Best time to charter a catamaran or yacht in the British Virgin Islands

Best month to sail the BVI: cheapest September (€6,816/wk), sweet spot December, January and May, priciest March. Prices, temperature, wind by month.

Updated 28 Oct 2026By the Catamaran Index editorial teamMethodology

Cheapest month

€6,816/week

September

Source: 12 Knots, checked 27 Oct 2026

Sweet spot (our rule)

December, January and May

Warm, not peak-priced; from €8,222/week

Sources: 12 Knots, NASA POWER, checked 27 Oct 2026

Priciest month

€9,773/week

March

Source: 12 Knots, checked 27 Oct 2026

Hurricane season

Jun–Nov

Most activity mid-Aug to mid-Oct

Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center, checked 27 Oct 2026

The best-value months to charter a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands are August, September and October: €6,816 per week in September against €9,773 in March, in 12 Knots' average asking prices (updated October 2026) (12 Knots, checked 27 Oct 2026). The best weather months are December to May, outside the hurricane season, at 26–27 °C mean air temperature (our calculation from NASA POWER data at Road Town, Tortola (NASA POWER, checked 28 Oct 2026)); the sweet spots are December (€8,885, 27 °C), January (€8,813, 26 °C) and May (€8,222, 27 °C); avoid August to October, the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season (1 June–30 November, most activity mid-August to mid-October) (NOAA National Hurricane Center, checked 27 Oct 2026), which is when prices are lowest, and February to April if price matters (from €9,097).

Last checked: 27 Oct 2026 (prices) and 28 Oct 2026 (weather). Prices are average weekly asking prices for catamarans (bareboat and crewed mixed), before extras. "Best value", "best weather", "sweet spot" and "avoid" are our rules on the sourced figures (how we decide). Planning around a month instead? See where to sail by month.

British Virgin Islands month by month: price, temperature and wind

Month	Avg. weekly price	vs cheapest month	Mean air temp	Mean wind	Our verdict
January	€8,813	+29%	26 °C	13 kn	Sweet spot
February	€9,390	+38%	26 °C	14 kn	Peak price · Warm
March	€9,773	+43%	26 °C	12 kn	Peak price · Warm
April	€9,097	+33%	27 °C	12 kn	Peak price · Warm
May	€8,222	+21%	27 °C	12 kn	Sweet spot
June	€7,848	+15%	28 °C	13 kn	Hurricane season
July	€7,448	+9%	29 °C	14 kn	Hurricane season
August	€6,868	+1%	29 °C	13 kn	Best value · Hurricane peak
September	€6,816	cheapest	29 °C	11 kn	Best value · Hurricane peak
October	€7,134	+5%	29 °C	10 kn	Best value · Hurricane peak
November	€8,100	+19%	28 °C	12 kn	Hurricane season
December	€8,885	+30%	27 °C	13 kn	Sweet spot

Bold prices are the three cheapest months. Prices: (12 Knots, checked 27 Oct 2026). Air temp and wind: Air temp = NASA POWER monthly mean 2 m air temperature (T2M); wind = monthly mean 10 m wind speed (WS10M), converted from m/s to knots (kn) with 1 m/s = 3600/1852 kn. For each calendar month we average the 2016–2025 values (10 full years). POWER's meteorological grid is ½° latitude by ⅝° longitude (roughly 55 × 50 km at these latitudes), so one cell cannot show local sea breezes or coast-to-hill temperature differences. They are our calculation of average conditions, not a forecast, not gusts, and not sea conditions. Mean wind is lower than the peak winds you will feel on the water. Reference point: Road Town, Tortola. Weather data obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center's Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) Project, funded through the NASA Earth Science Division (pulled 2026-10-28) (NASA POWER, checked 28 Oct 2026). We changed the data: we averaged the monthly values for 2016–2025 and converted wind from m/s to knots (our calculation).

When is the cheapest time to charter in the British Virgin Islands?

The three cheapest months for a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands are August, September and October (12 Knots, checked 27 Oct 2026):

August: €6,868 per week, mean air temperature 29 °C, mean wind 13 kn (peak of the hurricane season).
September: €6,816 per week, mean air temperature 29 °C, mean wind 11 kn (peak of the hurricane season).
October: €7,134 per week, mean air temperature 29 °C, mean wind 10 kn (peak of the hurricane season).

The cheapest month costs 30% less than the priciest (€6,816 against €9,773; our arithmetic). All-in and per-person costs by month: British Virgin Islands catamaran cost.

When is the best weather for sailing in the British Virgin Islands?

