Best anchorages and harbours in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

Poblado de Boquerón

Waterfront of the village of Boquerón, El Poblado, in the municipality of Cabo Rojo, at the head of Boquerón Bay on the west coast of Puerto Rico.

Nathaniel Bay

Bay on the east shore of Coral Bay, St. John, just south of Hurricane Hole.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SW, S, SE

La Parguera Est

Anchorage in the mangroves 3.3 NM east of La Parguera and 0.6 NM north-west of Punta Montalva, on the south-west coast of Puerto Rico.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, S, SE

Caneel Bay

Bay on the north-west coast of St. John within Virgin Islands National Park, off the former Caneel Bay resort, about 2 km north-east of Cruz Bay.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Inner Brass

Anchorage off Inner Brass, the nearer of the two Brass islands off the north coast of St. Thomas.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Leinster Bay

Mooring field in Leinster Bay on the north shore of St. John, within Virgin Islands National Park, off Waterlemon Cay and below the ruins of the Annaberg sugar plantation.

• Paid
• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE

Cayo Icacos

Anchorage on the lee side of Cayo Icacos, in La Cordillera Reef Natural Reserve, 2.2 NM north-east of Las Croabas and 3.5 NM from the Fajardo marinas.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Villa Parguera

Anchorage off the fishing village of La Parguera, officially Villa Parguera, in the municipality of Lajas on the south-west coast of Puerto Rico, beside Isla Magueyes.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Bahía de Almodóvar

Reef-enclosed lagoon on the east coast of Culebra, facing Culebrita, 2.7 NM from Dewey.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

IGY American Yacht Harbor

Marina of 123 berths, four of them for superyachts, at Red Hook on the east end of St. Thomas, beside the ferry terminal for St. John.

Ensenada, Bahía de Guánica

Anchorage off Ensenada, on the western shore of Guánica bay, a natural harbour on the south-west coast of Puerto Rico.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW, S

Cayo Aurora

Anchorage off Cayo Aurora, the western of the three Cayos de Caña Gorda off Guánica, nicknamed Gilligan's Island since the 1970s after the television series.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, S, SE

Crown Bay Marina

Marina of 99 berths in Crown Bay, west of Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, taking yachts up to 200 feet, about 61 metres, close to Cyril E. King airport.

Palm Tree Swing, Esperanza

Anchorage at the western end of the Esperanza bay, south coast of Vieques, 0.3 NM west of the village.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Cowpet Bay

Bay on the east end of St. Thomas, home of the St. Thomas Yacht Club, facing Great St. James to the south-east.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Hassel Island, north-west side

Anchorage off the north-west side of Hassel Island in Charlotte Amalie harbour on St. Thomas, opposite Frenchtown and close to Haulover Cut. Most of the island belongs to Virgin Islands National Park.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE

Patillas

Anchorage off the beach at Patillas, on the south-east coast of Puerto Rico, 17.5 NM east of Salinas.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Playa Carlos Rosario

Mooring field off Playa Carlos Rosario, on the north-west coast of Culebra, 2.1 NM from Dewey and 0.9 NM west of Flamenco.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Francis Bay

Bay on the north shore of St. John within Virgin Islands National Park, with 29 moorings and one of the park's two designated anchorages offshore.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Mosquito Bay

Anchorage off the mouth of Puerto Mosquito, the bioluminescent bay of Vieques listed by Guinness World Records as the brightest in the world, 1.7 NM east of Esperanza.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Monte Pirata SW

Anchorage on the south-west coast of Vieques below Monte Pirata, the highest point of the island at about 290 metres, 5.8 NM west of Esperanza.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Playa del Medio

Anchorage off Playa del Medio on the west coast of Vieques, 0.4 NM south of Punta Arenas, inside the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Santa Maria Bay

Bay with a beach on the north coast of St. Thomas, west of Hull Bay towards the West End.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Green Cay Marina at Tamarind Reef Resort

Marina of 154 berths at Tamarind Reef Resort on the north-east coast of St. Croix, about 4 km east of Christiansted and under 3 miles from Buck Island.

Frederiksted

Open roadstead off Frederiksted, on the west coast of St. Croix, beside the town's cruise ship pier.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Buck Island, St. Thomas

Moorings on the west side of Buck Island, the small island and National Wildlife Refuge off the south-east coast of St. Thomas.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Bahía de San Juan

Anchorage in San Juan Bay, 0.8 NM south of the walls of Old San Juan, on the north coast of Puerto Rico.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Mangroves

Anchorage among the mangrove cays 3.2 NM south-east of Salinas, west of the entrance to Jobos Bay on the south coast of Puerto Rico.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S

Tektite Reef

Dive mooring off Cabritte Horn, on the east side of Great Lameshur Bay on St. John, over the reef where the Tektite underwater habitat sat in 1969 and 1970.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, S, SE

Trunk Bay

Bay on the north shore of St. John within Virgin Islands National Park, with the park's underwater snorkelling trail around Trunk Cay.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE