8 Days exploring the USVI

Essentially a little holiday village, St Francis Bay includes a marina and a wonderful collection of white-walled thatched homes set right on the waters of the canals. The small boat harbour here offers sheltered anchorage for fishing vessels and other ocean going vessels, and each home has its own mooring.

Cruise across the border to the British Virgin Islands. Drop anchor at Cane Garden Bay and take the tender ashore to climb Mount Sage or simply to have fun at one of the bustling beach bars at Soper’s Hole. The British Virgin Islands were an early haunt of buccaneers and pirates, and it was Dutch buccaneers who first settled in Tortola in 1648.

Cruise through the Sir Francis Drake Passage to Norman Island, reputedly named after pirate Captain Norman who was apprehended and hanged in the early seventeen hundreds. Swim in Deadman’s Bay before heading out to dine at the legendary Willy T schooner, anchored just off Norman Island.

After an eventful night it’s just a short hop across to neighbouring Peter Island where you can spend the morning swimming and relaxing around the secluded White Bay. For divers in the party, the underwater habitat around RMS Rhone is close by and a must-visit – numerous artefacts deposited when the Rhone went down in 1867 are still visible today. Keep an eye out for the wreck’s resident octopus and turtles too.

The most well-known attraction on the island, these giant boulders or batholiths, brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions, are scattered about forming a beautiful grotto and tranquil pools.

Head to the island’s North Sound and anchor in the huge expanse of sheltered waters. After devastating hurricanes tore through this area in autumn 2017, an enormous rebuild programme is underway and the Bitter End Yacht Club is due to reopen in late 2019. Activities abound however, from snorkelling the reefs to water-skiing and testing your skills with some small-boat sailing from the rental outfits on the beach.

The scrub island of Anegada, the northernmost of the British Virgin Islands, is surrounded by coral reef and the waters are teeming with exotic fish. Spend the afternoon snorkelling amidst the small wrecks that dot the coastline or visit the secluded beaches of Loblolly Bay and Cow Wreck Beach. The island is home to flamingos, rock iguanas.

From the peaceful anchorage of The Settlement, cruise to the secluded anchorage of White Bay. Step ashore onto the lively island of Jost Van Dyke, sway to reggae tunes and tuck into a feast of fresh lobster at Ivan’s Stress Free Bar.