We love the BVI, and love writing about it! In fact we have so many articles, that we figured it would be helpful to list them all in one place for you. So if you’re planning a BVI charter holiday, you can find virtually everything you need from activity recommendations, to itineraries, to suggestions as to when to go. As well as the best listing of boats for charter in the BVI.
BVI Yacht Charter Guide – Our main information page – provides an overview of chartering in the BVI, each island, things to do, how to get there, climate and itineraries. No yachts listed.
Snorkeling, Paddle Boarding and Water Skiing in Privateer Bay
Alex and Carla do their utmost to make the final day a fun one, to counteract the sadness of having to leave behind this magical charter. They start the day with a light breakfast and then a cruise around the point to Privateer Bay, a quiet place with a nice reef where we had our final snorkel, water ski and paddle board excursion.
Afterwards, we were greeted with Eggs Benedict, as a final celebration brunch. What could be better?
Back to Road Town 🙁
Sailing back to Road Town from Norman Island
All good things have to come to an end, but we at least still had a nice sail across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Road Town. We all sat on the front deck, and enjoyed the sail and wind in our faces – no one said a word.
We had one final strawberry daiquiri on the deck, took pictures, and said our thank you’s to Alex and Carla, promising to be back as soon as possible. We also signed their guest book, reading other entries which clearly showed that everyone else had a similarly great time on Souls Calling!
Alex, being Alex, anchored as close as possible to the Ferry Building, and then dinghy’ed us over to the Ferry so that we literally only had to walk 10 feet to get on the Boat. It was so nice to not have to hassle with taxis and hauling luggage at the end of the charter.
Final Anchoring spot in Road Town right by the Ferry BuildingThumbs up from a happy charterer
Sadly, this is our final full day on Souls Calling. But in many ways, we’ve saved the best for last!
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, and the Soggy Dollar Bar
We woke up to the quiet and beauty of White Bay, with only a few other boats there. The first activity was for the kids to snorkel the bay looking for “soggy dollars” – a lot of people lose dollar bills when swimming to and from their boats, and it’s fun to try to find them. We collected $7, and saw a beautiful stingray swimming along the bottom, as well as many other fish.
We then took a walk down the beach to the eastern end, which is pristine and much quieter – a perfect walk to reflect on the past week at the BVI.
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke – a view of the Eastern Beach
This beach is also home to “Ivans Stress Free Bar” – which has thousands of shells incorporated in its construction and is, well, stress free.
Ivan’s Stress Free Bar, White Bay, Jost Van DykeWhy Worry? A sign at Ivan’s Stress Free Bar
We continued our walk to the end of the beach and climbed the hill to get a good view of the magnificent White Bay panorama.
Back to the Boat, it was time to hit the Soggy Dollar Bar (and t-shirt shop). It was quiet in the early morning, which gave us the time to enjoy the hammocks and beautiful views of the boats.
Souls Calling, as seen from the Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke
We spent the entire day at the White Bay, including lunch and the requisite “painkiller” drink, which was created there, and watched the scene of dozens of boats arriving, partying, then leaving a few hours later.
The party scene at White Bay, Jost Van Dyke
It is clear why the Soggy Dollar Bar always makes the top 10 list of the world’s best beach bars.
Back to the Bight
In order to get to Road Town by noon tomorrow we wanted a short final sail, so we headed back to the Bight, Norman Island, in the late afternoon.
The route passes the West End of Tortola, with a nice view some of the villas and Soper’s Hole, then past St Johns to Norman Island.
We anchored in the Bight and Captain Alex saved his best surprise for last. He invented what he calls “Halyard Jumping”, where he attaches a water ski handle to the halyard, then another line to his dinghy. The jumper gets in the water next to the boat, grabs onto the water ski handle, and then Alex floors the dinghy away from the boat. Physics prevails, and you are vaulted out of the water approximately 50 feet in the air, for an exhilarating ride and view of all the boats in the Bight. You can choose to jump, or simply ease back into the water.
Alex keeps this for last, because it gets rid of the last day blues, and he knows that if he did it on the first day, that’s all the kids would want to do!
Halyard Jumping in the Bight
Halyard jumping was a fantastic treat for the last night, then a beautiful lasagne dinner prepared by Carla. The perfect final day in the BVI!
