TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Do you need A/C in July?

I'm new to bare boating and will be taking the family (3 girls ages 6,8 and 9 and wife) down to the BVI for a week in June or July. I'm researching the charter company and catamarans and have tons of questions. For starters do you need A/C with generator on your boat to stay comfortable at night?

You will get multiple opinions on this one. I have gone with and without a generator and A/C down there at all times of the year. In July the winds can be lighter. All that being said, my wife prefers A/C and will keep coming back if we have it on the boat. Happy wife, happy life. I’m not sure how your wife will fare......consider that as a factor though.

Agreed. I want her to be comfortable so she would be willing to put up with my sense of adventure again. I'm already pushing her comfort level bare boating without a crew, chef and personal masseuse.

Are there any other amenities that I should take into consideration for non-sailing enthusiast such as Watermaker etc..?

The boat may have enough water capacity and not need a water maker

A/C? Yes yes yes!

Agree with A/C... You don't have to use it but likely will like it. And if you hope to come back with current wife, you want A/C (and therefore generator). Water maker is not absolute but this year, more concern about water availability and also lessens captain's anxiety of inexperienced cruisers not being as thrifty on water usage.

Also with crew described, I would stick with catamarans as more space for your crew and easier for inexperienced to move around underway. While I may love 1 rail in water, most of my family do not.

I expect well planned, family will be asking "When can we come back?" even before they depart Tortola.

A/C helps dry the inside of the boat out. Otherwise, things like towels will be damp all the time.

I have to say.....yes....particularly if you are on a catamaran as those hull cabins can be VERY stuffy -- we have been fairly comfortable on a monohull at that time of year with just the two of us on the boat, since we don't need to close a cabin door, etc. and therefore ventilate the boat better.

drcabral, I just sent you a PM. Steve

Yes to A/C. No to watermaker. Small cat, e.g. Moorings 3900 or 4000, both of which are available in 3 cabin versions. If 3900, confirm generator A/C.

If you really want to make her happy a 3 cabin Moorings 3900 or 4000 would be perfect. Or any other similar owners style cat.

And as said, yes on the A/C. I love my A/C and can go without it, but I am much more comfortable with it.

I think if you search the archives the question on needing AC comes up and is debated in a thread every few months. You might also take a look at my write up for my boat regarding AC that can be found here:
Do you need AC?

Second I think there has been some assumption in this thread based on your post that you are looking for a Cat. My recommendation would be to charter whatever configuration you have experience with. If that's a mono charter a mono and if a cat charter a cat. And be realistic about the size of boat your are comfortable with. Two adults and 3 small kids you will fit onto just about anything available. Sailing in a new area can be enough anxiety - you don't need to add to it by chartering a larger or different configuration. You are there on vacation and your goal is to have a good time doing it.

In 2014, we took our four grandkids for their first trip to the BVI. I created a manual, giving them each one chapter a month between Christmas and June, to let them know what to expect. Here is a link to the generic versions, in Word and pdf.

(Grand)Kids Crew Manual

Feel free to use it if you think it might be helpful.

There is also a long thread here with regard to that trip, that may give you some additional helpful information pertinent to your kids.

The BVI And (Grand)kids

Many thanks aarpskier. In 2015 we used your manual as a guide to creating a guide for our 7 grandchildren when we did a budget blowing trip with all the families. Your manual was great! We cut and pasted our own family details, gave everyone, adults and children, titles and jobs. We gave the manual out at Christmas to be studied for a July sail. The grandchildren loved having their own copies. Good prep for the trip and happy memories afterwards!

I was looking at the Moorings as well. I've seen mixed reviews on tripadvisor and the consistent comment revolves around expense and service. Can you tell me why you like the 3900 and 4000

What do you like about the Moorings 3900 and 4000?

aarpskier, I am 54 years old and probably enjoyed your manual as much as a child. Being an Irish fan from Niles, MI I especially enjoyed the UM and MSU fish reference. Too funny. Thank you.

YES, YES, and YES again to AC in July! If it rains (and it will), you will wish you were being waterboarded instead of being trapped in a stuffy, steamy coffin covered in OFF and sweat with 10,000 mosquitoes. Add 3 little kids? Kill me now.

There's not enough rum, trust me. We tried to just get so drunk we wouldn't care (didn't work).

I am a big fan of, and contributor to, TripAdvisor. However, you will get better information here regarding your BVI trip planning than you will get on TA, for the reasons I stated in my PMs. Maytrix and I suggested the Moorings 3-cabin 3900 or 4000 because it is a small cat that will give you the A/C you need and want, a nice size owner's suite for you and your wife, and the flexibility of two smaller cabins in the other hull for your 3 girls. However, I re-read your earlier posts and saw the reference to "non-sailing enthusiast." If you are referring to your wife, then the cat is the condo on the water she will like. If to yourself, then maybe you should be looking at a similar powercat?

Zero reason not to have AC on a boat in July in the Caribbean.
Bopping around the BVIs and getting water, used to be quite simple and I'm sure it will be again Soon. You're never far from a dock.

You don't Need AC in July. It was not that long ago that no charter boats had AC. You do need to pick where you moor/anchor. Newbies tend to want to anchor in close. Anchor out where there will be a breeze and you will be cooler and remain bug free.
Having said that AC is nice, very nice if it rains at night!
G

George, "need" is a relative term. Per OP's second post: "I want her [wife] to be comfortable so she would be willing to put up with my sense of adventure again. I'm already pushing her comfort level bare boating without a crew, chef and personal masseuse." If we had not transitioned from monos with crappy windscoops to cats with A/C in the mid-2000s, <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" /> I am pretty sure our crew's charter days would have ended long ago!

We go almost exclusively in June/July/August and yes we really enjoy our Gen/AC during that time.

I am not an AC fan, but if my charter boat has AC I do find it helpful to put it on in the evening during meal prep time. It cools down the interior during late afternoon sun, cools down the galley and dries out the interior somewhat. This is usually the time everyone is showering off and changing to dry evening clothes, except the kids who basically live in their bathing suits and cannot be bothered to change their clothes.

Does come in handy during rainy season so you don’t have to do the hatch closing drill

^^^

That seems to be an endorsement FOR A/C from a "Non A/C Fan".... And I understand it.
I love not using A/C....
But I love having it when conditions make it VERY desirable.

FYI, decided to try BVI in July one year; it was 95 average and STEAMY on land.

NOT an a/c fan. Despise it, waste of energy. However, it may be prudent to consider the wishes of those in your party who might "need" it.

Might have felt 95, but 88 is the high for Road Town, according to our friends at Google. You need A/C in the summer, especially the aft cabins can get extremely stuffy

Are you saying that 88 is the all time high for Road Town in July?

I just Googled it

We spend July in the BVI's every year and I have never seen the temp climb into the 90's..

There is heat and then there is humidity.. Even 85 degrees and high humidity is intolerable to me, for SLEEPING...

It's hot and humid. Think about it: You're in the BVI because you live where it's cold. And in the humid environment aboard, it might be a good idea to make your short (and expensive) vacation as pleasant as possible. My vote is to get the A/C. You can always turn it off. We did 10 days aboard a 474 PC and ran the A/C most nights. Our fuel bill was just over $300 for generator and engines; a small fraction of the thousands the trip cost us.

Get the A/C!

Average high in July is 89. Record high is 99.

http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=VIXX0004

I wanted to thank everyone for the their advice. I pulled the trigger on Moorings 3900, with AC of course. Now I just need to find some cheap plane tickets from DC to St Thomas.