BVI charter question

[EBT531]

All of these BVI trips got me researching it and I'm about 80% we are going to rent a power cat for 7 days via Marinemax. One items i don't see in anyones posts, did you get the damage insurance at like $90 a day or did you do the Credit card hold for damage? I have State Farm on my boat, does that cover anything if I'm operating another persons boat? (they are closed right now, but obviously I'll call my agent to verify) What about Credit card coverage like a rental car? Any of these actually apply? Thanks!

 

[Spudsbud]

Most likely they will be happyto write you several short term policies for...X..Y..Z
Ask for an imbrella policy to cover Everything from sink the boat to trip delay fees and airfare changes.....

 

[2Driver]

I took their insurance at Marine max. Too many things to go wrong on a high dollar powercat.
Collision
Mooring ball gives way at night
Auto pilot puts you on a rock.
Other rental boat hits you trying to get on a mooring ball next to you.

We watched a charter sail boat under prop power lose it and ended up on the beach at Cooper island. We used our dingy to get him off the beach. I’m sure the keel was trashed

BTW one of the best vacations ever

 

[HallettBill]

We got the insurance thru marine max, seemed easier that way.

 

[DaytonaBabe]

We've always opted for the insurance.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[BUDMAN]

If I remember correctly we did the insurance through marine max.

 

[mesquito_creek]

I got the insurance including the convince and connection package that covers the dingy and lost/broken items like glassware and boat fenders.

 

[EBT531]

Thanks, sounds like their insurance is the way to go.

 

[Instigator]

I checked into my insurance with my agent and because BVI is a foriegn country my insurance wouldn't cover it but they could schedule the boat and write a policy for our trip. Turns out MarineMax Vacations insurance was a better deal.

 

[That Guy]

We're going in a month but we chartered a boat with a captain and a chef.......should be a blast. It is the Firefly....I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[DaytonaBabe]

We're going in a month but we chartered a boat with a captain and a chef.......should be a blast. It is the Firefly....I'll let you know how it goes!

First time? You'll have a blast either way. Best vacation ever!

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[That Guy]

First time? You'll have a blast either way. Best vacation ever!

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

We're going with friends who have been before but we're super excited!

 

[DaytonaBabe]

We're going with friends who have been before but we're super excited!

Good for you guys! Just a warning: nothing will compare after this! [emoji106]

We'll be back in July and I can't wait

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[Instigator]

We're going in a month but we chartered a boat with a captain and a chef.......should be a blast. It is the Firefly....I'll let you know how it goes!

You will have a few new addictions once you get there.

Boat chartering, Pain Killers and Bush Wackers.

 

[2Driver]

LOL about day 3 you'll be thinking, “ Lets sell everything, I think we could live full time on this”. About day 5 that changes to thoughts of partial ownership and renting it out. Happens to almost everyone. Just a heads up

 

[Instigator]

LOL about day 3 you'll be thinking, “ Lets sell everything, I think we could live full time on this”. About day 5 that changes to thoughts of partial ownership and renting it out. Happens to almost everyone. Just a heads up

I'm still on Day 3!!!

 

[DUNEFLYER]

Headed out in 2 weeks for my first time, 8 nights on 58’.
listing everything for sale before we even go..

 

[DaytonaBabe]

Headed out in 2 weeks for my first time, 8 nights on 58’.
listing everything for sale before we even go..

You're going to have an incredible trip.

Depending on dates, we may catch you there!

 

[DUNEFLYER]

You're going to have an incredible trip.

Depending on dates, we may catch you there!

We are 6/3-6/11, 5 couples, all virgins…

 

[DaytonaBabe]

We are 6/3-6/11, 5 couples, all virgins…

Prepare to be ruined for any trip going forward. It doesn't get better than the BVI in my opinion.

We be there for 10 days starting the following week. Would have been fun to meet up over a Painkiller!

 

[jet496]

Have a few at the Soggy Dollar Bar. You'll love the Pain Killers.

 

[JJ McClure]

Lunch and rum punch at Cooper Island Beach Club!

