Bali 4.4 Stellar
2024 Stellar — four-cabin Bali 4.4 with gen and AC, no watermaker
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The Easiest Cruising Ground in the Caribbean.
Line-of-sight sailing, mooring fields everywhere worth stopping, customs you clear in a morning.
Overview
The BVI is where every first-time bareboat charterer in the Western Hemisphere ends up. The reasons are good ones: short hops between islands, mooring fields rather than anchorages, predictable trade winds, customs that clear in a morning, and inventory deep enough that you can almost always get the boat you want. The drawback is the popularity — The Bight at Norman Island will have forty boats in it by 4pm in February. We plan around that.
What's hard: it's crowded in season. Mooring fields fill by mid-afternoon at the headliner anchorages. Charter rates are at the higher end of our launch destinations.
Best for first-time bareboat charterers, sailors who want short hops and shore-side stops every night, and charterers traveling with people new to sailing.
Quick Facts
- Best months
- December – May. Hurricane season June–November; we don't book there.
- Sailing conditions
- Trades 15–22 knots from the E most of winter.
- Water temperature
- 76–82°F seasonal range.
- Typical trip length
- 7-day most-booked.
- Cruising character
- Mooring-heavy, short hops, line-of-sight sailing. The most beginner-friendly Caribbean.
- Customs
- Charter base handles clearance. Bring passport.
- Currency
- US Dollar.
Sample Itineraries
All depart and return from the charter base. Distances are approximate nautical miles.
7-Day Classic
- Day 1 — Tortola → Norman Island. ~6nm S. Pick up a mooring in The Bight by mid-afternoon (they fill). Snorkel the Indians and the Caves at sunset.
- Day 2 — Norman → Cooper Island. ~5nm E. Mooring at Manchioneel Bay. Cooper Island Beach Club for dinner; the rum bar has over 280 rums.
- Day 3 — Cooper → Virgin Gorda (The Baths). ~6nm N. Mooring at The Baths or Devil's Bay. Snorkel through the granite-boulder formations early morning before day-trippers arrive.
- Day 4 — Virgin Gorda → North Sound. ~8nm NE. Bitter End or Saba Rock.
- Day 5 — North Sound → Anegada. ~14nm N. The flat coral atoll, completely different cruising character. Lobster at Anegada Beach Club or Cow Wreck.
- Day 6 — Anegada → Jost Van Dyke (White Bay). ~25nm SW. The Soggy Dollar Bar for the Painkiller — where they were invented.
- Day 7 — Jost Van Dyke → Tortola. ~5nm S. Easy return.
Available Yachts in British Virgin Islands
Fleet
| Boat | Builder / model | Type | Year | Cabins | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heartbeat | Beneteau Oceanis 54 | Monohull | 2024 | 3 | Navigare Yachting |
| CIRRUS | Dufour 41 | Monohull | 2026 | 3 | Navigare Yachting |
| Limin' | Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 | Catamaran | 2024 | 4 | Navigare Yachting |
| Kallisti | Lagoon 46 | Catamaran | 2022 | 4 | Navigare Yachting |
Anchorages Worth Planning Around
The Indians
West of Norman Island.
Why stop here: Four jagged rocks rising 80 feet out of the water. National Park dive site. The snorkeling around the base is the best in the BVI for shallow-water variety — eagle rays, tarpon, schools of grunt.
Holding & approach: Pick up one of the National Park moorings — first-come basis. Don't anchor; the bottom is coral. Best in calm conditions.
What to do: Snorkel around the base, all four rocks. Bring a waterproof bag for fish ID cards if you're new to Caribbean reef species.
Getting There
- Airport
- Terrance B. Lettsome International (EIS), Tortola, Beef Island. Most charterers connect via San Juan (SJU) — direct flights to EIS from SJU and increasingly from St. Thomas (STT).
- Charter Bases
- Dream Yacht Charter — Hodge's Creek Marina, east side of Tortola near Maya Cove. Closer to EIS (~10 min). Better starting point heading east toward Virgin Gorda.Navigare Yachting — Hodge's Creek.Navigare Yachting — Nanny Cay Marina, Tortola.
- Airport Transfer
- Hodge's Creek is ~10 min from EIS by taxi.
- Customs & Check-in
- Charter base handles customs paperwork. Bring passport.
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