TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands CYOA Charter out of STT vs. BVI customs...???

Hi, frequent reader not a frequent poster....Thanks for all the great reading and tips!

We have booked our 6th charter for the first week of May. We usually use Voyage (for groups) or TMM (for monohulls for just the two of us). This time we are using CYOA out of STT. The reviews are mostly positive so we're looking forward to another blissful sailing vacation. We will be arriving on a Saturday morning, doing our briefing that day, sleeping in the marina in St. Thomas that night, and heading out Sunday morning. We do have a few questions about coming out of STT though....

We plan to provision ourselves, and will shop at the Pueblo Market on Saturday after our briefing. Anyone been there recently? We don't need gourmet, but want to shop for the basics and booze without much hassle.

Will this work for clearing customs on JVD or the West End? Or will we get grief for bringing food/produce in from the USVI on our boat?

We once flew into STT and took a private water taxi (Ocean Dreams) over to Sopers Hole. I recall we had to take our (packed) luggage into customs for inspection. We are arriving in STT on a Saturday and plan to clear customs in BVI the following morning (Sunday). Should we just keep our bags packed and expect to have to take our luggage off the boat and into the customs office? Again, what about food?

Anyone know what the latest fees are for entry and exit? When using a private water taxi, the "fees" were slightly more expensive (assuming they took some off the top). Everything on line is conflicting!

We're taking Island Sister, a Hunter 46'. I'd love to hear if anyone has sailed her. We're not worried, and our only challenge (?) will be getting used to the furling main, as we've always had a stack pack.

Hope to meet you there!! Cheers! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

Jeff and J from Colorado

The 46 is a comfortable boat. The seldon continuous line furling main takes a little getting used to. I expect that cyoa will properly brief you.

Hi

You will not be asked any questions about the provisions on your boat and you can go ahead and unpack your luggage while at the cyoa base in st Thomas as you will not have to carry any bags into customs with you. You can clear into BVI and out at same time, just provide them the date you will sail back to USVI .

Once back in USVI, we like to spend the last night at maho bay or Christmas cove.

There will be no problem with food or luggage having to be declared,taxed or inspected. Only the Captain needs to appear at BVI Customs with all the forms and passports.
When you clear back into the USVI all persons must be present at the C&I.

pueblo is Sub Base will certainly be more than adequate for provisioning - if you have a large group Cost-u-less can be a viable alternative but I will say Sat. afternoons there are a bit of a crowd. Gourmet Gallery in Crown Bay is close to Pueblo if you want to fill in some holes on the list for more specialty items.
Christmas Cove on Great St. James is a good overnight coming back and probably an hour or so from the CYOA base. You can check it out on the way out from STT the 1st day and get a better idea.
I see the CYOA boats almost every day on their docks and they keep them up and clean and ready - they will certainly give you any guidance on the mainsail and the boat overall.

Frenchtown has plenty of interesting food and drink options steps from the docks and Hook, Line Sinker welcomes the CYOA sailors and staff like a clubhouse.

Love "Hook, Line and Sinker"..several good restaurants right there in Frenchtown but if you want something special head to "Oceana" out on the point ( make a reservation)..it's magical way to bookend a vacation.Terrific food, lovely staff in a spectacular seeting..check out the artwork on the first floor while you are there.

The Hunter / Seldeen furling main is a breeze, in fact easy, if you keep one rule in mind....keep the sail flat / tight as you furl / unfurl. What this looks like is some combination of easing the topping lift,hardening up the main sheet..... keep the boom at least 90 degrees to the mast. Keep slight back pressure on the outhaul as you furl, sometimes easier with 2 people, or the helmsperson tailing. I am sure Cpt Jay will give you good lessons. Nothing to worry about at all. Have fun!

Yachting Monthly magazine had a good article on furling main systems a couple of months ago - you might want to have a look at it.

Agree with CptCook on the importance of not furling a baggy sail. Also important to look at the furling system at the mast. There will be a preferred tack for rolling up. Most are designed to be furled on starboard tack to minimise the friction and chafe. While it is certainly possible to furl on either tack, the system will be happier with one or the other. Both of these two points will make furling and the next unfurl easier.

I echo most of what was said above. Never had a problem checking in/out at Jost. This is the only POE I have used in BVI.

I think we budget $200 for fees in the BVI incl Nat Park fee...

We prefer Cost U Less, but we always have a rental car

On the furling main, I agree - "Keep slight back pressure on the outhaul as you furl, sometimes easier with 2 people, or the helmsperson tailing."

And Capn Jay will get you well sorted out before you depart.

Have a BIG time! We already have our fall CYOA reservation in.

In very simple fee amatuer layman's terms. When you sail from the USVI to the BVI for a short transient period of time. You only must declare the stuff you are taking off of the boat. The boat and stuff in it that will stay with the boat and return to the VI does not need to be declared. Anything illegal must always be declared and handled according to the local laws of the county you are transiting through. If you had a case of booze or tv to gift someone on land in the BVI you would need to declare that. When you take a water taxi the intent is clear to take the stuff off the boat onto land. Customs has a right to inspect that. Customs has a right to inspect your entire boat for illegal contraband. You do not and would not owe duty on the boat of its contents when you are a short term visiting transient yachtman. Just like a ship. Pay duty on what comes off. No duty on what stays on the boat. Separate and quarantine anything that may be illegal in the territory your are transiting through(e.g. leave the firearms at home) .

