Hi, we are heading back in 2017 and shifting from winter months to April or June. In the past we have been down in January and February. Due to kids activities, etc. need to slide out to April or June.

Thanks in advance for any / all thoughts on April vs. June.

Cheers,

Which month do you prefer?

Love June..gorgeous here right now..

June is off season,,,lower rates.

Go in APRIL .
Go Again in JUNE.

Both are great. Really!

Split the difference and go in May !! That's when we go.

Living in MA as you do, you are aware that April is a big Spring Break and Public School vacation month. Flying can be crazy out of everywhere on the east coast. If your kids are in school, you don't have a lot of choice in the matter, and that is understood, too.

On the up side for April, it is INCREDIBLY nice to leave the late-winter ick in New England, spend some time in the BVI, and just a week or so later, Spring follows you home.

I've not been to the BVI in June, so I'll let others give their thoughts.

We have been down during June for the last two years and have had great conditions. Last year was a mix of lighter wind and heavier wind over three weeks, this year we had two weeks of 15-20+ knots with just a few days of clouds. We were actually in the Leewards this year, but I assume conditions were similar for the BVIs. April is nice and we might end up down there this next April, but it is crowded and expensive - especially during Spring break periods. June is much less expensive and much less crowded, but businesses are still open. In the end I would give the nod to April if reliable wind and weather is the top priority and June if it's more about price and lack of crowds. However, as I said above, the last two Junes have been great for us.

Matt

I've chartered in June several times and have always had great weather. For my crew its more about the vacation and less about the actual sailing so we don't mind if the winds get light, we just motor-sail. We like going in June/July when the crowds are lighter, the pricing is lower and the land establishments are still open. So to answer your question directly, given the choice between April or June, we'd suggest June. However you can't go wrong with either choice!

Been down every month of the year - October can be a bit rainy but aside from that it's a toss up.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts / ideas! The commodore especially likes the April followed by June suggestion, Head bean counter discourages it.

We are locked into either April school break (Easter weekend in 2017) or after school gets out in June.

Light winds would be welcome, especially after our last trip down with high winds & big swell all week (Feb 2015).

Good to hear land establishments will all be up and running end of June, early July.

Cheers

By April, the winds have died down. June is a slight bit warmer and so is the water, But, again, both months are great.

People keep posting that June is uncrowded. That is only true for the first 6 or 7 days of June. After that it is more crowded then any time of the year except New Years. The Moorings had every single Cat and every 4 cabin monohull booked after 7 June. The second half of April will be much less crowded. June is packed as people charter after their kids get out of school.
G

are you sailing or staying in a villa?

As already mentioned, split the difference and go in May - you could plan on being there for the poker run.

I'll be sailing, party of 10 on a cat. Four adults and six kids.

May would be great if kids where not in school.

Thanks again for all the good thoughts / ideas.

Going to float a suggestion. If you decide on April Vacation, consider starting your charter on Friday before the holiday weekend, even if is just the sleep-aboard night. If you can find a great boat deal ( like 10 days for the price of 7, start looking NOW), that will keep you off the most hectic flying days. With a party of 10, six of them kids, you'll be the Cool Dad who decides that an extra couple of days out of school is more than balanced by the exposure to an incredible array of experiences. Also the Cool Dad who realizes that getting bumped on return is NOT FUN.

We've sailed with folks 5 times in April where one or two of the group were NH public school teachers, meaning we went the week AFTER the Great Public School exodus. The teachers would be docked pay if they ducked out early or returned late. That meant we had to fly down Saturday and return on a Sunday. We still were subject to overbooking adventures on the return. Getting the teachers back on time became part of the " crew" mission.

Just something to think about, a suggestion.

You'll love either - more than winter. Less people, great wind, but not "Christmas winds," and minimal northern swell.

My in-laws and their friends (from Puerto Rico) tell me that weekends in June are pretty crowded because the Puerto Rican Navy rolls in on power boats... and man, they party.

We didn't notice any crowds in June on VG. GOOD! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />