Sail United States Virgin Islands.

The US Virgin Islands sit at the top of the Lesser Antilles, three main islands and a scatter of cays inside easy reach of each other. St Thomas and St John are close enough that you can leave Charlotte Amalie after breakfast and be anchored off a beach in the national park by lunch. St Croix sits further south, a 40-mile passage that filters out the day-trippers. The trades blow steady from the east most of the year, the water runs clear and warm, and the navigation is line-of-sight — you can usually see where you're going. It suits sailors who want reliable wind without long ocean passages, and families who'd rather short hops than grinding sea miles.

Most charters run out of St Thomas and work east into the channel between the islands. St John is the highlight: two-thirds of it is national park, so the north-shore bays — Maho, Francis, Waterlemon Cay — stay green and undeveloped, with mooring balls instead of anchoring in the sea-grass. Coral Bay on St John's south-east corner is a working sailors' anchorage, a place to fill water and drink rum rather than pose. Off the west end, Water Island and the reefs around Buck Island give you snorkelling a short reach from town. St Croix is the outlier — a proper overnight passage south, quieter, with the Buck Island reef monument off its north coast. The British Virgin Islands are next door and many boats cross over, but that's a border and a customs stop, so plan for it.

The sailing season runs roughly December through April, the dry months, when the north-east trades sit at 15 to 20 knots and the humidity drops. This is the settled window and also the busy one — mooring balls in the popular St John bays fill early in high season, so it pays to move in the morning. May and June are quieter and still good, with lighter air. July through November is hurricane season: many boats and crews stand down, insurance terms change, and we'd steer you away from booking a summer week unless you know exactly what you're doing. The trades ease and back around in shoulder months, but the underlying pattern — wind from the east, seas building outside the island lee — holds all season.

We run both bareboat and crewed charters here. Bareboat suits certificated skippers comfortable with mooring-ball pick-ups and short channel crossings — the ground is forgiving but the anchorages get crowded, so boat-handling matters. Crewed charters put a captain aboard who knows which bays clear out by afternoon and where the good reef is; a captain-and-cook set-up is common on the larger catamarans and takes the provisioning and cooking off your hands. Catamarans dominate the local fleet — shallow draft, deck space, and stable at anchor — but there are monohulls for those who want them. If you're unsure which way to go, tell us your crew's experience over WhatsApp and we'll match the boat.

Costs vary with boat size, monohull versus catamaran, and whether you take crew. A bareboat monohull week sits at the lower end; a crewed catamaran with captain and cook is a different budget entirely. On top of the base charter fee, budget for fuel, provisioning, national-park mooring fees, and end-of-charter gratuity if you carry crew. Peak weeks over Christmas and New Year carry a premium and book far ahead. Rather than quote a figure that goes stale, we give a firm price once we know your dates, boat and crew preference — message us on WhatsApp with those three and we'll come back with a real number. Price on request for the crewed catamarans.

Day 1 — Board at St Thomas, provision, and shake down with a short sail to Christmas Cove off Great St James for the first night's swim. Day 2 — Cross into St John, pick up a ball at Maho or Francis Bay inside the national park; snorkel the sea-grass turtles. Day 3 — Round to Waterlemon Cay for the reef, then east to Coral Bay for a night at anchor and dinner ashore. Day 4 — If you've cleared the paperwork, hop across to the BVI for Jost Van Dyke; otherwise work the south St John coast. Day 5 — Back west, anchor off Water Island or Honeymoon Bay near town. Day 6 — A longer reach out to Buck Island or a lazy day at Lindqvist Beach. Day 7 — Short sail back to base, fuel and hand over. It's a loop with slack in it — you can cut passages if the trades pipe up.

Fly into Cyril E. King airport on St Thomas (STT); it takes direct flights from several US mainland hubs and connections through San Juan. There's no passport control between the US mainland and the USVI, which simplifies arrival for American guests — but you'll want proof of citizenship. From the airport it's a short taxi to the charter bases around Charlotte Amalie and the east end. If you plan to cross to the British Virgin Islands, carry passports and clear customs both ways. The islands drive on the left, which surprises people. Provisioning is straightforward on St Thomas; stock up before you leave town, as the anchorages have little more than a beach bar.