British Virgin Islands - Security

British Virgin Islands Security for Yachts

Overall Crime and Safety

Based on reports to Noonsite from cruisers, petty theft is on the rise in the Caribbean in general. Cruisers should take basic safety precautions and use common sense when ashore. Avoid walking alone in isolated areas, especially at night. Don’t carry large amounts of cash around or wear expensive jewelry.

The risks of petty theft, pickpocketing and assault increases during regattas and festivals. Do not leave drinks unattended.

Specific Areas of Concern

You should avoid walking alone in isolated areas including beaches, particularly after dark. Although most visits to the BVI are trouble-free, serious incidents, including robbery, do occur.

Great care should be taken when driving, particularly on the mountain roads. Do not attempt the most rural roads at night, as cellphone service is spotty and breakdowns or robberies can occur.

General Maritime Issues

Dinghy thieves operate throughout the Caribbean. Be sure to lift, chain, and lock your dinghy and outboard when not in use, especially at night. When leaving your dinghy ashore, ensure that your dinghy and outboard are securely locked.

AirTags and other cell based/Bluetooth tracking devices are being used by cruisers to track their dinghys/outboards. Some thieves are aware of this practice and may detect, locate and disable them. Understand the limitations of using tracking devices. (See this May 2024 Jost Van Dyke, BVI CSSN report.) The use of GPS trackers (rather than Bluetooth trackers) is recommended. See this Report by David Lyman.

Advice throughout the Caribbean is to remove items from the deck that may be tempting for thieves. When going ashore close all hatches, lock your boat, hide valuables out of sight and secure any loose items, including fuel/jerry cans and jugs. Keep the boat well-lit to deter boarders. It is also advisable to keep your cockpit/salon areas and hatches locked at night when sleeping onboard.

A new method of corruption appearing in Caribbean islands is for a “finders” fee to be demanded when a stolen dinghy is “found”. (See this Nov 2023 Tyrell Bay, Carriacou CSSN report and this Apr 2024 Clifton Harbour, SVG CSSN report.)

Specific Areas of Concern

Dinghy and outboard thefts continue to be a problem in a number of anchorages around the islands. Cruisers in the Soper's Hole/West End area, Cane Garden Bay and Diamond Cay should be vigilant as these areas are dinghy theft hot spots.

Caribbean Safety and Security Net

The Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN) collects and shares reliable reports of crimes against yachts in the Caribbean, helping cruisers make informed decisions.  

The CSSN website offers current and past incident reports, stats, regional piracy info, and annual summaries. Here are some of the ways to use their site: 

• Subscribe to CSSN to receive free alerts via Telegram or Email. 
• View the Interactive Map to view the latest reports in your cruising area. 
• Search Reported Incidents to view reports by event type, country or key words. 
• Review Incident Statistics to view statistics by type, country and time. 
• Report an Incident if you’ve experienced or witnessed a boarding, robbery, or other security issue, report it via the CSSN Incident Reporting Form. 
• Review CSSN’s General Security Precautions for Cruisers. 

Incident Reports

Visit the CSSN BVI page or visit the CSSN Interactive Map to keep up to date with the latest incident reports.

Also review Noonsite security reports for the BVIs.

General Emergency Numbers

For more details see General Info.

Last updated:  July 2025