North Sound is located, as the name suggests, on the northern end of Virgin Gorda. North Sound is about 5 miles northeast of Spanish Town and 13 miles east of Fat Hogs Bay on Tortola. Inside North Sound are a variety of anchorages, bays, creeks, and reefs to explore.

The primary entrance to North Sound, as shown above, is between Colquhon Reef (to the right in the image above) and Cactus Point, which extends west off Prickly Pear Island (to the left in the image above).

North of the entrance to North Sound on approach, you must first clear Mosquito Rock, which extends out north from Mosquito Island on the northern edge of Calquhon Reef. Once you have cleared Mosquito Rock, leaving it well to starboard, set a course to intercept the line of lighted marks that mark the deepest water into the sound. Zooming in on the image above in the vicinity of the boats will show these buoys.

Inside of the entrance in North Sound, you have a variety of choices for places to tie up, drop the hook or moor out. Drakes Anchorage is located directly behind Calquhon Reef and has good protection from most directions. Saba Rock is located across North Sound from the entrance off the south side of Prickly Pear Island and is also a good anchorage. Otherwise, there are a multitude of creeks and bays to explore, all with a variety of services. Many boaters take a week or more to explore them all, if time allows.

See our “Local Notices to Mariners” blog for updates on the latest conditions and advisories for this area.