Our best-weather months for the British Virgin Islands are December to May: mean air temperature of 20 °C or more at Road Town, Tortola, outside the hurricane season (our rule on 2016–2025 NASA POWER data (NASA POWER, checked 28 Oct 2026)). Of these, December, January and May are not among the three priciest months, which makes them our sweet spot: December €8,885 per week at 27 °C; January €8,813 per week at 26 °C; May €8,222 per week at 27 °C.

June to November is the Atlantic hurricane season, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October (NOAA National Hurricane Center, checked 27 Oct 2026). That is also when charter prices are lowest, so the cheapest weeks carry the most weather risk; check your operator's hurricane policy and consider travel insurance.

Which months should you avoid in the British Virgin Islands?

On price: February, March and April, the three priciest months (February €9,390, March €9,773, April €9,097), unless those are the only weeks you can travel.
On weather: August to October, the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season (1 June–30 November, most activity mid-August to mid-October) (NOAA National Hurricane Center, checked 27 Oct 2026).

Who should go when

On a budget: go in August, September and October (from €6,816 per week). The cheapest best-weather month is May at €8,222 (27 °C). The cheapest months are the hurricane peak; if you book them, check the cancellation terms first.
Families: the calmest best-weather months by mean wind are March (12 kn, 26 °C, €9,773), April (12 kn, 27 °C, €9,097), May (12 kn, 27 °C, €8,222). Our suggestion, not a source's: calmer, warm weeks suit children and first-time crews. A catamaran sails flatter than a monohull (catamaran vs monohull).
Experienced sailors who want wind: the windiest months at Road Town, Tortola are February (14 kn, 26 °C), June (13 kn, 28 °C), July (14 kn, 29 °C). These are monthly mean wind speeds over a ~50 km grid cell: real afternoon breezes and gusts are stronger and vary by channel and coast.

See boats in the British Virgin Islands

See catamarans for rent in the British Virgin Islands on SamBoat

We may earn a commission if you book through our links, at no extra cost to you (disclosure). Listings and prices on SamBoat are SamBoat's own; the figures on this page come from the sources below.

How we decide "best"

Best value: The 3 cheapest months of 12 Knots' monthly average weekly catamaran price (our ranking).
Warm / cool: Mean air temperature of 20 °C or more at our reference point (our threshold). Cool: below 15 °C.
Best weather: Warm (≥ 20 °C) and outside the Atlantic hurricane season (1 June–30 November, NOAA) or Tahiti's wet season (November–April, Tahiti Tourisme). Not given where we have no season or rainfall source.
Sweet spot: Best-weather months that are not among the 3 priciest months (our rule).
Avoid: The 3 priciest months (if price matters), plus August–October in hurricane areas (NOAA: most activity mid-August to mid-October) or the wet season in French Polynesia.
Families: The calmest best-weather months by mean wind (our suggestion; mean wind is not gusts or sea state).
Wind: The windiest months by mean wind speed at our reference point (our ranking).

These are our editorial thresholds applied to sourced figures, not the sources' own labels. Air temperature is not sea temperature, and mean wind is not gusts or sea state (sea temperature, waves, gusts and rainfall: not verified yet).

Sources

12 Knots: Catamaran charter in the BVI, checked 27 Oct 2026. Page states "Updated October 2026".
NASA POWER: Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources: Monthly API (T2M, WS10M), checked 28 Oct 2026. Pulled 28 Oct 2026; 2016–2025 monthly means (our calculation).
NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical cyclone climatology, checked 27 Oct 2026.

Price data for every destination: CSV. Method: methodology.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best month to charter a catamaran in the British Virgin Islands?

On our rules, December, January and May (€8,885 per week, 27 °C; €8,813 per week, 26 °C; €8,222 per week, 27 °C): warm, outside the hurricane season and not among the three priciest months. For the lowest price, September (€6,816 per week, 12 Knots, October 2026); for the warmest weather, December to May.

What is the cheapest month to sail in the British Virgin Islands?

September, at €6,816 per week on 12 Knots' average catamaran asking price (updated October 2026). The three cheapest months are August, September and October. They fall in the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season (NOAA: most activity mid-August to mid-October).

When should you avoid chartering in the British Virgin Islands?

On price, February, March and April: the three priciest months, up to €9,773 per week in March. On weather, August to October: the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season (NOAA).

When is it windiest for sailing in the British Virgin Islands?

At our reference point (Road Town, Tortola), the windiest months by mean wind speed are February (14 kn), June (13 kn), July (14 kn) and the calmest are September (11 kn), October (10 kn), November (12 kn) (our calculation from 2016–2025 NASA POWER data). Gusts and local breezes are stronger than these means.

When is hurricane season in the British Virgin Islands?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October (NOAA National Hurricane Center).