TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands The fifth day

We have booked a sailing bareboat charter at the end of May (hopefully not a mistake). I hope you can give me some feedback on some questions:

1) I understand that we have to quarantine until the 5th day. Are the test results available early on the 5th day? Could we make the north sound that day?

2) I see hardly any boats on the webcams. My spouse is concerned we might be completely alone and not have access to usual things like trash pickup and ice. How many boats are around these days? I guess the quarantine mooring fields aren’t under pressure!

Thanks
Peter

Peter - There is a lot of info in the various threads on TTOL which will give you a pretty good understanding of what to expect. Short answers: 1-There is a Q anchorage in North Sound that you can sail to any day you want. You probably won't get your day-5 all clear until later in the day. 2-There are still locals cruising around servicing ice and trash needs.
You're going to have a great trip.

I agree with Husker

There is a couple (assume husband/wife) that came around every morning to both Peter and Norman delivering ice and taking trash. Super nice folks!

We had dinner delivered multiple times from Pirates Bight over in Benures - call around lunch and place order

We had our test @930am on day 4 - received results day 5 at 12:36pm. We were sitting over by Sandy Spit on anchor waiting for results and made it to JVD quickly! lol

You will not be "alone" anywhere - there will be several boats no matter where you choose to quarantine.

Yes - get your tests done and you can head up to Malone and wait for results.

We did our trip mid February - ready to go back - quarantine or not!!

Super useful! Thanks for the responses. Now I understand you don't need to stay in the box around Norman/Peter/Cooper every day only day 0 (dumb not to understand that).

It will be interesting to see the BVI without crowds.

Be around that area the night of Day 3 so you have easy access to Nanny Cay for Day 4 testing at 8am.

Just don't be that boat flying the Q flag in Great Harbour or White Bay JVD........amazed how folks don't seem to understand where they should and should not be.

Q flag needed? More seriously, are you allowed in the mooring field at Leverick (looks like Malone Bay to me)?

And thanks again for the useful comments!

We saw a mixed bag of boats with and without a Q flag in the Q anchorages so I think it is dependent on the charter companies (who is providing them and who is not). We DID see several powercats with Q flags in places they should not be while in Q, even directly in front of Soggy Dollar Bar. You can anchor in Malone Bay behind the Leverick mooring field and move up to the mooring field after you and crew receive your Q release. Although Long Bay (Virgin Gorda) was just stunning when we were there waiting for our Day 4 results and release.

Honestly - we were not told we had to remove the yellow flag ourselves. And frankly didn't know what it was for as we were not told. We were at JVD and the locals questioned if we were in quarantine. Then they told us about the flag. So, I went out and took it down.

So, when you get your Day 4 results and are clear - remove the flag

I wonder if any boaters have had a positive Covid test either on day 0 or day 4?

yes they have , several times on Day 0 and a couple on day 4 that I know of.

so if found to be positive, what happened? Q on the boat for 7 days? Could the couple on day 4 leave BVI?

you are required to quarantine for 14 days, on day 4 another 10 days and no you cannot leave till you are clear of the virus, that is what the Covid travel insurance is meant for to cover your extra costs.

Plus, you now need a negative test to get back into the US.

I am still confused. I thought great harbor was an allowable Q moorage? It is on the Q map labeled as B, I assumed you can take moorage but can't make land fall.

I suspect there may be confusion due to the naming of some of the bodies of water . . .

Great Harbor on Peter Island is a quarantine anchorage but going ashore is not permitted. Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke is not an approved quarantine anchorage.

Also, the red dots on the chart have nothing to do with quarantine anchorages.

Yes, that was my confusion. Thank you.