USVI Yacht Charter

USVI overview, cruising conditions, sailing itinerary, and yacht charter guides

Epic sunset at Magen's Bay, St Thomas, USVI

Beautiful fall day at the Maho Bay mooring field on our US Virgin Islands bareboat charter trip

Christmas Cove anchorage on our USVI bareboat charter in the US Virgin Islands

Frenchtown Marina in St Thomas, where the Waypoints charter base is located as we prepare for our yacht charter sleep aboard

Sailing from Culebra to St Thomas with reefed sails

The US Virgin Islands don’t get as much attention as their more popular sister next door, the BVIs, but they should for charter crews.

I visited the BVIs four times before exploring a USVI yacht charter. Verdict? I was especially blown away by the Virgin Islands National Park and the beauty of some of the bays.

And, don’t tell the British Virgin Islands, but I think the USVIs have better beaches! (yes I love Anegada’s north shore, but these USVI beaches are more numerous and can be accessed right from your dinghy)

Why might you like a USVI yacht charter?

Idyllic Caribbean surroundings – Plenty of protected anchorages. Coconut palm lined white sandy beaches. Great snorkeling and fishing.
Settled weather – you can expect steady trade winds out of the east year round. If you avoid the summer months when tropical systems can develop, there is little risk of a major weather disruption
Easy navigation – there are some hazards to avoid, but most of the sailing and navigating is point and shoot, line of sight passages
Amenities – there are some really fun beach bars and restaurants to visit. There are even vendors you can visit in the National Park
Mooring balls – plenty of well maintained balls are available from the National Park Service, making it easier and less stressful for crews
Easy logistics – no need for a transfer with many direct flights available from mainland US. You can be on your charter yacht within 30 minutes of landing, seriously!
Good for kids -when I take my little kids on a yacht charter for the first time, I think the US Virgin Islands will be the destination. Why? Short passages, plenty of activities, protected swimming/snorkeling areas, and lots of beaches to relax on.

Highlights of a US Virgin Islands yacht charter

Beach, snorkel, repeat. The Virgin Islands National Park has countless opportunities for snorkeling and beaching all day long. The setting doesn’t get any better thanks to its protected status.
- Hawksnest Bay for turtle sightings
- Trunk Bay for the underwater snorkel trail
- Cinnamon Bay for swimming and gazing at luxurious villas
- Maho Bay for the awesome beach
- Leinster Bay / Watermelon Cay for the best snorkeling in the Virgin Islands
Cruz Bay and Coral Bay on St. John are fun, quirky towns with lots of shopping, dining, and drinking
The south drop is just an hour away where you have great chances of catching mahi, wahoo, and tuna to cook up right on your yacht
Marvel at Magens Bay, one of the most spectacular settings I’ve visited in the Virgin Islands
Lime away the afternoon and enjoy an epic unobstructed sunset at Honeymoon Beach, Water Island
Grab a pizza from the floating pizza boat, Pizza PI VI, at Christmas Cove

Sunset over St. Thomas on a USVI yacht charter — Epic year-round sunsets await - this one over St. Thomas at Christmas Cove

You’ll enjoy some of the best yacht charter sailing conditions anywhere thanks to the steady Caribbean easterly tradewinds and protection in the lee of St. John and St. Thomas from wind driven swell.

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.

Plenty of mooring balls are available in the National Park, but you can also find places to anchor in relative solitude, such as at Magens Bay.

I like to break the USVI yacht charter 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 weather and marine forecasting post.

Climate by month

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°

USVI Yacht Charter Sailing Seasons

US Virgin Islands 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.

Expect crowded mooring fields.

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.

USVI shoulder season 1 (April to June)

This is my favorite and I believe the best time to visit the US Virgin Islands for yacht charter 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.

Magen's Bay USVI bareboat charter anchorage during a USVI sailing itinerary — A typical USVI day at Magens Bay with some cumulus clouds and the occasional shower

USVI 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. On the flip side, however, some establishments are closed, such as Pizza Pi VI, so keep that in mind.

This is the wet season thanks to developing low pressure systems.

US Virgin islands shoulder season 2 (November)

This is my second favorite time to sail in the Caribbean and the US Virgin Islands.

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 that 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 the Charlotte Amalie area on St. Thomas, where most of the charter bases are located. I take you on a figure eight around the islands, beginning with the north shore of St. John.

Why does this plan work?

