Road Town: The Baths of Virgin Gorda, the BVI Sailing Capital, Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke, Anegada Lobster and Reef, the Willy T Floating Bar, and the Charter Base Logistics
Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Islands on Tortola, is the gateway to the sailing archipelago that has established the BVI as the Caribbean charter boat capital, with the granite boulder Baths of Virgin Gorda, the legendary Foxy's beach bar on Jost Van Dyke, the flat coral paradise of Anegada, and the famous floating bar culture of the Norman Island anchorage.
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The Baths of Virgin Gorda: The BVI Signature Site
The Baths at Virgin Gorda, the national park of the British Virgin Islands most visited site, is a formation of enormous granite boulders deposited by volcanic activity 70 million years ago that creates a network of sea grottos, tidal pools, and swimming passages between the boulder piles on the beach, ending at the Devils Bay on the south side. The combination of the warm clear Caribbean water, the dramatic boulder landscape, and the beach on both sides of the rock maze creates the most distinctive natural beach site in the eastern Caribbean.
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Sailing the BVI: The Caribbean Sailing Capital
The British Virgin Islands, with the Sir Francis Drake Channel between Tortola and the southern island chain providing protected sailing water with consistent trade wind, the comprehensive marina infrastructure at Road Town and at Nanny Cay, and the concentration of charter boat operators that make the BVI the most-charted sailing destination in the world, have established the Caribbean sailing capital reputation that attracts more bareboat charter boats than any other sailing destination in the Americas. The full BVI sailing circuit covers Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada, and Norman Island.
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Jost Van Dyke: The Foxy's Original Party Island
Jost Van Dyke, the smallest of the main British Virgin Islands with a population of approximately 300, is home to Foxy's Tamarind Bar, the legendary Caribbean beach bar established by Foxy Callwood in 1968 that has been the gathering point of the Caribbean sailing community for 50 years and the site of the most famous New Year's party in the Caribbean sailing world. Foxy's holds court at the White Bay anchorage in the tradition of the Caribbean rum shop host that made him the most internationally recognized BVI resident.
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Anegada: The Flat Coral Island
Anegada, the only coral and limestone island in the BVI chain in contrast to the volcanic topology of the main islands, is a flat, sparse, and extraordinarily beautiful island of 180 permanent residents, pink flamingo flocks, extensive lobster fishery, and the Horseshoe Reef, the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world, that has created the most dangerous navigation hazard in the eastern Caribbean for sailing boats and the finest diving environment in the BVI. The Anegada lobster lunch is the most celebrated meal in the British Virgin Islands.
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The Willy T: The Floating Bar
The William Thornton, the floating restaurant and bar anchored in the Bight at Norman Island, better known as the Willy T, is the most famous floating bar in the Caribbean, known for the cliff jumping from the upper deck into the Caribbean water, the rum drinks in generous measures, and the tradition of the clothing-optional deck that makes it the most discussed single floating establishment in the eastern Caribbean sailing circuit. The Willy T was destroyed in Hurricane Irma and rebuilt in a new location.
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Road Town Practical: The BVI Charter Base
Road Town, the Road Town capital on the south coast of Tortola, is the departure point for the BVI charter boat circuit and the commercial center of the British Virgin Islands, with the customs and immigration facilities for the yacht charter arrivals from the USVI, the provisioning for the Caribbean sailing season, and the ferry connections to Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, and the USVI. The Road Town ferry terminal connects to St. Thomas in 45 minutes by high-speed ferry.