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Below are our details of how it was to travel to the BVI during the pandemic...
Pre-arrival
Research: We did a lot of research by reading the various BVI government websites (https://bvi.gov.vg/covid-19), Facebook Group posts (BVI Alive, BVI Abroad, BVI Currents and the REAL BVI Community Board), our Moorings Owners’ posts and Traveltalkonline posts.
Flights: We booked our flights to fly in and out of San Juan (we come from Denver) because it was much cheaper to get a flight from San Juan to Tortola than it was to get a flight from St. Thomas to Tortola. We took the risk and did our flight schedule in one day (left DIA at 5:10am, had about a 1 hour and 15 min layover in MIA and landed in SJU at 4:30pm.) We had booked our flights in 2 different segments (DIA-SJU and SJU-EIS) because we wanted to use miles for the legs we could. This meant we had to go out through the secure area, get our bags at baggage claim and then take the elevator back upstairs to check in for our 5:55pm Inter Caribbean flight. This was simple enough to do. They stop you at the baggage claim exit to look at COVID testing and PR entry paperwork for those who are staying in PR. Since we were just traveling through, the guard just let us right through without looking at our connecting flight information. This was the same on the way back. Just FYI, Inter Caribbean is at the far end of the airport, so you basically walk the length of the airport to get to the check in counter. Everything here was super smooth although when booking I knew we were taking a risk with a little less than an hour and ½ layover. The reason for taking the risk is that our Day 0 was basically our travel day and not at all wasted. We were mentally prepared for it not to work out and I had researched hotel availability if we were to need to stay overnight.
Travel/Medical Insurance: Through our research we found out that our regular medical insurance worked for entry into the BVI because it covered hospitalization while there as well as evacuation to the nearest medical facility if needed. This saved us some money.
Entry approval: Once we had our insurance information, we started the process of logging into the BVI Gateway site (https://bvigateway.bviaa.com/). We started our application on Friday (8 days before our departure). I made sure I had everything I needed…passport information, flight information, uploaded insurance forms, etc. I did it for myself and then I helped my husband. Once done with the application I did receive an email that it had been received along with a reference number. On Wednesday before our Saturday departure we both got an email that said that our application requires further information and to upload our COVID results. We did and then I didn’t hear anything back. Finally, I sent them an email on Thursday night to let them know that we had to leave for the airport 24 hours later and were waiting for our approval letter. I got nothing back from them. I also sent a What’s App message and heard nothing. On Friday morning I sent Henrietta a Facebook Message. She responded quickly and by noon we both got our approval letters. A little stressful but it seems that once you contact Lynette Harrigan or Henrietta Alexander things get done. I would not contact either of them, though, unless you are getting down to the wire and starting to get worried. We don’t want to overwhelm them. I also think that they have people monitoring the BVI Alive Facebook page because it seems that when questions are asked on there, things seem to happen quickly.
One thing we learned when doing the application and entering the flight information is that when I did mine, I couldn’t find our flight number on the drop down for Inter Caribbean, so I just picked a random one. When we did my husband’s, we noticed that there were two Inter Caribbean Airlines to choose from and our flight number was in the 2nd one. I sent them an email letting them know of the mistake on my application, but I never heard back.
COVID Tests: I scheduled our COVID tests pretty far in advance and we decided to get tested first thing Tuesday morning for our Saturday morning departure. This was really 4 days prior but since our flight connections were pretty tight, we knew that there might be a chance that we would be delayed and not arrive until Sunday. So, doing the test 4 days out would make them still valid for a Sunday arrival. I made sure that the tests were PCR tests that were processed in an approved lab. I did have a slight freak out when I got the results as it only said PCR and not RT-PCR tests but on further investigation it did say later in the paperwork that it was a “real time” PCR test which is apparently what RT stand for. We also went with a clinic that guarantees 24-48 hour results even though it is not a rapid test (since they don’t allow the use of a rapid test for entry).
