways in. Both end at the dock.
Official taxi tariffs, live ferry timetables and airport facts from the rest of VIslandGuide, cut down to the legs a charter crew actually rides. Tap any line for the full page.
EIS, then 40 minutes to the base.
No mainland nonstops: connect through SJU, STT, SXM. Single terminal, short runway. Mostly regional props. Check-in opens ~2h before departure. Busiest day is Saturday. Departing, arrive 90 minutes ahead for BVI immigration.
EIS crowd forecastSTT, Red Hook, 30 minutes to West End.
More flights, cheaper fares, and a ferry that clears you into the BVI at West End. Complete the BVI e-card online before you travel; the ferry adds a $10 port fee and the BVI a $10 levy on arrival. STT is busiest on Saturday.
Where you'll actually sleep tonight.
Every ball, price and rule we could verify, coloured by tonight's forecast: today's swell and wind scored against which way each bay opens and how enclosed it is.
Soper's Hole
TortolaCalm, beautiful harbour. BVI customs/immigration on the ferry dock side.
Customs and immigration on the ferry-dock side.
Frenchman's Cay
TortolaCalm, fully protected harbour. BVI customs on the ferry-dock side.
Norman Island
BVIWell-protected anchorage. Mooring balls go fast in season.
Arrive by 2 PM in season.
Peter Island
BVISheltered, uncrowded anchorages. Deadman's Bay is open to the east.
Little Harbour next door: stern-to with a line ashore.
Cooper Island
BVIOpen to S swell but usually calm. Reservable and first-come balls fill by early afternoon in season.
First-come balls full by noon in season. Ice at the bars.
North Sound
Virgin GordaBig, calm, fully enclosed sound with moorings off every resort.
Bitter End Yacht Club
Virgin GordaOne of the best-protected anchorages in the BVI; busy in season.
Confirm the 2026 rate at the dock.
Saba Rock
Virgin GordaTiny private island in the middle of the well-protected sound.
Leverick Bay
Virgin GordaCalm, protected anchorage at the western entrance to North Sound.
Oil Nut Bay
Virgin GordaSheltered, exclusive marina reachable only by boat or helicopter.
Anegada
BVIShallow reef entry — call the harbormaster on VHF 16 before entering.
Channel entrance N18°42.811' W64°23.668'; the hotel talks you in on 16. Lobster by 4–5 PM.
Trellis Bay
Beef IslandCalm, well-protected bay. Easy dinghy ashore to shops and bars.
Stay east of the yellow runway markers; masts over 50 ft call aviation on 16.
Great Harbour
Jost Van DykeCalmer than White Bay — the place to sleep on Jost Van Dyke.
Cane Garden Bay
TortolaUsually calm and sheltered. Popular — arrive by mid-afternoon for a ball.
In by 3 PM. North swell makes it roll.
Little Harbour
Jost Van DykeCalm and tucked-in — a quieter overnight than Great Harbour next door.
Diamond Cay
Jost Van DykeDay stop; calm in normal trades. Watch the shallow reef on approach.
Uncomfortable in a north swell.
Brewers Bay
TortolaQuiet, scenic bay backed by green hills. Exposed to winter north swell — skip it then.
Reef juts into the middle; careful approach.
Marina Cay
Great CamanoeReef-protected, usually calm; bumpy in a north swell.
Four ways to spend the night. Three of them cost money.
Orange balls are BoatyBall and get reserved at 7 AM. White balls are first-come and someone collects in a dinghy. Red or yellow-striped balls are the National Parks Trust's, ninety minutes and gone by 10. Everything else is your anchor in sand.
BoatyBall reservable
Released in the app every morning at 7:00 AM local for that night. You get a 4-minute window to pay. Cancel in the app, per the posted terms.
Cooper Island · Leverick Bay · Saba Rock · Oil Nut Bay · Anegada (Setting Point) · Diamond Cay · B-Line · Little Harbour · Great Harbour · Cane Garden Bay · Soper's Hole · Marina Cay
Set a phone alarm for 6:58. In busy season the reservable balls sell out fast.
First-come balls
Tie up first, then pay: in the BoatyBall app where it is their field, otherwise to the attendant who comes by in a dinghy or at the bar ashore. Carry cash and ask for a receipt.
Every overnight anchorage. The Bight is $50, Cooper $25–40, Saba Rock and Leverick $40, most of Jost $30–40.
Be on a ball by 2 PM in high season, 3 PM at Cane Garden Bay. Inspect the pennant for chafe before you trust it overnight.
National Parks day balls
Covered by the National Parks Trust marine-park permit, priced by party size ($25 for four guests, $55 for ten). Pick up any free ball for up to 90 minutes, then move on. No overnight, no anchoring inside the park. The base usually sells the permit at check-in.
The Baths · The Indians · the Caves · the Rhone · the Dogs · Monkey Point · Sandy Cay
The Baths and the Indians are gone by 10 AM; sleep next door and be first in at 8.
