TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Your Best Advice For Rookies

We have owned a 32’ Beneteau for 31 years and have cruised the Chesapeake Bay extensively, and are looking forward to our first charter and our first visit to the BVI. We have been lurking here for the past 6 months to gain as much info as we can before we head down in January, and it’s obvious the members of this forum are a tremendous resource that have already added great value to our trip.

So, what are the two or three things you would offer to someone like us that are important to know, or something we might not have considered?

A friend who had just returned a few months ago told us to “bring twice the money, and half the clothes”. We laughed, of course, but there’s experience and truth in that comment.

I’m grateful for any contributions you can offer.

Welcome. Help us help you. Who's in your party? Any children? What type of boat are you chartering? What kinds of things do you like to do - snorkeling, hiking, beach bars, etc.? Do you plan to eat aboard or are you looking for restaurants?

Kind of hard to give general suggestions without knowing a bit more about you and your plans.

How many of you are there? What ages?

Have you planned an itinerary? Do you have questions on any of your planned stops?

What company are you using?

How are you getting there? Are you stepping off the plane/ferry and onto the boat or are you planning shoulder days?

If you have 31 years of experience, you probably don't need any advice on mooring or anchoring.

I guess I would say my general advice is to not try and do too much. Everything slows down and if you try to jam too much into too little time, it can take some of the fun out of things. For us, we just like relaxing. Having to get going for the next thing disrupts the flow.

4 adults, ages 58-64, healthy and active, 2 are novice sailors, but have been out with us 6-8 times including 2 overnights. Planning on a mix of eating aboard and dining ashore. Chartering a 4 year old Jeanneau 440 with slightly deeper draft, 5’2”, from BVI yacht Charters. We’ll have a captain aboard the first day. Snorkeling, exploring, cocktails, hiking, we are pretty adventurous.

We have an itinerary, but I prefer to go where the wind takes us. That said, planning on a full moon party in Trellis on day 3, stops at Peter, VG, and Jost for sure, not Anegada this time. My wife is the planner, that’s her thing. I like to say she won’t get out of bed without a plan, but truth is she’s very good at it. The Willie T, Soggy Dollar, Saba Rock, and BEYC are on the radar, but not in stone. Hidden gems can be some of the best, and crowds can tarnish the experience, in my opinion.

After debating options, we decided to fly through MIA to EIS. Maybe a mistake, maybe not, but that’s done.

We going to be in Tortola one night, then on board one night before heading out the next morning for 8 days. Back to base for final evening aboard, leaving the following morning.

We have a lot of anchoring experience, mostly mud, clay, and some sand. Very limited mooring experience, but extensive docking in all conditions, so we anticipate, communicate, and coordinate well as a team.

If you find a ball in Trellis Bay, you might consider hiking to the top of Beef Mountain. Not that I have ever done it, but it's supposed to be a great hike with wonderful views. You may have to grab a ball at Marina Cay and take the ferry to Trellis. This month's full moon party is Sunday, so I'll have a sense of how crowded things are.

Welcome....do you have Scotts Guide to sailing the BVI yet?

We are big fans of avoiding the crowds. MIA to EIS is a good choice.

Can you give us the days/dates of your trip and rough idea of your trip plan or thoughts on what your crew would like to see recognizing you cant see it all in one trip?

2x the money and half the clothes is always my first advice.

Do what you feel like doing on that day. Yes, there are some “can’t miss” places and things to do, but think of this trip as your first trip, not your last one. If the winds are right and you want to sail on a given day, so that. We’ve sailed from the north sound to The Bight one day just because the wind was right and we wanted to sail. Other days, we stayed put in a mooring field just enjoying the relaxation. Don’t rush it; Enjoy it.

One important thing besides the already listed ones is this: greet all of the citizens of the BVI that you encounter with a "Hello, how are you today!" This is the friendly icebreaker and will get you quick service, advice, help or whatever you need. Case in point: at one restaurant in Roadtown, Tortola we greeted the person up front, greeted our waitress, thanked them for seating us and giving us menu's. At the same time another couple from an unidentified place treated the staff like servants. We got our order placed, drinks served, dinner served, dessert and left and all the while no one went to the other couples table. No menu, water glass, nothing. So be nice and friendly to one and all and enjoy. And don't forget your sunscreen...lol

Will you be on Whitecap? We chartered her a couples years ago. Great boat! We always enjoy Leverick Bay, either dining upstairs or the Friday night BBQ. Just remember to relax and don't get in a hurry to do too much in a day.

