Virgin Islands | View a sample itinerary for this location

Consider Bliss.
Complete and utter bliss. Each and every one of us has a different definition of bliss. And utter bliss is what a charter holiday is all about. If you have never experienced a charter holiday, you owe it to yourself to read on, to discover how wonderful this type of vacation can be.

Bliss. A state of mind, a state of being. Doing something you want to do, but never seem to have time to do in your usual busy day-to-day life. When was the last time you had a chance to curl up with a good book, even for a half hour? Or enjoyed the simple serenity of a cup of coffee cradled in your hands, watching the sun advance over the horizon, with the sounds of the birds overhead and the sea softly kissing the sides of the yacht?

Perhaps the excitement of casinos is your idea of bliss. The thrill of playing your favorites games into the wee hours of the morning, coupled with the secure knowledge that when you do retire, you can sleep as long as you wish. Toys. You say you have to have toys? Jet skiis, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, scuba diving, tubing? No problem, what do you want to do first? Or is bliss defined by you as a combination of everything above? Oh yes, you want access to a computer and the internet to check for important emails and to get some work done.

This is where the work your charter agent does becomes essential. They will match you, your desires (and budget!) to the yacht and crew that will best fulfill your needs and desires. Things to think about before you call your charter agent: how many people will be going on the charter? What’s your budget? What do you and your group like to do? Are you looking for adventure? Quiet? Sailing? Speed? Do you want to go to a “usual” charter place, or to try someplace new? If you have never chartered before, the choices might seem overwhelming, but the agents are trained to take care of you and consider specifics that are important, but might now occur to you. If you don’t have an agent, just look in the front of the catalog for a list of charter agents. All the yachts that appear in the catalog are multiple listed, so any agent can help you with any yacht. The choice is yours!

The U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands are a wonderful choice for a charter holiday, whether it is your first time to charter, or your one hundred and first time. The reasons they are a top choice are many: easy to get to, with non-stop jet service from the U.S. into St. Thomas. Crystal clear blue waters to play in. They are close together, so getting from one place to another is quick and easy. The waters are protected, so you will have very few, if any, waves to make your passage bouncy. For those who love to sail, small waves and lots of wind makes for…well, bliss! Ready? Let’s get started!

Our journey started at the St. Thomas airport. I joined up with several pals after disembarking from the jet we had arrived on. Entering the St. Thomas airport, a rum punch, made with locally made Cruzan Rum, is handed to you. Nice way to start a holiday! We collected our bags, and one of the crew members from D’Natalin gathered us and led us to the car that Captain John had sent for us. Arriving at the yacht, we had met the rest of the crew, picked our cabins and settled in. Do you consider shopping an action sport? If so, you are in for a great time. Just be warned: the shops in Charlotte Amlie close promptly at 5:00 P.M, and don’t open at all on Sundays. If there are cruise ships in the harbor, the shopping can move from an action sport to full contact sport! For duty-free shopping, this is the place to be: everything from perfume to jewelry to antiques to designer clothing. It’s all there. Just remember your credit card.

If you leave before you are shopped out, don’t despair, there is shopping available at every port of call in the Virgin Islands. Of course, that might mean there is only one shop, and the selection is limited, but at least there IS shopping. There are several art galleries and interesting boutiques on St. John in Cruz Bay at both Wharfside Village and Mongoose Junction. In the British Virgin Islands, Soper’s Hole, at West End on Tortola and Roadtown will give you ample opportunity to use your charge card. Quite often, the merchandise is handmade and unique. So, for heavens sakes, if you see something you like, BUY IT! You probably won’t see it again and you probably won’t return to that same port again on your holiday. I still wish I had bought that lovely aquamarine fused glass bowl when we were at Mongoose Junction. Luckily, Kim, one of the pals in the group, DID realize that when an opportunity presents itself…buy it. She found the perfect wedding band, got the approval of all the girlfriends in the group (much to the shopkeepers relief and the other shoppers amusement) and bought it.

Congratulations, Kim, on finding the perfect man to spend your life with, and the perfect ring to wear to celebrate your marriage. St. John is simply an amazing island. I’m obviously not the only one who thinks so, because in 1952, a young American sailor fell in love with it. Naturally, he bought most of it. Of course, that sailor happened to be named Rockefeller. Now, thanks to Laurence Rockefeller, more than half of St. John is protected National Park land. There are 32 hiking trails of differing degrees of difficulty and length that are managed by the Virgin Island National Park Service. Even short trails can introduce you to a number of diverse experiences: from beautiful, pristine forest areas to ancient petroglyphs and open, cactus-studded scrubland. Add it up: great shopping, expanses of protected parkland, protected coves with white sand beaches around every headland; St. John is simply wonderful.

