Virgin Gorda has a natural appeal for family charter guests that the other British Virgin Islands cannot quite match: The Baths, a collection of enormous granite boulders that have tumbled together along the southern shore to form sea-level swimming pools and cave-like passages, are an environment that children find immediately magical. Sixty-five family charter yachts cover this part of the BVI, from sailing catamarans with stable platforms for younger guests to motor yachts with large aft decks and toys decks that keep older children occupied at anchor. North Sound provides the safest overnight anchorage for family charters: the water is shallow enough for snorkelling from the stern, the holding is reliable and the floating bar and restaurant pontoons in the Sound mean that a shore dinner does not require a long tender ride after dark. The crew on family charters in the BVI have a particular expertise in keeping a mixed-age guest list satisfied: morning snorkel trips over the reef at Fallen Jerusalem, afternoon paddleboard races off the aft deck and evening barbecues on the beach at Prickly Pear Island are the kind of programme that families return for year after year. Weekly charter rates for family yachts in Virgin Gorda start around 50,000 euros and rise to 250,000 euros for larger motor yachts, with an advance provisioning allowance of roughly 30% for fuel, food and marina fees. December through April is the busiest period; summer charters are significantly calmer in terms of both anchorage traffic and rates.