 

[Instigator]

We did 2 weeks last year. Headed to Belize for 2 weeks the end of June this year.
I am just not at the point that I can convince myself that we can afford every year and after watching what happened to the Wandering Hillbilly last year, ownership is out of the question for us.
For those going, if you make it to Anegada maybe you can see if our flags are still flying. We also left our marks all over the BVI.

 

[DaveH]

We did 2 weeks last year. Headed to Belize for 2 weeks the end of June this year.
I am just not at the point that I can convince myself that we can afford every year and after watching what happened to the Wandering Hillbilly last year, ownership is out of the question for us.
For those going, if you make it to Anegada maybe you can see if our flags are still flying. We also left our marks all over the BVI.

dont let the charter companies scare you out of going to anagaga. epic lobster dinner on the beach, sandy floor hay bale seating kinda place. not a ton else to do on this island, recommend sailing from virgin gorda early in the AM, spending the afternoon on the island and dinner, then head out the next morning.

 

[lakemadness]

We've opted for a captain and crew. Zero stress that way.

Absolutely THE best vacation we've ever had.

 

[lake p.a.l.]

We've opted for a captain and crew. Zero stress that way.

Absolutely THE best vacation we've ever had.

This is what I'd LOVE to do

 

[McKay]

Done it twice with a full crew and taken 2 other couples with us. Fantastic low stress vacation.

 

[DUNEFLYER]

We did the full crew option also. Guessing it is mostly husband/wife combos for the crew? They are confined to a pretty small room.

 

[J DUNN]

Prepare to be ruined for any trip going forward. It doesn't get better than the BVI in my opinion.

We be there for 10 days starting the following week. Would have been fun to meet up over a Painkiller!

Facts!

We did BVI bare boat power 45’ last year in March. Going again in Feb 26’ on a 54’ power cat. Then doing a 50’ sail cat in Exumas with my kids, my wife and my mom just after my daughters college graduation.

I’m ruined, all I want to do now! Makes Powell like, meh…..

 

[McKay]

We did the full crew option also. Guessing it is mostly husband/wife combos for the crew? They are confined to a pretty small room.

The two times we did it we were on a 65' sailing catermaran. It was a husband and wife as captain and chef, then their 18 year old son and another young adult were deck hands.

 

[DaveH]

Facts!

We did BVI bare boat power 45’ last year in March. Going again in Feb 26’ on a 54’ power cat. Then doing a 50’ sail cat in Exumas with my kids, my wife and my mom just after my daughters college graduation.

I’m ruined, all I want to do now! Makes Powell like, meh…..

couldint agree more, Powell is by far the most amazing place to fresh water boat, but sailing the BVI is next level.

for those consider bare vs. a crewed boat, my wife and i sailed without a crew.....just the 2 of us. part of the fun is the adventurous aspect of it....being on your own........

dont let any boogeyman stories scare you off. the sir francis drake channel, the main sailing body you would be in, is like maybe 5 miles across. you arent out in the open ocean like going to hawaii or something. its very sheltered and great for beginners.

 

[pkrrvr619]

bareboat sailing the bvi was the best trip of my life. took 3 years of sailing certs and seat time to be able to do it so it checked off a massive bucket list item. every day was unreal that I was down there thinking, "I really did it."

in regards to damage waivers, get as much as you can. 90 bucks a day aint shit when staring down the damage of a vessel that is not yours in a country that you arent a citizen of and damage may have occurred when under the influence.

just my two cents.

also with a power cat, your "at sea" days are going to be super short. so plan snorkeling stops or other island adventures to pad the time. something that took me 6 hours to sail you can prob do in 1 an an example.

 

[Instigator]

I prefer a bare boat charter on a power cat. Just our preference and for the cost savings we get to keep the boat longer. The powercat is really very easy to operate.
In the BVI, we really like Marine Max but we have used Virgin Yacht Charters too.

 

[Mike Honcho]

Can anyone answer a few questions for me?

