TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Where do you dock your personal boat?

We are looking at a few sailboats in the VIs for personal use (not charter), but after looking at the slips, wowza! For those of you that own a boat that’s not in charter, where do you keep your boat that’s not “$1,000” a month?

Second q- do you put it on the hard during hurricane season?

Thanks!!!

Slips, particularly in-season, are expen$ive. I used to store my boat off-season at Nanny Cay for just under $1000 a month - but the prices vary by boat size.

If it is personal use and you like to go places, you'll probably get bored in the Virgin Islands and you'll definitely have to pay. Have you looked at somewhere like St Martin? Far more availability at reasonable prices. Also, opens up the rest of the Leewards and Windwards as cruising grounds and an easy sail down to Grenada to get out of what most insurance companies regard as the hurricane belt.

We were planning on leaving the boat in the VIs, we’re not cruising the Caribbean. It sounds like it’s a slip or nothing. Hummm….

The USVI are going to be less expensive than the BVI for dockage.

That’s where I the cheapest slip was over $1000. We’ll pass on a boat in the VIs. Just crazy.

What size boat? Mono or cat?

You might check Manuel Reef at Sea Cow's Bay..I know a TTOLer had his boat there and Brent was there for a while..Brent may well chime in here..

Ahoy Captain,

Boats are Expensive.
A ‘Yacht in the Caribbean’ is a culture predicated by the evolution of the Bareboat Charter Industry that provides for Professional Management and Income to offset the Expense.
Unless You have a Mansion with a private dock on the ICW, or can afford the https://miamibeachmarina.com/slips/ .
It costs almost the same amount of resources to build and maintain and charter out a 35’ mono as a 55’ cat. The profit margin is much larger in both sales, chartering, marina dockage, management, etc. with the lager and cat yachts. No own wants to do business with a small old monohull.
Cat 5 Irma was a tipping point for most Insurers. It has become very challenging for most Yachts, especially independently owned and operated Yachts, to find insurance in the ITZ for H Season. You can’t have a Yacht in a boatyard with out insurance.
You can’t leave a Yacht anchored and unattended for weeks on any body of water. In the water a Yacht needs daily boat watch and a weekly hands on walkthrough.
On a Dock or Moored or Anchored a Yacht is constantly challenged by very dynamic natural forces. Batteries die, float switches stick, lines fray and break.
Due to the number of abandoned damaged Yachts after Cat 5 Irma many countries, especially the BVI, now require a Registered Agent, that is a Professional with a Trade License to Manage Yachts, to be Legally and Financially Liable for any unoccupied Yacht left for any length of time.
Marinas and Moorage services will require some form of reliable hands on management as part of their Lease.
Proactive management of a boat has been a practical necessity since the first sail was raised thousands of years ago, and especially with boats - You Get What You Pay For - and there is no refund when You are 100 miles off of St. Somewhere at Midnight.
Cat 5 Irma and other storms over the past 30 Years have reduced the physical options for marinas and boatyards in the NE Caribbean. The damage from Covid to the yachting industry, especially labor resources, will take a decade to recoup.
3 of the largest marinas in the BVI, Village Cay & Hodges Creek & Virgin Gorda YH, were all owned by a local BVI financial organization with limited insurance when Cat 5 Irma hit and have struggled to recover. Both of the boatyards, Nanny Cay & Virgin Gorda YH were badly damaged, and while VGYH is still recovering, Nanny Cay Boatyard and their Marina have come back bigger and better than before.

https://www.traveltalkonline.com/ub...aming-talk-reality-to-me.html#Post310620

I would not recommend Sea Cow Bay. The outer bay is very exposed, the inner bay has over 30 unsecured and abandoned wrecks and is very shallow and zero visibility in the water.
Although 'Gene's Restaurant' has some of the Best Dinning on Tortola.

I Need More Quality Cats for Chartering !
Fair Winds, Brent
thecaptainscompass.com Yacht Charters and Management
heatseekerinternational.com 5% Comm and Sales-Tax-Free Yacht Brokerage

We haven’t purchased yet but we’re looking at a 37’ mono.

We’ve owned many boats before so know the costs with a boat. Our current home port is San Francisco.

Thanks! I’ll look into Manuel Reef.