Jost Van Dyke holds a rare place in Caribbean charter culture: it is genuinely exciting for adults and completely safe for children. The island has no airport, minimal traffic and a community that has welcomed visiting yachts for generations. A family arriving by charter yacht finds the experience immediately accessible: the tender lands on a beach, the water is warm and clear, and the snorkelling reef at Little Harbour is ten minutes from the anchorage by kayak.
Family charter yachts available for BVI itineraries number around 65 published vessels specifically categorised for family charters. These range from broad-beamed sailing catamarans with private cabins on each hull to 40-metre motor yachts with a dedicated children’s deck and an activity crew who run structured programmes at sea. Every family yacht in the BVI fleet carries the watersports equipment that makes island-hopping genuinely entertaining for younger guests: paddleboards, snorkel sets, water toys and a small rigid inflatable for independent exploration.
Weekly rates for family charter yachts start at around 50,000 euros for a comfortable 30-metre vessel and reach 150,000 euros for flagship motor yachts with dedicated children’s cabins, activity crew and supervised watersports. The advance provisioning allowance of 30 percent covers food, fuel, drinks and marina fees. The ideal family season runs from January through April, when the northeast trades are steady and the sea is at its clearest.
From Jost Van Dyke’s Great Harbour a family day takes the tender to White Bay for the Soggy Dollar Bar and the beach, then east to Sandy Cay’s national park beach for an afternoon picnic, returning to the anchorage before dinner. Children who want more structure will find snorkel guided tours, kayak circumnavigations of the smaller cays, and evening stargazing from the swim platform.
