BVI Bound

Chartering a sailboat in the British Virgin Islands

Tip of the day: Pull your dingy in close when mooring or anchoring

One of the most common mistakes you see is people anchoring or mooring their boats with their dinghy trailing 20 feet behind them. Quite often they’ll end up driving over the painter (the rope that ties the dinghy to the boat) and getting the painter wrapped around the boat’s drive shaft. Reading John Licthy’s account [...]

How to plan your BVI sailing itinerary

One of the most fun, but most intimidating, parts of your planning might be deciding your itinerary. I recommend planning one, with lots of room for change, run it by someone who’s been to the British Virgin Islands before. Be prepared to change it or deviate from it as things come up. You might be [...]

Why does everyone sail counter clockwise around Tortola?

If you look at most people’s BVI sailing itineraries, you’ll discover that they sail counter clockwise around the islands. It is possible to sail either way, clockwise or counter clockwise, around Tortola. However, there are often swells on the north side of Tortola. By sailing counter-clockwise, you make sure that you are sailing with the [...]

BVI Trip Reports for February 20-26, 2010

Lucky Luanda’s BVI Boat Trip. Luanda and her husband take a day trip from the US Virgin Islands to Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke. (It doesn’t say what type of boat they were on but it had to be something faster than a sail boat!) A Tour a Scrub Island … At Last. A [...]

Which Charter Company to Use?

One of the hardest things for new charterers to figure out is which yacht charter company to go with. There are many reputable, good charter companies in the British Virgin Islands and choosing one is often hard. Especially when you can’t go in and visit their office and see their boats. First off, there is [...]

BVI Trip Reports for February 11-19, 2010

Read about recent trips to the British Virgin Islands! Read this very detailed report about what a trip to the BVI is like especially if you are wondering what a trip is really like. Sailing the British Virgin Islands, Day 1. Sailing the British Virgin Islands, Day 2. Sailing the British Virgin Islands, Day 3, [...]

Did you know that the smallest lizard in the world lives in the BVI?

My three year old and I were reading a book on lizards last night and I learned that the Sphaerodactylus ariasae, the smallest lizard in the world, lives on the British Virgin Islands. It’s less than an inch long and was first discovered in 1965. You can read more about it or see more pictures. [...]

How to buy food for your sailing vacation

When you charter (i.e. rent) a sailboat, you will need to provision it. Provision \Pro*vi”sion\ To supply with food; to victual; as, to provision a garrison. [1913 Webster] There are three basic ways you can provision your boat for your sailing vacation: Charter company. Most charter companies will provision your sailboat for you. (At their [...]

Trip Reports for February 1-10, 2010

Arriving in Tortola BVI Harbor. Ever wondered what Tortola looks like from one of those big cruise ships? NauticEd Student sailing experience in the BVI’s. Should you pay more for a newer, larger boat? I recommend paying more for a catamaran for their space. Whether you need to pay for newer equipment depends on whether [...]

The best way to get to the BVI

There are two ways to get to the British Virgin Islands. The first is to fly directly to Beef Island Airport on Tortola (airport code:EIS). The second is to fly to Cyril E. King airport in St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands (airport code: STT) and then take the ferry to Tortola, BVI. Flying [...]

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