After 30 years, a half dozen charters in the BVI / St John, and another half dozen to St Lucia, St Martin, Martinique, Canouan, Bequia, Mustique, Mayreau, Union and the Tobago Cays, our crew of six senior citizens is contemplating a 10-day+ charter from St Thomas to Culebra to Vieques to St Croix to St Thomas (with perhaps a stop at St John for old times sake). Why? No ferries, no customs, no cruise ships! We will likely go in late October or early November in 2017 or 2018 and spend 2-3 days at each island, with a day for each of the 3 long passages.

Unlike the BVI forum, this one is relatively inactive, has very old threads, seems more land-based and offers less useful information for sailors. However, there are several helpful contributors to both (Twanger / sail2wind / RickG), so I am hoping for some current, personal-experience information on the planned route, nicest anchorages, best snorkeling locations, favorite restaurants and worthwhile land activities.

Thanks in advance for all input.

There are some C&I requirements for the SVI - I am sure one of the regular posters can discuss them. I know CYOA has the proper decals on their boats which makes it easier.

We have been to the SVI three times with CYOA.
Love it there.
Can't possibly cover it all at once, tonight, but can give you a few tidbits over the coming months.

We normally try to stop at Bayo Tortugas, Culebrita first, even if it means sailing into Dewey, Culebra first, and then backtracking the hour to Culebrita. With the boat decal and being prepared (with all passports in hand) you can sometimes call-in and clear-in without having to sail all the way into Dewey. Culebra Customs is 877-529-6840. You cannot reach them from a mooring at Bayo Tortugas because you won't have cell coverage there. You can get cell coverage from about 4 miles out.

We usually stay there two nights. The Jacuzzis are well worth the visit. It's also well worth climbing the hill to the lighthouse. After 4pm the day-boaters leave and often it will just be your boat left in the bay. Lovely.

Thanks, Twanger. Exactly the kind of info I am looking for. Keep it coming!

CYOA is currently our primary charterer focus.

There is a much dated cruising guide for the svi that you can purchase. It will provide some information on svi.

Usvi is a free port, hence the need to clear into svi at culebra. The svi customs people I dealt with are very friendly.

Warren

Once you decide to leave Sir Francis Drake Channel everyone should consider reading the work of Don Street and his adventures on the engineless Iolaire. If we had deity Don Street would be it.

The Cliff Notes:

http://www.cruisingworld.com/destinations/reach-dont-beat-through-virgin-islands

All the details for the true student:

http://www.street-iolaire.com/

Just came back from Culebra last night. We love it and did not visit the BVIs on this two week trip. The USVIs are cheaper than the BVIs and less crowded. The SVIs are cheaper than the USVIs and less crowded! The people are friendlier too.

The best, and only current, cruising guide out there is Frank Virginito's free "A Cruising Guide to Puerto Rico." It has been updated twice in the last 18 months. The Street guide is badly out of date and the Pavlidas guide has GPS coordinate errors and more errata.

http://freecruisingguides.com/free-cruising-guides/puerto-rico/

You can read about our experiences from our 2015 cruise at http://dinghylife.wordpress.com/2015/11/18/seabbatical-trip-report-october-16-november-15-2015/

Life will be easier if you get a boat with a watermaker. Plan on anchoring unless you are in a marina as moorings are unmaintained. No water currently available at a dock in Culebra or Vieques. But, the renovated town dock in Dewey Culebra has new electrical heads and water is plumbed. Soon come?

Things are very quiet in October. I would recommend Halloween and later if you want to see restaurants open.

You'll have a blast.

Cheers, RickG

We've been scolded for calling before we are anchored. We do SVRS, so the process is a bit different for us. You need a current DTOPS sticker on your boat or you'll need to go to the airport and buy one.

Cheers, RickG

RickG / StormJib

The referenced Cruising World article is what first piqued my interest. Already looked at the Street materials, which is why I asked here for more current info. (Didn't expect "last night" though!) I will follow your links, Rick. Great info. Thanks to you both. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

I'll be land based on Culebra in early February. Will try to gather info on moorings and restaurant schedules for a longer reply when I return. There is a Culebra Cruisers group on Facebook that might prove helpful. Several new restaurants have opened or expanded recently, and I plan to try them out. Though I haven't ever been in October or November, I think there are a number of closings that likely will be encountered. As many of these are family owned, they are often ad hoc, rather than announced well in advance. The quality of restaurants has improved the past 3 years.

Any info on clearing in on Canadian reg vessel? Thanks

Another tidbit or two....