IMHO..I would not cut out Anegada and maybe drop Peter. While in Trellis check out Marina Cay's restaurant and bar. We sailed there yesterday and had a truly great lunch..a far cry from the old days when you went for the charm of the island but never for the cuisine! I also think Cane Garden Bay on a non cruise ship day ( they are Wed and Thurs at least at the moment).Its a beautiful beach..stroll west and stop at Indigo House...

In the past we have always taken a load of sunblock from the USA with us (but that requires checking luggage) since we found sunblock rather expensive in the BVI during our first trip. We usually order goods from Riteway (including water since we don't drink boat water).

Gene's Bar & Grill on Sea Cow Bay is our traditional watering hole for the last night on Tortola. It isn't fancy but we like the atmosphere (and food). Moorings is just across the road from BVI Yacht Charter and I understand they have new and expensive pizza oven (we hope to try it next May). We often go there for a drink and even dinner on the first day.

We like Deadman's Bay on Peter for a day anchorage (although I recall hearing that balls will be installed there so I have no idea about when you get there). Great Harbor is a good place in bad weather (well I guess it depends on the wind direction) but you aren't welcome if you go far from the beach.

If the North swell is bad you can moor at Soper's Hole and take taxi to Cane Garden Bay (or our preferred place Smugglers Cove).

That's more than two things. Sorry!

That's a good duration to take in the BVI while leaving Anegada for next time, cause there WILL be a next time!

I'd advise you not to make the full moon party a priority because it forces you to be in a certain spot at a certain time, which can affect the day before and after. Because:

Weather (and/or north swell) will likely pin you down for a couple of days. The best spots to hunker down are North Sound and The Bight. From the North Sound, via taxi, you can explore the rest of the island and particularly The Baths, which SHOULD be a priority to see on a non-cruise ship day. Also there are lots of other places in the North Sound: Leverick, Saba, BEYC, Prickly Pear, beach activities, snorkeling...

When you pick up a mooring, have two people on the bow. One has a boathook and snags the pennant and hands the eye to the second person and then gets out of there. The second person immediately runs the end of a dockline, which the other end is already cleated, through the eye and hand over hands it to quickly bring the eye close to the cleat and cleats it (on the same side of the boat). Now you are secure and you can run the other dockline around and back and ease them both off, all while the wind is blowing the bow around. For the helmsman, line up on the mooring and slowly approach, making a lot of last minute course changes usually doesn't work. Bail out and circle around, everyone watching will see you know what you're doing. This entire procedure should be done with no yelling, all you need to hear is "Made!" when the first line is secure.

The main rule after pleasant greetings as mentioned above is don't be in a hurry and don't have a schedule...Island time!😊

We’ve had Scott’s guide for about 4-5 months. My wife has spent a little more time with it than me, but that will change now that she’s roughed out the itinerary, and I can pry it away from her. I ordered an NV Altas chart book, waiting on that to arrive.

We’ll be there Jan 8th-18th, so really appreciate the comments about the north swells, and where to hunker down. What do folks prefer as their weather info and forecast source down there? And, yes, we’ll be on “Whitecap”.

Sounds like researching the cruise ship schedules a bit is a great idea. And as for sunscreen, we had a but if a scare this year, and are properly motivated.

We had north swells 7 of 8 days last month which was a record. we hunkered down on south side of islands (e.g. no Cane Garden Bay)
Looks like you are off cycle with a Wednesday start which is great...if you go to Anegada go over the weekend

Here are some links for you

Cruise schedule https://bviports.org/cruise-schedule/ (look at other ports especailly VG and JVD)

Marine weather https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/data/Forecasts/FZCA52.TJSJ.html (look for wave detail vs wind detail for N swell)

Windfinder https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/beef_isl_tortola

Windguru BVI https://www.windguru.cz/58

Windy https://www.windy.com/18.718/-64.391?18.571,-64.391,10,m:ecmaenP

I second WindGuru for weather forecast.

If the north swell is up and you want to do Soggy Dollar bar, it is muchmuchmuch better to go into Great Harbour and grab a ball there and then taxi to White Bay/Soggy Dollar rather than to try to anchor in White Bay.

As others have advised, best places to hole up in the case of heavy winds/swell are The Bight on Norman and North Sound on Virgin Gorda. At The Bight, there is a great hike on Norman Island accessible from Pirates Bight restaurant. In the North Sound, it is great to grab a spot on the dock at Leverick Bay, or a mooring ball, you can then rent a car for the day and explore Virgin Gorda by land. This a super super fun day. You can visit: The Baths, Hike Gorda Peak to the beautiful look out tower, have Hog Heaven for a great lunch and best views of the North Sound, or swing by one of the many beautiful beaches.

