Agreed.
I was there in June of ‘22, my first Boaty Ball experience, I liked knowing I had a spot before heading to busy anchorages, but the 7am frenzy was a bit of a…frenzy. Though plenty of times I needn’t have reserved a ball, in June, there were often FCFS balls available late in the day. Off cycle’s a good idea, anchoring, or off season….the OP’s frustration about reserved balls going unused is valid! I’ve seen it in crowded campgrounds around the US too…I can’t find a walk-up spot, but there’s more than a few with “reserved” tags that stay empty…could BB instill some kind of “no-show” penalty? “If not occupied by Xo’clock…” But how could that be enforced? And it would negate the “slow day, we’ve got a spot” positive side if you had to race to a check-in deadline….

Everyone wants their vacation spot to be the unknown, uncrowded paradise it used to be, but the word’s out - sailing the BVI is awesome, we’re all to blame for the influx of people, and we’re all reaping the relative benefits…..

Strikes and gutters I guess….gotta take some bad with the good…