Catamaran charter Tortola

Catamaran charter Tortola

On a Tortola catamaran charter with Borrow a Boat you can explore much of the Virgin Island chain within an easy sail. Whatever you want from a BVI yacht charter, from its beautiful beaches and excellent food to its fun resorts, a catamaran charter Tortola is going to be an unforgettable experience.

The biggest British Virgin Island, Tortola is an ideal location for a Leeward Island sailing holiday. Whether on a crewed charter or bareboat charter there is plenty to see and do while enjoying one of the best locations for a catamaran charter in the world.

You can access Tortola either via flying into Beef Island Airport with connections to Miami or via Cyril E King International Airport on St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and taking a ferry on to Road Town. Fom here you can join your charter yacht at the various marinas on the island.

After enjoying the hospitality of Tortola on your Tortola yacht charter, where can you go?

Little Sisters

Sailing out of one of the marinas such as Hodges Creek Marina near Road Town, a shorter BVI yacht charter can take you across the straits from the south coast of Tortola to the Little Sisters. Including Norman Island, Salt island, Peter Island, and Cooper Island, these smaller islands afford great sailing and snorkelling over the reefs. The beaches are excellent too!

Benures Bay on Norman Island lacks a beach of any consequence and is home to an inquisitive barracuda but with these issues (barracudas like people's jewellery so don't wear anything shiny!) Benures Bay is a renowned snorkelling destination thanks to its gin clear waters and sheer beauty.

Beef Island and Nearby Islands

Beef Island is home to the airport on Tortola. Connected by road to the main island of Tortola, it is also home to the most child friendly Full Moon party in the BVIs - Trellis Bay is very popular among family groups for the events, which are a lot more structured and less hedonistic than many such parties around the islands!

To the north of Beef Island lies one of the many protected natural reserves of BVI, Guana Island - an ideal place to chill out after a wild night at Trellis Bay perhaps!

Close to Guana Island is the small private island of Scrub island Resort. As with Peter Island in the Little Sisters this is a wholly owned private resort but catering to honeymooners and providing top level luxury is a great location to spend a few days relaxing on your charter holiday.

Other British Virgin Islands

To the north of Tortola is Jost Van Dyke, a great sailing destination in its own right. You should drop anchor at White Bay (an alternative location for Full Moon parties if you don't have kids around) and perhaps moor in Great Harbour which is renowned for its snorkeling and beaches.

Virgin Gorda is a smaller island to the east of Tortola. A great charter destination in its own right, you will find a wealth of excellent resorts, good restaurants and shopping.

US Virgin Islands

Whether on a longer crewed charter or bareboat charter out of Tortola, you can explore the US Virgin Island group of islands or even get as far as Puerto Rico. The two nearest islands to Tortola, St John and St Thomas, are a good mix of quiet nature reserves and in the case of Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas, an excellent duty free shopping destination with top quality restaurants and bars.

Whatever you want from a British Virgin Island catamaran charter, from the brilliant sailing to quiet sandy beaches and fun ashore, you will likely be able to tailor your sailing vacation to maximise your time here. Book your BVI yacht charter with Borrow a Boat today!

Crewed Catamaran Charters from Tortola

You don't need to worry about being an experienced sailor or even sailing the boat out of Tortola with Borrow a Boat! A Tortola crewed charter (private yacht charter) on a motor boat or sailing catamaran private yacht can mean you do as much or as little physically sailing the yacht as you like on your yacht charter holiday.

A skippered yacht charter or will mean that the catamaran company's skipper will be aboard with their own cabin to attend to all your needs. A crewed yacht charter will involve one or two crew on the boat trip who will cook, sail and make suggestions as to your best destinations on your sailing itinerary. With their local knowledge, even if you're an experienced sailor you can enjoy a perfect yacht charter holiday.

One of the advantages of a crewed yacht charter sailing vacation on crewed yachts is that you can go longer distances from the yacht charter base. A longer run to Puerto Rico or other Leeward island is possible on a Tortola crewed catamaran charter.

As to you? You can just enjoy the breezes and views on yourluxury yacht charter, or if you fancy learning a bit about sailing, help the skipper or crew to get the boat from A-B.

A BVI crewed yacht charter will cost a little more (typically €150 a day for a skipper and €100 per crew member) and it's the done thing to thank them with a tip at the end of the week.

