British Virgin Islands

Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke…the names beckon from well-worn sailing charts around the world, because the waters of the BVI are the legendary cruising grounds of the West Indies. Charter sailing – both “bareboat” and crewed – is centered in Tortola’s laid-back, waterfront capital, Road Town, and while standing at the helm isn’t the only way to see these picturesque islands, it’s certainly the most memorable Set a course for The Baths, a surreal shoreline of pocket beaches, massive granite boulders, and hidden grottos on Virgin Gorda, or cruise to out-of-the-way, secluded anchorages at the 50 or so smaller isles in the chain – among them, Peter Island, Cooper Island, and Salt Island, where divers can visit the wreck of a 1860s steamship (Serious wreck divers should make their way to low-lying Anegada, whose vast Horseshoe Reef has claimed hundreds of ships over the centuries) Less developed and less tourist-centered than its neighbors in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the BVI, including the main island of Tortola, has retained much of its old, unhurried Caribbean charm. Good beach bars go hand-in-hand with good beaches, and these islands have plenty of both, particularly along Tortola’s northern coast, where amid the steep green hills and gorgeous bays, offer views of other islands and, always, sailboats, on the horizon.