Try to understand maybe what a cost is to do this I don’t know if it’s broken down per person per day or roughly we spent a week there and our cost was X.

Interested in seeing all of the areas most likely go with a captain crew how many other couples would be able to fit on one boat and roughly what is enough time to visit where we feel like we would get to see and experience everything.

Is there any all-inclusive to stay at and base out of and then maybe boat to different islands or whatever for a few days?

It’s on my bucket list seen all the pictures and everything but have no idea what costs are involved in it. Any help trying to better capture understand these to see if it’s something we can schedule with a group of friends would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[McKay]

The last time we did it was 7 years ago. Crewed boat all in was $22,000 for a week for 3 couples. Included food and booze. Off boat activites not inluded. Was a diving boat as well so that was unlimted if you wanted. Would guess you are $30-35K now.

 

[pkrrvr619]

Can anyone answer a few questions for me?

Try to understand maybe what a cost is to do this I don’t know if it’s broken down per person per day or roughly we spent a week there and our cost was X.

Interested in seeing all of the areas most likely go with a captain crew how many other couples would be able to fit on one boat and roughly what is enough time to visit where we feel like we would get to see and experience everything.

Is there any all-inclusive to stay at and base out of and then maybe boat to different islands or whatever for a few days?

It’s on my bucket list seen all the pictures and everything but have no idea what costs are involved in it. Any help trying to better capture understand these to see if it’s something we can schedule with a group of friends would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

sailboat non crewed for 7 days was 9k I think. flights and all that it was 10k per couple. shit aint cheap. but fuck me is it worth every penny.

 

[lakemadness]

We went two years ago, a near-new 55' boat with a crew was just over 40K for the week. Four couples had plenty of room. All the food on the boat (excellent food btw) and booze (anything we wanted and they restocked when needed) all included.

I think it's not only one of the best vacations and most relaxing (having the crew makes it relaxing, IMO), but also an incredible bang for your buck.

We went to Turks & Caicos this past spring break- I bet I spent twice what we did on the boat, and all we did was hang out at the same beach and pool and hit a few restaurants.

 

[gqchris]

Im gonna go be poor back in the Movies and Popcorn $20 thread.............

 

[DaveH]

Can anyone answer a few questions for me?

Try to understand maybe what a cost is to do this I don’t know if it’s broken down per person per day or roughly we spent a week there and our cost was X.

Interested in seeing all of the areas most likely go with a captain crew how many other couples would be able to fit on one boat and roughly what is enough time to visit where we feel like we would get to see and experience everything.

Is there any all-inclusive to stay at and base out of and then maybe boat to different islands or whatever for a few days?

It’s on my bucket list seen all the pictures and everything but have no idea what costs are involved in it. Any help trying to better capture understand these to see if it’s something we can schedule with a group of friends would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

cost is a tough one to estimate.

from the perspective of the boat charter, cost is entirely length of charter, size and amenities of the boat and age of the boat. shop around. there is a WIDE range of pricing from the various charter companies. then you have to factor in if you want to sail it yourself or hire a captain/crew. time of year makes a huge difference in pricing....the most expensive time is winter and the lowest is mid summer during hurricane season. I have been on charters many times and prefer mid april to mid may. then depending on how many people you invite to the party you can slice it up from there.

4 cabin boats will accomoadate 8 people (even more than that actually if you ones dont mid sleeping on couches and so forth.......but i would put 3 couples on a 4 cabin boat. it gets really stuffy fast.

as for how much time... a week is NOTHING. first of all, you basically loose a day in and a day back, so your 7 day trip is really 5 days of total disconnect. there is so much to see and do, these 5 days will go by like 5 minutes and you will either be rushing from spot to spot or miss many cool must see places. I would do 10 days minimum, realistically 2 weeks on the water is what you really want......if you desire to RELAX, take it all in, not be rushed to your next spot and really UNWIND.

a two week charter down there....just for the boat.......could be anywehre from 10-20k.....if you targeted 15k....Thats 5k for three couples. not that bad. but thats just the start. then there is airfare. some charter companies will pick you up and haul you to the marina...lets say in interesting 40 minute cab ride for sure.