With prevailing easterly trade winds, we get our upwind leg out of the way on the first day by motoring (or sailing) around the south side of St. Thomas, and then NE to St. John. You’ll have some protection in the lee of St. John to avoid a bumpy ride
Further upwind passages on the north shore of St. John are short and protected as you hop between the fantastic beaches and bays of the Virgin Islands National Park
It gives you a chance, mid-trip, to make a pitstop in Cruz Bay for re-provisioning, if needed
Cruising around the north shore of St. Thomas should be a beautiful, downwind sail under normal conditions
It leaves you for your last night at Water Island, a short motor back to the charter bases on St. Thomas

USVI Sailing Itinerary around St. John and St. Thomas — Suggested week-long USVI sailing itinerary | Source: Navionics

Hawksnest Bay

Day 1: Hawksnest Bay

After your charter briefing motor or sail for the north shore of St. John and the Virgin Islands National Park. You can pick from any of the many bays where mooring balls are provided by the NPS.

Hawksnest Bay is a great choice! A sea turtle sighting is almost guaranteed. Stroll the beach, snorkel the many reefs, or go in search of the Mermaid’s Chair. Pour yourself a sundowner and get ready for an epic Virgin Islands sunset. You’ve arrived in paradise!!

Hawksnest Bay

St John sunset on our USVI bareboat charter trip

Great sunsets from the Maho Bay mooring field

Day 2: Beaches, snorkeling, repeat

That’s the plan for the next couple days as you make your way east. I like Maho Bay as a 2nd night overnight, but don’t get there until the afternoon. Take your time. You have plenty of special bays to explore along the way.

Check out the underwater snorkel trail at Trunk Bay and gaze at the luxurious villas hanging to the cliffs at Cinnamon Bay.

Onwards to Maho Bay. Spend the afternoon lounging on the wonderful beach. Back on your yacht, get ready for an unobstructed sunset over the cays to the west.

Great sunsets from the Maho Bay mooring field

Ram Head and the Salt Pond Bay mooring field

Day 3: Enjoying solitude at Salt Pond Bay

In the morning, you have plenty of time for more snorkeling and exploring of the area, if you wish. Around the corner is Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay. Many people claim this is where you can find the best snorkeling in all of St. John.

Raise the sails and continue south towards your overnight mooring ball at Salt Pond Bay. Along the way, consider a stop in Coral Bay from some shopping or dining. Lime Out is a popular floating taco bar attraction.

With just a handful of NPS mooring balls at Salt Pond, enjoy the beautiful scenery in (relative) solitude. If it’s crowded, other options are Great and Little Lameshur Bays, just to the west.

Ram Head and the Salt Pond Bay mooring field

Cruz Bay

Day 4: Cruz Bay for a night out

Before you leave, a great excursion is the short hike to Ram Head. On a clear day, you might be able to see all the way to St. Croix. Sail around the south side of St. John to the moorings at Caneel Bay. We’re headed for Cruz Bay, but it’s off limits by some charter companies. From Caneel Bay, it’s a short(ish) dinghy ride into town.

Head ashore to Cruz Bay for an afternoon or evening of shopping, bar hopping, or dining. You can also find several grocery stores here where you can stalk up on provisions. The Visitor Center for the Virgin Islands National Park is also located here.

Cruz Bay

Spectacular Magens Bay

Day 5: Onwards to St. Thomas US Virgin Islands

Raise your sails for an easy downwind passage around the north shore of St. Thomas. Consider checking out the uninhabited Hans Lollik Islands for a day stop on the way.

Enter Magens Bay at marvel at the spectacular setting. It really is special with a large crescent shaped beach and long peninsula which forms the bight. Drop the hook (no mooring balls here) in the areas marked on charts.

Spectacular Magens Bay

View from the beach at Magens Bay

Day 6: Beach day optionality

I always like to plan a day where we don’t move the boat. Today’s that day! Dinghy ashore to enjoy a relaxing day on this wonderful beach. Magen’s Point Beach Bar and Grill whips up some good pizza and serves up drinks from the bar.

Other options? You can rent kayaks and stand up paddleboards, or put on your shoes for a short hike up the hills in the area.

Magens Bay could also be a good jumping off point for excursions ashore. Phantasea Botanical Garden or Mountain Top are popular attractions, nearby. It's easy to arrange a taxi from the beach.

View from the beach at Magens Bay

Honeymoon Beach, Water Island

Day 7: Wrap up the trip at Water Island

Continue your downwind sail along the north shore of St. Thomas and enjoy the coastal scenery. Head for Honeymoon Bay at Water Island. This anchorage can be crowded, and the mooring balls are private, so try and arrive early if you can.

You can’t go wrong just relaxing on Honeymoon Beach while liming away the afternoon. Dinghy’s Beach Bar is a popular spot, or you can walk up the road for a drink at Heidi’s Honeymoon Grill.

Unobstructed epic sunsets are almost guaranteed here – not a bad way to end your USVI sailing itinerary! You’re just a short 15 minute motor to return your charter yacht the next morning.

Honeymoon Beach, Water Island