Fajardo Cays
Perfect choice for a half day charter or if just looking to anchor near a nice beach and you don’t want to cruise very far. After a short ride of 15 minutes, we can visit the nearby cays of Icacos, Diablo, Palominos, and Palominitos.
It’s great for sunset tours, romantic dinners or just cruising under the moon.
Spanish Virgin Islands: Culebra & Vieques
Mention the Virgin Islands, and most people think of the U.S. Virgin or the British Virgin Islands, but only 6 miles to the east of Puerto Rico, lays the Spanish Virgin Islands, also known as the “Passage Islands”. The Spanish Virgin Islands have always been a well-kept secret, even back in the days of Bluebeard and other famous pirates who used the islands for hide-outs.
The fact that the Marines and U.S. Navy used the islands for bombing practice until 2003 also kept land developers, commercialism, and an abundance of sailing charters away.
The result is pristine and unspoiled islands, with spacious deserted white sandy beaches; crystal clear turquoise blue water, and healthy intact reefs teeming with fish, coral, and crustaceans. There are hills to climb and explore; nearly empty anchorages, and the natural charm of the BVI from thirty-five years ago.
If you are looking for a somewhat remote pure paradise for your next vacation aboard a luxury yacht, then the Spanish Virgin Islands are your answer!
Culebra
Culebra is an 11 square mile, unspoiled beauty of an island. Attracted by its seclusion, its spectacular miles and miles of stunning beaches, is the quaint town of Dewey. The snorkeling and dive sites are possibly some of the Caribbean’s best!
Pristine coral reefs and clear calm waters provide an amazing opportunity to observe barracuda, stingrays, parrotfish, trumpet fish, blue tangs, deep purple sea fans, and a variety of colorful coral, as well as a chance to swim with sea turtles.
Another anchorage for your sailing charter is the tiny offshore cay, Culebrita. The snorkeling here is also excellent. The beaches are fabulous, especially the 400-foot white sand crescent on the northern shore.
The anchorages on Culebrita are fairly deserted during the week, but the weekends are a different story. Everyone from Puerto Rico, with a fast power boat, seems to make Culebrita the weekend party destination of choice.
After several days of solitude, it can be fun to people watch, as families laugh, dance on deck to blaring salsa music, share a drink or two with you, and then disappear at sunset.
Vieques
Twenty-one miles long and three to four miles wide, many cruisers consider the bays, coves, and beaches of this island the best of all Virgin Island anchorages.
Due to its recent history as a U.S. bombing practice site, the island has been untouched by developers, (even though other than St. Croix, is the largest island in both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.)
With a population of only 8,000 human residents living in the center part, the island is also home to a large herd of roaming goats, a few scrawny cattle, and wild Paso fino horses.
One of the highlights to visiting Vieques is a night time trip to Mosquito Bay, said to contain the highest degree of bioluminescence in the world. The huge concentrations of micro-organisms give off an eerie glow when disturbed by movement in the water. If the waters are calm, you can dinghy over from your anchorage in Ensenada Sun Bay. Otherwise, it is worth hiring one of the many private tour operators from Esperanza to take you on a night dive, kayak or electric boat trip to experience this remarkable phenomenon.
Visiting Green Beach, located at the western end of Vieques. The beach, with its narrow stretch of palm-lined sand, looks directly across the water to El Yunque in Puerto Rico, just six miles to the west.
If you are looking for undisturbed anchorages, isolated pristine white beaches, spectacular snorkeling/diving, and onshore immersion into the Spanish Caribbean culture with local residents, unaffected by tourism or development, then the Spanish Virgin Islands are for you!
These unspoiled islands and cays will provide a sailing charter opportunity completely unique from the nearby U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
To arrange your next luxury yacht charter, contact us!
US Virgin Islands: St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix
The US Virgin Islands are a nautical adventure for yacht charters. The typical Virgin Islands cruising area extends from St. Thomas in the west to Virgin Gorda to the east. The islands are outlined by the Atlantic Ocean on their north side; the calm Caribbean Sea laps on their southern shores. In the US Virgin Islands, you’ll find the pristine beaches, sparkling waters and national parks distinctive of the Caribbean. The US Virgin Islands are culturally diverse, ethnically rich, and artistically vibrant. All this makes the islands ideal for a yacht charter vacation. The Virgins Islands are famous for year-round cruising. The temperature ranges from the ’80s in winter to ’90s in summer. In the winter, there’s a slight wind shift to the north with wind speeds of 15 – 20 knots. In the summer, the winds shifts to the east-southeast and blow around 10 – 15 knots. There is no real rainy season. Showers tend to be in short bursts with blue skies to follow.
St Thomas’s, Charlotte Amalie is one of the most popular cruise ports in the Caribbean. Red Hook Bay, on the eastern side of St Thomas, is main charter base as it is a convenient place to start your charter an exploration of the Virgin Islands. Houses of Danish influence sit scattered against the backdrop of emerald green hills and rows of charter yachts lay berthed along the waterfront.
In complete contrast, by virtue of its amazing nature is St John. Comprised of the two-thirds national park, St John is arguably the most beautiful of the US Virgin Islands. Anchor in Hurricane Hole, surrounded by the National Park and few people. The rest of St John is blessed with endless white beaches and wildlife. Take a stroll along one of the walking tracks that lead to panoramic views of the emerald cays and sparkling waters.
St Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands, made up of two distinct towns – Christiansted and Frederiksted. Both towns have their own unique style. Between the two, they are well worth a visit. St Croix offers a distinct taste of Danish culture in Christiansted. The architectural quality and historical interest of Christiansted, has earned part of the town, the title of a “National Historic Site”. From St Croix, visit one of the Caribbean’s top dive spots – Buck Island.
As one of the most well-known yacht charter grounds in the Caribbean, the US Virgin Islands offers all the main types of yacht charters such as motor, sailing, bareboat charter, skippered, crewed yachts, catamaran, power boat, sailboat, luxury yachts and off-course the ever increasing super yacht charter. A yacht charter in the US Virgin Islands incorporates the stunning beauty of the Caribbean, a unique and vibrant culture, world-class resorts and duty-free shopping.
British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) lies 1200 miles South East of Miami, Florida in the Caribbean Sea. The British Virgin Islands comprises some 50 islands and is generally known as the charter capital of the world.
The Sir Francis Drake channel, which runs between Tortola, the main island and the string of islands to the south of it, makes for some of the most pleasant sailing waters to be found anywhere.
Enjoy white sandy beaches fringed with palm trees and endless coral reefs full of beautiful tropical fish. The British Virgin Islands are one of the best sailing and cruising areas in the Caribbean.
The wreck of the R.M.S Rhone has become synonymous with the British Virgin Islands’ in dive circles, regarded by many as the best wreck dive of the western hemisphere. Most of the reefs are superb for snorkeling and diving starting shallow then shelving away to 40 feet makes it excellent for all to enjoy. They are also recognized as one of the top dive destinations.