then you will blow through a couple hunderd dollars a day going through ice, mooring balls, bar/restaurant tabs and so forth. you can pack the boat full of grocieres and do all your own cooking....we brought quite a bit of food on the last charter and threw 60% of it out......was just so much nicer going to all the famous spots, having dinner on the beach and not dealing with cooking. then there is airfare to and from the place and that can vary wildy depending on how you travel. depending on what time you arrive, it may be necessary to get a hotel room the first night or some charters will allow you to sleep aboard in the harbor your first night. (for a fee of course).

as for "must see stuff" there really are no secret spots down there. if you were leaving from Tortolla, i would plan an itinerary like this:

must see 1. easy 1 hour sail from Torotola to norman island. grab a mooring ball. from there visit the famous Indian rock formation for great snorkeling and the caves. this is also the home of the famous Willie T floating ship bar. stay as long as you want

must see 2. sail to cooper island and visit there famous rum bar. plenty of good snorkeling spots. stay the nigh and have dinner at their restaurant

must see 3. THE BATHS, this will be the highlight of the trip. unfortunutaly the baths is a national park so no overnight mooring balls. the baths will blow you away. there is also an amazing beach called Devils beach that is an awesome afternoon hangout. there is also a trail, about a ten minute walk up to a restaurant on the top of the hill overlooking all of it. there is so much to do here it is worth at least two days. you can stay in spanish harbor just 5 minutes away or go up to north sound and stay there.

must see 4, north sound. this is where Richard Bransons famous home and resort is and all the quintessential famous BVI spots.....last resort, saba rock on and on.

optional must see.....anagada island, about a two hour sail north of the sound. awesome lobster dinners baja style on the beach.

must see 5, Jost van Dyke island, home of Foxys and soggy dollar bar.


other spots to think about

sandy cay and green cay, east end of jost van dyke
snorkeling at the dog islands
snorkeling at Monkey point off Ghana island )island is privately owned but legal to snorkel)
peter island.....5 star resort that was wiped out during the last hurricane but hearing it is being rebuilt

there are more but this is what would be the most iconic places to visit.

 

[Done-it-again]

Im gonna go be poor back in the Movies and Popcorn $20 thread.............

no shit.... 40-50k for a week..... and being in tight quarters with others, nope.

 

[lakemadness]

no shit.... 40-50k for a week..... and being in tight quarters with others, nope.

I dunno about tight quarters. A 50-60' catamaran has some room. Large dining room for 10 people, galley, and back and front deck as well as a seating/deck area up on the rooftop, along with another helm. 6 cabins below, all with their own full bath. We never felt cramped.

 

[DaveH]

no shit.... 40-50k for a week..... and being in tight quarters with others, nope.

this pricing is the experience i dont think most here are looking for. this is a huge boat, staff cooking 5 star meals, champagne and bar tenders, captain in a white suit sailing you around........this is more of the cruise line experience.

bare boat is you own your own and thats a BIG part of the fun.

 

[Done-it-again]

this pricing is the experience i dont think most here are looking for. this is a huge boat, staff cooking 5 star meals, champagne and bar tenders, captain in a white suit sailing you around........this is more of the cruise line experience.

bare boat is you own your own and thats a BIG part of the fun.

Probably. To me half the fun would be cruising your own boat and maybe with another couple but have 2-4 separate boats as a group.

 

[Mike Honcho]

cost is a tough one to estimate.

from the perspective of the boat charter, cost is entirely length of charter, size and amenities of the boat and age of the boat. shop around. there is a WIDE range of pricing from the various charter companies. then you have to factor in if you want to sail it yourself or hire a captain/crew. time of year makes a huge difference in pricing....the most expensive time is winter and the lowest is mid summer during hurricane season. I have been on charters many times and prefer mid april to mid may. then depending on how many people you invite to the party you can slice it up from there.

