Chartered a Boat in BVI from Sunsail

[Tevfik]

Just completed a week of sailing In BVI. My wife and I chartered a 39ft sailboat from Sunsail at Tortola. The boat was clean and everything was in good working condition. All the minor deficiencies were taken care of rapidly by the Sunsail personnel. No issues at all and I would give the whole experience a two thumbs up.

[Vic de Beer]

Would you mind letting us know the costs involved .... more or less...? I am thinking of doing exactly the same next summer.

[Mark424]

I'm going in April, any favorite spots? or places to skip?

Thanks

Mark

[Tevfik]

Originally Posted by Vic de Beer

Would you mind letting us know the costs involved .... more or less...? I am thinking of doing exactly the same next summer.

All prices in GBP (pls multiply by roughly 1.57 convert to USD). The boat charter (39ft) fee was 2,080 (if you get a 37ft or smaller, price drops by roughly 400 GBP...however, depending on the season the sea might be rough with swells and we were happy with the size). There are minor taxes and fees amounting to 30 GBP. Also if you take a flotilla option (we did) there is an additional fee of 275 GBP. For first timers in BVI I highly recommend a flotilla as you don't have to worry about where to go, moor the boat, weather forecasts and where to eat. Next year, if we go, we will probably skip the flotilla option as it is a rather easy place to sail after you learn a few tricks.

Back to costs: Sunsail gives an option to arrange provisioning before your arrival. Depending on how many people will be present in the boat they offer choices. We took that option as well and paid 167 GBP for a package that has almost everything you need for the 1-week cruise (paper towels, paper plates, olive oil, sugar, coffee, water, fruits, tuna, bacon, cheeses, cereals, milk, eggs, etc etc you name it) We purchased Rum, beer and wine. The beauty is that when you get the boat around 6pm Friday evening, at around 6:15, your provisioning arrives to your boat. Money well spent.

That's it. We flew from London, so the main costs was the flight.

If you need more info I can provide it. Sunsail web site is very straightforward and rich in info as well.

Kind regards

Tevfik

[Tevfik]

Originally Posted by Mark424

I'm going in April, any favorite spots? or places to skip?

Thanks

Mark

If you take the flotilla option, thy determine the itinerary for you and you have only one day/night of free sailing. All the places that they will take you are nice and must see. If you will be doing a bareboat, I can recommend the following places (we went to all) which are only part of the islands...there is much more to see. We were told that a 2 week flotilla would be the best to cover the essentials.

The Pirates Bight at Norman Island (good place to moor and swim/snorkel but nothing special...however there is a famous boat bar called Willie T's where people go crazy after having a lot of alcohol (wet t-shirt stuff, people getting naked and dancing (I don't know why!) ..we have seen some but did not stay to long enough to see the full action...I would not go to that bay again although the food at the Pirate's was pretty good.

Jost Van Dyke - out favorite...white sandy beach, turquoise waters, palm trees, nice bars (Soggy Dollar Bar is a must see and don't forget that Painkillers were invented at that bar...A Painkiller is a local drink that you will get familiarise pretty fast...we loved it.) The weather conditions play a significant role as far as where to moor though, if you go make sure to check the weather very carefully especially the swells.

Marina Cay - great scenery, very good food and nice mooring. Must see.

Biras Creek at Virgin Gorda. Moore there, snorkel and visit local bars and restaurants. There are various restaurants ranging from 20-30USD per person to 125-150 USD per person.

Virgin Gorda Harbour at Spanish Town - Marina is expensive (overnight stay around 55-60$) but there is water, electricity, showers and a very good inexpensive supermarket. A good place to go mid-week to re-provision (if necessry). Also from there you can take a cab to Baths - another must see place where interesting rock formations and caves are present where you can swim and snorkel. You can get there with your boat and take a bouy but it is highly popular so you have to be lucky to find a spot. Must see though.

Peter Island - Little Harbour. Nice place to anchor and spend the night. Good snorkelling and easy access to various other islands the following morning.

Trellis bay - nice restaurants and bars, 5 min walk from the airport. You should check in to your flight and leave the airport, turn right and walk 5 mins. You will get to Trellis Bay which is opposite of Marina Cay. You can visit some shops (nice local arts, apparel etc.) and have a couple of last minute Painkillers...you will need them to soothe the pain of leaving the beautiful island(s).

Interested in scuba diving? A must see (and dive) place is RMS Rhone wreck. Arrange a dive shop a few days in advance and either do a rendezvous dive or get there with them. But this is one of the most important and beautiful wrecks to see.

Hope this helps...

Kind regards

Tevfik

[Tom and Maje]

Originally Posted by Tevfik

Just completed a week of sailing In BVI. My wife and I chartered a 39ft sailboat from Sunsail at Tortola. The boat was clean and everything was in good working condition. All the minor deficiencies were taken care of rapidly by the Sunsail personnel. No issues at all and I would give the whole experience a two thumbs up.

Which boat did you charter?

Maje

[Tevfik]

From Sunsail, the name of the boat is Amaranthos (Beneteau Oceanis 393)