SailDives - Tortola

from Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola and through the British Virgin Islands - Boarding from 5 PM Saturdays. Click "Reserve a Cabin" to see the list.

Overview Yachts Summary - British Virgin Islands SailDives BVI Itinerary Part I SailDives BVI Itinerary Part II

Overview

Location

The British Virgin Islands are a group of Islands that are part of the British Overseas Territories located in the Caribbean or Caribbean Sea, in the Northern most section of the Lesser Antilles or the Caribbees.

They are part of the Leeward Islands volcanic chain, and are located between Puerto Rico to the West, and St. Martin/Sint Maarten to the East.

The "Virgin Islands", referred to as the "British" Virgin Islands since 1917 to distinguish them from United States territories, include the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty smaller cays.

The yacht base is located at Nanny Cay Marina, which is about mid way between Roadtown and West End ferry ports on Tortola. The airport is on Beef Island (EIS) with a small connecting bridge to Tortola.

About fifteen islands are inhabited. The capital, Road Town, is located on Tortola, the largest island in BVI, where reside approximately 18,000 of the 22,000 inhabitants of all the British Virgin Islands.

Climate

The British Virgin Islands enjoy a tropical climate, moderated by the ever blowing trade winds making them one of the world's greatest sailing destinations. The temperature ranges from a summer high/low of 90F/75F to a winter high/low of 84F/70F. Hurricanes occasionally hit the islands during hurricane season which runs from June to November.

Economy

The British Virgin Islands have one of the most prosperous economies in the Caribbean region with financial services and tourism as the two pillars of the economy.

Tourists frequent the numerous white sand beaches, visit The Baths on Virgin Gorda, snorkel the coral reefs near Anegada, or experience the well-known bars of Jost Van Dyke. The BVI are known as one of the world's greatest sailing destinations, and charter sailboats are a very popular way to visit less accessible islands.

Getting Here

International travelers typically arrive in Tortola either by aircraft at the Beef island airport (EIS) via San Juan (SJU) or via the air port in St Thomas (STT) then by ferry from Charlotte Amalie in St Thomas to the ferry ports in either Roadtown or West End. The ferry ports in Roadtown and West End are about the same travel time and taxi cost to the marina at Nanny Cay. Further information about the ferry schedule can be found online at https://www.bviwelcome.com/ferries.php

Currency and Gratuity

The U.S. Dollar (USD) is the official currency. There is no Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods or services purchased in the BVI. Gratuity is not normally included as a service charge in restaurants except for large groups. It is customary to tip servers 15%, taxi drivers 10% and ports $1.00 per bag. The crew on our boats are paid a salary, but it is customary to provide a gratuity to the boat crew of $300 USD per cabin, and on 10 SCUBA dive SailDives itineraries a gratuity of $100 USD per cabin for the dive crew.