TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Boating accident

Very sad news. We can't be too careful!
https://bvinews.com/one-dead-another-hospitalised-following-boating-accident-off-guana-island/

I can't believe there isn't more info on this yet.

Only thing I heard which is unconfirmed was it was a tender off a yacht at Monkey point. I am honestly surprised it does not happen more often with the way people blast through mooring fields with their tenders and dinghies. Bransons big tender used to blow through the Saba rock and BEYC Moorings at night going very fast until they hit a dinghy.
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The local report is that it was a local go-fast boat with 2 people on board. I'll try to find the article.

Just came across this now... not much information..so sad...Also made the mistake of reading the comments from this article. Here is the link if you want to make the same mistake..... be forewarned they are crazy!

https://bvinews.com/one-dead-another-hospitalised-following-boating-accident-off-guana-island/

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The comments on BVI News almost always break down into racist name calling. It does give some insight into how the islanders think.

Just read the comments and its very obvious who was in the boat that ran over the snorkelers.

Can you give us more of a hint or perhaps a name?

BVI media tends to disapear items that might be contriversial for well connected locals but I don't think this one is going away. The fatality was a well connected New York yachtsman.

The entire story makes my heart sad. Totally preventable.

Boat is in Nanny Cay for sale that is listed in online article.

The BVI article posted earlier mentioned the yacht "Sovereign"... is this the boat? A large boat to be making a quick turn at full plain with swimmers in the water!

https://www.boatbookings.com/yacht_search/yacht_view.php?pid=28840

I would guess it was Sovereign's tender.

I think that boat's been there out of the water for quite some time. There must be another Sovereign?

Think Arabella in foreground, Arabella's tender rescuing and Sovereign is boat you see in picture of 1st link I posted...

So I make our swimmers/snorkelers use colored noodles and have watch posted...what other takeaways does anybody have to recommend here if any?

So the boat that ran over the swimmers was Sovereign and is owned by the owner of Guana Island and Norman Islands.

That seems to be the case. Not too many people have the swag to totally bury a news story. I posted Jarecki's name in the BVI News comments and it didn't make it past the review. We can assume he wasn't driving the tender and probably wasn't even on it. Sad situation but he is responsible for the conduct of his employees driving his equipment.

The only change needed is to require boats, tenders and dinghies to be at idle in anchorages, mooring fields and national park areas as they should already be.

Just speculation, but I could see this most likely happening to a snorkeler following the underwater topography out to the point, and a boat at speed with local knowledge rounding Monkey Point very tightly.
A similar potential danger spot is Treasure Point on Norman Island.

I thought that as well...however the topography in the picture and the reference to anchoring as opposed to mooring lead me to believe it was farther north on Guana. That current is pretty strong at the point. Agree re:Norman Island. Indians as well when people swim in from boats as opposed to dinghy line.

Larger boats often anchor in the sand just behind the a little west of the Moorings at Monkey point. I got the impression the tender cut inside a anchored boat at full speed. Inexcusable in a national park snorkeling area if true.

From the articles I've read, the boats name was Sovereign, not a tender.

This Sovereign?

https://www.yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury-charter-yacht-26341/sovereign.htm

Maybe this one?
https://www.boatbookings.com/yacht_search/yacht_view.php?pid=28840

There is now a grass roots effort to curb dangerous boat control in North Sound. See Slow Down your on island time on Facebook. If you think you can help please join.

As a personal note I am also trying to determine how to slow down drivers on Virgin Gorda. It is beyond crazy how cars speed, pass on curves, cut other cars etc The root cause is total lack of police attention to this problem Time for them to buy speed detection devices, use them and stiff fines.

Just post a sign,
Examples:
This is a Gun Free Zone
This is a Drug Free Zone
😁 Good Luck

I believe it is the new version of the blue hulled sunseeker in the second link. The original boat is on the hard in Nanny Cay for sale with bow damage from hitting a reef. Most likely the boat involved replaced the 68 Sunseeker as it looks like the newer sunseeker in the pictures from the accident site.