Exit COVID Test: We were able to schedule our exit test at the clinic on Virgin Gorda. We tried to call all the numbers provided but could never get through so the day before we walked up to the clinic and made an appointment for the following day. If you are taking your test on Tortola you can email them at covidrrt@outlook.com. They will then send you some paperwork to fill out and will let you know when your test time is. Just FYI, this was the worst test we had. They did both nostrils and spent a looong time in there!
Provisions: We started our list about a couple weeks before our trip so that I could add things as I thought of them. We ordered our food and rum from Riteway and our beer, wine and spiked seltzer (they have Truly!) from Caribbean Cellars. We used the 2 different places because of the brands they offer. You really have to think about what you are provisioning and plan meals that will work if you don’t have one of the ingredients. They didn’t have a few of the items that we ordered so we did have to get creative. Once we arrived at the boat, we double checked the provisioning list they left with what was on the boat to ensure we got everything on their list. I then realized that their list was a little different from what I had ordered (as in items missing) so I had to check my online list with the list they had left to see what we were missing and how it would impact our meals. I recommend bringing a hard copy of your list with you. Also, a huge bummer was that our Caribbean Cellars order was not on the boat when we arrived and they were closed because we arrived later in the evening. Luckily the restaurant let us order wine and beer (you can also get mixed drinks) with our dinner order so all was good. Kudos to the Moorings front desk woman as she called Caribbean Cellars for us the next day and when she found out that they were closed on Sundays she tracked down either the owner or an employee who went into the store on their day off to get our stuff for us so we didn’t have to wait until Monday. They were very apologetic!
Arrival and Day 0: Depending on how you book your flight, you will need to show your COVID results and approval paperwork prior to getting on the leg of your flight that has the final destination of EIS. We had to show ours at SJU for our Inter Caribbean flight to EIS. If you book on one itinerary from where you live to EIS you will show it when you check in for your flight. We were advised to have 2 copies of everything which we did but I don’t think anyone kept our paperwork.
When you arrive at EIS you will be escorted from the plane to the new building. This means you will pass the entrance that you usually go through for Customs/Immigration. Once you get to the building you will stand in front of a machine that takes your temperature and then they have you sit in chairs to wait to go up to the desk to register. During this whole process they have you use hand sanitizer what seems like a billion times, LOL! Once called up you show them your paperwork, they fill out another form and also label a vial that you will take to the tester. They have you check the information on the vial and they also take your email down verbally. Have them repeat it back to you to ensure that they wrote it down correctly. I didn’t and the email was wrong which made us get our Day 0 results on Day 2 (It was also by a phone call which freaked me out because I thought she was going to say that we were positive!) You then go into the testing room to get the test done. Ours was not bad and was just one nostril. They then send you back to the lobby area to wait for a few people to finish up and then they walk you through the back of the building and into Customs/Immigration. IMPORTANT: Although we were told that we only needed one Immigration form, we actually both had to fill one out. You need 1 form for each person, not 1 form per family for Immigration (which is the first one you go through). At this point she gives you a little slip from the bottom of the form that you need for your departure. After Immigration you pick up your bags and then go through Customs where you pay a $10 per person entry fee. Once through customs you go up to another booth where you show your paperwork again and she asks if you have already paid your $175 fee. We said we had and she didn’t ask for proof. After this you go to the next booth to get your wristbands and tracking device. Ours were like a plastic concert wristband with a little device on it that was about the size of a watch face. Make sure you have them put it on loosely since you will be wearing it for 5 days and can’t take it off. You also get the black tracker box that is in a very nice waterproof bag, similar to the bags you can buy to put your iPhone in when swimming. Once your bands are on and you’ve got the device you are free to get into your taxi. Make sure you do not share a taxi with anyone who is not in your party. I don’t think they are doing this anymore but know that if they do, you should ask for your own taxi. Make sure you don’t try to open the door on your own. Our driver let us know that there are people watching to ensure that the drivers follow all the protocols, and you don’t want them to get into trouble. They will load your bags, give you squirts of hand sanitizer and open the door for you. Our driver was great and made sure that the restaurant where we were ordering takeout from knew that we were on our way and would be putting an order in once we got to the marina.
