Peter Island

Peter Island is the quietest stop on the southern channel and rewards charterers who make the effort to stay. Sprat Bay and Great Harbour both sit on the north coast, a short sail apart: Sprat Bay has the Drunken Pelican right on the waterfront and mooring balls managed through the marina, and Great Harbour has Ocean's 7 Yacht Club, one of the more underrated dinner spots in the BVI. Little Harbour, east of Great Harbour, is the quiet option with no facilities at all. Deadman's Bay on the east end is a day stop only, exposed and beautiful, worth every minute of the sail over.

Peter Island sits directly south of Tortola across the Sir Francis Drake Channel — the largest privately held island in the BVI, with Peter Island Resort as its main attraction. The anchorages and beaches are open to visiting boats regardless, and the island has more to offer than its reputation as a resort destination suggests.

Sprat Bay and the Drunken Pelican

Sprat Bay on the northwest shore is the main stop for charterers. The anchorage is well protected with mooring balls managed through the marina office, and the Drunken Pelican bar sits right on the water. It is a good afternoon stop with cold drinks, a decent menu, and the kind of quiet that is harder to find than it used to be in the BVI. The marina has fuel and water. Reserve a mooring if you plan to stay overnight during peak season.

The resort facilities at Sprat Bay are pleasant and the beach is genuinely nice. Unlike some of the more crowded BVI stops, Sprat Bay stays calm well into the afternoon, and the approach from the Drake Channel is straightforward with good visibility to the anchorage.

Great Harbour and Ocean's 7

Great Harbour, a short sail east of Sprat Bay on the same north coast, is worth the detour. Ocean's 7 Yacht Club is tucked inside the harbour and has earned a quiet reputation among regular BVI charterers for both the food and the setting. It does not have the name recognition of some of the larger operations in the BVI, which is exactly why the experience is better. Reservations are recommended for dinner. The anchorage is well protected from the trade winds.

Little Harbour

Little Harbour, east of Great Harbour, offers a quieter overnight alternative. There are no facilities here and that is the point. It is the kind of anchorage that gives you a full evening to yourselves with nothing to do but watch the stars come out over the channel.

Deadman's Bay

Deadman's Bay on the east end of the island is one of the most visually striking spots in the southern BVI. A long crescent of white sand faces open ocean with green hills rising behind it. The anchorage is exposed, and it shows: the swell comes in from the east and the bay is not suitable for overnight. Come for the morning, swim, walk the beach, and leave before the afternoon wind builds. The Willy T wreck sits in about 35 to 65 feet of water just off Key Bay on Peter Island's south side. The original floating bar at Norman Island was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017, and the Beyond the Reef non-profit sank the hull here in 2019 to create an artificial reef. A new Willy T returned to The Bight at Norman Island after the storm and is still operating there. Access to the wreck is five dollars per person through the Boatyball platform. Worth doing if you have divers aboard.