BVI advice for May charter

[MichaelB1969]

Hi all, I am chartering a 46' monohull (Moorings 46.3, a Beneteau) out of Tortola in early May.

Would love some advice on the following:

1. Any suggested itinerary's for early May (I see lots of recommendations online but not sure if there is something ideal for the typical winds in May
2. Any restaurants (fine dining) we should definitely try to go to (and should we get reservations in advance)?
3. Two people in the group are going to try and do their certification dive during the trip, is there a recommended place and/or dive shop to try and coordinate with?
4. Is Anegada worth going to? I like the idea of doing a longer sail, but curious if people have felt it was worth seeing.
5. I added a 2-person kayak to the charter. Anything else people have added that I should be thinking about?
6. Is it worth upgrading to the boatyball advanced reservation package? No idea how crazy things will be in early May. The idea of playing the 7am rush game to make an online reservation, or heading out super early to ensure we get a mooring doesn't sound very relaxing to me.

For context, there are 5 of us. Two will scuba at some point, but not hardcore divers by any stretch. The rest of us will just snorkel here and there. We all like sightseeing, hiking and food.

We're not big drinkers or partiers, although on one night it would be fun to go to one of the notorious party spots to mix it up a bit.

Also, many of the sails seem really short. Have those that chartered liked the shorter sails where the time on the islands is optimized, or have you sometimes tweaked the itinerary for slightly longer sails?

Thanks in advance!

[nightowle]

I was certified through Dive BVI that was operating out of Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor but I understand they have an operation at nearby Scrub Island now. I do recommend them.

I'm not sure about the pricing for a mooring package, but why not just anchor? If all moorings are taken, anchoring is allowed but you must be certain to only anchor in sand which isn't hard to achieve as it's such clear water to see if you are over any coral heads or seagrass.

[Steel sails]

Go to Facebook and join 2 groups
Bvi charter chat
Bvi abroad

Your questions have been asked and answered a 100 times on there ( I’m not kidding really a 100 times.)
Only place you need a Boatyball is Great harbor JVD and Cooper.
Anchoring space very limited in those 2
Yes go to Anegada with typical winds from Northsound a beam reach all the way 2 -3 hours and your only downwind sail from Anegada to JVD 4 -5 hours.

Regards
Paul

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by nightowle

I was certified through Dive BVI that was operating out of Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor but I understand they have an operation at nearby Scrub Island now. I do recommend them.

I'm not sure about the pricing for a mooring package, but why not just anchor? If all moorings are taken, anchoring is allowed but you must be certain to only anchor in sand which isn't hard to achieve as it's such clear water to see if you are over any coral heads or seagrass.

Thanks! I will check out Dive BVI. As for anchoring, yeah, I suppose I could do that, although I always sleep more soundly on a mooring, especially on a boat I am not familiar with. On my prior boat that I owned the anchor it came with from the factory was awful and I never felt confident with it. Then I bought a Mantus anchor and my stress levels went down significantly as I began to trust it.

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by Steel sails

Go to Facebook and join 2 groups
Bvi charter chat
Bvi abroad

Your questions have been asked and answered a 100 times on there ( I’m not kidding really a 100 times.)
Only place you need a Boatyball is Great harbor JVD and Cooper.
Anchoring space very limited in those 2
Yes go to Anegada with typical winds from Northsound a beam reach all the way 2 -3 hours and your only downwind sail from Anegada to JVD 4 -5 hours.

Regards
Paul

Thanks Paul, yeah, I hear you. I certainly found a ton of information prior to posting, but honestly found it overwhelming, so was trying to get some guidance more specific to the time we would be there, the interests of the group, etc. Appreciate the reply. I'll definitely go check out the FB groups, which I wasn't aware of.

[Sailor279]

Despite what many who complain on FB would like you to think, Boaty Ball is actually quite easy to reserve without the expensive advanced reservation subscription. In Cooper and maybe Great Harbor, JVD (on Fri/Sat), you’ll need to reserve at 7:00:00 on the dot but not in most other places.

I would be concerned about the typically undersized ground tackle that most Moorings/Sunsail (or other larger companies) offer esp if it’s blowing. You won’t find a Mantus or Rocna aboard like you would in boutique fleets like BVI Yacht Charter, where we keep our Tanna 47, Stargazer.

I would def go to Anegada because it’s awesome but beware how shallow it is. The channel is ok, but be prepared to touch bottom with a 6+ ft draft. It’s sand/grass.

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by Sailor279

Despite what many who complain on FB would like you to think, Boaty Ball is actually quite easy to reserve without the expensive advanced reservation subscription. In Cooper and maybe Great Harbor, JVD (on Fri/Sat), you’ll need to reserve at 7:00:00 on the dot but not in most other places.

I would be concerned about the typically undersized ground tackle that most Moorings/Sunsail (or other larger companies) offer esp if it’s blowing. You won’t find a Mantus or Rocna aboard like you would in boutique fleets like BVI Yacht Charter, where we keep our Tanna 47, Stargazer.

I would def go to Anegada because it’s awesome but beware how shallow it is. The channel is ok, but be prepared to touch bottom with a 6+ ft draft. It’s sand/grass.

Thanks for the tips!

Appears that the 46.3 has a 5’9” draft.