Tip #1 - Recommend you get this FREE Cruising Guide by Virgintino:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwXMfyr3NrK0ZldVSE5PbEIwYlU/view

Tip #2 - Pick up one of the pay moorings off Esperanza, Vieques. Call Glenn Kranig and pay him the $25 fee for overnight. Pick his brain on places to anchor in the area. WELL WORTH IT. He is a wealth of local knowledge. Eat at Duffy's!

Tip #3 - Don't miss the bio-luminescent bay tour near Esperanza.

You will need to anchor in the main Harbor and walk or cab to the Airport. Then stop at Zaco's Tacos on the way back.

Jay

Tip #4 - anchor just west of the little Cay in Bahia De La Chivas. Don't go onto the Cay - unexploded ordinance. it's well marked. Big signs.
The place is really secluded and there is not much light pollution there.
The beach is really nice, and has some shelters.
The bay is partially bio-luminescent and on a dark night the action of your hull in the water from small waves will kick up flashes of light.

Next tip of the day...

Green beach is on the west end of Vieques.
It is extremely remote and has no significant facilities except for a gazebo or two. In prevailing conditions this area is quite calm, though one caveat is that I've only visited in a large cat (3 times), so YMMV if you're in a monohull.

Anchor south of Punta Arenas off the gazebos (or off the small rocky breakwater) in about 10-15 feet of water. You can dingy in or take you water toys in and explore the beach up to and even around the point. Sometimes you will see locals here, but often you'll have the whole place to yourself, particularly after 4pm.

Twanger:

I may not reply every day, but please know all of the tips in this thread are much appreciated and are being carefully placed into a memo in our trip planning folder. So, thank you again, and keep 'em coming.

As to a monohull again, I wish, especially after sitting in a new Oceanis 45 at the Chicago Boat Show a week or so ago! However, having introduced the female members of the crew to the size, sleeping stability and AC comfort of cats about 6 charters ago, <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> there is no going back now (even though gensets and AC are now available on many charter monos)!

A new article on Puerto Rico opening Vieques to tourism...

Last tip today...

There is a marine park refuge between Culebra and Louis Pina island to the south. No spear fishing allowed.

There is great snorkeling and diving in the south bays of Culebra, particularly The Wall off Carlos Rosario beach.

If you snorkel or dive, consider hooking up with Taz at Aquatic Adventures on Culebra. 515-290-2310 / diveculebra.com. They are located in the same building as Mamacitas (the old Dingy Dock restaurant location).

St Croix Tip #1 - Visit Buck Island!

Apply in advance for an anchoring permit thru the Natl Park Service website: www.nps.gov/buis/planyourvisit/permits.htm

I received an email approval in a few days.

Expect only a couple boats anchored overnight and 8-10 day trip boats.

There is a roundtrip hiking trail on the west side of the island starting at the dock that takes you to an overlook platform at a ~200 foot altitude with beautiful views of the coral reefs on the north side of the island. It takes about 1 hr to hike the trail including photo stops.

Twanger's SVI tip of the day...

If the wind is south of east and you are sailing a big catamaran, consider anchoring in Flamenco Bay, Culebra for the night. We anchor in about 15 feet of water in the SE corner of the bay about 50-100 yards off and even with the little pier, where the reef ends. Even in settled conditions it's a little rolly, since the swell seems to come around the point, but in a cat it's not too bad. I personally would not go here in a monohull.

This is the most beautiful bay on Culebra. The snorkeling on the east side of the bay is very good, and easy. You can swim from your boat to the reef. There are food & beverage kiosks way down the beach to the west (probably a 400 yard walk) and there's usually a ton of people there partying, chilling, playing music, and generally having a great time. The people we've met there were extremely friendly.

Tip of the morning:
Bio Bay on Vieques is a must see!
It is a spectacle of the world. There is literally nothing like it anywhere else.

If your group is fit, the kayak tour is the way to go.
If you're not so fit, the electric boat tour is the way to go.

Whatever you do, PLEASE pick a reputable tour. I'll digress for a second... Our first time we picked a not-so-good tour, and our guide almost killed himself (I'm being totally serious). First he didn't get all the kayak's tied up properly in the middle of the lagoon, and one floated away. Then he started swimming after it (with paddle in hand) as it was being driven rapidly by the wind to the other side of the bay, a half mile away. Third he didn't wear a life-jacket, and after he became exhausted he began to drown. Remember it's pitch-black dark, too. All our remaining kayaks were tied together, and he had my light (he forgot his). Two fit people from our group swam after him with life jackets, and we finally got a kayak loose. They saved him. The worst part was that he had the bus key with him, so if he had drowned we'd have had to walk back to town. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

So do your research, and choose wisely!

