The Virgin Islands

[Skipper Dan]

Can anyone give some first hand experience living on sailboat here. Can you just pull into a bay and stay for free or low cost like in the Florida Keys?

Contemplating going

Dan

[Rubikoop]

Originally Posted by Skipper Dan

Can anyone give some first hand experience living on sailboat here. Can you just pull into a bay and stay for free or low cost like in the Florida Keys?

Contemplating going

Dan

Are you asking about the USVI? If so, then the answer depends upon whom chooses to answer you. My friends seem to have little to no problems doing that. Others on here speak of harassment and anchoring fees etc. Location and time in one spot without moving seem to lead to more trouble than those that move around some.

[osirissail]

There are 3 "Virgin Islands" - Spanish Virgins; U.S. Virgins; and British Virgins.

Which one?

The answer to your question is quite different depending upon which one you are planning.

[maxingout]

Some people attract the authorities. If the boat is run down and looks like the homeless afloat, I would expect authorities to pay attention.

If the boat is tidy, and if the demeanor of the sailor is professional, and if you move from time to time, I would expect that there would be little problem with the authorities.

Authorities are trying to deal with problems and prevent them, and if you don't fall into either category, the odds are in your favor that you will do fine.

I rarely ask for permission about where I anchor, and I am quick to ask forgiveness if someone is offended. It seems to work well for me.

[Skipper Dan]

Yes I was thinking the USVI. How expensive is it to just pull into a dock? I know water is a problem, but I do not know much else. Homeless afloat meaning the person or the boat?

Dan

[Highland Fling]

you can sit on your anchor in the USVI without any issues or hassles at all..........EXCEPT in St John most of which is the National Park and mooring use is compulsory $15 per night $7.5 if/once you get a senior citizens pass YOU need to pass the age test of course OR you can become a BAY WARDEN and get free moorings for essentially monitoring the use of the moorings in your bay and handing out NP Leaflets YOU MUST have a Holding tank though you get free pump outs :-)

[Rubikoop]

Originally Posted by Skipper Dan

Yes I was thinking the USVI. How expensive is it to just pull into a dock? I know water is a problem, but I do not know much else. Homeless afloat meaning the person or the boat?

Dan

Slip fees vary widely depending on duration of stay and even time of year for short term usage. Cheap long term monthly can be found for about $12/ft/month to around $2/ft/day for short term. Anchoring is free...

I do not understand what you mean by "water is a problem".

[Hud3]

I was up in the USVI last week. There seem to be a good number of boats "permanently" anchored in Benner Bay and around Water Island.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by Skipper Dan

Yes I was thinking the USVI. How expensive is it to just pull into a dock? I know water is a problem, but I do not know much else. Homeless afloat meaning the person or the boat?
Dan

The U.S.Virgins are: St Thomas, St John, and St Croix with different situations for long term boats. St John is like Highland Fling described.

As Hud3 posted (I believe he is talking about St Thomas) and I observed back in the beginning of 2011, the marinas there are not full - in fact, quite a few open slips. But the prices have not decreased and you can get the prices by emailing the marina.

Benner Bay, St Thomas seems to be the preferred location for "long term" stays, and in fact the marinas don't do "transient" only 2 months or more.

Anchoring out is another matter. The "good" locations are still full of long-term or permanent boaters. That leaves the very deep anchorages and exposed anchorages unless you are really lucky when you and your boat arrive and look around.

Additionally, Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas back in the beginning of 2011 started a program of trying to get transients to pay a registration fee for anchoring. Putting in a mooring is an expensive and complicated process bureaucratically according to friends who have done it there.

St Croix seems to be less of a hassle than St Thomas, but I have not spent any long term anchoring there. Frankly, IMHO, there isn't much of interest in St Croix for me to spend more than a weekend or so there. Although I have friends who work in the house construction area and have lived on their boats in St Croix for a significant period of time.

"Water" is not a problem although marinas do charge for it. I don't know of any "dock you can pull into" other than marina docks. I don't think "homeless afloat" applies to the U.S. Virgins as many young folks working there cannot afford the prices of apartments so live on their boats. I have not personally seen any "derelicts" anywhere with people living on them. I have seen a very few sunken boats, usually large party type boats beached or nearly beached. But a long time friend there has a job removing such boats. Keeps him busy.

[colemj]

Coral Bay in St. Johns is chock full of full-time liveaboards living on anchor.

Mark

[Highland Fling]

water was a BIG problem the other week the WAPA plant went tits up again and water trucks were ferrying water all over the place hotels had no water shame the coudl not have got Oasis and Alure of the Seas to just top up the islands water supply when they were in port :-) a friend of mine could not get his scuba tanks tested NO WATER to do a hydraulic test!!!!

[Skipper Dan]

Thanks for all the information. I am going to see if this will work. Or just stay in the Keys which is easier but maybe not as much fun.

Dan