BVI Favorites

Norman Island and The Bight. Crazy, fun, pretty good food on the slightly raunchy floating pirate ship "William Thornton", better known as Willie T’s, where you can have a beer or a ‘body shot’, depending on the mood you are in! Also here is "Pirates" a great little restaurant on the beach, slightly fancier than the usual joint on the beach but still a lovely BVI beach vibe.  Great giant Jenga game on the beach. Nice place to hang out. One spot on their dock for a boat – same rate at mooring balls ($30).  Norman Island is alleged to be Robert Louis Stevenson's inspiration for his book "Treasure Island".  There are nice caves for snorkeling just around the corner from the Bight, go there by dinghy in the late afternoon for the best light.  Benures Bay on Norman Island - great snorkeling, no mooring fees! Kelly’s Cove also nice – 5 moorings.  Great sunsets from the Bight.

A short beat up the Sir Francis Drake Channel takes you to Salt Island. Here you can pick up the National Parks moorings and either dive or snorkel the wreck of the Royal Mail Steamship Rhone, a relic of the hurricane of 1867 and famous for its part in the movie 'The Deep'. Blue balls are for dinghy tie-ups.  Uninhabited but you can go ashore. Alternatively, go ashore and visit the settlement and the salt pond from which the island takes its name. 

Cooper Island where you can pick up a mooring in front of the beach club bar and very nice restaurant - there's a dive shop here.  Great gift shop & Rum Bar.  Good snorkeling can be done...pick up a mooring ball at either end of the bay and snorkel over to Cistern Rock or the coral reef at the eastern end.  You will likely see squid, turtles and the odd shark.

The Baths, a unique natural formation....thousands of smooth boulders, some as big as a house, strewn along the beach on the southern tip of Virgin Gorda. You can explore the many gaps that open into massive rocky grottos filled with sea water. Nearby is Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor, with a full service marina, shops and OK restaurants. You can anchor off the baths and swim or dingy in, not a great option.  Or take a taxi from Leverick or Spanish Town. You can taxi to the nearby Copper Mine restaurant that offers fabulous sunset views and is an old copper mine site. The Top of the Baths restaurant offers a fresh water pool and killer cocktails.  Long Bay, just south of Mosquito point on Virgin Gorda has some amazing snorkeling.

Little or Great Harbor, Peter Island.  For a quiet night, drop the hook in Deadman's Bay. Oceans 7 Restaurant in Great Harbor on Peter Island has a great reputation, although I've never been there.  The shore is interesting and the snorkeling is good.  Little harbor on Peter Island. If you opt to tie to shore you'll be over some decent snorkeling. Dinghy to the west about halfway to the end of Peter island for great snorkeling. Some of the crewed charters hang out there when the don't have guests.  White Bay on south coast of Peter Island, or Cay Bay just west of there, are beautiful anchorages on the backside of Peter.  

North of Virgin Gorda offers a huge safe area of inlets and anchorages. You can snorkel Eustastia Sound with it's sunken canons and great reef fish, or look for Richard Branson on Necker Island. Bitter End Yacht Club, Saba Rock and Leverick Bay all offer good restaurants and transient dockage. I love the Fat Virgin on Biras Creek.  Leverick Bay has a laundromat. Free ice, shows and top off on water tanks available at the Leverick dock if you paid for a mooring ball or dockage. There is also a store at Bitter End for light provisions.  The bakery at BEYC is very nice. Hike up to Biras Creek from the Bitter End for views to the Caribbean and the Atlantic.

Anegada means 'drowned island' and when you see it you'll realize why! The highest point is 15 feet above sea level and it's famous for fresh lobster, iguanas and flamingoes. Use caution on entry. Try to arrive at Anegada during the middle of the day. This will give you good light to navigate through the coral heads at the entrance to the anchorage. Taxi ride to Loblolly Bay on the north side and snorkel inside the reef. Then go back to the anchorage for smoothies and a lobster dinner at the Anegada Reef Hotel or Neptune's Treasure.

Trellis Bay on Beef Island - a well protected natural safe harbor. If you prefer a more tranquil spot then try Marina Cay across the channel to the north, off Great Camanoe. Loose Mongoose - has great mussels on the menu.  Dinner - live music, kinda loud but fun if you're in the mood.  Also full moon parties here have fire balls that are amazing!

Last Resort reopened recently under new management-they refitted an old lifeboat & will pick you up & shuttle you to the restaurant. Ambitious menu & a guitar playing chef. 

Guana Island has great snorkeling and a nice beach at Monkey Point. It's a great spot to picnic. 

Cane Garden Bay on Tortola's lush north shore, Nice, protected anchorage, except from the NE! Loads of restaurants and music. Pumpkin fritters or conch, at Quito’s Gazebo, famous for its rum-based Bushwacker. Quito Rymer, entertains the crowds with his singing and guitar playing. You can hop from place to place to take in the different sounds of calypso, fungi, and reggae that fill the bay.

Jost Van Dyke and Little Jost Van Dyke.  Head to Diamond Cay on Jost Van Dyke. You can dinghy in and then hike (not challenging) on a path around the eastern edge of the island to the north side to get to the Bubbly Pool. The surge of the waves comes in between the boulders to create a bubbling pool. It's a good idea to wear shoes and head back before dusk...little sand fleas come out & bite.  If you catch a goat, you can eat it.  Foxy's Taboo, run by one of Foxy's sisters, is on the beach, nice food & drinks.  Dingy dock & a few mooring balls.  I usually end up on the hook there.

Right next door is Sidney's Peace & Love in Little Harbor.  Nice, fun place.  I think the Skipper eats for free.
Great 

Soper's Hole Wharf, restaurants and provisions. Mooring balls. Gas, Water, Ice.