Anchoring
Sand only, outside every mooring field, never on coral or seagrass. Marine parks and Cooper's field are off limits. Anchor light dusk to dawn, and run the anchor alarm.
Benures Bay · Savannah Bay · Cam Bay & Lee Bay · Eustatia Sound · Trellis (east) · Cane Garden Bay · Great and Little Harbour (JVD) · North Sound's north end · Key Bay
The whole point of Benures and Savannah is that nobody else is there. Arrive with the sun overhead for the reef entrances.
One big shop, then top up on the way round.
Do the real shop at the base before you slip the lines: RiteWay, Bobby's and OneMart all deliver to the dock, TICO and Caribbean Cellars bring the bar. After that it is bakeries, ice houses and marina pantries.
The people who come to you.
The BVI runs on VHF 16. A frozen-drink launch works North Sound, a garbage-and-ice boat works the Bight and Cooper, and the mooring attendants and lobster shacks all find you on the radio.
8 spots are dark right now.
Beach bars and resorts on the sailing grounds close for weeks in late summer. Don't plan a night around a place that isn't there. Community-tracked; confirm before you count on it.
Live cameras on the mooring fields.
How full is North Sound? Is White Bay rolling? Four cameras sit right on the route.
Know the number before customs does.
The cruising permit is per person per day and your base usually collects it. Add the marine-park permit, the levy per head, and a ball most nights. Worked for a typical week on a BVI-based boat; a foreign-flag boat pays $16 a head a day instead of $6.
The questions every first-time skipper asks.
Ready when the trades are.
BVI charter questions
How much are BVI mooring fees?
Overnight mooring balls in the BVI cost $30–55 a night in 2026. First-come white balls run $30–40 at most anchorages ($25–40 at Cooper Island, $50 at the Bight on Norman Island, $60 at Peter Island's resort field), and BoatyBall reservable orange balls are $55 and are released in the app at 7 AM for that night. National Parks Trust balls at The Baths, the Indians, the Rhone and the Dogs are day-use only (90 minutes) and covered by a $25–55 weekly marine-park permit. Anchoring in sand outside the mooring fields is free.
What does the BVI cruising permit cost for a bareboat charter?
The BVI cruising permit (cruising tax) is charged per person per day: $6 on a BVI-based charter boat such as The Moorings, Sunsail or MarineMax, and $16 on a foreign-based boat, year-round since August 2017. Six guests on a BVI-based bareboat for seven days pay $252, and the base usually collects it or folds it into the charter price. Add the National Parks Trust marine-park permit ($25–55 a week by party size), the $10-per-person environmental and tourism levy, a $2 VISAR fee, and $30–55 a night for mooring balls.
What are the sailing conditions in the BVI?
The Sir Francis Drake Channel is protected by the islands on both sides, with steady east trade winds of roughly 12–20 knots and 2–4 ft seas most of the year. December to April is the calmest and busiest; late summer brings lighter wind and the hurricane season. The passage north to Anegada is the one open-water leg, and charter bases gate it on wind and sea state.
How do I get to the charter base in Tortola?
Fly into Beef Island (EIS) via San Juan, St. Thomas or St. Maarten and taxi about 40 minutes to Road Town or Nanny Cay, or fly into St. Thomas (STT), taxi to Red Hook, and take the 30-minute Road Town Fast Ferry to West End, which clears BVI customs on arrival. Complete the BVI e-card online before you travel.
How does BoatyBall work in the BVI?
BoatyBall is the BVI's mooring reservation app. Reservable orange, numbered balls cost $55 a night and are released every morning at 7 AM local time for that night, with a four-minute window to pay; they exist at Cooper Island, Leverick Bay, Saba Rock, Oil Nut Bay, Anegada, Diamond Cay, B-Line, Little Harbour, Great Harbour, Cane Garden Bay, Soper's Hole and Marina Cay. First-come balls in the same fields cost $30–40: tie up, then pay in the app. In busy season the reservable balls sell out fast after the 7 AM release.
Is there a boat that delivers drinks or takes garbage in the BVI?
Yes. Rum Runner BVI is a launch that delivers frozen cocktails to boats in North Sound, Virgin Gorda, daily 1–6 PM; hail it on VHF 72 or wave it down. Deliverance works Norman Island, Peter Island and Cooper Island on VHF 16, collecting garbage at $2.50 a bag and selling ice, baked goods and ice cream. Mooring attendants collect ball fees by dinghy, and Anegada's lobster restaurants take reservations on VHF 16 by 4–5 PM.
Which day should I visit The Baths?
Pick a day with no cruise ship in Road Town or off Spanish Town — every ship in port sends excursions to The Baths by mid-morning. VIslandGuide's port schedule marks the quietest day of the coming week; arrive early on a day mooring and move on by early afternoon.