View our Virgin Islands Bareboat Catamaran options.

Please read through the below details for helpful information on preparing to charter aboard a bareboat catamaran in the Virgin Islands. Please forward this page to all members of your party.

Planning your arrival in the Virgin Islands
Virgin Island Travel Times
Virgin Island Ferry information
What time can I board my yacht?
When can I do my chart / yacht briefing?
What are my options for Provisioning?
Who do you recommend for water sport equipment rental?
Do you have Snorkeling gear available or do I have to bring my own?
Are there life jackets (PFDs) on board?
Are there Cell Phones on my yacht?
What are the fees for the National Park and Cruising Taxes?
What is the cost for the Hull & Dingy Damage Waiver?
What are the costs to hire a skipper for all or part of my charter?
Are there Cruising Guides available for my use?
Are we allowed to sail to Anegada?
General, but Important Information
Yacht Inventory
Money
Fishing
Insurance
Hotels

Planning your arrival in the Virgin Islands:
As most of the flights into the Virgin Islands land in the afternoon, we recommend that you arrive in the islands the evening before your charter begins, allowing you to be refreshed and ready for a prompt noon start to your charter vacation the following day.

Depending on where you are flying into you may need to catch a ferry and / or taxi to the yacht base.

The main airports in the Virgin Islands are on Beef Island (British Virgin Island's Terrance B. Lettsome Airport) and St Thomas, (US Virgin Island's Cyril E. King Airport).

A flight into Beef Island is the most convenient option - Beef Island is linked to Tortola by road.

Alternatively you can fly into St Thomas and catch a ferry across to Tortola's West End. The downtown ferry terminal on St Thomas is a 10 minute taxi ride away from the airport.

Our airport shuttle will offer one courtesy roundtrip to and from the Beef Island Airport and the West End Ferry Dock (for ferry arrivals from St Thomas). It is important that you return your Transportation Form at least one week prior to your departure in order to take advantage of this complimentary service (to and from Beef Island Airport or Tortola's West End ferry dock only).

American Airlines and US Airways currently offer the most flights to the Caribbean from the US mainland, or see www.expedia.com for all options including Cape Air.

The last ferry from St Thomas to Tortola is at 4.30pm, so if your flight is due to arrive in St Thomas any later than 3.00pm you will need to stay a night in St Thomas prior.

Please purchase one-way ferry tickets to keep your return options open.

Trip Advisor is a good source of hotel information for both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Please also see some hotel options listed below.

Travel Times:

Last ferry from St Thomas to Tortola is at 4.30pm daily

Virgin Island Ferry information:
Please click here for current ferry information to and from the US and British Virgin Islands.

What time can I board my yacht?
All bare boat charters start at Noon and end at 10:00 a.m. You will be able to board your yacht at Noon. If you are scheduled for a Sleep-Aboard, you may board your yacht beginning at 5:30pm.

When can I do my chart / yacht briefing?
We offer personalized chart and yacht briefings directly on your yacht. These will begin at or around Noon, which is the time you are scheduled to embark.

We also offer an option for you to familiarize yourself with the operation and handling of all Voyage bareboat yachts prior to arriving at our base.

What are my options for Provisioning?
We recommend that you do your provisioning online at Bobby's Marketplace, Road Town. They have a website where you can provision online and have your provisions delivered at no additional cost to your yacht. Check www.bobbysmarketplace.com for details.

For those who wish to do their provisioning in person, we also recommend RiteWay Food Markets. They are located in Road Town. Check www.rtwbvi.com for further details.

Who do you recommend for water sport equipment rental?
Blue Water Divers provides diving equipment rental and rendezvous diving. Go to their website www.bluewaterdiversbvi.com for details.

Last Stop Sports offers a wide variety of water sports equipment, such as kayaks, boat floats, wind surfing gear, and much more. Check out their website at www.laststopsports.com.

