Caribbean · The Virgin Islands
The national park and the direct flights: where the Virgins week begins
St Thomas has the airport with direct flights from across the US, and St John next door is two thirds national park with the calmest bays in the Caribbean. The US Virgin Islands are the first and last nights of our Virgin Islands week, and the border with the British islands is a formality on a yacht.
Where
The Virgin Islands, west of the BVI
Fly to
St Thomas (STT), direct from New York, Miami, Atlanta and more
Best months
December to April
Give it
The first and last night of a Virgins week
Known for
Trunk Bay, Maho Bay’s turtles, Magens Bay, Charlotte Amalie
Border
US and British islands are an hour apart; the crew clear you in and out
Why go
The US Virgin Islands, honestly
The US Virgin Islands are three islands: St Thomas with the airport and the cruise-ship capital of Charlotte Amalie, St John with the national park, and St Croix forty miles south on its own. For a yacht, St Thomas is where you board and St John is where you go.
Two thirds of St John is Virgin Islands National Park, so the north-shore bays, Caneel, Hawksnest, Trunk, Cinnamon, Maho and Francis, have no buildings behind them and moorings laid to protect the seagrass. Turtles graze under the boat at Maho. Trunk Bay has an underwater snorkel trail. It is the calmest first night in the Caribbean.
We run the Virgin Islands week out of St Thomas because the direct flights land there, spend the first and last nights in the park, and give the middle five to the British islands an hour east. On the ten-night St Barths bundle, St Thomas is the finish.
Where we anchor
The anchorages, in the order we use them
- St John, Caneel or Francis BayMooring, overnightNational park bays with no buildings behind them. The first night, an hour from the airport.
- St John, Maho BayMooring, overnightTurtles in the seagrass under the boat. The last night before St Thomas.
- St John, Trunk BayDay stopThe underwater snorkel trail and the beach on every postcard. Lunch, then move.
- St Thomas, Charlotte AmalieBerthYacht Haven Grande for boarding and disembarking, fifteen minutes from the airport.
- St Thomas, Magens BayLunch anchorageThe north-shore beach, a mile of sand in a heart-shaped bay. Open to the north swell, so lunch rather than the night.
Ashore
The US Virgin Islands off the boat
Not a directory. If it is here, we have sat at the table or stood at the bar.
Eat
St John for the tables, St Thomas for the first and last dinners.
- ZoZo’s at Caneel BayItalian on the point above Caneel, the dressed-up dinner of the week.
- The Longboard, Cruz BayFish tacos and rum in St John’s little town, after clearing in.
- Old Stone Farmhouse, St ThomasDinner in a 200-year-old plantation building above Mahogany Run.
Drink and dance
Quiet by Virgin Islands standards. The British side has the beach bars.
- Cruz Bay sunsetThe Beach Bar on the sand in Cruz Bay for the last rum before the park goes dark.
- Lime OutA floating taco bar in Coral Bay, St John. Swim up.
Do
The park, above and below the water.
- Snorkel the Trunk Bay trailMarked underwater, shallow, for everyone. Go early.
- Turtles at Maho BayFloat over the seagrass and wait. They surface beside you.
- Charlotte Amalie’s old townDanish warehouses turned into galleries and jewellers. An hour, no more.
Where it sits
The US Virgin Islands on the chart
St Thomas and St John are the western end of the Virgin Islands and the natural start and finish of a Virgins week, an hour from the British border at Soper’s Hole.
Drag to move. Double-click or ctrl-scroll to zoom.Zoom with the buttons, then drag to move.
When
When to be in The US Virgin Islands
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
- December to April: the season, with steady trades and the park at its calmest.
- Christmas and New Year: St John’s bays fill with boats; the moorings are first come, first served.
- March: St Thomas Carnival builds through April. Lively, if the dates line up.
- May to November: hot and quiet, hurricane season from July.
Itineraries
Itineraries that call at The US Virgin Islands
Full plans, day by day, with the boat each one runs on. Send one to the people coming with you; we reshape it around your yacht and dates.
A week in the Virgin Islands
St John7 stopsSt Thomas
From St Thomas: St John's park, the Caves at Norman Island, the Baths, Anegada's lobster and the Soggy Dollar. The first charter we recommend to most families.
Open
St Barths then the Virgin Islands
St Barths8 stopsSt John
A weekend in St Barths and Anguilla's beach picnic, an overnight passage downwind, then a week in the Virgins. St Maarten to St Thomas.
OpenYachts
Yachts in the Caribbean now
Boarding in Charlotte Amalie, fifteen minutes from the airport.
