Catamaran charter in British Virgin Islands

[Tailgate]

Has anyone ever island hopped in BVI? We’re considering a ‘by the cabin’ charter. We would be paired with 3 or 4 other adult couples. Comes with a captain and a chef. Looks like a great getaway.

 

[Palmtree]

We did it, although many years ago. I highly recommend it. You can customize the level of lux you want. Captain, cook, food, booze, water sports etc. are all optional to various degrees. SunSail and The Mooring are the two major players there.

 

[Bamaman]

I have a friend that's been on one of the cat charters the last 3 years. He just loves being the captain and follow maps prepared by the charter company from island to island. These type charters are quite expensive, however.

But it's best when all those on board are close friends. Wouldn't want to do it with strangers.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Under the blow that dough spirit, I’ve been considering doing this with my full family including grandchildren. But I’d want a captain and cook. I know my limitations. Full on luxury. I’d pay the trip for everybody. Like I said...blow that dough I guess. I’ve heard of the Moorings. The other company I haven’t heard about so I’ll research.

Do you go stir crazy on the CAT? Or is there also plenty of island time? Maybe the water activities is an important option.

 

[folivier]

Sounds like fun but I'd also be a bit concerned of being in such a limited space with strangers. Just imagine being on board with drunks, or potheads, or chatty Kathy's, or any other type of opposite personality. Or you could meet some great people and become fast friends.

 

[audreyh1]

We always thought we’d do this including bare boating. We still might - but catered with captain and chef I think. Might have to invite family and not travel with strangers.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We did it for 2 years on a 45' Cat all over the Caribbean, went back and forth from Puerto Rico to Grenada a few times. Had a great time.

 

[audreyh1]

nice!

 

[Vacation4us]

We just did a trip like this in French Polynesia. I thought I would love it since in the 90’s my dad had taken our whole family on a chartered sailboat with a crew.

Well it didn’t turn out as planned. It’s like a blind date sometimes the date is a dud. Our first problem started with being the only American’s on the boat. The other guest wanted to talk politics, call it the bash America crew. We politely segwayed out of that. Then the captain and cook weren’t regular crew. The captain was the base manager and passive aggressive in our view. We still quote him. “Relax your on vacation........ok it’s been 15 minutes is everybody ready?” He also only turned on the A/C when the first person went to bed. Try showering in a sauna. Who knew how hot those cabins could be.

I studied up before we went. N O spray sunscreen allowed on the boat. But our captain allowed it. One gal used it. Folks when spray sunscreen gets wet it’s like someone greased the fiberglass. Guess who stepped in the grease flew down several steps and broke her coccyx. Spent 2 months on disability post vacation.

My husband says never again. Even though I was injured I would like to try again someday with different people different crew. Chartering a family or friends trip would be much better in my view. But the biggest for me would be no AC no thank you.

 

[dcoy]

Yes I did two years ago. Fantastic experience! Will be chartering in Tahiti July 2020.

 

[garyt]

We did it years ago and it was our best vacation ever. We were lucky in that the captain of our cat just wanted to sail so he rented the boat and didn't charge anywhere near the going price for the cabins. It was just a way for him to get a free trip. Unfortunately he's now retired from sailing or we'd do it again in a heartbeat

 

[GreenEggs]

This might be an affordable option to sailing. Some captains are looking for crew, but others seem to be offering cruises. There are a wide variety of boats, destinations, and situations.

Some want to cross the Atlantic, but most plan to sail around "the islands", somewhere.

I'd think the arrangements would probably be a lot less business-like compared to most charter companies.

https://oceancrewlink.com/

 

[Winemaker]

One of our friends rents a sailboat in the USVI every couple of years, and another is currently having one built to specifically use for that market.I don't know if there is a big difference between the US or BRITISH VIs. We're waiting for an invite.....

 

[ShokWaveRider]

^^^^^^^ No difference, simply who owns/rules them (The Islands that is). Typical cruise boats are designed for maximum state rooms. I like Cats best as they are more stable and offer a less restrictive layout. Typical Charter Cats 40' and over have 4 staterooms and 4 heads for privacy in the basic cruise models. I prefer the owners versions of the same as they have one side dedicated to the owner and are a lot more comfortable, but only offer 2 "Guest" births.

Whatever you choose, "Cruising the Caribbean" is a vacation that every adventurer should try at least once.

Simple rules are:

When sailing, avoid the dry bits.

Watch the weather, do not cruise in poor weather, it is not fun. Anchor or dock until clear skies are in the forecast. It is always "Beer" O'clock somewhere.

Do not drink and sail.

Do not carry a gun or drugs on board in the Caribbean, the patrols will simply confiscate your boat! And there is Zero recourse, it will be gone forever.

Have an open mind, avoid if you get really seasick (Not fun). Have a good time. Lots of folks to meet and have fun with, places to see and wildlife to enjoy. 1 week is way too short.

 

[COcheesehead]

We did it. Highly recommend it.

 

[Hzefam]

It’s a roll. Of the dice. First time we did it it was the best vacation we ever had. The second time it was one of the worst. The difference was the crew. Once you are underway you are completely at the whim of the captain. We used the same company both times. A couple of things you could do - get as much information about your captain as possible before final payment. I would not sail with a husband and wife crew. Get very specific about the food and beverage you want aboard. The crew controls this and I suspect may save money at your expense. Same with water and running the generator. All of these were issues on our second trip. If there are specific islands you want to visit, spell it out in the contract. A lazy crew may not want to sail to Anagada.