Based out of Nanny Cay on Tortola, Island Surf and Sail offer free delivery of equipment from kayaks to snorkel sets to fishing gear. See their website at www.bviwatertoys.com.

Renport provides most electrical supplies, such as TV/VCR and modem rentals for your charter. Please check out their website at www.renport.com.

Do you have Snorkeling gear available or do I have to bring my own?
Each yacht has a variety of types and sizes of snorkel gear on board. You may wish to pack your own, as well as bring gear for your young children, to ensure a perfect fit.

Are there life jackets (PFDs) on board?
Yes, each yacht has life jackets on board for each passenger. However, if you have small children, we strongly recommend that you bring a PDF with you for a guaranteed fit.

Are there Cell Phones on my yacht?
An international mobile phone unit will be made available to your group upon check-in at the base. Phone cards are required for usage and can purchased directly at the BVI base. Note that there can be limited VHF reception around Sopers Hole Marina and it is highly recommended that you activate the international mobile phone. We regret that we cannot guarantee chase calls if mobile phone service is not activated while on charter.

A security deposit of $120 is required. Any loss or damage to the phone will be for your own account at the actual value of replacing the phone unit.

What are the fees for the National Park and Cruising Taxes?

National Park Fees are per boat and billable per week:
  Up to 4 passengers $25 per week
  Each additional passenger $5 per week

Cruising Taxes
  Dec 1 - Apr 30: $2 per person/night
  May 1 - Nov 30: $0.75 per person/night
  VISAR donation $1 per person

What is the cost for the Hull & Dingy Damage Waiver?
Hull damage waiver is mandatory. This will be paid at the base during your check-in. A $400 security deposit will also be held in case of loss of inventory and or equipment. Upon returning to the base, your security deposit will be returned.

Hull Damage Waiver: $40 per night.

We offer an OPTIONAL dingy damage waiver. This will cover you for loss or damage to your dingy and/or engine that may occur during your charter.

Dingy Damage Waiver: $15 per night

What are the costs to hire a skipper for all or part of my charter?
Skippers can be hired at $135 per day. The skipper should have a cabin and head available for their use. You are responsible for the skipper's food and beverages along the way. For additional information on hiring a skipper, please contact us.

Are there Cruising Guides available for my use?
Aboard each yacht is one set of charts and a Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands by Nancy and Simon Scott. If you wish to purchase your own guide prior to arriving, go to www.cruisingguides.com. Another popular guide is Virgin Anchorages.

Are we allowed to sail to Anegada?
We allow our charter clients to sail to Anegada based on their sailing resume and previous Anegada trips. Please indicate on your Sail Resume if you are planning to sail to Anegada during your charter. An addendum to your charter agreement will be issued by the by the base, cancelling out the standard Anegada exclusion. Please note: no chase calls to Anegada.

General, but Important Information:

• Make sure that you schedule your provisions to arrive after you arrive and board the vessel. Unfortunately we do not have the facilities to store your provisions for you before your scheduled boarding time.
• Our briefings generally last 2 - 2 ? hours. It is imperative that this briefing is extensive and thorough in order to impart the correct information to the skipper prior to his or her departure from our base. If you are scheduled for a NOON start and arrive at our base after noon, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to leave the dock that day. Briefings must be started no later than 2:00pm in order to leave the dock that day. Night sailing in the BVIs is not permitted.
• Our base offers at no charge, usage of a slip at our marina while chartering with us. This is subject to availability and 24 hours notice is requested.
• Mooring balls are privately owned, therefore, there is a fee of per night. Should your itinerary bring you back to Sopers Hole Marina during your charter, we would suggest that you make use of the free slip.
• There is free wireless internet service on our dock.
• Two complimentary bags of ice are available to you upon boarding your yacht. If you require additional bags of ice, the cost is $3.25 per bag.
• Free water top-offs are available at our base during your charter. Please call on Channel 16 to let us know your estimated arrival time for faster service.
• Tokens are required to use the shower at our marina. Please let us know during your check-in if you would like to receive complimentary tokens and how many you need. Any unused tokens should be returned to our office.

