I’ve divided this up into sections for ease of referencing:

HOTELS AND RESORTS TO STAY BEFORE OR AFTER YOUR CHARTER

If you’re chartering from the Moorings, or Footloose or Sunsail, the obvious place to stay is at the Mariners Inn which is actually owned by the Moorings and is located inside the Moorings compound on the East side of Road Town. The accommodations have been recently re-furbished and there are neat little (expensive) restaurants and bars all inside the general area.

If you’re planning to spend a few extra days before or after your charter there are some excellent Resorts to check out: The Peter Island Resort, the Scrub Island Resort, The Bitter End, Little Dix Bay and Biras Creek Resorts on Virgin Gorda. These are all pretty high-end and are not for the faint-hearted.

For the rest of us, you can check out the Village Cay Marina and Hotel, Maria’s by the Sea, Castle Maria, Fort Burt Hotel, all of these are in Road Town. Beyond Road Town you can check out Fort Recovery Beach Club at West End, Myetts at Canegarden Bay, The Cooper Island Beach Club on Cooper Island.

Also, worthy of note are Hodges Creek Marina between the Airport and Road Town, Leverick Bay Resort on Virgin Gorda, and Long Bay Resort at West End. If you’re planning to spend some non-nautical time in St. Thomas in the USVI, Look at the Mafolie Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, Sapphire Bay, Frenchman’s Reef and others.

WATERSPORTS, SNORKELING AND DIVING SPOTS

Basically you can’t go wrong in this department, the BVI is a watersports paradise . The basics are the wreck of the Rhone, the caves on Norman Island, The Indians, Manchioneel Bay on Cooper Island, Guana Island, Caymanoe, Marina Cay and the Dogs, the Reefs off the Northern tip of Virgin Gorda and many, many others. For watersports information please see our separate blog-post.

WATERING HOLES

There is certainly no shortage of these on any of the islands.  We’ve simply GOT to start with Foxy’s and the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost van Dyke island.  Then  we have to move on to Willy T’s in the Bight at Norman Cay. These are fixtures that have been in existence almost from the beginning of time. No visit to the BVI can be even contemplated without a visit to these famous bars. If you haven’t sipped champagne from your gal-pal’s (OR SOMEONE ELSE’S GAL-PAL) navel in a bar, Wille T’s is the place to start. What happend in Willie T’s STAYS in Willie T’s. Rum drinks are the best,  Bushwhackers are the local favorites.

RESTAURANTS

Generally speaking, the restaurants in the BVI are expensive and kinda ho-hum. Most bareboaters either provision ashore at on of the better supermarkets like Bobby’s or Riteway and prepare their own breakfasts and lunches and will eat ashore 2 or three days a week during their charter.  In the more-reasonably-priced department, there’s Village Cay Marina where Jimmy Buffet is supposed to have written “Cheeseburgers in Paradise”, frankly there are a lot of bars and restaurants in the Caribbean that claim this fame.  Recognizing that this is an eminently SUBJECTIVE issue, for better or worse,we offer up our own list of favorite restaurants and watering holes:

In Road town, try the Village Cay for every day American Style fare, nice view and reasonable.  For a complete list check these out. The Resorts tend to have pretty fresh fare since everything is flown in, their more affluent and distinguished clientele demands freshness. So if you’re really picky, try Peter Island, Little Dix Bay, Scrub Island, The Bitter End and Biras Creek.

WHAT TO DO AND SEE

If you’re a first timer, you should see the Baths on Virgin Gorda, do arrive early though because later on, it become a zoo, full of dinghies vying for a spot on the dinghy mooring line, day cruise groups arriving from St. Thomas and also from the cruise ships. Having said this, when it’s deserted, which is early morning in an off-season like July or August, it can be absolutely delightful. Do see the caves on Norman Island. Do snorkel at the Indians. Do take a moorings at Marina Cay that has good snorkeling close by and the best (subjectively) Bushwhackers in the BVI – in close competition with the Cooper Island Resort – but nevertheless, the best.  Do go to Jost van Dyke and spend an evening at Foxy’s ; do go to White Bay and sample a few at the Soggy Dollar Bar. Do go to Cane Garden Bay to hear the steel drum bands and sample the local food and brews.  Do go to Sopers Hole (West End) to check out the excellent up-scale provisioning and clothing stores as well as the famous Pussers store and Bar.

