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Sailing in the BVI

Our NEW base at Wickhams Cay II, Tortola is the best located and best equipped on the island. Providing a protected harbour with easy access into the heart of the BVI, it has all of the comforts you come to expect from Sunsail. Tortola is the most developed island in the BVI and is the perfect spot to stock up before you set sail or pick up last minute souvenirs and gifts before you fly home. There is a fresh water swimming pool at the hotel for a refreshing dip as well as a restaurant and bar for a sundowner Caribbean cocktail on your first night to get you in the mood. Popular stops on Tortola include the bustling capital of Road Town and Cane Garden Bay, a sweeping beach with a great choice of watersports and live music in the evenings at many waterfront bars.

Cruising notes

Norman Island

Legendary pirates and buried treasure… Norman Island is a highlight in the BVI. Said to have inspired the story of Treasure Island, it's here you'll find the famous Caves – a top snorkelling spot at the mouth of the Bight. North of Norman also lie The Pelicans and The Indians, tall skinny rocks sticking up out of the water, that are a main attraction for a huge variety of undersea life. The Bight to the West of Norman Island is a safe, sheltered anchorage. Dine and dance and get into the party games on board the 1915 converted Willy T topsail schooner.

Virgin Gorda
This island hit the headlines in the 1960s when Rockefeller built Little Dix Bay Hotel here, but it was long before and since well known and loved for its beautiful lagoons and beaches. Swim or snorkel at The Baths, a unique rock formation with a myriad of secret pools and caves where you can take the cool walk through the tunnels to Devil's Bay where surf is sometimes ideal for body boarding or surfing. Visit the famous Bitter End Yacht Club in North Sound or head for Spanish Town - a popular stop-over and the centre of shopping and sailing activity on the southwest side of the island.

Jost Van Dyke
Lying three miles NW of Tortola, Jost Van Dyke has less than 200 inhabitants and is an unmissable must on any BVI sailing holiday. Named after a Dutch pirate, this is a hilly island of perfect anchorages and sandy beaches. White Bay is a yachting favourite. The Painkiller cocktail originated here at The Soggy Dollar Bar which got its name through people diving off their boats, swimming ashore and hanging up their wet dollars to dry and pay for their drinks. There are hammocks and places to relax for the day. In the evening, head to infamous Foxy's for great food and live music and entertainment.

Just offshore from Jost Van Dyke you can have fun on the desert island of Sandy Spit or opt for superb snorkelling over Green Cay reef.

Peter Island
The largest in the group between Virgin Gorda and St John, Peter Island has three very good anchorages a marina. Sprat Bay has 20 berths and some mooring buoys available. Deadman Bay can be a rolly anchorage in any swell but has good walks up for a great view when you can get ashore.

Anegada
Known as The Drowned Island this wildlife sanctuary is a refuge for colonies of flamingos, herons and ospreys. It's also home to the endangered rock iguana, which can grow to five feet long. It's well worth the careful navigation through the reef and age-old shipwrecks to reach the endless fine white sand beaches for a cast-away experience.