 

[Audie Murphy]

We did a BVI trip twice years ago before 2010. Both times we went with our neighbors (the husband was captain both times). We used SunSail both trips. On the first trip we had a ~40' mono-hull. It was early in the off season and the weather was nice. We sailed to Norman, Cooper, Virgin Gorda then sailed around the north side of Tortola to Soper's Hole by Frenchman's Cay. It was beautiful although being 6’2” and sleeping in the bow was not the best arrangement. The days were about sailing to the next destination. We would find a mooring and take the dingy to the best snorkeling location. We would then make dinner reservations at whatever restaurant that was available and started beer-thirty. We stopped at the Baths on VG and saw some of the most beautiful scenery in my life.

The second trip was a vacation from hell. We were bumped on our departure flight for no fault of our own. Arriving 4 hours late it pretty much killed any time for getting settled and relaxed upon arrival. Day 1, sail to Norman in our 50’ catamaran. Get a mooring and jump in for a swim. Make plans to go snorkeling and while going down the steps to stash wallet and valuables slip an fell on stairs and broke or cracked ribs on my right side.
The weather was in the 90's and stagnant. AC went out. Jellyfish were all around in the water. The restaurant on VG started a no TShirt policy. Neighbor's wife almost lost the dingy while getting appropriate attire. Getting around with all the rib pain was torturous. Finally, we just wanted to go home early pissing off our neighbors. The best part was this restaurant on Tortola where I ate the best piece of Tuna I have ever had. Flew out standby got stuck in Puerto Rico on flight home. Luggage was lost which was a blessing since it was later delivered to our front door. Pain Killers (the local drink) were also much appreciated. They didn’t really kill any pain but helped distract me from thinking about it.

I want to go back again but plan to get more sailing training to be able to captain a craft myself.

 

[Tailgate]

It’s a roll. Of the dice. First time we did it it was the best vacation we ever had. The second time it was one of the worst. The difference was the crew. Once you are underway you are completely at the whim of the captain. We used the same company both times. A couple of things you could do - get as much information about your captain as possible before final payment. I would not sail with a husband and wife crew. Get very specific about the food and beverage you want aboard. The crew controls this and I suspect may save money at your expense. Same with water and running the generator. All of these were issues on our second trip. If there are specific islands you want to visit, spell it out in the contract. A lazy crew may not want to sail to Anagada.

Great advice ..thanks

 

[Tailgate]

We did a BVI trip twice years ago before 2010. Both times we went with our neighbors (the husband was captain both times). We used SunSail both trips. On the first trip we had a ~40' mono-hull. It was early in the off season and the weather was nice. We sailed to Norman, Cooper, Virgin Gorda then sailed around the north side of Tortola to Soper's Hole by Frenchman's Cay. It was beautiful although being 6’2” and sleeping in the bow was not the best arrangement. The days were about sailing to the next destination. We would find a mooring and take the dingy to the best snorkeling location. We would then make dinner reservations at whatever restaurant that was available and started beer-thirty. We stopped at the Baths on VG and saw some of the most beautiful scenery in my life.



The second trip was a vacation from hell. We were bumped on our departure flight for no fault of our own. Arriving 4 hours late it pretty much killed any time for getting settled and relaxed upon arrival. Day 1, sail to Norman in our 50’ catamaran. Get a mooring and jump in for a swim. Make plans to go snorkeling and while going down the steps to stash wallet and valuables slip an fell on stairs and broke or cracked ribs on my right side.

The weather was in the 90's and stagnant. AC went out. Jellyfish were all around in the water. The restaurant on VG started a no TShirt policy. Neighbor's wife almost lost the dingy while getting appropriate attire. Getting around with all the rib pain was torturous. Finally, we just wanted to go home early pissing off our neighbors. The best part was this restaurant on Tortola where I ate the best piece of Tuna I have ever had. Flew out standby got stuck in Puerto Rico on flight home. Luggage was lost which was a blessing since it was later delivered to our front door. Pain Killers (the local drink) were also much appreciated. They didn’t really kill any pain but helped distract me from thinking about it.



I want to go back again but plan to get more sailing training to be able to captain a craft myself.

Sounds like trip 2 was totally Murphy’s Law. Thanks for sharing

 

[Scuba]

We did this twice - once to get our sailing certifications, and again with friends on a fully crewed boat. Catamarans both times - much more spacious than a monohull. Agree with others that going with people you know is better, although we enjoyed both trips. Last trip was in 2017 and a week on a nice cat cost $15K for 3 couples, so $5K per couple, plus we each tipped $1K at the end of the trip.

We used a brokerage service to book our boat. There is a lot of information available about the captain and crew so you can choose one that sounds like a good fit. Our crew was a captain and his girlfriend. She was an amazing chef and we had delicious food at every meal. The captain claimed to be a dive master, but his dive leading skills were atrocious. That was our only disappointment but we stayed in USVI for 3 months so got plenty of good diving in after our boat trip.

Love both USVI and BVI. Most charters do some of each.