The ultimate and best reason is that these islands are protected from heavy seas by the Anegada Reef. The prevailing trade winds are from the NE and that is exactly where the reef is located relative to the islands. The next best reason is because there are so many little islands, beaches, bays and coves that you’ll always find one that is protected from the weather, even if it’s raining.  This is why charter skippers and our charter clients LOVE the British Virgin Islands. The secret is out:

BECAUSE YOU CAN ALWAYS HAVE A GREAT VACATION, regardless of the time of year, the wind , the rain, the Atlantic swells, people will come back happy. Now the ” not to mentions”.

Not to mention the polite and friendly locals,

Not to mention the safety and minimal crime,

Not to mention the great little restaurants and bars,

Not to mention the steady winds,

Not to mention the huge selection of both sailing and motor yachts available,

Not to mention the great anchorages and safe mooring balls,

Not to mention the great SCUBA diving and snorkeling,

Not to mention the absolute total and everlasting sheer beauty of the place.

Yes, of course we all get bored of going to the same place every year but if it’s winter or spring, it’s gotta be the BVI…!!

Let me preface  with a word about wave-runners and jet-skis. They are not allowed and cannot be rented in the BVI, in fact the penalties for using jet skis in the BVI are confiscation of the jet skis/wave runners and a $5,000 fine. St. John in the USVI only allows their use under strictly controlled conditions and along special trails with a guide.  St. Thomas, has specific areas, mainly along the NE coast where they are allowed. Having said this important piece about motorized toys, BVI charter yacht tenders either soft bottomed or hard-bottomed ARE allowed without restriction.

The most popular watertoys for bareboaters are

Snorkeling Equipment: All bareboat companies offer snorkeling equipment, you can usually choose a variety of shapes and sizes of masks, snorkels and fins from a bin dockside. Not the best quality but, hey, they’re free. Many of my more picky clients bring their own masks and snorkels and use fins from the communal bin.

Kayaks, both one and two seaters: If you’re chartering from the Moorings, they are offered for rental at extra cost, if not they are available for rent from local watersports operators.

Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUP’s): Also available from the Moorings, and local watersports operators

Windsurfing: Available from the Moorings and from local watersports operators

Fishing Gear: available from the Moorings and from local watersports operators

Kite Boarding: Available at some resorts, most enthusiasts bring their own equipment.

Surf Boards: Available fro rent from watersports companies

Wake and Knee boards: available for rent from watersports companies

Water skis: Available from local watersports operators

SCUBA diving: there are several reputable dive shops in the BVI, ask us for recommendations.

RIB tenders are of course standard fare from most companies, the size of outboard engine is usually around 9 HP which is not enough to pull a guest on water-skis. Many crewed charter yachts however, do offer water-skis AND a tender with a substantial outboard engine that can pull a normal person “out of the hole”.

There is a local BVI company that specializes in the rental of water-sports equipment and another that specializes in the rental of larger RIBS with larger outboard engines and “wife” dinghies with steering wheels and center consoles.

1.  Damage Insurance: All operators and owners take out insurance on their fleet of boats that covers major damage to the boat, including capsizing and sinking. In a nutshell, if you hit something or damage anything on the boat the owner / operator is covered and gets reimbursed by the insurance company.

There is, however, a deductible amount that needs to be paid by you, the charterer.  The amount of the deductible that you are liable for can vary with each boat and each operating company and most companies will charge you a daily “insurance rate” to minimize your liability. In some cases this is optional and in others it is mandatory.  One operator, for example offers two options, pay the daily rate of about $50 and your maximum liability for damage will be $850 dollars (or Euros or whatever) or if you choose not to take out the insurance package, your liability will jump to $6,500.

To insure payment, an imprint of your credit or debit card will be taken at the base and your card will be charged to the extent of the damage. Other  companies, like the Moorings and Voyage Charters for example make this insurance premium mandatory so you won’t get a bill at the end of your charter that could cripple you financially. Our recommendation, in cases where damage insurance is optional: take it.

2. Third party liability insurance: all bareboats and crewed yachts are substantially insured for liability claims against them.  So, if one of your charter party slips and falls or has an accident while you are skippering a charter vessel, the operating company and the owner are pretty much covered. If you are concerned that one of your charter party could sue you personally, as skipper, for a real or perceived negligence, you should take out a separate policy with your own carrier or have your guests sign a waiver that protects you from a lawsuit.

3. Trip Cancellation insurance: also known as travel insurance, is offered by some operators such as the Moorings, Sunsail, Voyage, etc.  Sometimes it’s given a sexy name like “Charter Care Protection Plan” and in some cases it will be mandatory when you book the boat but you can opt-out after you have booked. Actually it’s a pretty darn good thing to have because it essentially protects you from several things like:

- Named storm cancellations
- Flight Cancellations or delays
- Charter cancellation by the charterer (client) or  other people in the charterers party for a ” good reason” (like loss of job, illness, etc)
- Trip cancellation “for any reason” may be purchased at extra cost and with a substantial deductible
- Medical expenses in case of accidents

Certainly, we as a brokerage company highly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance. For more details,  check out the Travel Guard CHARTERIS online insurance quotation and purchasing system.