Advice on stuff to bring that you may not think about:

-Pack soft sided duffle bags rather than large suitcases (much easier to store on board)
-Bring a couple headlamps/Luci lights to utilize as running lights at night for your dinghy going to and from shore
-Bluetooth portable speaker is always great to have

Every trip I make a copy of this same spreadsheet:

Our 2023 version: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ouyXrMO2cyxWrwbMGkaxt2KW3sQ69CD481_6rYCfLpI/edit?gid=4#gid=4

In 14 days we are wheels up with the kids. Cant wait. Our third trip as a family. Kids now 7, 11, 13. 2025 Version: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M5n3XoryxVKOLsEhnGKa5c9bI3TBdw2ulEF_DtaHbg0/edit?usp=sharing

I usually bring $100 in cash per day and use my CC whenever possible. I have one card I ONLY use on vacation. Saves you a lot of grief if you have to close an account.

Echo the need to always properly greet people and have maximum politeness. Like this is how you should always be anyway....

Download and familiarize yourself with whatsapp. Pretty much everything runs and communicates through it.

I try to avoid anyplace that the cruise ships go. For example, dont go to Foxys when there is a ship at Jost. Dont go to the Baths when there is a ship at Spanish Town. Etc...

Keep things simple and flexible.

I bring navionics on my ipad mini and use what I am familiar with for navigation. I bring a handheld VHF.

Have a great time!

All of the above are very good nuggets. IF we ever go down again I would lock your dingy EVERYWHERE! even on the boat, I would also stow your gas tank for dingy when it is on the boat, unless you have davits, then I would LOCK the davits. 25+ years sailing down there. Don't let this ruin your trip

Great advice to bring your own nav gear and vhf...

Oh, oh, just one more thing! (probably going to get a lot of that!) Bring about 15' of 3/8 or so line to use as a stern line on the dinghy so you can secure it beam-on to the transom, useful at times for loading any awkward gear and/or passengers. And some cordage for stringing up clothesline and various oddball tasks on the boat.

The greeting part is VERY important as already mentioned. Good morning/afternoon/evening…how are you today? Makes a world of difference (and not a bad idea anywhere really but it’s part of the culture down there).

The twice the money an half the clothes…and that might be understating it. Scott’s guide is a must.

IF you can sail a few days longer…seems like the groove just gets better the longer you are on the water.

And I also agree with Anegada…I would NOT skip that location. Nor Jost and White Bay. First timers should see the Baths (but do a search on best way to visit them to avoid crowds). Saba and Bitter End…you may find a couple of anchorages that you will want to stay more than one night which is why a week isn’t enough…

Folks, I want to thank you all. Fantastic ideas and suggestions from everyone. Your generosity is sincerely appreciated. My wife and I review this thread every night. Lots of notes and discussions we wouldn’t have otherwise had.

Certainly all good advice above, I don’t think I can add much except to say that BVI Yacht charters has always been fantastic to work with. Their boats are very well kept, and the dock/office staff are super awesome!
Online order/delivery of groceries works very well, especially for big/heavy stuff like water and cases of Carib…Also, we usually make up a general meal plan, and pack our own spices in small ziplock bags, that way we’re not buying and tossing mostly full chicken, steak or fish seasoning jars. Just double bag them, otherwise your swim suits will smell delicious!🤣

To me you seem to be in the same situation that my wife and I were in only it was the early 70's for us. We loved the bay, but the BVI was our new adventure. It is not possible to see everything on the first trip to the BVI. Don't try, relax. It will be the best sailing you have had. The water can be 40 feet deep and you can see the bottom. Can't do that on the bay. Get a Guide Book for the BVI and check it for info. You will be fine as long as you are on Island Time.

The twice the money half the clothes advice is very true. You will live in shorts and t shirt or rash guard. Twice I’ve laid out everything I took and only wore like 2/3s of it! Wear your one pair of pants on the plane!

There are so many areas to explore, but don’t try to do everything, it’s just not possible. As far as what to bring my favorites are string lights and solar lantern, headlamp (also for the dinghy at night), green lume stick for the boat at night (they all look the same in the dark) and a charging block for the lights and devices. 3M hooks are very useful as are dealy-bobs to attach various items. I also like having a hammock to set up between the forestay and mast. Make sure you lock up your dinghy, there have been a rash of disappearances. We also use an anchor alarm for peace of mind. One place I visit each time is Coco Maya, the food right on the beach is amazing as is the sunset.

We’ll be there the last week of Jan and first week of Feb - I’m leading a flotilla of 5 boats.

Have fun!

I watch charter yachts passing my home in the BVI and most don't set sails then I see the power cats whizzing about without much fuss.