Chartering the U.S. Virgin Islands

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A solitary sailboat glides past Trunk Bay on St John
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

It’s easy to spend an unstressed week enjoying the natural beauty of the waters around St. John and St. Thomas

Shoulder to shoulder with the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgins are made up of four main islands (St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix and Water Island) and then another 50 or so smaller cays.

The main island is St. Thomas, which is a major gateway to the Caribbean with a busy airport and a ferry system to the BVI. Frenchtown on Charlotte Amalie Harbor, where CYOA charters is based, has a party vibe, with passengers from cruise ships mingling with the salty sailors haunting the bars and restaurants. At Red Hook, on the other end of the island, there’s a busy harbor with charter bases for Island Charters and Sail Caribe, along with a host of independent operators.

On the horizon and only six miles away, St. John is a wealthy island, home to many celebrity residences. Most of St. John has excellent anchorages on the north and south sides. Caneel, Maho and Francis bays are beautiful, and the old Annaberg Sugar Plantation ruins are fun to visit.

There are no marinas, but Cruz Bay has some of the best shopping—visit Mongoose Junction or take a drive to the other side of the island and shop at Skinny Legs bar where you can enjoy an umbrella drink and memorialize the experience with lots of T-shirts.

Maho Bay on the western bight of Francis Bay is fringed by a white sand beach that extends 60 feet out into turquoise water where it joins a reef. Curious turtles surface all around and dozens of stingrays glide just below the surface.

Almost two-thirds of St. John is protected as a national park and that includes the surrounding bays. Anchoring is not permitted in many of these, so mooring balls ($20 per night) are provided. You’ll find many quiet spots to enjoy excellent snorkeling.

Although it’s easy to spend an unstressed week just hanging around the USVI, charterers out of St. Thomas often spend at least a few days in the BVI, says CYOA’s John Jacob.

A typical Virgin Islands sunset, seen from Waterlemon Cay

Photo courtesy of Ted Norris/Pamlico group

DON’T MISS

Coral World Ocean Park on St. Thomas

The Annaberg Plantation on St. Thomas

Snorkel with sea turtles in Maho Bay

The floating bar in Coral Bay on St. John

EXPERT TIP

Jay Pennington, CYOA Charters:

“Spend a night at Honeymoon Beach, in Druif Bay on Water Island. Believe it or not, this spectacular anchorage is less than a mile from our base. Perfect for the first or last night of charter. There’s a great roped-off swimming area, and it’s home to two beach bars.”

EXPERT TIP

Jim Veiga, owner, Sail Caribe: “Waterlemon Cay / Leinster Bay on the north side of St. John offers a protected mooring field (US National Park Moorings). Snorkeling around Waterlemon Cay is spectacular. It is unique in that it offers both shallow water and deeper water coral reef structure that attract a large variety of fish from small typical reef species to large grouper and snapper.”