Twanger, you and Rick G and BaardJ should write an SVI Guidebook! Oh, I guess you are. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

Culebra C&I Tip:

Call Customs at (787) 729-6840 or (877) 529-6840 when you are at least 25 minutes from the seaward R"2" buoy on the Ensenada Honda approach. This will have you about 50 minutes from the town dock at Ensenada Honda.
- On both visits this Fall, we were thanked by the customs officer (Delgado) for calling before our arrival.
- It takes a good 25 minutes to communicate all the vessel and passport information by phone, so it's best to have this completed before you start navigating the channel from R"2" to R"12" for the first time.
- You'll be talking to a customs officer in Puerto Rico.
- You'll be asked where you are headed. I suggest saying "anchoring off the town dock in Ensenada Honda, Culebra".
- You'll provide vessel information (name, manufacturer, length, USCG documentation number), CBP Decal Number, crew information (name, DOB, passport #, expiration), and return phone number.
- The officer may call you back shortly with instructions, or they may request that you call back once you are anchored in Ensenada Honda. If you have all US citizens onboard with no background issues, you will likely be cleared in via phone. If you have a US Permanent Resident or Alien onboard, you will likely have to report to C&I at the airport.
- The airport is 0.75 miles from the Town Dock in Ensenada Honda. Find a taxi or it's an 18 minute walk heading north on the main road (Hwy 250, then veering to the left as you approach the airport. It's well marked.)
- Airport has a small arrivals/departure hall. C&I office is located to the far left side as you enter. Knock on the door if it's locked. There'll be an officer inside. We had a US Permanent Resident onboard, so on our two visits it took the officer 1 minute to scan all the passports, and then we talked for 5 minutes on the best restaurants for lunch and our plans for our visit.

That last post was really helpful. As Canadians I presume we just walk/ taxi to the Cand I office. Does not look like any point in calling ahead for us. Any time to try to avoid (?lunch) ?

Culebra Taxi Tip:

I had a heck of a time finding a local taxi when we first landed at the Town Dock in Ensenada Honda, Culebra. Tried 6 numbers I found on the internet and they were either disconnected or no longer driving taxis.

- Taxis are usually waiting at the main ferry dock on Bahia de Sardinas, about 1/4 mile from the town dock.
- I highly recommend Xavier, (787) 463-0475. $10 per-person roundtrip to Playa Flamenco. He will arrange a time to pick you up at the beach, and you pay on your return.
- We had him stop at the airport C&I on the way to Playa Flamenco.

Culebra Playa Flamenco Tips:

- There is a strict "no glass on the beach" policy. There is an attendant in the parking lot who inspects coolers. Note that the same policy exists on the St John national park beaches. I've never encountered a ranger inspecting coolers but they do walk the beaches so be forewarned. We provision a few cases of Carib cans for these beach trips.

- There are perhaps a dozen food kiosks in the parking lot with a wide range of inexpensive offerings (sandwiches, burgers, pizza, empanadillas, kebabs, fried fish, seafood salads) and drinks (smoothies, mixed drinks, etc).

- Medalla beer is $2.

- Checkout the two rusting, graffiti-covered WWII era tanks on the western end of the beach.

I suspect the C&I office is continually manned throughout the day as there are numerous arriving & departing flights. We were there at lunch time and an officer was present.

I strongly suggest you call. Quoting the CBP website: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/pleasure-boats-private-flyers/pleasure-boat-locations/pr-us-vi

"What information do I need to provide when I call?
The Master of the vessel must report arrival via telephone immediately upon arrival to a designated inspection site within the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico (including Vieques and Culebra) and the US Virgin Islands. See below telephone numbers.
LBO registration number or Float Plan Number (if applicable)
Name, date of birth and citizenship of all persons on board (including passport number and visa information if applicable)*;
Name of the boat and/or boat registration number and nationality
CBP user fee decal number (if vessel is 30 feet or longer);
If qualified foreign vessel, cruising license number
Return contact number

Designated Sites for Inspection at Ports of Entry for Private Boats Operators:

Puerto Rico
The telephone number to report arrival seven days a week is 1-877-529-6840 or (787) 729-6840, manned from 0800 until 2400. After hour arrivals, leave a brief message with boat name, registration number, date and time of arrival and a return telephone number. If no return number or the number is international, please call again after 0800 upon arrival. You will be advised with instructions on entering procedures according to normal hours of the below inspection sites.