Once we arrived at the Moorings, we were met by a lovely woman who explained everything to us (don’t get off the boat, what to expect the first day, etc.) and gave us a menu for Charlie’s restaurant so that we could call in our order. I’m bummed I can’t remember her name because she went above and beyond!
Day 1: We had our boat briefing first thing in the morning. Since we were already pretty familiar with the boat it was fairly quick. During our briefing he showed us how to access the “chart briefing” online and told us to watch it. Luckily, we were very familiar with the BVI cruising grounds because the chart briefing is pretty bad. Maybe if there was sound it would make more sense, but I can’t imagine someone who hasn’t sailed the area being comfortable with the briefing. Once our Caribbean Cellars order arrived, we were off. We sailed over to Peter Island. Since we had some time we did a quick motor through Deadman’s Bay to see what that quarantine anchorage looked like. It is very pretty with a nice beach (although you cannot go ashore here). It is more exposed than Great Harbor and anchor only. Here is a video link to what the harbor looks like: https://youtu.be/4oUz9MOQIcU
We took a mooring ball in Great Harbor. Some looked better than others so we tried to pick one that looked a little newer and my husband double checked it once we were tied up. This is a great anchorage as it is pretty well protected and there is lots of room to either moor or anchor. You can’t go ashore here. We did find that the deeper we were into the anchorage the more spotty the Wifi became, which normally wouldn’t be a concern but we were trying to work from the boat during quarantine. We were not charged for the mooring balls. Video of Great Harbor, Peter Island: https://youtu.be/1DpDYGqI25w
Day 2 and 3: We motored over to check out Little Harbor which was also a very pretty anchorage. It is small so only a few boats can fit in here. It is anchor only and some people recommended that you tie a line to shore to prevent swinging or set a 2nd anchor. Video of Little Harbor, Peter Island: https://youtu.be/jShZAfLareI
We then sailed over to Benures Bay on Norman Island. As we were going into the bay we took a quick video of Soldier’s Bay which looked very exposed but there were a few mooring balls. This was our favorite quarantine anchorage of the ones we went to. Plenty of mooring balls. We were both working from the boat so time went super fast. I paddleboarded around the boat and to shore and back but didn’t really feel the need to go ashore. We did see other quarantine boats who sent people ashore to walk the rocky beach. When I was on the paddleboard, I took the tracker box in the waterproof bag so I wouldn’t be more than 30ft from it. We also lounged on blow up mattresses off the back of the boat. We stayed here 2 nights since our wifi signal was strong and we liked it. Video of Benures Bay, Norman Island: https://youtu.be/s-380hZv_cE
Day 4: We went for our Day 4 test at Nanny Cay. You call into the dockmaster on Channel 16 and he will let you know what dock to go on and where to put your lines and fenders. I will say that the entrance to the marina is kind of tight but totally doable. It was blowing pretty hard and there was some swell that was pushing us which added to the sportiness of it! (Here is a video link I took off the dock, once we were in: https://youtu.be/ai9I7d6hrIw)
Once you get into the marina it is totally calm but you still have the wind factor. Docking was pretty easy for us because we were at the end of M dock so no backing in and there was a dock hand (great kid with the last name of Norman) who was there to help with lines. He also offered up water and/or ice if we needed it. We got onto the dock right at 8:00am and there were 2 taxis waiting. Unfortunately, the hotel had guests that snagged the 2 taxis before we could but we got into the next one after he got back and it only took about 45 minutes, round trip to get the tests done. For this test you wait in the taxi for them to call you in. When called you enter the tent and check in. You need your passports so make sure to bring them. They do the same thing that you did at the airport. Fill out a form with your email address, fill out a vial and you take the vial to the test administrator. This test was a little deeper into the nostril but not horrible and was just one nostril and over quickly.
We had and planned to wait for results at Valley Trunk Bay but it was blowing pretty hard that day and we both had to start work at 11 so we tucked into Great Harbor, Peter Island again.
