Sailex Reference BVI23 Lead Skipper Adrian Johnson
Uncrowded, un-commercialized, un-spoilt this is the British Virgin Islands, a true luxury holiday destination.
The British Virgin Islands is an idyllic destination for those seeking deserted white sand beaches, crystal clear waters with amazing snorkelling and diving and arguably, the best sailing in the world. The British Virgin Islands are part of a volcanic archipelago located in the northern Caribbean and is a British overseas territory. Comprising approximately 60 islands, the BVI enjoys year-round temperatures of between 25°C – 35°C although temperatures rarely exceed 28°C in January / February. The largest island in the BVI is Tortola – home to the capital Road Town and Sage Mountain National Park with its lush rainforest. Virgin Gorda is home to the Baths, a labyrinth of massive beachside boulders and even more stunning beaches.
Our 2022 sailex to the BVI was an outstanding success, it is an idyllic destination, a true Caribbean paradise. The destination is ideally suitable for catamarans as mooring is typically on buoys, that are available on a first come first served basis or bookable daily. Other locations are available for anchoring. . The sailex will be 14 days, and start on Thursday 26th January 2023 However there are no direct flights from the UK to the BVI so we are planning to depart London with either BA or Virgin Atlantic to Antigua earlier and spend two nights in Antigua. This option would allow one full day to explore this fantastic location before taking a local flight to the BVI. Members taking the 2022 trip all stayed at English Harbour. Precise details can be agreed when airline flight schedules are published.
Antigua is located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, and only 1 hour’s flying time from the British Virgin Islands.
Antigua has 365 beaches, one for each day of the year. The great majority rest inside the calm, protected waters of the island’s Caribbean side, and visitors are welcome.
Various yacht configurations are available and our choice will be determined by the cabin configurations requested / booked by members joining this event. There will the three cabin types available - a large double cabin, a medium sized double cabin and a single cabin. All cabins will have a private en-suite head with large shower. Typical layouts are shown below.
Astrea 42 with Watermaker and A/C 2020
https://client.sednasystem.com/boat/boatdisp.asp?lg=0&id_boat=38699&b_newfic=
Tanna 47 with Watermaker and A/C 2022
This Fountaine Pajot yacht is the one we chartered in 2022, it is truly a beautiful, well designed, piece of kit. Equipment includes, full air conditioning with individual cabin controls, an auxiliary engine providing power when not connected to shore power, an inverter providing 220v, a water maker that provided enough water for 9, fully equipped galley, (grill and toaster) plus a kettle and filter coffee machine (although no tea pot !), and a swim platform that doubled as a dinghy lift.
https://ws.nausys.com/CBMS-external/rest/yacht/23841062/html?date=26-01-2023
The islands are grouped together and sailing the BVI will not incur long passages. There will be ample time for sight seeing, swimming and sun worship.
This is the largest island in the BVI. With its lush green landscape and flowered hillsides, Tortola has many fascinating nooks and crannies to explore, on foot, by mountain bike, or by jeep. From Skyworld, situated a quarter of a mile above Road Town (the capital), with its breathtaking views over the Caribbean Sea to the almost deserted sandy coves and bays that punctuate the coast line.
Virgin Gorda meaning “The Fat Virgin” is the third largest island in the BVI. This breathtakingly beautiful island is home to “The Baths” a unique formation of gigantic beachside boulders which form a series of pools and underwater grottos – a snorkeler’s paradise. A trail leads to the stunning beach at Devil’s Bay. The 2022 trip visited “The Baths” and picked up a mooring however time did not permit a shore visit so - that’s one for a future trip.
Rent a vehicle from L & S Jeep Rental on Virgin Gorda for the day or the duration of your stay. It’s a great way to explore and discover the island.
Mad Dog on Virgin Gorda is a wooden built bar close to the famous Baths serving great Pina Coladas and sandwiches or you can cool off in the pool at “The Top of the Baths” restaurant and enjoy browsing in the boutiques and shops.
The Baths is only one of the many great snorkelling spots to enjoy in and around the BVI and only one of dozens of stunning beaches on Virgin Gorda. Choose from Savannah Bay, Mountain Trunk Bay, Spring Bay, Valley Trunk Bay to name but a few.
There are plenty of excellent restaurants on Virgin Gorda offering a huge choice of dining. Rosewood Little Dix Bay has three restaurants, Chez Bamboo close to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour has a romantic softly lit garden, Coco Maya has a firepit on the beach and fabulous tapas, Fischer’s Cove serves great pizza to eat in or takeaway, The Marina Village at Oil Nut Bay is a wonderful spot to go for lunch and enjoy the pool, the view from Hog Heaven as you sip a sunset cocktail is just stunning – the list of fabulous places to eat and drink on Virgin Gorda is almost endless and everywhere you turn, the spectacular views of neighbouring British Virgin Islands are endless too.
Welcome to the newest private island Resort, Spa & Marina in the British Virgin Islands in over 15 years – Scrub Island, and if ever a place was less appropriately named, this is it!
Necker is Sir Richard Branson’s own private island hideaway available to rent for your exclusive use for up to 30 adults plus 6 children, ideal for special occasions with family and friends, or couples during Celebration weeks who can share the Island ‘house party’ style. Necker also has Family weeks when Mum and Dad can bring the kids and have a great time together on Necker – although it is a tad expensive!
Meaning the “Drowned Island” Anegada is the most northern of the British Virgin Islands. Anegada is home to the Horseshoe Reef which is the largest barrier coral reef in the Caribbean and the fourth largest on earth – truly a diver’s paradise. Anegada also boasts miles of almost deserted white sand beaches.
The two week berth fee will be calculated on the specific yacht configuration and will be based on cabin size. The yachts are equipped with large double cabins, medium sized double cabins, and single cabins (smaller bunk cabins). All have a private en-suite head with shower. This event represents a significant investment for TOG and accordingly members will be required to make a booking deposit of £1000 per person.
Indicative costs will be Large Double cabin - £2,185 per person, Medium Double cabin - £1,950 per person, and the single occupancy cabin - £1,650. All cabins have individually controlled A/C, deck hatches and the doubles have windows. The single cabins generally have deck hatches but no windows. The saloon is large and can be converted to a large double if required, this space remains cool overnight. We are not planning to allocate berthing in the saloon.
The berth fee includes the yacht, dinghy, outboard, “carefree packs” by the charter company, end cleaning, bedding, National Parks fees, and full insurance - no security deposit to be paid and consequentially no risk . In addition there will be a BVI cruising tax to be paid locally which is currently $16 per person per day. Economy flight costs from London to Antigua with BA and Antigua to Tortola BVI with InterCaribbean should be approx. £690 plus £310 each. Flights next year will allow for timely transfers in Antigua to BVI on the same day. Other costs are typical charter costs, food and drink, mooring fees approx. $30 per night for the yacht on a buoy, taxi transfers and diesel (our two week cost was $149 total for the yacht diesels and the Onan generator in 2022),
We have now received full bookings for the first catamaran chartered - FOREVER YOUNG. The sailex remains open and we do have interest from another three couples, should we have further interest a second yacht could be chartered. Please register you interest in taking a second yacht by booking a standby berth, using the BOOKING link at the top of this Sailing page, thankyou.