Bareboat Catamaran Charter From Tortola

A bareboat catamaran charter holiday will mean that you can take the charter yacht out on your own. Generally for vessels up to 20 metres LOA on a sailing license such as an RYA Day Skipper or ASA 104 Bareboat certificate, you will have total responsibility for the yacht.

You will need to think about your sailing itinerary, victualling, possible secondary ports should a marina be full, as well as issues like weather and mooring fees.

On a bareboat charter you will be asked to pay for insurance in the form of a security deposit to the charter companies on departure or through buying charter insurance before you leave the yacht charter base on your sailing trip.

Types of Catamarans Available For Rent Or Charter In Tortola:

When searching a geographical area on Borrow A Boat you can filter by the below charter yacht types. There is also the option to further filter your searches by price, the number of guests, cabins or bathrooms, what year the catamaran was launched, the boat length and the boat manufacturer.

Types of Catamarans Available:

Sailing Charter Catamaran: Luxury catamarans are stable and spacious type of sailboat charter, with quick sailing performance, and and have been gaining in popularity in recent years. Better for larger groups, these sailing yachts have lots of room for water toys such as a paddleboard or even jet ski, and are big enough for a little privacy. A catamaran charter luxury yacht is easy and comfortable for novices not used to heeling and are loved by families due to their extra space when compared to a monohull sailing yacht. Typically far more luxurious than a monohull sailboat boat charter, the larger catamarans have en suite toilets and showers in the cabin as well as ample entertaining space in the saloon and on deck.

Motor Catamaran: These power catamarans motor yacht are relatively new but have also been gaining in popularity as the two hulls keep the boat more stable when compared to a monohull. The wider beam of these motor yacht also mean more deck space and as they don't have sails or a mast, they have a lot more space on deck than a sailing catamaran rental or monohull. For a luxury catamaran charter, consider taking a crewed catamaran charter sailing vacation with an experienced skipper.

Tortola Catamaran Sailing Itineraries

On your Tortola crewed catamaran charter or bareboat charter you can explore the neqrby Little Sisters and nearby islands. Here we suggest a 7 day sailing trip and a 14 day yacht charter holiday on your charter yacht:

7 Days - Smaller British Virgin Islands: Sailing out of your Tortola marina, head south for the Little Sisters. Landing at Norman Island, Peter Island, Salt Island and Cooper Island over the first few days you can enjoy the sailing and beaches. North now and around to Guana Island for the nature, before sailing around the north coast to drop anchor at Cane Garden Bay for another evening ashore. Round the western tip of Tortola on your catamaran and back to the charter base.

14 Days - Jost Van Dyke and US Virgin Islands: Perhaps on a crewed catamaran charter you can take time to explore the other British Virgin Islands and US Virgin Island group nearby. After a couple of nights on the Little Sisters, round the east coast of Beef Island and head for Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke. Another night could be spent at White Bay(especially at Full Moon!) before heading east firstly to St John and then St Thomas. Enjoy time ashore at the national park on St John and for contrast, the cosmopolitan vibe of Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas. South now to St Croix where you can enjoy the eco-tourism on offer here and spend another night on Buck Island with its legendary snorkeling. Back to BVI now and a couple of nights on Virgin Gorda before returning your charter yacht to base on Tortola.

Do You Need A Sailing License To Charter A Catamaran In Tortola?

If you are on a skippered catamaran charter you do not need a license to sail out of Tortola, you can just turn up at the marina and go.

You do need a sailing license if you are on a bareboat catamaran charter and in some countries such as Greece a day skipper or ICC may not be enough for boats over 45 feet in length, you will need to check with the charter agent but here are some examples of typical sailing qualifications that will allow you to charter in most countries:

International Certificate of Competence: This is issued on request by your European sailing authority and you should automatically qualify with certain national sailing qualifications.

RYA Qualifications: If you have the following qualifications you will typically be able to take a bareboat charter out of Nassau (but it is worth checking as per above), these include Day Skipper (sail or motor endorsement), Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster.

American Sailing Association (ASA): The ASA 104 Bareboat certificate is commonly accepted but also check as per above

US Sailing: The International Proficiency Certificate is widely accepted and The Bareboat Cruising Certificate is also accepted in many cases.