Next Charter After BVI ?

[bstreep]

One more week in the BVI

Or, Hud's suggestion: The Grenadines.

Do NOT take the chance of going somewhere YOU like, and ticking off the Admiral...

BTW, my wife counts The Windwards as the best cruise we did (including the Grenadines - we went all the way up to Martinique, and down to Granada on a 2 week cruise).

[RainDog]

What about the Sea of Cortez? I have not been there, just wondering what people who have think about it as a possible answer to the original question.

[Chuteman]

Simfr:
Agree that You definitely factor in the Admiral + other guests preferences & dislikes including time/cost getting to/from (ie; flights, connections) charter base.

Do You or your crew like or dislike Open water sailing?..........That has to be factored in as you get away from BVI and head down the chain (or even across to the SVIs). Depending on the time of year & conditions, the Grenadines have a couple of legs albeit short that will seem really long if you do not like open water.
St. Martin - Oyster Pond - (Moorings/Sunsail base) will also be a rude awakening if the wind is up as you are leaving or returning.......plus the sail toward Anquilla.

The Doyle Cruising Guides for Leewards + Windwards will give you a flavor of each island / area.......... on & off the water so you can see if that works for everyone.

For example, Tobago Cays is a beautiful place but if your crew wants a different beach bar & restaurant every night (there are NONE - thus the beach BBQ, but choose carefully)- then they would be disappointed unless you only use as a day stop.

Lots of great places to charter / sail but the Admiral & crew will be the final judges.

[osirissail]

Everybody is correct! Do more in the Virgins (US and BVI) to get yourself really comfortable sailing to islands and anchorages away from the normal herd of boats. But still revisit some of your favorites from last time as you will see new aspects of them as a "returnee." Then branch out to longer sails - say to St. Croix, Viegues, Culebra, and the east coast of Puerto Rico.
After several seasons getting "seasoned" to sailing and living onboard then do the islands from Antiqua to Grenada. There are charter outfits in all these islands. Which ones you choose will be determined by the season you charter in. In the winter months the northern islands are great. From Antiqua you can visit St Barths; St Kitts; Nevis; Montserrat and northern Guadeloupe. From the French Islands you can visit all the islands from Guadeloupe; Saintes; Dominica; and Martinque. In the summer or winter from St Vincent or Canouan (The Moorings) there are the Grenadines and Grenada. From Grenada there is Grenada and the Grenadines.
That should keep you busy for 10 years or more. Then you will have experience in many different boats and be able to know which boat is best for you to buy and enter the world of "world cruisers" sometimes referred to as a "heavenly life" with maybe a little bit of "hell" occasionally mixed in.

[jim_thomsen]

How about Martinique/Guadalupe/Saints? Still close, but will give you and your wife a more foreign country feel than another American or British dominated area.

[osirissail]

Going from Guadeloupe/Iles des Saintes to Martinique requires passing by Dominica - which should NOT be done. By all means stop in Portsmouth, Dominica, anchor in the northern part amongst the rental moorings or take a mooring. Then spend days or weeks exploring this "garden" island of very few people and very maximum lush jungles, mountains, water falls, etc. Dominica is a major "eco" type island, mostly bypassed by cruisers/charterers so it has an unspoiled and glorious interior.
So you would normally choose Guadeloupe and sail to the Saintes and then Dominica and then return. From the south at Martinque you would do Martinique, which can take weeks, and either pop down to St. Lucia or head north to Dominica. This area is good for at least two or more seasons of Chartering.

[jim_thomsen]

I agree with osirissail..Donimica is our favorite island. Portsmouth and Roseau are both worth visiting. And the hiking and exploring on the island is fantastic (the walk to Boiling Lake will be a highlight). The people are some of the most friendly we met anywhere in the Caribbean.

[Mustang Sally]

One week only in the BVI!!! Don't fool yourself, I know people who are on there 4th and 5th visits and still are going to new places in the BVI with a mix of a few of their favorites. Even St John USVI has some incredible anchorages and after seeing all the caribbean last year our favorite is the Spanish Virgins, only 17 miles from the USVI.

[sck5]

Belize is great if you like beautiful deserted islands and amazaing diving and snorkelling. Not the place to go if you like night life on the beach. We went there last January and chartered with Moorings. Totally fantastic - great sailing and our wives liked the protected waters and easy snorkelling. More islands to go to than you can ever actually visit. Almost no other boats at all except for the park rangers in the nature preserve and an occasional fisherman.

[simfr]

Thanks to everyone. We are going to BVI in November to hit some of the places we missed and revisit a few favorites. We are also planning a trip in January so we may take some of the other suggestions for that trip. I know my wife will enjoy it and I will be happy as long as I am on the water. Thanks again. I just wish we could get away more frequently than 3-4 trips a year.