U.S. Virgin Islands
Telephone number to report arrival seven days a week are:
St Thomas: 1 877 305-8774
St. John: 1 877 305-8775
St. Croix: 1 340 773-1011 (day time) and 1 340 773-1490 (after business hours)
After hour arrivals, leave a brief message with boat name, registration number, date and time of arrival and a return telephone number. If no return number or the number is international, please call again after 0800 upon arrival. You will be advised with instructions on entering procedures according to normal hours of the below inspection sites.

Thanks for all the tips !!

We will be in SVI February 17th for a week.

Bob

Check out the Culebra Cruisers and Boaters group on Facebook, it has good info and Sue the moderator lives on island.

General info on customs, decals, moorings, laundromat... - https://www.facebook.com/groups/culebracruisers/permalink/1150813048268122/

Here's more info from a recent post regarding groceries:

Milka's is great for general provisions, onsite butcher for churrasco and ground beef, chicken and provisions. There is a dinghy dock behind them on the canal.

There might be some more exotic cheeses and artisan bread at El Eden. Fresh veggies at the veggie market several days a week and at D's Garden (on Facebook), likewise. Extensive selection of frozen and canned goods, as well as OTC meds at Suprette Mayra. Prices are the lowest at Costa del Sol, near the airport with somewhat limited selection.

Note: Cost del Sol is where the Flamenco Beach campers do most of their provisioning. El Eden has a bigger liquor selection than Milka.

Cheers, RickG

Twanger tip of the day...

There are small vans running around Vieques that cost around $5 to go anywhere. Far cheaper than a taxi. After dark it costs a little more. We take one to Isabella II if you need to buy groceries or go shopping. There's also a nice dive shop in Isabella II.

Today's tip - Bayo Tortugas on Culebrita is a well protected anchorage as long as there is not a north swell. It sees day activity from Del Rey, but most of the boats are gone by 4pm. So don't despair if you can't find a spot near the beach. It will clear out later.

A visit to the Jacuzzi's is a must. They are located on the north east side of the bay, just above the right-most boat in the picture below where the white water is. You can take the dingy in, but we paddle/walk it in the last 100 yards and pull it up carefully on a tiny beach. It's a 150 yard careful walk through boulders to get to the Jacuzzi's. The last 25 yards you'll do some wading through tidal pools.

Based on the truly excellent input above, our crew of 6 has settled on a ten-day charter of a 40' cat from CYOA starting on October 23, 24 or 25 (cheapest Delta flight days). Longer would be better, but one of us is still working! Thank you all again for your very helpful tips and suggestions. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

SVI Tip #127 <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Plan to stay two nights at Marina Puerto Del Rey.

1-787-863-3863 or 1-787-860-1000

http://puertodelrey.com/

It's really the only decent place to pick up diesel, water, and greenies (Heineken) in the SVI. All can be had at reasonable prices right at the fuel dock. One stop shopping!

Del Rey is the largest marina in the Caribbean, with roughly 1,000 slips. Facilities include a nice restaurant, a marine Chandler, convenience store (ice cream!), and car rental. The dock is so big that they come out to get you in a golf cart to bring you to shore... the longest walk from the farthest docks is well over 1/2 mile. Showers and laundry are centrally located in the middle of the dock complex.

It's well worth driving up to El Yunque, the rain forest.
There are hikes and waterfalls, and the temperatures are easily 10-15 degrees cooler up there with awesome breezes.

Nearby Fajardo has tons of good eats and shopping.

You're also just a short drive from San Juan. About an hour. Old Town is well worth the visit, particularly El Moro, the fort.

Well, not so much.

Pre-Trip Report: CYOA v BVIYC

After a positive 20-year experience with a dozen Moorings' charters (Tortola, St. Lucia, St. Martin and Canouan), our crew of six decided to sail to the Spanish Virgins and St. Croix out of St. Thomas.

Based on some positive comments on this forum, I contacted CYOA, which appeared from its website to have two boats that might meet our requirements. All communication, over a period of 3 weeks, was via e-mail. CYOA's responses were neither prompt nor professionally formatted. In the latter half of this period, I explained that we wanted to do a 10-day charter starting in the last week of October, but that because one of our couples was currently in New Zealand, I would need a few days to make the final boat and dates decision. Early on a Friday afternoon, CYOA again confirmed that both boats would be available during our planned two-week travel. I told the CYOA rep I would get back to her "early next week" and she replied: "Perfect!"

