Caribbean

BVI Yacht / Catamaran Charter: The best companies

by Paul Joseph  |  Updated October 26, 2022

Situated in the eastern Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands attract large numbers of visitors every year, including many yacht enthusiasts who come to enjoy its idyllic cruising grounds.

A catamaran moored in Leverick Bay, British Virgin Islands (Photo: Fairphotos via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)

Among the world’s most stunning beauty spots, the jaw-droppingly beautiful emerald waters that surround the island chain make the BVI a hugely popular yacht charter destination. As a result, there are a large number of companies offering charters in the area, each catering to a variety of tastes, preferences and budgets. Here are three online platforms we’d recommend you look for BVI charters.

Ritzy Charters

Ritzy Charters is our number one resource for finding private crewed luxury yachts in the BVI. The company offers over 300 yachts in the area across several categories, including motorboats, sailing boats, superyachts and catamarans. According to our searches, the cheapest available boat currently listed for charter in the BVI is priced at $5,750 per week, which gets you a 52-foot monohull sailboat that sleeps three and has a crew of two. The booking process is easy too – you simply fill in a query form with some necessary details, including number of guests, dates, itinerary and special requests, then you ask for a quote and wait for the company to send back a list of available yachts that fit your criteria.

Ritzycharters.com

SamBoat

A market leader in peer-to-peer boat rentals, SamBoat makes the rental process easy. You search for your ideal boat according to price, size, dates of travel and other requirements, then when you’ve found an available vessel that fits the bill you send a booking request to the owner. If the request is accepted, you pay your rental online, with the amount deposited to the owner on the first day of your rental. When the day comes, you board the boat and make sure it corresponds to the descriptions before signing on the dotted line and embarking on your charter adventure. When we searched for charters in the BVI, we found hundreds of vessels available (both crewed yacht charters and bareboat) with the majority being motorboats and sailboats. Prices start at $233 per week for an 9-metre motorboat that accommodates up to four people and is available with or without a skipper.

SamBoat.com

Sailo

Sailo are a highly regarded international yacht rental company that allows boat owners and renters to search for charter companies and their vessels via their platform. Users can pick from thousands of crewed and uncrewed yachts based on date, location, price, size, and former guest reviews, and you can also create custom searches crafted around your particular trip preferences. When we looked for yacht charters in the BVI, we found 297 available. If you’re looking specifically for a catamaran, then Sailo has a large number listed too.

Sailo.com

The Catamaran Company

The Catamaran Company offer worldwide catamaran hire for periods of a single day to a while month, and as everything from a bareboat charter through to with a captain and full crew. In the BVI, they pride themselves on a well-maintained fleet of 17 catamarans – the majority new – available from the company’s base in Hodges Creek Marina on the East End of Tortola, a convenient 15 minutes from Beef Island Airport (EIS). You can charter a catamaran and sail yourself, or hire a skipper for the duration of the trip. Provisions can also be ordered online and delivered to your catamaran before you head off. When we searched. Pricing currently starts at $3,429 per week for a 35-foot catamaran that accommodates up to 8 guests.

Catamarans.com

TMM Yacht Charters

Since 1979, TMM have been providing clients with first-hand local knowledge and a diverse fleet of modern yachts at competitive prices for BVI charters. As a smaller company they have time for their guests, so whatever you need to make your bareboat charter special, whether it’s the perfect yacht, champagne on arrival or anything else, their staff are on hand to help. Their charter base is located on the main island of Tortola, in the South west corner of Road Harbour – Road Reef Marina. Here, they look after a fleet of sailing catamarans, monohulls and power yachts. As well as providing a comprehensive boat search function and an easy online booking process, the website also offers travel tips on the different ways to arrive in the BVI.

Sailtmm.com