The BVI is the archipelago that charter companies built their business on, and the reason is arithmetic: a dozen anchorages, no leg longer than roughly two hours, protection on every side of every wind, and mooring balls where the holding is tricky. A week runs the classic counter-clockwise circuit out of Tortola — Norman Island, Cooper Island, Virgin Gorda's North Sound, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, home — and it still works precisely because everyone agrees it does. Trade winds blow steady from the east-north-east through the high season; the islands' lee sides are where the week happens.
This is a planning guide from published pilot information for the area, not a reported trip; confirm current mooring fields, fees and formalities with your charter base. US National Weather Service marine forecasts cover these waters.
The circuit, stop by stop
Norman Island, first afternoon: the Bight's moorings, the caves at the entrance by tender or kayak, and the floating bar that needs no further introduction. Cooper Island, next: a small, well-run beach club mooring field, good snorkelling off Cistern Point, one of the quieter nights of the week. Virgin Gorda's North Sound is the hub stop — a huge, sheltered lagoon with beach bars, a sailmakers' rum tradition and two nights' worth of water sports; arrive before mid-afternoon for the best moorings. Anegada is the expedition: a low coral island the charts insist you respect, approached with care on the marked line, repaid by miles of empty beach, lobster ashore and snorkelling the reef by guide. Jost Van Dyke last: White Bay in the afternoon, Great Harbour's customs and anchorage for the final night, positioned for the morning run back to Tortola.
Moorings, not anchors
Most of the week lives on mooring balls — first-come, fee paid at dusk by the wardens, and the etiquette simple: slow approach, hook the pick-up, one boat per ball. The system exists because much of the seabed is reef or grass; using it is both easier and correct. Anchoring remains available in several bays where the holding is genuine sand, and the North Sound offers both options.
Formalities and fees
The BVI is a separate territory with its own customs — passports for everyone aboard, clearance at the start and, if your route crosses to or from the US Virgins, again at each border. Park and mooring fees are payable per night; National Parks Trust moorings in particular fund the reef protection that keeps the week worth repeating. The cruising-tax regime applies per person per day, collected at check-in — small money that is not optional.
When to go, and who should skip it
December through April is the high season: steady trades, dry air, everything open. Summer is greener, quieter, hotter, and inside the Atlantic hurricane season — the honest trade for the price break. The circuit suits first-time charterers and families better than any other in the Caribbean; sailors who want long passages and marina sophistication will find the legs short and the nightlife beach-shaped, which is either the point or the problem.