Looking for opinions/recent experience regarding booking an evening start with Moorings versus staying in some other accommodations in terms of cost, etc. Tried searching but couldn't find recent post with this info. TIA

Hard question to answer without knowing what boat and how many people. The sleepaboard adds value to your first day by getting you off the dock much earlier and that should be factored in on top of costs.

Can't speak specifically to the Moorings, but we always elect to spend the night onboard our TMM charter boat. While it costs 50% of the daily boat rental, it provides lodging for 4 couples. I think it's got to be cheaper than staying elsewhere.

In addition, everyone gets situated in their staterooms, and the crew gets familiar with the boat over the course of the evening. And if you have your provisions delivered, you have the opportunity to get them all stored and organized that evening as well. Come morning, get your charter briefing done and you're ready to set sail. And now that we always choose a boat with A/C, the nights are cool and comfortable in the cabins. I think staying onboard the night before has a lot of advantages.

We also always stay onboard. Getting settled in, while not rushing around, is very convenient. We've never checked the difference in cost, but whatever it is, it can't affect the total cost of our normal 10 night trip. For one person the cost difference has to less than $25 and definitely less than $50 (for us), while the total trip cost is thousands per person.

Sleep aboard can be a nice convenience depending on the number in your party and timing of arrivals. Def has advantages over staying in a hotel for reasons Vern mentions. That said, we always try to get loaded and cast off while there's still enough light to make a quick jump over to Peter or Normal for our first night. Earlier this year some of our crew arrived late (around 6pm, I think), but we still had enough light to motor up to Brandywine Bay which we had to ourselves (good holding and there are also 4-5 new-looking mooring balls) . Some years, when we had a very full boat, my brother and I would go down a day early and either sleep aboard or stay in a nearby hotel....provision etc the next day and be ready to cast off as soon as the rest of the crew arrived and had a drink in their hands. I haven't done a sleep aboard for at least 5 years. It used to be ~$150 which was a great deal. I don't know the going rates these days.

As always, great responses/info. Many thanks to all for your time.

Last July we did a sleep aboard for the first time before our 14th Moorings charter. We had booked a room but as our trip date approached it was looking like we'd have to quarantine on the boat so we cancelled the room and changed to a sleep aboard. With AC it was comfortable and being able to unpack both our stuff and our provisions was great. Typically we wouldn't do that until getting to our first stop out of the base (usually The Bight).

We did have one rather unique problem that wouldn't have happened if we had stayed in the hotel. We ate at the Moorings restaurant and at about 10pm on the way back to the boat the member of our group that had the boat key managed to drop it and it bounced into the water. It didn't have a float and was the only key we had with us. We needed a bolt cutter to cut the lock but none was available. The night guard tried with a hacksaw blade but that didn't work.

Fortunately the front desk was still open and they gave us a couple of rooms for the night. First thing in the AM a maintenance guy cut the lock, got us a new lock with multiple keys and we were back on board. We ended up spending another night in the marina because of an approaching tropical wave so we got to finish our unpacking. The extra night didn't bother us because we had extended our planned 10 day trip to 14 days back when we thought we'd have 4 days of quarantine.

I understand why they call this a "sleepaboard" rate but in reality, it is just another day on the charter. Like most have mentioned, you will likely spend the first night on the dock with or without the sleepaboard. Is there some reason why it is not called "an additional day on your charter?" Sometimes I overthink things

The boarding time is much later... 6pm rather than 11am AFAIR.

Difference between Sunsail and Moorings: Mandatory sleepaboard with Sunsail.
With proper planning (the 7 Ps) we’ve been able to get away without. Depending on time zones (Europe), and pre-sail travel, we’ve found it preferable to get underway the first day.

I have at least 100 plus charters and I have never spent the first night on the dock unless it was a sleepaboard and even then I have slipped away quite often. I have a craving for two things when I arrive. Get off the dock and once off the dock get those stinking noisy things in the back of each hull shut off. At that point all is good!

We almost always get out the sleep aboard evening absent boat mechanical issue. The only thing I want is a boat briefing from Mooriings and to see if any issues and then ready to go after my captains briefing to the crew. I like the idea of a quick trip to Norman to acclimate any new crew. Even if we didn’t get out I want the crew to get used to the boat

Take care of the base camp employees and they will help immensely. Need to provision almost all in advance

The other thing is arriving to base by 130 or so by using charter flight from SJU

We have chartered with Moorings many times on a powerboat and have done both. The last 4 trips we have done the "Evening Start". This allows you to get everything done during the day. I send my crew off to the pool or shopping for provisioning that we like to get in person. Wife likes to look at the meat or fruit at the store to hand pick. All the other canned and bottled stuff we provision ahead of time. I go do my captain stuff prior to getting the boat. This would be getting the boat phone and confirming any accessories we reserved like scuba tanks. I meet the staff and let them know of the phone number and try to at least get the boat name so when the food delivery comes it goes to the right boat. The other advantage is you can do the boat briefing and get settled in. Not sure if this is your first time chartering but never keep your food in the cardboard boxes that they deliver in. The glue holds cockroaches and the eggs. Empty and take them straight to recycle. You will get your boat between 5 and 6 PM. You can get everyone to settle in and unpack. Then you can relax with a cocktail. This is when I will go over the boat and how do use issues with new crew. I look at the long range weather report and boat accordingly. I usually have 2 back up plans during the trip for crowds or weather. The beauty of already being onboard from the night before is you can get off the dock that next morning. This actually gives you a full day on the water. If you elect to stay at a hotel and arrive the day your charter starts you will not get off the dock until around 3 PM. It limits your choices where to go do to it being later in the day. Of course its all about your budget.

Thanks again for all the great experience/advice from you folks. Looks like the ferry made the decision for us as we are having to take the 5pm from STT and arriving around 6pm. Have a friend who took this ferry a week or so ago and said they didn't clear C&I until 8pm. With that it would seem to remove any advantage of an evening start, plus the rate is now 1/2 your daily charter rate so we chose to stay in the Mariners Inn and we plan to be at the check in desk when they open. Then get provisions, phone, etc. and make the most of it.

This is interesting: do I read right that you have "slipped away" after getting the boat in the evening? This would imply time to get the boat, load it, and get out to, what, Cooper or Peter before dark? What companies have early enough "evening start" times to do this?

Just plan on leaving the dock no earlier than noon and more around 3PM. Even if you are first at the desk. You will still need to do the chart briefing and if you have not chartered before the Captain's meeting after that. Then the boat briefing has to be done along with going to go get the phone. So plan on leaving the dock with a short hop somewhere like Norman or Cooper.