or some people, sailing is torture. Visions of brisk water flying over the bow and into your face, or the sensation of salt-caked skin without a hot-water shower antidote, or the queasy feeling that rises when your vertigo gets osterized from the constant motion. And then there's that insipid dampness that permeates everything, especially your towels and sheets - who needs it! We say, fine. Perhaps these images will keep the crowds on the beach and off the high seas, because for many, sailing is sheer bliss. The art of moving slowly but expensively is for me the ultimate therapy. It causes one to focus on getting from point A to point B. And all the variables that constantly surface - like wind, seas, breakdowns, mutinies, and so on - keep your thoughts on sailing, allowing any other disturbing thoughts or anxieties to float away in your wake. It's no wonder that so many high-stressed movers and shakers have sailboats.

That said, the British Virgin Islands offer some of the finest sailing waters in the world. They rival the Mediterranean and the South Pacific for steady winds and warm, clear water, providing superb opportunities for swimming and snorkeling around every bend, as well as eyeball navigation for those unfamiliar with the waters.

There are over fifty British Virgin Islands, or BVIs, from the relatively large (twenty-four-square-mile) Tortola to teensy Sandy Cay, which is just large enough for a picnic with a dozen of your closest friends. Most are uninhabited. If you're not into sailing - after all, sailing is torture - there are many islands where you can stay and never have to set foot on a boat. Landlubbers can rejoice in Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Peter Island, Guana Island, Cooper Island, Anegada, and the incredibly expensive Necker Island (you rent the whole thing). Of course, a boat is the ultimate waterfront accommodation, and you can see so much more. But tomatoes for some are tomahtoes to others, so you have your choice.

With such great sailing territory, most visitors to the BVIs are sailors on a weeklong charter (this explains why three-square-mile Jost Van Dyke, with a population of barely 150 people, has six major bars). Tortola is the charter-boat headquarters and is where all the outfits in the BVIs are based. These people are obviously mobile and migrate daily to different anchorages. However, resort mavens have plenty of options too.