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Several resorts in the USVI and BVI have children’s learn to sail programs. The summer program at the Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda gets lots of accolades. Kids learn on small, easy-to-handle boats. They must be able to swim (seeLearn to Sail, Virgin Gorda).

Kids as well as adults can spend delightful hours strolling along a stretch of beach, picking up shells and exploring the water’s edge as they go. Rocky and reefy beaches are good bets because they get less traffic and the tide pools are home to an interesting array of creatures.

The most beautiful beach in St. Thomas, the long and spacious Magens Bay Beach is usually full of people. It’s the number one spot visitors want to see. The beach has a restaurant, watersports rentals, a nature trail, bathrooms, showers, and on weekends, crowds of locals who come to party to amplified music. While all this activity may not be your cup of tea, if you find yourself there, just head to the far ends of the beach for some quiet.

While the beach at nearby Maho Bay Camps is also called Maho Bay, this stretch of greenery-fringed white sand sits adjacent to the road. There are no services, and consequently less people, which is why locals and boaters who moor offshore, as well as independent visitors, prefer it. The snorkeling along the beach is barely mediocre, so head to the rocks along the north edge to see colorful fish. You might see a turtle or two swim across your path.

This island served as the setting forTwo on the Isle , a 1960s movie starring Sidney Poitier and John Cassavetes, which was based on a 1930s book by Robb White. The 8-acre Marina Cay is now home to a Pusser’s Hotel and Restaurant (seePusser’s, Marina Cay). Take the complimentary ferry from Trellis Bay, Tortola, and spend a day visiting the bar and the beaches, snorkeling, or taking a stroll around the island. The home White built has been restored as a reading room and book exchange.

This restaurant and shopping complex offers superb views of the island chain. The bar’s banana daiquiris are famous.

While all things nautical are the focus at Nanny Cay and its marina, it also makes a pleasant stop for folks taking in the sights. It has a few restaurants and interesting shops. Wander the adjacent boat yard to watch boat owners and crews at work maintaining their spiffy yachts. To try out the lifestyle, book a charter at the hotel or rent a power boat for a day on the blue Caribbean waters.

A mostly unpopulated island, Norman Island was reputedly the setting for Robert Louis Stevenson’s bookTreasure Island . The island’s main harbor, the Bight, draws sailors to its Pirates Bight, a bar and restaurant located on the beach, and the floating William Thornton bar and restaurant. Around the Bight sits a series of caves that make for great snorkeling. The anchorage can get busy with dinghies going to and fro, so be careful while in the water.

A handful of small resorts fringe North Sound’s shoreline. Most are reached only by complimentary boat service from Gun Creek or in the case of Biras Creek Resort, from Beef Island (seeBeef Island). The majority welcome day visitors to their restaurants and shops. Protected North Sound serves as one of the BVI’s hottest sailing destinations. Sailors on week-long charters out of Tortola and the USVI drop anchor here and head for the easy camaraderie of the bars.

The sun rises first over the US at Point Udall, the easternmost point in St. Croix. While windswept vistas are the reason to go, the area also features a monument erected for the 2000 Millennium celebration. A downhill hike to the remote Jack and Isaac Bays starts off from near the parking lot. The bays’ inaccessibility makes them safe for hikers who worry about undesirable elements lurking at the next bend in the trail.