charter from St. Thomas, sail in BVI

[nial]

I'm considering a charter from St. Thomas but I want to sail and anchor in the BVI. Will I have to clear in and out? If so, is it a hassle or expensive? Thanks
nial

[Sunspot Baby]

I think the answer is yes, legally you must check in and out. Check with your charter company, they should be able to give you the straight scoop.

George

[Manatee Man]

Only "hassle" is transit time "lost" to get to&fro the BVI, but then if your enjoying the journey it won't matter. We've found it's extremely convenient to charter fm the BVI. Have a great time whatever you decide.

[Zanshin]

If all people aboard are US citizens and/or permanent residents then going to and returning from the BVI is not a big deal, depending upon when you travel you might need 10-30 minutes to perform your clearance in the BVI at Soper's Hole or Jost van Dyke and about the same amount of time in St. John. I don't think that there is a fee on the US side, but the BVI will charge you a bit (25c for the clearance form, under $10 for clearance).
The US has no visa waiver for travelling by boat, one needs to be careful there.

[Reality Check]

Note, even if all are US, after checking in and out of BVI you all will have to check back into the US when you return... That is the most thing that is the problem for most. Once you leave BVI you have to go to St. John or St. Thomas to check in.... before you do anything else in the US.

Those of us who own our boats have the potion of the LBO which simplifies the mater of US re-entry but this is not available to charter boats.

[knotnow]

I’ve both chartered and passed thru the area delivering boats to the Windwards. Just ain’t no big deal checking in and out of the BVI’s or checking into the USVI’s on return just takes a little time. Jost is probably the easiest place for the in and out and pick up a mooring at Caneel and dinghy to Cruz for that part.

What’s cool about leaving from St. Thomas is that gives you the opportunity to explore ALL that St. John has to offer on your way. When you’ve seen enough for this trip it’s an easy sail to Great Harbor JVD and clear in, which is easy and painless. The down side is the Cruising permit for Charter Boats out of the US just about doubles but not to the point of a budget buster for a < two week charter.

If you’re leaving from Compass Point or an early start from CA you can spend the night at Christmas Cove, not a bad place to get into the mood.