From the uninhabited Southern Islands to the bumpy backcountry of Tortola, the coconut-peppered beaches of laid-back Anegada to the bathwater beaches of Virgin Gorda, the British Virgin Islands burst with everything you’d expect of a regal destination in the midst of the Caribbean. Most travelers won’t linger in the quiet and cruise capital of Road Town. Instead, they’ll quiz their British Virgin Islands tour guide on the hidden pirate coves around Brewer's Bay and Josiah's, where rum bars now lurk between the palm groves and bougainvillea bursts from the mangroves. Others will wax up the walking boots and go intrepid, weaving deep into the paths of the legendary Mount Sage National Park in the west; a land of chirping canopies and kili kili birds, blooming fig trees and colossal cedars. However, if there’s one activity that has defined this archipelago, it’s sailing. Today, charterers and deck hands flock here by their droves in the high season, all eager to break out into the coves of Gorda Peak, sail the swells to Spanish Town, dodge underwater shipwrecks around Beef Island and wallow in the tropical sun.