Cruising Guides
B
VIs are an archipelago comprising hundreds of small islands and cays situated between Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands. The eastern half is a British dependency, while the western part is US territory. The largest British islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke and Anegada, the latter being slightly set apart, while the former are grouped together around the Sir Francis Drake channel. The Virgins are perfect cruising ground - scenically beautiful, with countless bays, coves and anchorages, the waters sheltered from the strong trade winds and ocean swells. The British Virgins are now the largest bareboat charter centre in the world. The BVI uses the American buoyage system, so red buoys mark the starboard side upon approach from the sea. What really sets the BVI apart is that, although not a particularly large area, one can cruise them for years and still discover new spots to explore every time. That’s one of the reasons why those islands have become so popular among sailors. If you are leaving from the BVI, you are probably doing so from somewhere on the south shore of Tortola: either Road Town, Nanny Cay or Fat Hog Bay. In any case, on your first day, you will probably cast off by the end of the morning after tidying up provisioning and various odds and ends. Therefore, you will be better off going for a short sail and head toward Peter Island or Cooper Island. On the first day, you do not want to sail too much: What you want is get off the marina and go anchor or moor, settle down and take your marks before doing more serious sailing. Peter is a broad reach from any of the departure point, and Cooper is a beam reach. About Cooper: There is fabulous snorkeling south at Cistern Point (mooring lines for dinghy only) and on the northern reef. The restaurant is very
Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local belief is that the name was originally given to the island by Christopher Columbus, meaning land of the Turtle Dove. BVI residents are amongst the most affluent in the Eastern Caribbean. Because of this, a large number of residents from other Caribbean islands work there. Even though the British Virgin Islands (BVI) are under the British flag, the U.S. dollar is the official currency. The island is home to many offshore companies that do business worldwide.