Day 5: We made our way to Virgin Gorda with the plan to await our results at Valley Trunk. We got them on our sail over (about 10am) so went straight to Spanish Town, grabbed a mooring ball, took the dinghy in to the marina and walked to the police station to get our wristbands removed and turn in the trackers. Make sure to take your passports and release letter as well as the paperwork that shows your test was negative on Day 4. We highly recommend that you plan to be somewhere near a police station on Day 5 so that once you get your results you can get the wristbands cut off. Some places would not allow you to enter their store/restaurant if you had one on. Then back to the boat and off to Leverick to start the free part of our vacation! When we arrived at Leverick we were the only boat in the harbor. My husband worked on the boat so I went ashore and got some groceries at the Chef’s Pantry, which is right at the marina and had a drink and a swim in the pool. When you come off the dinghy dock they have you wait for someone to come and take your temperature, check your release paperwork and take down your information for tracking purposes. That night we had dinner at the downstairs restaurant because upstairs wasn’t open on Thursday night. Our dinner was delicious and the service was excellent. Video of Valley Trunk Bay, Virgin Gorda: https://youtu.be/pedwLLVf2z0
Highlights Post Quarantine:
Anegada: We were one of only 4 boats in the anchorage but Cow Wreck was not open when we got there around 1:30pm. Also, by the time we got ashore, all but one rental company was closed. We were able to get a scooter for the day but I suggest making a reservation ahead of time. Anegada Beach Club was open and we were able to share a pizza (the lobster pizza was yummy) and have some drinks by the pool. We spoke with the manager about how they have set up for COVID and it sounds great! They rent the palapas on the beach and they can provision them for you, deliver you food from the restaurant or do a combination of the two. They also rope off a part of the beach, out front of the palapa for the quarantine party to use so you do get beach and ocean access while in quarantine. Dinner at Wonky Dog was AMAZING but again we were 1 of 2 tables!
Jost Van Dyke: We stayed in White Bay for 2 days and at one point it was just us and another boat. We had the Ivan’s side totally to ourselves pretty much the whole time. Soggy Dollar, Coco Loco, Gertrude’s and Hendo’s were the only places open. Hendo’s stopped serving food at 5:30 and Soggy wasn’t serving food. Hendo’s food was really good and the service was excellent. Spent one night in Great Harbor and there were only a few boats there as well. Only Foxy’s and Cool Breeze were open for dinner on a Sunday night. There was only one other person eating dinner at Foxy’s with us. Had a great little chat with Tessa and she said that the lack of tourism has been devastating. She is wondering how she is going to keep the lights on.
Cane Garden: We went ashore later in the evening so not totally sure of everything that was open here. Only us and 1 other boat in the harbor. Quito’s was closed. From what we have heard they are pretty much shutting down the hotel and restaurant but are trying to keep the bar/gazebo area open on a limited basis. They say to call in advance to ensure it is open. We had a fabulous dinner at Myett’s and were treated like royalty by Lorraine by Leroy (maybe it was Leon). We were the only table eating in the restaurant. Besides us there was a family having drinks on the beach and 1 other man having drinks. Lorraine said to please let people know to come!
Spanish Town: More boats were in the mooring field but they were mostly local boats not tourists. There were some places open in town. We had planned to have dinner at Coco Maya but they were closed so we had dinner at the Bath and Turtle. Food was also very good here as well as the service. Had a chance to have a brief chat with Rose and she said that although they have had some business they need tourism to be restored as soon as possible.
The Baths: Since the installation of mooring balls at The Baths, I have never been able to just sail up and get my pick of one. There were actually about 5 boats on moorings there which was probably the most we saw the whole time. We swam in from the dinghy tie up at Devil’s Bay and walked the rocks back the other direction. We saw maybe 2 different parties of people.
Cooper Island: The resort, restaurant and bar were closed but there were a few boats on mooring balls here. They are set to open back up the restaurant, bar and boutique on February 11th.
