I think most people that sail the SVIs charter out of St. Thomas. Up until recently there has only been one viable option out of Puerto Rico - SailCaribe. However, there are now at least two additional charter companies with small bases in Fajardo - Dream Yacht Charters and Moorings. My guess is that the jump in companies offering charters out of Puerto Rico is in response to the increase in fees to charter in the BVIs coupled with the increased cost and complexity in getting to the BVIs.

I personally prefer to start from Puerto Rico as we get the upwind portion of the charter out of the way first. That way we are not going to be forced to grind into less than desirable conditions in order to get the boat back to the charter base on time. This worked out well for us a few charters ago when we had 20-25 knot winds and 8-12' swells the last few days of the charter. I was sure glad we we were headed downwind back to Fajardo versus straight into the wind and back to St. Thomas in those conditions.

Additionally, I find that at least for us, Puerto Rico is significantly less expensive and quite a bit easier to get to than to St. Thomas, plus Puerto Rico offers much more in terms of infrastructure, provisioning, and pre/post charter options. The territory is going through some financial troubles right now but so far it has not been apparent to the tourist in terms of inconvenience or overall safety. In my eyes it's all the more reason to spend some time there and try to make a contribution to their economy, albeit a very small contribution.

Matt