CORAL OCEAN
Lürssen · 73m · 1994, refit 2026
12 guests | 6 cabins | 28 crew
€650k – 790k
NAILED IT
Viking Yachts · 25m · 2017, refit 2026
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
US$55k
MAVERICK
Mangusta (Overmarine) · 50m · 2022
12 guests | 6 cabins | 11 crew
US$295k – 320k
BARBARA
Oceanco · 89m · 2017
12 guests | 8 cabins | 27 crew
Price on request
ADASTRA
Moonen · 37m · 2025
10 guests | 5 cabins | 8 crew
US$168k – 182k
SEA CLASS
Christensen · 47m · 1997, refit 2024
12 guests | 6 cabins | 10 crew
US$190k – 230k
NORMA JEAN
Palmer Johnson · 46m · 2009, refit 2024
10 guests | 5 cabins | 8 crew
US$160k – 180k
SLIPSTREAM
CMN · 60m · 2009
12 guests | 6 cabins | 15 crew
€350k – 455k
SEVEN SINS
Sanlorenzo · 52m · 2017
10 guests | 5 cabins | 11 crew
US$300k – 315k
CynderElla
Hargrave · 35m · 2022
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
US$125k – 145k
JODI ANN
Benetti · 43m · 2019, refit 2025
10 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
US$199k – 228k
SYNTHESIS
Amels · 74m · 2021, refit 2026
12 guests | 6 cabins | 19 crew
US$830k – 930k
BLU
Breaux Bay · 38m · 1979, refit 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 6 crew
US$95k – 115k
SYCARA V
Nobiskrug · 68m · 2010, refit 2024
12 guests | 7 cabins | 16 crew
US$650k
LAURENTIA
Heesen · 55m · 2017
12 guests | 6 cabins | 13 crew
Price on request
NEFESH
Lagoon · 23m · 2022
6 guests | 3 cabins | 4 crew
€49k – 69k
OCULUS
Numarine · 37m · 2024
12 guests | 6 cabins | 7 crew
US$180k – 210k
NORTH STAR
Sunrise Yachts · 63m · 2019, refit 2021
12 guests | 6 cabins | 16 crew
€430k
HEMISPHERE
Pendennis · 44m · 2011, refit 2023
12 guests | 5 cabins | 10 crew
US$260k – 280k
SURINA
Trident · 45m · 2000, refit 2022
10 guests | 5 cabins | 8 crew
US$148k – 168k
LA LA LAND
Sanlorenzo · 44m · 2023
12 guests | 5 cabins | 10 crew
€325k – 390k
ODESSA
Christensen · 49m · 2009, refit 2025
12 guests | 6 cabins | 9 crew
US$250k – 275k
ARTHURS WAY
Benetti · 44m · 2007, refit 2025
12 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
US$150k – 165k
VICTORIA DEL MAR
Delta Marine · 50m · 2006, refit 2026
12 guests | 7 cabins | 11 crew
€245k – 270k
CARPE DIEM
Trinity Yachts · 58m · 2011, refit 2024
12 guests | 6 cabins | 11 crew
€294k – 375k
BATELLO
Oceanco · 80m · 2007, refit 2025
12 guests | 9 cabins | 26 crew
€735k – 850k
LES CINQ
Feadship · 76m · 2025
12 guests | 6 cabins | 21 crew
€825k – 930k
LAUREL
Delta Marine · 73m · 2006, refit 2014
12 guests | 7 cabins | 24 crew
€525k
DIRT POOR
Trinity Yachts · 49m · 2007, refit 2026
12 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
US$195k – 225k
BATON ROUGE
Icon · 63m · 2010, refit 2026
12 guests | 7 cabins | 18 crew
€455k – 500k
JOY
Feadship · 70m · 2016
12 guests | 7 cabins | 19 crew
€650k – 780k
ALTA
Palmer Johnson · 44m · 2004, refit 2024
11 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
€185k – 220k
REMEMBER WHEN
Christensen · 49m · 2011, refit 2024
12 guests | 6 cabins | 10 crew
US$230k – 260k
TITANIA
Lurssen · 73m · 2006, refit 2018
12 guests | 7 cabins | 21 crew
€660k – 760k
AKULA
Baglietto · 52m · 2024
10 guests | 5 cabins | 10 crew
US$325k – 350k
AS YOU WISH
Westport · 50m · 2011, refit 2026
12 guests | 7 cabins | 11 crew
US$252k – 277k
KOJU
Benetti · 37m · 2022
10 guests | 5 cabins | 8 crew
US$160k – 175k
HOLDIN' MY OWN
Turquoise · 55m · 2011, refit 2026
12 guests | 6 cabins | 13 crew
€350k – 390k
SIREN
Nobiskrug · 74m · 2008, refit 2018
12 guests | 6 cabins | 18 crew
€500k – 580k
Katana
Westport · 26m · 2012
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
US$48k – 54k
AVALON
Delta Marine · 46m · 2009, refit 2024
12 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
US$185k – 230k
DEJA TOO
Amels · 52m · 2003, refit 2025
11 guests | 6 cabins | 13 crew
€259k – 280k
AWAY
Sanlorenzo · 37m · 2009, refit 2023
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
US$120k – 145k
ILLUSION
Heesen · 65m · 2013, refit 2019
12 guests | 6 cabins | 15 crew
Price on request
MUCHOS MAS
Crescent Yachts · 44m · 2016, refit 2025
11 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
US$198k – 238k
ATLAS
Lurssen · 74m · 2007, refit 2026
12 guests | 6 cabins | 19 crew
US$950k
SPIRIT
Amels · 54m · 2011, refit 2025
12 guests | 6 cabins | 14 crew
€295k – 325k
MOUSEA
Sunseeker · 40m · 2016, refit 2026
10 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
€169k – 187k
48 yachts in rotation. The order changes with every visit so no boat is always last.
Questions we get asked
The US Virgin Islands, answered
Common questions
Why start a Virgin Islands charter in St Thomas?
The flights. St Thomas has direct services from New York, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte and more, and the yacht is fifteen minutes from the terminal. The British islands are an hour east and the crew clear you in on the first morning.
Do we need passports between the US and British Virgin Islands?
Yes. The crew handle the paperwork at Soper’s Hole going east and Cruz Bay coming back, and guests rarely leave the boat for it.
What is special about St John?
Two thirds of it is national park, so the bays have no buildings behind them and the water is protected. Turtles at Maho, the snorkel trail at Trunk, and the calmest anchorages in the Caribbean.
Is St Croix part of the week?
Not usually. It sits forty miles south on its own and a week is better spent inside the channel. We add it on longer charters for the diving at Buck Island.
Want The US Virgin Islands in your week?
Tell us the dates and who is coming. We will say which nights to give it, which berth to hold, and whether the week you want is still open.