Virgin Gorda anchors the eastern end of the British Virgin Islands sailing circuit, and the 19 sailing yachts that cover this destination arrive in one of two ways: from the west via the Sir Francis Drake Channel, a broad-reaching passage that delivers the crew to North Sound with wind and sea behind them, or from the north via the Anegada Passage, a longer and more exposed route that serious sailors choose deliberately for the open-water experience it provides. The Baths at Virgin Gorda southern tip reward a sailing yacht arrival: the anchorage off Spring Bay is deep, the snorkelling is excellent and the granite formations are accessible by the yacht tender for the full afternoon. North Sound is the natural overnight destination, offering complete shelter, Bitter End Yacht Club facilities and a morning departure sail to Anegada just 15 miles north, a passage through the Anegada Channel that any competent skipper manages comfortably in the trade wind. The Virgin Gorda fleet of sailing charter yachts spans 15-metre performance catamarans to 50-metre sailing superyachts with carbon rigs, the former nimble enough to thread the Sound anchorages and the latter powerful enough to make the downwind passage to Tortola a 90-minute sprint. Weekly charter rates for sailing yachts based in Virgin Gorda run from around 30,000 euros for a smaller catamaran to 150,000 euros for a performance monohull superyacht, with an advance provisioning allowance of approximately 30% for fuel, food and marina fees. The BVI season runs November through June, and summer charters are available and quieter.
