Thanks for the post. "Back in the day" early 2000's I had Lagoon 380 in charter in BVIs. It was a brand new boat. Within the year of delivery, the charter company told me I needed to have the bottom painted. Cost: $5000. When I questioned the fee, I was told they had to "strip" the bottom before putting on new paint. That is why the cost was 250% of what I would expect to pay anywhere else.

I paid the $5000, pulled the boat from the fleet, and sold it as soon as possible. I felt that the charter company was taking advantage of the fact that I lived 3000 miles away and therefore could treat me like an ignorant piece of dirt.

The increase in fees to ingress and egress the BVIs over the past five or so years have got my attention. If this new fee comes to pass, it will not surprise me in the least.

The people of the Islands, all people, all Islands, have taken devastating hits from hurricanes and now the covid. I am not a policy wonk so I will not opine on whether increasing fees suddenly (in the middle of a financial crunch) on a main economic engine industry is a good idea or bad idea.

I will say that the climate for charter yacht ownership in the BVIs just got even less attractive.

On our last visit January 2020 the sail cat yachts were stacked three to a slip at Sunsail/Moorings base. Literally. Three deep. At the same time, every mooring ball was taken in the usual spots. There is an apparent glut of charter yachts. If the fees continue to increase, tourists will start going elsewhere.

In the meantime- it took over a year to get the main generating plant on Tortola back up after Hurricane Irma- and glass bottles and aluminum cans are still chucked in the garbage because there is no recycling provision on Tortola.

I have predicted this before: the cost of airfare to and from BVI will soon be coming down; the cost of charter yacht time in the BVIs will soon be coming down.

Wishing all health and peace-

JAM
Annapolis, Md