TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Help a reluctant charter coordinator!

Thanks stormster,

The second trip I mentioned, with the sister and sister in-law, was probably a creation of the girls. I'll need to ascertain what the boys think about it and start working on expectations.

beerMe... I heard no complaints about sleeping in the rear cabins with the AC/genset going. The crew is usually pretty tired at the end of the day and sleep through almost anything.

Thanks man. Good to know.

Put kids in the back. Mine are around 20 and will sleep through anything

ear plugs work very well

Yep, my wife has been an ear plug wearer for for years now (while sleeping on the boat).

I just reread all of your posts and wanted to make sure I said thank you all very much! I jotted down notes from almost every post.

I would like to add updates as things unfold to aid others in the near future and ask everyone to let me know if you see any omissions or errors in the plan. Oh, and of course tell me when I'm getting OCD!

The plan is forming - we'll try to go to Vieques to see the bioluminescent bay at Mosquito Bay, conditions permitting. So I'll need to find an outfit that allows SVI and see if they will get the boat usage fee decal ahead of time. If we have the decal I'm hoping we can call to clear into PR but if not we will do the walk to the airport. I'll try to contact C&I in Culebra ahead of time to see if having non-US aboard requires we report in person. I've seen conflicting answers and know it is always up to their discretion. My old 2001-2002 Scott's cruising guide says non-us vessels and vessels with non-resident aliens must check into PR at official ports of entry. If we have to buy the decal in Culebra we will need exact change.

It looks like there will be 5 and we have narrowed down the dates to June 27 - July 11 (14 days) so there is some progress. One US citizen, me, one Greek citizen with resident status in US, my wife, one nephew US citizen, Greek resident student in England, one niece Greek citizen, student in Wales, one nephew's girlfriend, Greek citizen now working in England. I assume I need to get the Greek niece and Greek girlfriend busy on obtaining multi-entry visas and that the US citizen nephew is ok. I am going to leave this job up to them but I want to make sure they have what they need so that we don't get any surprises. I assume those visas will solve any issues of starting from the USVI or BVI or crossing between the two. If there is time we might include a little of the BVIs for 3-4 days at least to the Baths and Anagada but we won't push it.

It looks like I will be looking for a larger monohull. The niece had a strong preference against my advice of a cat. So far I know that Island Yachts, CYOA and Sunsail allow SVIs, with conditions for the last two. If anyone knows of others in the BVI's please let me know. I know IYC is closed Sundays. Frankly, I don't think we can afford a big boat from Sail Caribe or Moorings for two weeks; we usually find discounts when we go.

All three guests will be flying from London and we are not sure if they will take the US route to STT or the island route to EIS as of yet.

My fears of their comfort won't be an issue for the niece and nephew - beyond competitive sailing for the niece, they both hold Greek sailing certificates (not international) and have been racing crew on a 36 footer in the Aegean. They are used to sleeping anywhere they can find a spot - I think they will find their accommodations luxurious. The girlfriend has no boating experience so she will be the great unknown.

That is where we stand today. There is also a restriction from the SIL that they both actually graduate. We think they will both know for sure by the end of January. Once I know that I will continue with progress reports.

Again, thanks for all of the information so far!

Why is the niece against a cat? If she's the only one against it, I don't think its worth accommodating her request.

If Sunsail allows SVI, Moorings should as well. Check www.sailonline.com to see if you can find owners time.

I agree with Maytrix, although I understand if niece is a racer the desire for a monohull, but the cockpit area and front tramp on a cat are so much better for relaxing, dining etc. my 2c is two weeks with 5 people, that mono is going to get small quick. I look at it this way, the cockpit of a 40 or so foot cat is like that of a 70 ft mono, this is vacation after all...but that is just my opinion. Add on the longer sail to and from the SVI possibilty, that added comfort and space is really nice.

beerme, I'm afraid only the owner, can apply for a decal. I get a letter in November every year asking me to renew. The boat also must be U.S. registered with U.S. owners to comply. Even with the sticker, the foreign guests must check in, in person.