On Monday afternoon, after purchasing six non-refundable airline tickets, I sent an e-mail to CYOA stating our specific charter dates and identifying which of the two promised boats we had selected. When I received no reply by noon on Tuesday, I sent a follow-up e-mail asking if we were "good to go." CYOA responded that the boat we wanted was not available, because its owner had it reserved for his/her own use the day of our planned return. CYOA suggested we adjust our now-unadjustable dates back two days, or choose another boat. I replied that our dates were not adjustable, and that we did not want the other boat. I offered to return the requested boat by 9:30 am instead of noon, thus allowing the owner to retain our income stream and still use his/her boat on or near the date reserved. CYOA said "no," stating that an owner "always has the right to use his/her own boat," without ever acknowledging its obligation to know the dates of such use before offering a specific boat for charter.

Frustrated, my search for another St. Thomas company led to BVIYC, with its great website and a host of positive TripAdviser reviews. At 11:00 pm on Tuesday night, I submitted a request for quote, explaining where and when we wanted to go. I got an immediate, automated response. By 7:40 am on Wednesday morning, I had received quotes for two boats, and by noon, after talking with Cassie and a couple of more e-mail exchanges, had a confirmation, charter agreement and related documents in hand. BVIYC automatically applied a 10-days-for-7 promo rate, of which I was unaware. The result? A boat of the same year, manufacturer and desired equipment as the one we were denied by CYOA, but … 4 feet longer, faster, with an extra head, at a total price $300 less, even after the inclusion of travel cancellation insurance!

Every business person knows, or should know, the first rule of success: under-promise and over-deliver. I don't know how the BVIYC charter itself will go, but if it is as satisfying as my initial dealings with Abbie and Cassie, it will be great! I found them to be knowledgeable, efficient, responsive and professional, and excellent representatives of BVIYC.

We are going to be cruising from Fajardo to the BVIs and back this June. My intention is to sail from Jost straight to Culebra on the return so that we don't have to clear in at the USVI. I believe this is fine - however, I was hoping to anchor for the night at Flamenco (assuming conditions allow) or possibly Culebrita. Is there any reasonable way of accomplishing this? More specifically, is it possible to clear in without bringing the boat into Ensenada Honda? I'm assuming we can't simply sail straight to Flamenco and call from there. I also heard that cell phone signals aren't available until you get past the east tip of Culebra so even if we are able to check in via a phone call we will have to sail past Culebrita and be well on our way to Ensenada Honda before we know whether we are able to or not. By that time it will probably be too late to make it worth turning around for one of the other anchorages.

On another note, as for a suggestion to make clearing into Puerto Rico over the phone easier, make sure you have your phonetic alphabet down or have a cheat sheet handy. When we were clearing in on our last visit we did so over the phone and it was difficult to hear. I had to use the phonetic alphabet to read letters to the officer from our passports. Only thing is I don't really know much of the alphabet so I kept saying random words for certain letters. I don't think the CBP officer was impressed as he corrected me every time I said the wrong word. After five passports you would think I have it down but I still plan on bringing a cheat sheet with me on our next trip.

Matt

Sailing straight from Jost to Culebra is pretty straight forward. We sail from Culebra to St. John in the other direction in about six hours and pass Jost on the way.

The information I rely on specifies Dewey Dock at Ensenada Honda and that is where we report. Its worth giving them a call and asking.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/pleasure-boats-private-flyers/pleasure-boat-locations/pr-us-vi

Cheers, RickG

I learned it back in 1976 in flight school. In 2014, we introduced our 4 grandkids, then ages 5 to 11, to the BVI. In preparation, I gave them a "Pirate's Handbook" I created. The handbook had supplements for them to study re how to tie a half dozen knots, diagrams of the parts of a boat, and the phonetic alphaphabet. By the time we left, they could all recite the alphabet, knew bow from stern and port from starboard, and could at least tie a bowline. We are bringing the same crew of 11 back down in June this year. The 5 now 8 year old was over this week. "Grandpa listen," she said, and then rattled off Alpha to Zulu like an air traffic controller. It's never to late to learn, Matt! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Matt - Sailing from Jost I'd say you should anchor in Dewey and clear-in. That's different than coming in from the USVI.

You're really supposed to do this when coming in from the USVI, but on occasion I've been able to "streamline" the process.

On Flamenco - Even in the summer in settled weather it's generally rolly. Swell comes around the point. We anchor there every time because we're usually in a large cat, and we love the place, but in a monohill you'd probably get thrashed pretty badly.