British Virgin Islands · Experiences

BVI catamaran charters from Tortola's harbors

A BVI catamaran charter is chosen by where you sleep and how many of you there are, more than by the boat. Day sails collect from Road Town, Nanny Cay and West End; a bareboat is a yacht you skipper yourself for the week, and a crewed charter adds a captain and a cook. Read what each price includes before you compare them.

Written by Virgin Islands Villas · Updated Oct 2026

Boat charters in the BVI, side by side

Rates and phone numbers from each operator's own pages, or a recent local source where it prints none, on the day in the last column; a group size marked "about" is our read. Every listing is free; an operator can ask to be added or corrected through our contact page.
Name	What	Departs from	Group size	Rates	Phone	Checked
Kuralu Catamaran Charters Map	A 43-foot Leopard sailing catamaran and a 36-foot power catamaran; shared and private day trips.	Road Town; the power catamaran also from Manuel Reef Marina	private rate covers 10, $100 a guest above	Shared $185 to $195 a person; private $2,050 (power) to $2,250 (sail) for up to 10; fuel included	(284) 499-1313	Oct 2026
The Moorings Map	Private day sails on monohulls and catamarans up to 58 feet; skippered, crewed and bareboat charters.	Mariner Inn & Marina, Wickham's Cay II, Road Town	up to 12 day sailing; up to 10 crewed	Day sails from $775, booked on site within three weeks of sailing; longer charters quoted by date	(284) 393-2417	Oct 2026
Aristocat Daysails Map	Two sailing catamarans, a 37-foot Axopar and a 26-foot RIB; lunch and drinks on the day sails.	West End, Hannah Bay, Road Town or Hodge's Creek Marina	Pegasus up to 10; Lickety Split up to 8	Pegasus full day $2,250 to $2,750, by pickup; other boats quoted	(284) 499-1249	Oct 2026
Island Time BVI Map	Half- and full-day captained powerboat charters from 23 to 37 feet, with fuel and some drinks; no food on board.	B-Dock, Nanny Cay	up to 8 or 10, by boat	—	(284) 340-0357	Oct 2026
BVI Yacht Charters Map	Bareboat and crewed catamarans and monohulls from 30 to 54 feet, for a few days or weeks.	Ritter House Marina, Wickhams Cay 2, Road Town	about 6 to 10, by yacht	—	(284) 494-4289	Oct 2026
Horizon Yacht Charters Map	Bareboat, skippered and captain-and-chef charters from its Nanny Cay base.	Nanny Cay Marina	—	—	(284) 494-8787	Oct 2026

Choosing a BVI catamaran charter by pickup and party

Start with where you sleep. Kuralu and The Moorings leave from Road Town, Island Time and Horizon from Nanny Cay, and Aristocat collects at West End, Hannah Bay, Road Town and Hodge's Creek Marina. A house at West End is 33 minutes from Road Town by our measurement, so a pickup at that end of the island gives you back the morning.

Then count heads. Most day boats here take 8 to 12; Kuralu's private rate covers 10 and charges for each guest above that, and The Moorings' day boats go to 12. A party larger than the boat books two, and a party of two is better off buying seats on a shared sail.

Bareboat charter in the BVI, crewed, or a day sail

The three ways to go differ in who sails and who cooks. A shared day sail sells by the seat, lunch included on Kuralu's sailing catamaran, and suits a party too small to fill a boat. A private day books the whole boat and its captain, and the price reads best split across a full group. A bareboat is a yacht you skipper yourself for a few days or a week, from BVI Yacht Charters' fleet in Road Town, Horizon at Nanny Cay or The Moorings. A crewed charter adds a captain and a cook: The Moorings runs catamarans of 46 to 58 feet for up to 10, lunch included.

The tradeoff: The Moorings' low day rate holds only when you book on site at the Mariner Inn within three weeks of sailing, two in high season, and gratuities and shore meals are extra.

How much to charter a catamaran in the BVI?

For a day, from $775 to $2,750 on the operators' own pages as of October 2026, by boat and by party, with the detail in the table. Read the inclusions before the price. Kuralu includes fuel, drinks and snorkel gear; Island Time includes the captain, fuel and some drinks, with no food on board. A cheaper boat with lunch and the tip still to pay can end close to a pricier one that includes both. For a week, the term-charter companies quote by boat and date, and our sailing itinerary guide sets out how a week's route runs.

National Parks Trust moorings: 90 minutes, day use

The National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands lays day moorings at the dive and snorkel sites, and its rules are short. Every boat that ties to one needs a National Parks Mooring Permit, sold by charter companies, dive shops and the Trust's Road Town office; a foreign boat buys it at Customs on entry. Use is limited to 90 minutes, first come, first served, and the buoys are illegal to use overnight. Orange is day use without diving, white is for diving, yellow for commercial boats and blue for dinghies, per the Trust as of October 2026.

On a crewed or captained day the captain handles all of this; on a bareboat the clock and the permit are yours.

Crossing from the USVI: customs first

A boat from St. Thomas or St. John clears BVI Customs and Immigration on arrival, per the BVI Tourist Board, and the office it chooses sets the day: West End is open 8 am to 9 pm, Road Town and Spanish Town 8:30 am to 7 pm, and Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke only until 4:30 pm, as of October 2026. Everyone aboard carries a passport book, or a US passport card for a US citizen, per the Government of the Virgin Islands. St. John operators collect the BVI customs fee in cash on board, $75 to about $85 a person on their own pages as of October 2026.

Questions about boat charters in the BVI

How much does it cost to charter a catamaran in the BVI?

A private day for up to 10 on Kuralu's catamarans is $2,050 to $2,250, and a shared seat $185 to $195, with children 12 and under at $120; The Moorings' day sails start at $775 for up to 12 when booked on site within three weeks, all as printed in October 2026. Week-long charters are quoted by date.

Can you charter a boat in the BVI without a captain?

Yes, a bareboat. BVI Yacht Charters in Road Town, Horizon at Nanny Cay and The Moorings rent yachts you skipper yourself; each company sets its own rules on experience, so ask before you book. The National Parks Trust's 90-minute mooring limit then applies to you.

Can you take a charter boat from St. Thomas or St. John to the BVI?

Yes. The boat clears BVI Customs and Immigration on arrival, at West End, Road Town, Spanish Town or Great Harbour, and everyone aboard carries a passport book or, for US citizens, a passport card. St. John operators collect the customs fee in cash, $75 to about $85 a person as of October 2026.

How long can you stay on a National Parks mooring in the BVI?

Ninety minutes, first come, first served, and never overnight, per the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands as of October 2026. The boat needs the Trust's mooring permit; overnight moorings in the anchorages are a separate system.

Sources: National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands (checked Oct 16, 2026) · BVI Tourist Board (checked Oct 16, 2026) · Government of the Virgin Islands (checked Oct 16, 2026) · The Moorings (checked Oct 16, 2026) · Kuralu Catamaran Charters (checked Oct 16, 2026)