Different strokes for different folks. Answers range from: “we really don’t want to cook at all so we’ll buy coffee and cereal for breakfast and have our lunches and dinners ashore”.  Other answers are, “we love to cook, so we’ll buy everything at the local supermarket and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner aboard every day”.  Probably the most prudent solution is somewhere in-between.

If you are bareboating in the Mediterranean, for example, most experienced bare-boaters will arrange their provisioning so that they can eat breakfast and lunch on board and eat ashore every evening.  This is true for crewed charters as well.  Of course in the Med, every little island you visit has really neat and for the most part, inexpensive little tavernas or trattorias  that serve local fare, so this is definitely an excellent option.

The Caribbean is quite different, and the local restaurants are pretty expensive, the food indifferent and “local fare” is defined as hamburgers.  There are, of course, honorable exceptions and there are also some excellent restaurants all over the Caribbean but the prices are pretty unbelievable. For the best culinary experiences in the Caribbean, try the French islands, including St. Maarten, St. Barth, Martinique, etc.  But for those of us who are die-hard BVI fans, my favorite routine is to take all breakfasts, some lunches and some dinners on board  and perhaps eat lunch ashore a couple of days and dinner ashore perhaps 3 or 4 evenings during the week.

How to provision your boat?

a) Most of the bareboat companies we represent offer a provisioning service.  We send you the forms, you fill them out, tick all the right boxes, and bingo, the provisions miraculously appear on your bareboat at the base when you arrive. This is especially true and a good idea in the Med where there is always a language problem. Some bareboat operating companies have several different provisioning plans to accommodate your needs. The Moorings for example has full provisioning and split provisioning options.

b) A less expensive option in the BVI though, is to contact the supermarkets online yourself, place the order, use your credit card and bingo, the provisions also appear miraculously on board.  There are two major supermarkets in the BVI that offer this service Bobby’s and Riteway.  Both are reliable and responsive.

c) An even less expensive option is to for the captain to order the crew to go to the supermarket in a cab, do the shopping and bring it back to the boat…!!

Regardless of which method you use, The KISS method is the best – keep it simple.  If you’re a accomplished and experienced bareboater, you’ll probably know all of this anyway. If you’re not, I hope the above helps.

Don’t forget to use this website as your main resource for bareboating worldwide. Use our search-engines to find the perfect bareboat in the perfect place at the perfect time.

Some of the answers we give can be summarized  as follows:

1. Size matters: bareboat operating companies usually look at your experience as the skipper of a boat of similar size and type to the one you are chartering.

2. Mono-hull vs. Catamaran: You may have considerable experience as the skipper of a mono-hull but if you don’t have catamaran experience you will need to have a profesional skipper from the bareboat company go along with you for a half-day, or a complete day to check you out on a cat. Equally, even if you’re an experienced power-boat person, you’ll need to have some experience with a sailing vessel to qualify.

3. Official Certifications: An ASA certification or similar set of courses are always a plus and are highly recommended but not an absolute requirement in the Caribbean.  Similarly, a USCG captain’s license is not required but if you have one, it will be a “shoe-in” to get approved.  Exceptions: many Mediterranean countries, including Greece, DO require official certifications from your home country. Brazil also requires these official certifications. Yacht club membership can be useful, ASA courses and RYA/MCA yachtmaster and USCG certifications are usually accepted. Other selected qualifications from other institutions or organizations can also be accepted;  call or email us for details.

4. Experience as a Skipper: This is important, you may have crewed or been on a bareboat with another person as the skipper but this does not automatically qualify you to skipper your own bareboat.

5. Experience in the area where you’ll be sailing: this is an important qualification in some areas where considerable local knowledge is required. Especially where there are very shallow waters or where there are strong changing currents, i.e. the Bahamas.

6. Docking and picking up Mooring balls: docking may sound simple, but in the Med, for example where it is common practice to dock stern-to with an anchor out, can be tricky if you have not done it before.  Picking up a mooring ball, may sound simple but requires considerable coordination with your crew, especially on a catamaran.

There are plenty of other considerations but these are the most obvious requirements. You must remember that safety comes first and that the well-being and the lives of your crew members are your responsibility when you are the skipper.  The boat is insured. It’s you and your guests that we  should be thinking about. If you have any doubts as to your ability, DON’T DO IT until you have completed all the requirements and feel comfortable with the responsibility. After all it YOUR VACATION, don’t spoil it.