Today we start with a dinghy ride to the pier at Foxy’s Taboo in order to hike to the “Bubbling Pools” – an inlet continually refilled by the crashing waves, then snorkeling at our favorite deserted island – Sandy Spit, and onward to White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, home to the Soggy Dollar bar and one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere.
The Bubbling Pools
After breakfast, we took a 5 minute dinghy ride to the pier at Foxy’s Taboo at Diamond Cay at the far eastern end of Jost Van Dyke. Foxy’s Taboo is not the famous Foxy’s – it is a bar/restaurant that was started much more recently by the same owner. We will pass by Foxy’s later on today!
Inside Foxy’s Taboo, Jost Van Dyke
Walking along the beach, there is a sandy path that takes you through some mangroves, by a lake and over the rocks (where you can usually see wild goats) and you’ll soon reach the Bubbling Pools. This is a great place to swim in the gurgling waters, climb on the rocks and enjoy the rhythm of the waves. Kids also love it because of the water crashing regularly into the pools makes for great sport.
A mangrove tree, in the way to the Bubbly Pools, Jost Van DykeEnjoying the Bubbling Pools, Jost Van Dyke
After perhaps an hour at the Bubbling Pools, we made our way back to Foxy’s Taboo, and then dinghy-ed back to our boat, for the short sail to Sandy Spit.
Sandy Spit
Sandy Spit is one of the most delightful attractions in the BVI. It’s simply a deserted island with a few trees and bushes surrounded by beautiful beaches and some very healthy coral reefs. Perfect for swimming, snorkeling, beach games, and dreaming what it would be like to be shipwrecked on an island. Anchor on the leeward side, jump in with your snorkeling gear and swim ashore to enjoy its simple pleasures.
Sandy Spit
We stayed at Sandy Spit for most of the afternoon, then headed to White Bay, which offers two amazingly beautiful beaches: one serene, one host to the daily Jost Van Dyke party scene (more on that tomorrow).
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke
Approaching White Bay, Jost Van DykeA late afternoon Rainbow at White Bay, Jost Van Dyke
We decided not to spend a night in Great Harbor, where most of the boats moor on Jost Van Dyke because of the lure of Foxy’s (the most famous bar and dancing spot in the BVI). It can get quite crowded and noisy there. Instead, we opted for more tranquility and anchored in White Bay and took a dinghy over to Great Harbor for dinner and dancing. It’s so much nicer to wake up in beautiful White Bay, which is quiet and peaceful until afternoon.
Local Wisdom at Corsairs in Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke
Corsairs is known as one of the best restaurants in the BVI (local fish, meats, pizza, pasta etc.), which was packed because of its excellent value. And of course, we couldn’t avoid spending a couple of hours dancing at Foxy’s and meeting the locals.
This morning we took a taxi over to Loblolly Bay, which is known for it’s beautiful beach, relaxed lifestyle and beautiful snorkeling on the reef. On the way we got a glimpse of the famous pink Flamingos on the north end of the island.
This beach at Loblolly Bay is on the Atlantic side of Anegada, so there are larger breakers. There is a small hotel there, with individual bungalows, and a bar/restaurant area.
Loblolly Bay, Anegada
A shaded bench at Loblolly BayThe white sandy beach at Loblolly Bay
Sailing to Little Jost Van Dyke
Loblolly Bay took the whole morning, and after returning to the boat for a “cheeseburger in paradise”, we set sail for the long run down to Little Jost Van Dyke. This is a long sail of approximately 3 hours, and because it’s with the wind it is normally calm. It’s good to scan the sea, as often whales and dolphins are spotted.
Sailing toward Little Jost Van Dyke, with a view of whales and the north coast of Tortola
We anchored at Manchioneel Bay, on Little Jost Van Dyke. It is has a small beach with a wind-battered out-of-business bar that is tended by a scarecrow (don’t ask, it’s the BVI), and is quite remote. We chose it because it was the perfect place for a bonfire and dancing on the beach without bothering anyone. It is also very close to the Bubbling Pools and Sandy Spit, two of our destinations for tomorrow.
Bonfire on the Beach, Manchioneel Bay, Little Jost Van Dyke