Thanks Laura and Matt. Your comments have made me rethink the mono vs cat decision. In the end price and availability may be the deciding factor but my instincts were the same as yours. The SIL said she could already see alliances forming. The niece and I like to go for the gusto but my wife and nephew enjoy being on a boat the most once the anchor is down.

My niece didn't think sailing a cat was "real" sailing and said something about the higher price. I thought that too until I actually sailed one. I think that once she takes a look at the speed log she'll be hooked!

Sail2wind you're always there when I need you! I was planning on getting the charter outfit to work with the owner to get a decal for the boat if it didn't have one already. The boat being US registered makes sense and explains who some boats can and some can't. Good to know ahead of time that foreign guests will need to present in person. So my next question is how do I find the C&I office in Culebra? I know the area and where the airport is but can somebody tell me where the building is? Which side of the airport, what color the building is, coordinates something like that? If there is a "closest" place to dock or beach a dingy to reduce the walk? I've done a few walks on land and know how hot it can be.

Call the c&i by phone. They are very helpful.

There is a public dock not far from the lift bridge.

They both get powered by sails, so I count them both as real sailing. Sailing a mono can be more exciting due to the heeling, but when a cat gets moving, that's fun too. At the end of the day though, the cat is more luxurious for living on.

While we own a mono in Moorings, we typically take advantage of being able to upgrade to a cat. I figure if we wanted to sail, we could do that at home (and we do) so sailing isn't our primary goal for traveling to the BVI - its everything else and sailing is the means to go from place to place, so the type of sailing ends up being less important and comfort more important.

That is good advice to call. I think we have been on the public dingy dock you mentioned. We met a little girl that we think wanted to watch our dingy, for a price. Very persistent! I still think of her. I figure she is probably the head of marketing for some fortune 500 company by now. Is the dock about as close as we'll get to the airport? We are fine on the water but it's always amazed me how much hotter it feels on land.

Last time I was there, customs called me back on the phone and said, don't take a cab. Walking is good for you. They were surprising pleasant.

All CYOA boats have US Customs decal stickers on them already. Just sayin'...
The customs office at Culebra is at the airport. Ask when you get there if you don't see the sign. From the public dock it's less then a 10 minute walk. Calling them is a good idea. They have been very helpful friendly whenever I've called. The number is (787) 742-3531. If you are concerned with the walk, tie up at the Dinghy Dock bar and ask the bartender to call you a cab.

I think the only exception is Canadian registered vessel and Canadian citizens. We have checked in once in person when the vessel did not have a customs decal, had to pay the per check-in fee (customs user fee) rather than the decal fee as we were not the vessel owner.
The next year we requested the owner apply for the decal ahead of our arrival (I think the entire fleet now has decals) and were able to call in on arrival at Culebra. All Canadians onboard a US flagged vessel.
Customs office was easy to find from the arrivals/departure area at the airport in Culebra.
Our Canadian owned vessel will have a US Customs User Decal this summer on the Great Lakes. US Customs officers really insist on it for vessels checking in along Lake Ontario, otherwise they tend to give a fairly firm lecture that you will have one prior to your next arrival or you may be turned around. Never had that lecture from the staff at the SVI office but on the Great Lakes, they expect Canadian vessels to have one prior to entry. Makes check-in fairly easy for all involved anyway

Thanks Warren, somewhere I got the impression is was a longer walk than it actually is (more below). After 30 minutes hiking in the tropical heat I don't look presentable. Yeah, the C&I guy I cleared in with over the phone was very nice.

Thanks Kimber,

Good to know CYOA boats already have the decal. If it's only 10 minutes no problem!

Just want to give a special mention to bviboater and Jorgen for the info about multi entry visas and that the fact that the Visa Waiver Program does not apply to non-bonded carriers.
Funny, this link at noonsite which was last updated October 2014 Puerto Rico Formalities claims the VWP applies to international crew arriving "for the first time". They say it has been confirmed to be perfectly legal if they first take a ferry from BVI to USVI then they can enter the USVI again or SVI by yacht, as long as they have a valid ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). I don't think we'll try that but I'll mention it so if other international travelers are interested they can research.