Snorkeling and scuba diving in the Virgin Islands are a great way to help burn off some of those calories you will consume, thanks to your incredible chef. Most yachts do Rendezvous Diving. The local dive shop will know all the best dive sites and be able to maximize your enjoyment underwater, based on skill level, water and weather conditions. Snorkelers, on the other hand, simply have to grab a mask, fins and snorkel and flop over the side. Most charter boats carry a full complement of snorkeling equipment if you don’t want to drag your own along. Onboard D’Natalin, we snorkeled every day, and every time, by the time we had returned from our adventure, we all swore it was better than the one before. The Dogs, on the North end of the Sir Francis Drake Channel, between Tortola and Virgin Gorda, are often untenable, as the water is too rough to anchor comfortably. We were fortunate, the winds and waves were calm and afforded us the chance to snorkel this incredible site. Because few people visit it, the fish life was abundant, as well as seafans and corals, both staghorn and brain coral. In addition, I sighted several beautiful Flamingo Tongues, those designer-garbed snails that love to hang out, showing off their colors against purple seafans! Perfect for snorkeling, it was also deep enough (about 20-25 feet) for an excellent dive. There was a small white sand beach for walking, with sea glass, tumbled smooth by the waves, waiting to be picked up to be displayed upon my return home.

Need a little more action? How about fishing? There are two types of sport fishing in the Virgin Islands, three if you add in “off the swim platform” fishing! Quite a few yachts have large center console tenders, rigged for fishing; or you can hire a local guide and his fishing vessel. Inshore fishing trips (within sight of land), usually focus on tarpon, permit, snook, barracuda, and jacks. If you want to go after billfish, offshore at either the South Drop or the North Drop is where you will head. Marlin season is June to October, but have been caught year round. However, if marlin is illusive, bait fish like mahi mahi, wahoo and tuna are also an excellent catch. For a change of pace, there is always the ever popular: Swim Platform Fishing Expedition. It’s easy: stand on the swim platform in the early evening, stars spangling the sky overhead. But you’re not looking up at the heavens, you’re looking down into the inky water below. Because your friend is helpfully shining a flashlight into the water and the light is attracting hug tarpon to swarm below you. A crew member hands you a spinning rod so you can have the fun of trying to catch one of these monsters on light tackle. The tarpon have nothing to fear, as the barb on the hook has been filed off, so in the(very) unlikely event you might actually hook one; with a good shake, Mr. Tarpon will be on his way. Lots of laughs and now you, too, will have a fishing tale about “the big one that got away”!

History buffs, rejoice! Every island in the Virgin Islands has a museum, a fort or even a story about it. There is a large fort at Charlotte Amalie, plus The Weibel Museum, Haagensen House Museum, and 7 Arches Museum. Underwater: the ever popular Wreck of the Rhone, off Salt Island in the BVIs, and of course, Norman Island... immortalized in Robert Louis Stevensen’s: Treasure Island. Other things to do: golf at Mahogany Run on St. Thomas, featuring the “Devil’s Triangle,” the 13th, 14th and 15th holes that overlook the Atlantic Ocean. Take a ride on the Caribbean’s only “ski lift”, the St. Thomas Skyride that makes a 700 foot ascent from Charlotte Amalie to Paradise Point.

There is plenty to do on a charter. The best part is that you can do it all, or you can finally find time to slow down. Every yacht has special places for stolen moments of quiet, and D’Natalin, has a plethora of them. For listening to the soft music of a tropical evening the perfect place is the curved stairs leading down to the swim platform was a perfect place for leaning up against the hull, feet braced against the opposite wall. Early mornings: ensconced in a deck chair, all the way up on the sky bridge. From this vantage point, you embrace the softness of the sun as it peeps over the mountains, its promise of heat as the day advances, but as yet, merely a welcome warmth. Every yacht has special places. Finding them is the best treasure hunt you can do on-board.

You can see the sea-change in your friends and feel it in yourself, as time slows down, the knot in your shoulder miraculously disappears, the laptops and cell phones make few and fewer appearances. By the third or fourth day, naps become the order of the day. You will learn to recognize your friends by their feet, propped up on a pillow, or sprawled across a sunbed; the person attached to them will swear they are only “resting their eyes”. Bliss. Whatever it is to you, you will find it on a charter yacht. Your first step to that wonderful state of being is simply to pick up the phone and call the charter agent who will make it happen.

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