Winds can come up quite quickly in the summertime and catch you by surprise. The anchoring is sometimes tricky with a lot of bays with rocky or volcanic bottoms. Docking in the many little ports and towns along the coats is “stern-to” the dock with an anchor strung out to keep the boat in place. Needs a little practice – trust me.

The rewards however, are incredible. Navigating the waters where the great mariners of old learned their trade, The Greeks, the Turks, the Phoenicians all plied their maritime trade around these waters. Not only that, but also visiting the incredible little towns and villages is a treat. Not the least of which is the great food..!! If you’re a foodie like me, this is heaven.

Many of my clients prefer to provision for breakfast and lunch only and go ashore in the evenings for dinner. That way you keep the crew happy and you get to taste the different cuisines and flavors from each little island or village.

Our company represents a number of these charter operators and we only deal with those operators who have consistently shown good service, well maintained boats and effective emergency service because, well, boats are boats and things do go wrong. In addition to this these is a well-organized Search and Rescue infra-structure offered by VISAR which is a volunteer based service  and that can be called upon as a last resort.

Typically most BVI bare0boat companies operate out of Tortola where there are several excellent marinas. Let me go on to describe, briefly, how the bare-boat industry works in practice:

a) The bareboat companies don’t own the boats that they charter out. They are owned by private individuals who have placed their boats in charter and entrust them to bareboat operators who charter them out to clients  like you and I. They maintain the boats, provide skippers upon request, offer provisioning services, and generally look after the boats they have been entrusted with.

b) Not all bareboat operators are created equal, there are First, Second and Third tier companies, This Tier system operates as follows. The First Tier companies only manage new boats and they keep them in service for 3 to 4 years. Then these boats that now have 4 seasons on them are passed on to the Second Tier and so forth down the line.

c) Many First Tier companies will only accept boats of a certain make or brand. Many times these boats will have been designed specifically for the charter trade and if prospective owners wish to participate in their ownership program, they have to choose to purchase a certain brand of boat that has been designed specifically for a particular operator. So, if an owner wishes to take advantage of, for example the Moorings ownership plan, he will have to purchase a Moorings designed boat. If an owner wishes to purchase a Lagoon Catamaran, he or she will have to approach a company that offers an ownership plan for new Lagoons that have been designed or have had the design tweaked to meet the requirements of that particular operator.

c) Typically, as I mentioned before, the older boats that have a number of seasons on them are passed on down the system to other operators (these are the now, budget boats) that handle older boats.

d) There are, of course, companies that manage both newer and older boats and that don’t really care what brand they are. This can get a little complicated because their service and maintenance people need to be well versed in a number of different brands.

First tier companies that operate in the BVI are the Moorings, Sunsail, Voyage, Horizon, Catamaranco and a couple of others. Second Tier companies are Conch charters, BVI Yacht Charters, Dream and others. This is not a “ranking system and doesn’t mean that one particular is better than another. It’s merely a reflection of the market they specialize in and the age of the boats they offer. Again, this is a generalization and in practice many operators have a mix of newer and older boats. So, on the basis of the above, I’ve developed some hypothetical FAQ’s

Which boat is right for me?

First question you have to ask yourself: do you really care if the boat is newer or older? Again, generally speaking,  newer boats are generally more expensive than older ones, so what’s the budget looking like?  Of course, a nice crisp, new boat with tight sails, electric toilets and plenty of room are a bare boater’s dream. But there’s nothing wrong with floating around the BVI in a lower cost, older boat with baggy sails, after all you’re not here to win the America Cup..!! You’re here for the sun, the sand and the sheer enjoyment, sometimes sailing slowly and taking your time is all that’s needed.

How do I find the right boat at the right price?

Best to use a broker or booking agent. Find one you’re comfortable with and that you can trust. The booking agent typically has access to all or most of the operators, knows the boats, knows the area and can offer you exactly what you’re looking for at the right price.

If I use a broker, will I pay more?

No, most good brokers will offer all the discounts offered by the operators, including the seasonal toofers and threefers, multiple boat discounts, repeat customer discounts and many times can obtain an even better price that if you go to the operator directly. The brokers and booking agents are paid by the operators for their sales and marketing function, you don’t actually have to pony up any special fees or surcharges.

What constitutes a good broker or booking agent?

Knowledge of the boats and the destinations and also very importantly, instant access to the industry databases and seasonal pricing and discount charts. Some brokers use specialized search engines on their websites that you can use to browse through the boats of different operators, with pricing, availability, specifications and pictures of each available boat.