CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons (Cemerp)Anchorage· Jost Van Dyke· Virgin Islands (BVI, USVI and Spanish Virgins)
White Bay Mooring Field (Jost Van Dyke)
18° 26.5′ N · 64° 45.9′ W
A dazzling reef-sheltered beach split by rocks into a west side (Soggy Dollar, Hendo's, Coco Loco, One Love) and a quieter east side (Ivan's). Swim ashore for a Painkiller; it is the BVI's most iconic, and most crowded, lunch stop.
Practical
Coordinate is a 2011 cruiser's anchored position (18°26.53'N 64°45.85'W) on the west side. Enter only through the marked gaps in the reef (see White Bay Reef Gap); 2.5 to 5 m (8 to 16 ft) inside, sand, very tight swinging room on busy days. There are a few moorings on the east side; pay at Ivan's (Yacht Warriors). Several charter companies redline White Bay; check your briefing. Day-trip boats from the USVI and cruise-ship charters crowd it from late morning; arrive early or come after about 4 pm. Hazards: groundings on the reef, dragging into other boats, backwinding in strong NE trades that can push you toward the beach, and northerly ground swells wrapping around the west end. Not a safe overnight in squalls or swell; better overnights are Great Harbour or Diamond Cay. No dinghy dock: beach the dinghy or swim. Dinghy thefts have been reported here.
Best for
Daytime swim-ashore beach bar stop
Season
Best in settled trades; avoid in northerly ground swell and squalls
Itineraries that stop here
Nearby
- Coco Loco (White Bay)0.1 NM away
- Gertrude's Beach Bar (White Bay)0.1 NM away
- Hendo's Hideout0.1 NM away
- One Love Bar & Grill0.1 NM away
- Soggy Dollar Bar0.1 NM away
- Great Harbour to White Bay Walk0.2 NM away
- Ivan's Stress Free Bar0.3 NM away
- Great Harbour Customs & Immigration (Jost Van Dyke Port of Entry)0.6 NM away