Spanish Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico

Spanish Virgin Islands overview, cruising conditions, sailing itinerary, and yacht charter guides

Our catamaran at anchor at Playa Flamenco

View of Culebrita, one of the Culebra anchorages

Lagoon 46 in the Spanish Virgin Islands, Culebra at sunset; culebra anchorage — Our catamaran at anchor at Culebra on a recent trip. Not another boat in sight.

If you haven’t yet sailed the Spanish Virgin Islands on a yacht charter, you are missing out!

Even though the islands are a couple hours sail from St. Thomas, they still feel largely undiscovered. Solitude, beautiful beaches, and excellent fishing are just some of the highlights that rank highly on my list of must haves for a boat trip. Many people describe the SVIs as what the British Virgin Islands were 20+ years ago: raw, quiet, undiscovered – I was too young back then, but I’ll take their word for it!

You’ll see evidence on your trip of how the US Navy and Marines used these islands for training: target practice tanks on Flamenco Beach and bays that are off limits to anchoring due to potential unexploded ordnance. This is one of the primary reasons tourism here lags its Virgin Islands’ neighbors to the east.

The Spanish Virgin Islands are actually part of Puerto Rico, and it’s easy to coordinate a yacht charter from either the US Virgin Islands or the Puerto Rico mainland. I’ve chartered from both, and I actually prefer from the US Virgin Islands since there is a deeper charter fleet.

Spanish Virgin Islands sailing itinerary including Vieques and Culebra — My suggested week-long itinerary, check out the Sailing Itinerary tab for more details

The cruising grounds consist primarily of the islands of Culebra and Vieques with several other small islands/cayos mixed in for exploration. If you don’t have a full week to explore, I would spend more time on Culebra.

There are several wildlife refuges which help protect and make the Spanish Virgin Islands such a special place. This includes the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge which used to be controlled by the U.S. Navy until 2003.

Don’t expect beach bars at every anchorage. This is a place to get away from it all and soak in the natural surroundings.

Highlights of a Spanish Virgin Islands yacht charter

Anchor at picture perfect Tortuga Beach and hike to the lighthouse atop Culebrita for commanding views of the surrounding islands
Drop the hook or hike to Flamenco Beach, a global top 10 ranked beach; enjoy $2 Medalla beers from the kiosk vendors and take your picture with the rusting tanks
Snorkel the gorgeous reefs on the west side of Culebra right from your yacht, such as at Carlos Rosario
Troll fishing lines on the southern drop at Vieques and catch tuna, wahoo, and mahi
Book a kayak tour to experience the bioluminescence of Mosquito Bay
Experience epic sunsets over the Puerto Rico mainland at Green Beach
Take in the local party scene at Isla Palominos on your last night

Check out the Sailing Itinerary tab for more details on what you can do in the Spanish Virgin Islands!

Hiking to Flamenco Beach — Perfect day for a hike to Flamenco Beach

As with other Caribbean yacht charter destinations, you’ll enjoy some of the best sailing conditions anywhere thanks to the steady easterly tradewinds. Passages can be exposed to swell and current, but if you follow a clockwise route, you can mitigate most of the uncomfortable pitching and rolling.

Generally, for weather conditions, you can expect steady 10-15 knot trade winds from the ENE-ESE, puffy tradewind cumulus clouds, and an occasional shower or squall.

I like to break the Virgin Islands’ sailing calendar into 4 seasons. Read more detail about each below.

High season: December to March
Shoulder season 1: April to June
Peak hurricane season: July to October
Shoulder season 2: November

To learn more about the unique weather features that affect the Virgin Islands, read my BVI weather and marine forecasting post. Take care to be aware of when northerly swells are running. Flamenco Beach and Culebrita are particularly exposed.

Sailing seasons

Windy current forecast

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Wind Speed (kts)	15.2	15.1	14.1	13.4	13.5	15.0	16.0	14.8	12.9	12.2	13.8	15.2
Wind Direction	NE	NE	E	SE	SE	SE	E	E	SE	SE	NE	NE
Daylight (hrs)	11.2	11.6	12.1	12.6	13.0	13.2	13.1	12.7	12.2	11.7	11.3	11.0
Precipitation (in)	0.4″	0.4″	0.3″	0.9″	2.1″	1.3″	1.2″	1.6″	2.8″	2.8″	2.5″	1.1″
Avg. High Temp.	83°	83°	84°	85°	86°	88°	88°	89°	88°	87°	86°	84°
Avg. Water Temp.	79°	79°	79°	80°	81°	82°	82°	83°	84°	84°	82°	81°

SVI Sailing Seasons

SVI high season (December to March)

This is the busiest and most expensive time of the year. Hurricane season is over, and the annual pilgrimage of cruising boats has made it’s way from mainland U.S. and Europe to enjoy the warm Caribbean winter. Don’t expect the SVIs to become quite as crowded as the more popular BVIs and USVIs. You will, however, pay higher prices just the same.

Days are shorter (~11 hours vs ~13 hours in the summer).

Most notably, you can expect the Christmas Winds: several days of strong winds (15-30 knots) created by strong high pressure systems in the Atlantic. Make sure you know how to reef those sails!