The Bight: We were the only boat outside of Pirate’s Bight when we arrived and there was one other catamaran off the Willy T. Throughout the day a few more boats did arrive. We had drinks at The Pirate’s Bight but they were also serving food. They stop taking orders around 4pm as they have employees who go back to Tortola and boats have to be off the water by 6pm. We had dinner and drinks at Willy T. We just love the guys, Danny and Mark, who seem to pretty much run the place. They are extremely hard working, always make you feel welcomed and make great drinks! Although we usually consider the food there as “bar food” it was really good. They had just gotten some fresh Wahoo and my husband wanted a fish sandwich so they made him one with the fresh wahoo and he said it was amazing. UPDATE: Just saw on FB that The Pirate's Bight is sometimes staying open if there are enough boats in the harbor.
After 14 days it was time to go home. This was a fabulous trip and although it was nice to not stress about getting a ball at the typically busy places, it was pretty sad to see how many businesses were struggling. We will be back as soon as we can!
Sue s/v Ripple Leopard 40 ![[Linked Image]](https://www.tickerfactory.com/ezt/d/4;10730;128/st/20241104/e/sailing+the+USVI+BVI/dt/-2/k/e2d4/event.png)
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Thank you for the very informative and comprehensive report.
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really great...thanks for the tips
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GordaGuy2
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Thank you so much for the detailed report! We depart for Tortola on Tuesday morning, so it was wonderful to have a peek at what to expect. So appreciate you taking the time to share this information!
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Joined: Oct 2020
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THANK YOU THANK YOU
We leave this Wednesday! And are about to go get our pre-arrival test in about an hour.
There are several pieces of information in there that I didn't realize - especially the removal of the trackers on day 5. Never knew that.
I have emailed your post to the folks going with us.
Outstanding report!
Last edited by WillM; 02/06/2021 12:26 PM.
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Joined: Dec 2018
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THANK YOU THANK YOU
We leave this Wednesday! And are about to go get our pre-arrival test in about an hour.
There are several pieces of information in there that I didn't realize - especially the removal of the trackers on day 5. Never knew that.
I have emailed your post to the folks going with us.
Outstanding report!
where are the police stations or any other place that can remove trackers in the BVIs?
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Joined: Dec 2004
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Anegada in the Settlement
Virgin Gorda , top of the hill next to entrance of the airport across from Supavalu
Road Town, turn at traffic lights on the dual carriage way
CaribbeanGirl13: so happy you enjoyed your dinner, thanks for coming in.
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CaribbeanGirl.....a couple of questions if you don’t mind. We are heading down in March...land vacation on VG.
How many days before flying out of EIS did you get your test on VG?
What was the Quarantining requirements upon returning to the US? Was anything necessary in SJ? Did you go thru customs and then check in for your flight home without issue?
Thanks!
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CaribbeanGirl's initial post should be permanently pasted at the top of this blog IMHO as I imagine a lot of us especially me will be referencing it regularly leading up to our 2021 trip...
it could even replace the bioterrorism and politics pasted thread...
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CaribbeanGirl.....a couple of questions if you don’t mind. We are heading down in March...land vacation on VG.
How many days before flying out of EIS did you get your test on VG?
What was the Quarantining requirements upon returning to the US? Was anything necessary in SJ? Did you go thru customs and then check in for your flight home without issue?
Thanks! We flew out on Saturday and got tested on Thursday. Nothing required at SJU, just had to tell them that we were traveling through. No issues with going through customs. We did have to grab our bags and then go out through the secure area to check in for our American flight. Don't forget to run your bags through the agricultural inspection before going to check in if you are checking bags. We did not need to quarantine when we arrived back to Colorado.
Sue s/v Ripple Leopard 40
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Thanks for the info...that testing turn around is fast.
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Anegada in the Settlement
Virgin Gorda , top of the hill next to entrance of the airport across from Supavalu
Road Town, turn at traffic lights on the dual carriage way
Also on Tortola at the West End police station. Short taxi from Soper's Hole.
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Taxi driver yesterday suggested a police station could be walked to from Trellis Bay.
M4000 "Lio Kai"
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We moored in Trellis Bay and walked to the airport to have ours removed.
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Trellis would work...would like to get up to Anegada so looking for closest point
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Anegada Police station can remove bracelets , take other devices once day4 is cleared
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even better my friend...I missed that above
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