Cook,

To answer your question about that professional skipper , staying put, and not leaving late. He was correct in his decision.

I am a U.S.C.G Lic, captain ( 500 tons ), 36 yrs, and also a commercial pilot, corporate pilot and fighter pilot, and we follow procedures .Hence, we are still alive, fit , and upright. We feel that a skippers responsibility is to the vessel, the crew, the passengers and the safety of others, as well. This is our thinking, but , I also hope the other bare boaters, reading this thread will follow the procedures of the charter companies . Sailing at night is prohibited. Stay smart, and stay safe.

It is procedure that us bare boaters are in the anchorage , i think by 4 pm. We have been sailing the BVI for 35 years and our personal rule is on the mooring by 3 pm. or sooner. Also, there is NO NIGHT SAILING in the BVI for charter boats.

We post a bow watch entering passes and harbors, and we get in early before the sun gets low, and reflects off the water and wipes out our human visibility, so we will keep on following the procedures set down by the charter company
that we bare boat with. That has been, the Moorings, Sunsail, and Conch. We have also skippered vessels in Australia , Tahiti, Tonga, Mexico, much of the Caribbean, and Ireland, and Coastal Cruising California and the Channel Islands.
most all of that without GPS.

Although , we now back up our Coastal Navigation and Piloting with GPS. We also bring along our own hand held GPS, in case of a problem with the vessels GPS. We also bring a personal had bearing compass . and paper charts. . .

Another problem is that LATE in the day, the moorings pretty much fill up, and that means anchoring, which for us, means standing anchor watches. Late , or night arrivals , drop anchor, go below, have a nightcap or two, and out cold. Their vessel
could drag or swing into other vessels.

Do they stand anchor watch ? . It is important to do so.

Are they aware that they can be dragging down on to another vessel , that is safely on a mooring with double bridles ?, Rocks or reefs or shoals could also be a problem for a dragging boat as well. .

To answer why the catamaran skipper chose to not leave late,. the above, seem to be pretty good reasons to follow procedures. Not to mention, for the bare boaters, their insurance is void by violating the conditions of their written contracts
with the charter company, that they signed. An yep, those procedures are in the contract. Read that puppy.

However, everyone has the choice to sail their own vessel as they wish. For us bare boaters, we should be following the procedures of the charter company .
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For the OP.

You all had a great BVI trip. And Thank You for the news that the Willy T is staying put. BLOODY OUTSTANDING , We were hoping for good news on her, and you have made our day. We will be back sailing the BVI in May.


\Also, I would think that steering the cat with one engine , would be manageable. Except , maybe docking , with a strong off the dock cross wind. Looks like you all did just fine, and made new friends in the process.

Your skipper took good care of you , and the boat.