Bareboat Chartering In The BVI

I read read all the travel books, watched all the travel videos and visited all the websites. I was still blown away by the BVI. Words and even pictures are simply incapable of communicating the simple, laid back grandeur of the islands.

The British Virgin Islands are a truly remarkable place. The islands are very diverse in terrain and foliage. The snorkeling around the islands is equally amazing and diverse, and of course the sailing is remarkable. There always seems to be at least a gentle breeze, and the seas are seldom very rough. The islands make visible, line of site, destinations that even the most novice navigator could find.

This was my first bareboat experience, and I have very little sailing experience prior to my trip. One of the most remarkable discoveries to me was that bareboat chartering is within the grasp of average middle class people. The cost is comparable to a lot of cruise packages and there is no reason the average Joe or Jane cannot go sailing on a beautiful catamaran in the BVI. It's an incredible experience that anyone with even a little sense of wonder and adventure will love.

As I mentioned earlier you don't have to be a seasoned sailor to bareboat charter. Skippers are available, but keep in mind that it's very hard for one person to sail a boat of the size available, so be prepared to lend a hand. Far from a burden, learning more about sailing was one of the greatest experiences of the trip for me, and I am proud of the skills I developed. The bottom line is that if you are remotely physically capable and can put off redecorating the bathroom a little longer there is no reason you cannot be on a catamaran sailing in the BVI.

In addition to skippers, sailing instruction and onboard cooks are available. Bareboat chartering provides you with a clean slate on which to build your vacation. From barebones essentials to luxury comparable to that found on crewed charters is available to you to arrange as you wish.

Provisioning proved to be the biggest pre-charter challenge to me. Fortunately one of my guests generously offered to cook and supplied me with a menu complete with required ingredients. Armed with that information I opted to use the shopping list method of provisioning, which is pretty much just filling out a list of what you want and submitting it ahead of your arrival. The prices came out to only be a little more than I'm used to paying at home, and the groceries were promptly delivered on the morning and at the time that I requested. I also penciled in some items that weren't on the standard list and all of those items were available; even in the brands I wanted.

We found that cooking on the boat was best done on the grill. It was fun and not as hot as cooking in the galley. I also suggest self-lighting charcoal. I hadn't thought about it until I was there, but too much charcoal lighter fluid on the grill can be terrifying on a boat. Fortunately I only witnessed this on other people's boats, but I feared that some would burn to the waterline as I observed what appeared to be volcanic eruptions spew from the transoms of various and assorted yachts where someone got carried away with lighter fluid.

Fresh water is something else you should be conscious of. Fresh water on a boat isn't like at home, there is a finite supply and you should use it conservatively. Showers should consist of dousing, soaping and rinsing. Some find bathing off of the transom and using the fresh water hose easier.

The Catamaran Company provides a full load of fuel before you leave the marina at Nanny Cay. Although I confess to not monitoring our fuel consumption, our skipper assured me that had we never raised the sails during our time there we would still have had fuel to spare.

Packing is another obvious part of any trip and it's always a chore to decide what to take.

You'll need a bathing suit, some T-shirts, a couple of pairs of shorts and a good hat to fend off the sun. You'll also need some sunscreen of the highest SPF rating you can get and some canvas deck shoes or sneakers. Of course you'll want your toothbrush, some shampoo etc. The Catamaran Company provides snorkel gear of high quality, so there's no need to worry about that. Anything beyond these essentials is up to you, but don't over pack if you can help it. Be sure to use duffle bags since there is little storage space for suitcases on a boat.

Also an essential for this trip is a good camera. You will want lots of top quality photos to torture your snowbound friends and family with, but a boat in the BVI is an inhospitable place for a camera. You can be very careful and use zip lock bags to protect your camera from getting splashed, use disposable cameras, which are available in underwater or submersible versions as well, or consider purchasing an underwater housing.

I purchased a low-end underwater housing that is basically an industrial strength plastic bag with a lens in it and a good secure clamp to prevent leakage. My camera is still in one piece and I have no major complaints, but I think I will spring for a true underwater housing for my next trip. The camera didn't take as good of pictures through the housing lens, but it was such a hassle to take the camera out that it stayed in the housing most of the time. A small lightweight housing that you could comfortably use the camera in whether you were in the water or not would be ideal.

I had the misconception that I might don scuba gear and drop off the transom from time to time for a short dive. In fact the places we went to, which are mostly the popular charter destinations, were much better suited to snorkeling since the reefs were shallow. There are options, of course. What is termed as "Rendezvous Diving" is to have a dive boat come and meet your charter boat and pick you up to take you to a dive site. Most of the books and websites will tell you that this requires two weeks notice, but I found shops willing to do it on much shorter notice, and small capacity boats are available if you don't want to be in a large group. The other option, of course, is to plan your charter around diving. This will work fine provided everyone on board is enthusiastic about diving. If they aren't it could get pretty boring for them.

Please note that EscapeKeyGraphics.com and all graphics/objects/images/writing on it were designed, written and made by John Potter and are his exclusive property, unless otherwise stated. Seek written permission from John Potter first if you wish to reproduce any of the items contained on this site to distribute elsewhere.
Hosting by DBIC Web Hosting