TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands BVI newbie questions, concerns, itinerary?

we go out with 2 paddleboards...used to take a kayak as well but nobody used

latest cool item is swimming mat which doubles as floating bar

We are planning to bring our own PFDs that we always wear when sailing. My wife and I have inflatables. TSA and FAA regulations allowed these to be carried on board or checked. Has anyone ever had a problem doing this flying AA to STT?

You won’t have any problem with AA. The TSA side may or may not be a issue. I print a copy of the TSA rules allowing the inflatable preservers. So far every time they balked I showed them their rules and they let me through.
G

OK thanks I printed up the rules so hopefully will work for me too.

Suggest asking to have a second boat hook on board -- they don't always float......

hmmm, yes I can see losing that being a problem!

should I also rent a dinghy ladder? We are planning to do the Baths by car, but could be useful at the Indians and other snorkel spots. I am pretty fit but have never tried climbing back into a Zodiac from the water.

We are planning to carry a large amount of cash for mooring fees, restaurants, and incidentals. Pretty much to pay for everything there, as I have heard that credit card fraud is a problem so use it as little as possible. Does everyone just stash their cash somewhere below? My wife is worried about this. AFAIK people entering charter boats to steal while you are away is unheard of.

you have teenagers...they are your dinghy ladder. They get in first and then help everyone in or push you in. That is why your wife birthed them so they can help you in the islands and possibly mow the grass at home

get noodles there for swimming and visability while snorkeling

never seen crime there but spread out cash...never had credit card fraud either. Biggest issue is some restaurants (e.g. Pirates) charge a "service fee" and then leave a place for tip so make sure you bring your reading glasses

get small colored trash bags for the heads and to wrap on your dinghy so you recognize it after some of the bars. I suggest as pink as no one steals a dinghy with pink on t he handles

Most of all relax...you will be fine and you can always hop on here mid trip (pot calling kettle...LOL)

Our charter company supplies dinghy ladders - check with yours. My girls would probably dislocate my shoulders yanking me in the boat so glad we have one - lol.

We have been fortunate to be in the BVI many times this past year. We use credit cards for all provisioning and vendors as well as restaurants - have never had an issue. We take cash for tips and paying for misc mooring fees when not anchoring or somewhere where we can easily pay by cc, and for ice and trash pick up.

I have taken the dinghy painter, run it thru the eyes in the dinghy floor, over the sides and back to make a handy stirrup for crew to climb aboard. Works well, but MUCH easier if someone is aboard to hold the line and offer an extra hand to those climbing aboard.

Same as others, never had a problem with CCs on the island (we use a dedicated one in case there is an issue), and use cash for tips, ice, trash, mooring fees, and that guy who brings me empanadas in Great Harbour (now I'm hungry!).

Keep Smiling!!!

We bring a Davis Stirrup Swim Step with us e.g.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/davis-instruments--stirrup-swim-ladder--142218

We tie it to the dinghy (somewhere strong). The trick is to make it the right length. It is light and works for us but is still a bit of a struggle.

Once the boat we chartered had a “stainless” dinghy ladder included. Turned out to be very badly rusted and broke. We were lucky to avoid a nasty injury from the sharp parts. So inspect carefully.

Peter

Maybe give this dinghy entry method a try:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuQ64DO1MhQ

Dan

I am one of the unfortunate ones that has had my CC info stolen 3 separate trips. I am however of the mindset that it happened in STT not the BVI though as I am usually out of cash by the time we fly home. So it can, and does happen somewhere along the way. Now I bring more cash than I think I need (and of course still end up blowing it).

Guess you folks have already answered all my prep questions because I haven't had any over the past week. Thanks so much! We couldn't be more excited. Leaving Miami for BVI tomorrow!

Close enough now that weather forecasts are meaningful. We are doing a "long" sail from Norman to Leverick on Sunday according to our itinerary, but could move it up to Saturday and spend more time around Norman at the end of the cruise. According to Windy, Saturday's forecast is about 10 knots out of SE, so should be over the beam. Sunday's forecast is for east winds at about 15 knots, so more on the nose and beating up the SFD channel. Sound like a good reason to choose Saturday with a young inexperienced crew, or not really much different?

Any other tips for that sail ... e.g. stay in the middle of the channel or hug the windward side (if not tacking up the channel)?

You will probably be tacking from Norman to North Sound. Here are couple of options I have used.
1. Sail till around noon, see where you are at, then motor.
2. Motor sail up to Dogs, enjoy lunch/dip, sail from there into North Sound.

Its a great run.

If I am in a hurry from Norman to the NS I motor up the SFD to about Cooper. From there it’s a great sail reaching out past the dogs and then a tack into the Mosquito point entrance or several tacks to the main entrance. Tacking up the SFD in a cat can be tough with the slight current working against you.

Thanks for the feedback. We'll be in a mono, perhaps it will claw it's way upwind a little better. Either way it will be quite the change from our usual tri!

The pass between Moskito island and VG is off limits by our charter company. We'll be taking the long way in.

Mono changes the SFD part. It’s considered a great place to be close hauled. If time limited maybe motor to Peter. Should be able to lay the dogs from there.
G

When heading for the main North Sound entrance, our experience has been that once you pass Mountain Point you have two choices:
1 - Start the motor in order to turn more eastward and follow the coast of Mosquito Island, or...
2 - Keep on sailing, which involves going considerably farther north to line up a tack into the North Sound.

We're usually a bit impatient to get to our destination, and choose option 1. Even so, I resist the temptation to round Mosquito Rock closely. Doing so puts you right next to Colquhoun Reef for its entire length, where one unexpected problem (e.g. your engine dies) could quickly land you on the reef. So I continue some distance past Mosquito Rock before making a right turn toward the entrance markers.

By the way, our trips have mostly been in winter, when the wind tends to be a bit more northerly.

Dan