Yacht Inventory:

Money:

The US Dollar is the local currency on both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Major credit cards are accepted at most USVI stores and hotels, as well as the larger BVI establishments. Personal checks are not accepted anywhere.

There are a few ATMs in the more populated areas; however it is a good idea to take travelers checks (some in small denominations) and cash for any shore excursions, scuba diving, taxis, gratuities and departure tax.

British Virgin Islands Departure Tax:

If you are visiting the British Virgin Islands please note that there is a departure tax of $5 when leaving by ferry, or $10 when leaving by air. This tax is only payable by cash, so please remember to keep enough cash with you at the end of your trip.

Fishing:

It is a legal requirement that anyone putting a line in the BVI waters must have a fishing license. USVI does not require a licence.

Spear Fishing is not permitted in the BVI. The use of SCUBA equipment to capture or remove any marine animal or coral is against the law. Fishing within the boundaries of any marine park is strictly forbidden.

Each person who wishes to fish in the BVI must have a fishing licence except person under 18 years of age. Fines range to 6 figures, confiscation of fishing equipment and the boat.

The license will be valid for 1 month and cost $45. A photocopy of a valid photo ID must accompany the application.

Last Stop Sports in Tortola can process the application for you before your arrival for a $10 fee, or you can obtain it directly from the Government Administration building in Road Town. The government office closes early on Friday afternoons and doesn't reopen until Monday morning (closed weekend and public holidays).

We do not recommend that the local fish be eaten by our guests due to the possibility the fish having Ciguatera. Ciguatera is a foodborne illness which is poisonous to humans caused by eating marine species whose flesh is contaminated with a toxin known as ciguatoxin, which is present in many microorganisms living in tropical waters. Fish for eating will be purchased by your crew.

Insurance:

Sailing Directions urges you to insure your upcoming trip. We are pleased to offer coverage from CSA Travel and Travel Guard International. While we hope that your trip is relaxing and worry-free, we remind you that situations may arise before departure or during your trip over which you have no control. Having travel insurance can be a valuable asset.

Travel insurance will cover charter cancellation due to extreme weather or act of God, flight delays, emergency medical expenses, lost baggage and more.

For further information or to purchase your travel insurance plan, simply click on the links below for a quote:

CSA Travel Protection

Travel Guard

Travel Guard Note: in order for us to receive your insurance details please only purchase your insurance with Travel Guard online using the above link, our quote our agent number, 108536, over the phone (1-800-454-7107).

Hotels:

If you have a long flight, or if your flight is arriving in the afternoon, it is best to arrive in the Virgin Islands the day before your charter begins and stay in a hotel. This way you will have plenty of time to relax, adjust and get to the marina by 12 noon for the start of your charter vacation the next day.

You can search www.tripadvisor.com for candid customer reviews of these hotels.

Tortola Hotels:

Disclaimer: While we make every effort to ensure that the information for the yacht inventories as well as the fees, ferries, airlines, hotels and insurance partners are current, we cannot guarantee that the details listed are 100% accurate. Please contact us and we will happily verify any details for you.

Who do I contact if I can't find the answer to my question?

If we have not addressed any of your questions, please contact your personal Sailing Directions Broker, email: [email protected] or call 1 877 66 YACHT and we will be happy to help you further!

View our Virgin Islands Bareboat Catamaran options.

Virgin Islands Marinas:
Sopers Hole Marina, Tortola, BVI
30 minute taxi ride from Beef Island airport
35 minute ferry from Red Hook, St Thomas

Trellis Bay, Beef Island, BVI
Walking distance from Beef Island airport

West End, Tortola, BVI

Crown Bay Marina, St Thomas, USVI
10 minute taxi from St Thomas airport

Red Hook Marina, St Thomas, USVI
30 minute taxi from St Thomas airport