Wind is usually out of the E to NE and less precipitation falls this time of year.

SVI shoulder season 1 (April to June)

This is my favorite and I believe the best time to visit the Spanish Virgin Islands for sailing trips. The crowds have thinned out somewhat and the weather has become more settled.

Expect easy 10-15 knots from the E to SE and an occasional shower to cool things off.

SVI peak hurricane season (July to October)

It can be hot, the trade winds lessen (5-15 knots), and tropical mischief can be brewing.

But, you might have the place to yourself. This is the wet season thanks to developing low pressure systems.

SVI shoulder season 2 (November)

This is my second favorite time to sail in the Caribbean. I recently chartered in the SVIs in November – read about it here.

Again, the crowds haven’t arrived yet and the weather tends to be settled – similar to April-June.

Trades blow 15-20 knots with wind direction from the E to NE.

The biggest downside of this time of year is the days are shorter. It can make a difference if you plan to spend long days on the water. Otherwise, not a big deal!

Our suggested yacht charter itinerary assumes 7 days on the water beginning in Puerto del Rey. I take you clockwise beginning with Culebra and then continuing on south to Vieques.

This can easily, however, be adapted if you are starting or visiting from the US Virgin Islands. I did this on a recent November charter trip. Head east from St. Thomas, check in at Dewey, and then continue you on clockwise, first visiting Vieques.

Why does this plan work?

The prevailing trade winds in the Spanish Virgin Islands are typically from the east. A current also runs from the east.

Sailing clockwise will afford you some protection from the lee of Culebra as you head east. Once you get down to Vieques, in normal conditions you’ll be sailing west, downwind under more comfortable conditions.

Source: Puerto del Rey

Day 1: Travel day & Puerto del Rey

Arrive, get settled in, and stow away your provisions. Familiarize yourself with the boat's systems if you'd like. Crack a beer - you've made it! This is one of the nicest marinas in all of the Caribbean.

Source: Puerto del Rey

Carlos Rosario mooring field

Day 2: Carlos Rosario

Motoring to Culebra into the wind is probably easiest with the trades. Get settled in at Carlos Rosario where you can experience some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean, right under your yacht mooring. Relax, pour yourself a sundowner, and enjoy the sunset show over the cayos to the west.

Carlos Rosario mooring field

Tank at Flamenco Beach

Day 3: Hike to Flamenco Beach

Go ashore for a hike to world famous Flamenco Beach. Bring some shoes you don't mind getting dirty! It will take you about 30 minutes. In settled conditions you can also anchor in front of the beach.

Make a day of it. Food, drinks, restrooms, and beach chair rentals are available. Enjoy the gorgeous setting and check out the target practice tanks.

Tank at Flamenco Beach

Culebrita & Tortuga Bay

Day 4: Picture Perfect Culebrita

Sail around the northern shore of Culebra past to Culebrita. This is my favorite beach in all of the Spanish Virgin Islands. Crescent moon shaped, white sand, coconut palm lined, and few other visitors.

If you are up for another hike, the abandoned lighthouse hike offers commanding panoramic views of the surrounding islands. Back at your yacht, relax and watch for turtles as you lime away the afternoon.

Culebrita & Tortuga Bay

Mahi Hook-up in the SVIs

Day 5: Sail South to Vieques

On your way south to Vieques, stop in Dewey for a provisioning run, if needed. This is a great day to get the fishing lines out as you head south on the shelf, and if you so desire, on the south drop.

Make your way for peaceful Ensenada Honda which offers great protection in nearly all conditions. The bay is mangrove-lined, and its fun to dinghy around the area and explore.

Mahi Hook-up in the SVIs

Esperanza, Vieques

Day 6: Mosquito Bay Bioluminescence

On your way west towards, stop at Isla Chiva for some lunch snorkeling. It's a perfect spot. Once you arrive at the Sun Bay anchorage, enjoy the beach or go ashore to check out the town of Esperanza where there are some restaurants and shopping.

The main attraction in the area is Mosquito Bay where you can arrange a night-time kayak tour to see the bioluminescence phenomenon. They can pick you up right from the beach.

Esperanza, Vieques

Green Beach

Day 7: Magical Green Beach

On the west coast of Vieques, Green Beach awaits. Aside from the solitude, you come to Green Beach for the sunsets - they are epic with the main island of Puerto Rico and the El Yunque rain forest in the backdrop.

Arrive early enough to also jump in the water for some snorkeling. You can expect to swim with sea turtles, rays, and lots of colorful fish.

Green Beach

Isla Palomino

Day 8: Isla Palomino

Isla Palominos is a great last night anchorage. It's close enough to motor back the next morning before you debark and head home. You can also choose to dock at Puerto del Rey for some long, hot showers.

Isla Palomino is a very popular local destination, so don't expect any peace and quiet! You have been warned.

Isla Palomino

Travel Home

Day 9: Travel Home

Leave early enough to motor back to the base to comply with checkout procedures. Radio your charter company on your way back in if you'd like help docking the boat.

Travel Home