4 cabin boats will accomoadate 8 people (even more than that actually if you ones dont mid sleeping on couches and so forth.......but i would put 3 couples on a 4 cabin boat. it gets really stuffy fast.

as for how much time... a week is NOTHING. first of all, you basically loose a day in and a day back, so your 7 day trip is really 5 days of total disconnect. there is so much to see and do, these 5 days will go by like 5 minutes and you will either be rushing from spot to spot or miss many cool must see places. I would do 10 days minimum, realistically 2 weeks on the water is what you really want......if you desire to RELAX, take it all in, not be rushed to your next spot and really UNWIND.

a two week charter down there....just for the boat.......could be anywehre from 10-20k.....if you targeted 15k....Thats 5k for three couples. not that bad. but thats just the start. then there is airfare. some charter companies will pick you up and haul you to the marina...lets say in interesting 40 minute cab ride for sure.

then you will blow through a couple hunderd dollars a day going through ice, mooring balls, bar/restaurant tabs and so forth. you can pack the boat full of grocieres and do all your own cooking....we brought quite a bit of food on the last charter and threw 60% of it out......was just so much nicer going to all the famous spots, having dinner on the beach and not dealing with cooking. then there is airfare to and from the place and that can vary wildy depending on how you travel. depending on what time you arrive, it may be necessary to get a hotel room the first night or some charters will allow you to sleep aboard in the harbor your first night. (for a fee of course).

as for "must see stuff" there really are no secret spots down there. if you were leaving from Tortolla, i would plan an itinerary like this:

must see 1. easy 1 hour sail from Torotola to norman island. grab a mooring ball. from there visit the famous Indian rock formation for great snorkeling and the caves. this is also the home of the famous Willie T floating ship bar. stay as long as you want

must see 2. sail to cooper island and visit there famous rum bar. plenty of good snorkeling spots. stay the nigh and have dinner at their restaurant

must see 3. THE BATHS, this will be the highlight of the trip. unfortunutaly the baths is a national park so no overnight mooring balls. the baths will blow you away. there is also an amazing beach called Devils beach that is an awesome afternoon hangout. there is also a trail, about a ten minute walk up to a restaurant on the top of the hill overlooking all of it. there is so much to do here it is worth at least two days. you can stay in spanish harbor just 5 minutes away or go up to north sound and stay there.

must see 4, north sound. this is where Richard Bransons famous home and resort is and all the quintessential famous BVI spots.....last resort, saba rock on and on.

optional must see.....anagada island, about a two hour sail north of the sound. awesome lobster dinners baja style on the beach.

must see 5, Jost van Dyke island, home of Foxys and soggy dollar bar.


other spots to think about

sandy cay and green cay, east end of jost van dyke
snorkeling at the dog islands
snorkeling at Monkey point off Ghana island )island is privately owned but legal to snorkel)
peter island.....5 star resort that was wiped out during the last hurricane but hearing it is being rebuilt

there are more but this is what would be the most iconic places to visit.

Thank you Dave this is very helpful I’ll plan to run it by the friend group appreciate the effort and info.

 

[DaveH]

Probably. To me half the fun would be cruising your own boat and maybe with another couple but have 2-4 separate boats as a group.

this is definitely the way to go

 

[Done-it-again]

this is definitely the way to go

The write up you did was great.... Might have to plan something like this for my 50th, I have 4 years to start saving. lol

 

[DaveH]

The write up you did was great.... Might have to plan something like this for my 50th, I have 4 years to start saving. lol

thanks....LOVE sailing down there.....i could go on and on.......... the key thing to think about is WHEN to go.

nov-feb is busiest and most expensive. cold for what i consider boating weather to be. but all the east coasters from Boston love it.

march-june cheaper, not as busy and warmer.

july-august (maybe even september) lowest cost due to hurricane season, hot and muggy. (if you consider 90' hot but the humidity will be through the roof. not an issue on the water)

sept-oct another good time to go.

its tropical so ANYTHING can happen at any time. monsoon rain and so forth. for really big weather events like hurricanes you would know WELL in advance and the charter companies will be hollering at you on the radio/cell phone to come in to port.