Last time we went to the BVI for a week in a 40-foot Cat (2 years ago) it was $400 for 8 people for a week.
We almost always clear in at Jost. Very nice folk there.
However, no reason not to clear in at Soapers if you have a need to go there.
BTW, we clear in and out of the BVI at the same time, which saves you a departure stop. Just leave on the day you plan to, and all is good.

My experience is that the customs and other fees coming into BVI about offset what you saved avoiding the ferry from STT to BVI. It's a wash.

With regard to the furling main....
Once you get the hang of it - what angle you need to the wind and a little tension on the outhaul - it works great. The CYOA guys will take you on a check out cruise in the harbor and will show you how it's done and let you practice it until you get comfortable. It seems a little fiddly at first - definitely a little bit of a learning curve.
I believe all three of CYOA's new mono hulls - which includes mine - all have traditional mains. Probably to avoid some of the fiddly factor?

Yes a little tension and patience goes a long way on the roller furling mains. Put it away nice and it will play nice. It is easier with two people on lines and one on the helm but can be done done with two people.


As for the new mono hulls they all have traditional mains. They are easier to maintain and they sail better.




Not to derail the thread but congratulations on the new boat Anders. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Woo-hoo! Let the adventure begin!

Great advice with all of the comments and I have a couple more data points to add.

First CYOA are great folks. We chartered with them a few times and I think they are good people with a great location.

A couple of years ago we bought our own boat and we keep it at Sapphire Beach in the winter so we make the trek to the BVI's several times every season. Since we are on the east side of the island it is an easy reach right up to Jost and as others have said that is a great place to check in.

Having said that I will say that recently, Jost has gotten a bit more tense than in times past. For example I checked in 3 weeks ago and I was quizzed several times if we are a private vessel. They were looking at the passenger list and saw a different last name for two of our passengers. When I explained that the two people were my wife's parents and that "trust me they don't pay to be on the boat" obviously meant as a joke but he didn't crack a smile. Ok maybe my timing is off but usually I can get them to lighten and smile. Not really the case recently.

Next example is from Christmas week (again at Jost) when I got asked a few times as to how much food I had on board. Puzzled, I asked him what he meant and he asked how much was the food worth? I explained that we had between $100 and $200 worth of food and he finally accepted that as an answer.

Now I want to be very clear. I think checking in and out of the BVI and the USVI is still very easy and should not be a concern to people. I have always been treated well and the folks seem to want to do their jobs well on both sides of the borders. It is a tough job and I think we as travelers should slow down and be empathetic to what they deal with on a daily basis.

If you are going to go in and out a couple of times a season ask to buy their forms. it is like a dime for the personal immigration form and 50 cents for the boat form. It allows you to fill the forms out on board and take you time.

Capt Jay if you are reading this you should provide these forms to your customers it would be a cheap but really nice touch. Same with the US forms that are free. Show your customers how to fill them out so that the "mystery" is debunked.

Last thought (I promise). When coming back to the US it seems to be getting easier most of the time. However, just like the BVI there are inconsistencies. Sometimes I am asked about any garbage on board coming in from the BVI. I have always subscribed to confess up front. If I have a bag of trash I bring it with me and if asked I tell them I have it. They then have an agent look at the bag ask questions and dispose of it for us. I do try not to come back in with trash but sometimes cant help. The other one that happened recently was that in November I was charged a $6.66 fee for entering the US but the last three times since then I wasn't charged at all. Not sure why but I think what it tells me is there are inconsistencies no matter the country. What has always worked for me is to be candid relaxed and honest. The rest seems to work out.

Enjoy your trip.

We do provide the forms for both the US and BVI customs forms to all of our customers. We also have filled out examples in the general information book on board each boat. The examples are filled in with that boats data so it is basically a copy and add crew data for the clients.

CYOA does provide the forms and a 'guide' to completing them. Very helpful. I think Island yachts does as well, and this greatly facilitates the check in process.

" It is a tough job" seriously, they do nothing but sit around all day and sometimes they are rude and sometimes they are nice, but tough job?

Watching the idiot travelers that they have to put up with is why I would say it is a tough job. I was in a customs line in South America and listened a US redneck yelling at an agent because the customs agent couldn't understand HIS version of English. After traveling internationally for the last 20 years I have watched travelers become more and more rude to the public servants that are trying to do their job for their own country. I think travelers forget that they are guests in the visiting country and that they have no right to critize the processes and practices of that country. If we don't agree then we should vote with our feet and don't go there.

This is a very good point..people wanting to stay here and work in the BVI's often complain about the red tape and slow process...I point out its much harder to get that status in the USA..I was fortunate to get my green card back in the mid 70's but it took two years and $$$$ spent on attorneys by my future US employers...and things are much harder now. We all need to remember we are in someone else's country..

Great point. We've seen plenty of yahoos waiting in line for BVI Customs who thought they didn't need to fill out the forms. Now, they have people checking forms before you can get in line.