Sheltered bays, sailing and the gateway to the quieter Virgin Islands.
Sheltered bays, sailing and the gateway to the quieter Virgin Islands. Here is St Thomas, arranged privately — browse it by the occasion you're marking, by what moves you, or by the season that suits you best.
What an advisor can open that an algorithm cannot. Each of these is staged on your terms — the access, the timing, the people.
The bay walked at 6am before any resort vehicle reaches the parking area — the curved white crescent, the palms casting long shadows, the Caribbean at its most translucent in the morning light, the water temperature identical to the air.
A crewed sloop from Red Hook to the BVI — Norman Island's caves, the Baths at Virgin Gorda, an anchorage at Jost Van Dyke for the last rum punch of the afternoon, the US and British waters separated only by the colour of the buoys.
An estate above the Danish colonial capital — the harbour below, the cruise ships a distant irrelevance, the Caribbean spreading south, a dinner prepared by the villa's chef from the morning market while the sun drops behind Water Island.
Not a package — a starting point. Each is a journey we have designed and refined; your advisor reshapes it for the version only you would recognise.
The US Virgin Islands as a sailing family's ideal base — Magens Bay for the morning, a catamaran to St John for the reef, a snorkelling charter to the BVI for the older children, and the Saturday market in Charlotte Amalie for the adults.
A crewed yacht from Red Hook to the BVI — Norman Island's sea caves at dusk, a night at anchor in the bight of Cooper Island, the Baths of Virgin Gorda at the hour the tide pools are quietest, and the run back to Magens Bay.
A crewed yacht from Red Hook to the British Virgin Islands — Norman Island's sea caves at the hour the light comes through the entrance, a night at anchor in the bight of Beef Island, the Baths of Virgin Gorda at the tide that makes the rock pools accessible, and the run home before the trade wind drops.
The US Virgins at their most consistent — December to April brings the trade winds and the calm Caribbean, the BVI sailing season at its best, and the sort of visibility in Magens Bay that makes the water look fabricated.
Each a starting point — our advisors weave them into a single, seamless journey.
The December to April high season offers the driest, breeziest weather and the calmest water for sailing the surrounding U.S. and British Virgin Islands. As part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St Thomas lies in the hurricane belt, so June to November carries storm potential with a late-summer peak, balanced by lower rates and quieter harbors. Forest Travel builds flexibility into green-season sailing plans in case conditions shift.
A chartered yacht or catamaran day from the marinas at Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie is the defining experience, with easy runs to St John's Trunk Bay and the protected reefs, or across to the British Virgin Islands for the day. Crewed charters include a captain, chef, and snorkeling gear, and can be tailored from a half-day sail to a multi-day island-hop. The cays between St Thomas and the BVI offer some of the calmest anchorages in the Caribbean.
The East End around Red Hook and the peninsulas toward Water Bay and Nazareth are favored for villas and resorts close to the ferries and marinas, while the hills above Charlotte Amalie offer harbor-view estates. Many travelers use St Thomas as a base for day trips to nearby St John, two-thirds of which is protected national park. Four to six nights suits a mix of beach, sailing, and island day trips.
St Thomas is the natural hub: St John is a roughly twenty-minute ferry from Red Hook and rewards a day or an overnight for Trunk Bay and the national park trails, while the British Virgin Islands, including Virgin Gorda's Baths and Jost Van Dyke, are a short charter or ferry away. Note the BVI is a separate country, so passports and customs apply. Your advisor can arrange private boat transfers rather than scheduled ferries for these crossings.
As a U.S. territory, St Thomas requires no passport for U.S. citizens arriving from the mainland, which simplifies travel considerably, and Cyril E. King Airport handles direct flights from several U.S. cities. Private transfers from the airport to the East End run roughly thirty to forty minutes on the island's hilly roads. Keep in mind any same-day British Virgin Islands excursion does require a passport and a customs stop.
Every journey here is a starting point a private advisor reshapes entirely around you — your pace, your people, the St Thomas only you would recognise.
