Traveltalkonline.com Forums


BVI Cruise Schedule TTOL Sponsors BVI Travel Calendar
Forum Statistics
Forums39
Topics38,430
Posts310,045
Members26,538
Most Online2,218
Jan 21st, 2020
Top Posters(30 Days)
RonDon 115
pat 42
Todd 40
jazzgal 40
Member Spotlight
Posts: 364
Joined: February 2005
Show All Member Profiles 
Today's Birthdays
ecco, OceanDrop, vincent
Who's Online Now
41 registered members (Bigdaddy, tmsxmsails, RonDon, KirkB, lcote, Don_and_Linda, GeorgeC1, Kevin_B, Wahnfried, Zanshin, Matt W, Time Will Tell, camview, jagmansr, JeanneB, Fran, bkigar, YachtReprise, Bakoguy, sailingbob, SXMScubaman, PML, Manpot, anet_scot, Good Boy Gus, snman31, WWII, nevar37, Alltech63, MrEZgoin, cabokid, Whale Tail, blooming, knitsoftwear, 7 invisible), 955 guests, and 72 spiders.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Water taxi to BVI base vs. charter in USVI and clear across? #294427
01/23/2023 12:37 PM
01/23/2023 12:37 PM
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 2
J
Jadean42 Offline OP
Member
Jadean42  Offline OP
Member
J
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 2
Hi all - I've chartered in the USVI and BVI 5-6 times, but have never transited between the two other than on a water taxi. I'm planing a short trip (~3 full days sailing, plus arrival / departure days...too short, I know!) later this year focused on the BVI. While I was initially looking at taking a water taxi from STT to a BVI base, a few of my crew have asked about chartering in USVI then clearing across at the start / end of our trip (all of our sailing will be in BVI waters). Does anyone have recent experience they can share re: the timing and inconvenience factor of clearing into BVI west end, then coming back into the US (does the ROAM app save any meaningful time?). Or how to compare the out-of-pocket customs fees vs. what's included in the all-inclusive water taxi rate? Thank you!

BVI Sponsors
Re: Water taxi to BVI base vs. charter in USVI and clear across? [Re: Jadean42] #294430
01/23/2023 12:58 PM
01/23/2023 12:58 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,993
GA/NC
GeorgeC1 Online content
Traveler
GeorgeC1  Online Content
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 6,993
GA/NC
I would not even consider a USVI start for 3 days on the water. If however you can spend 2 transit days and then 3 sailing days for 5 total go for it! Do you have a boat boomed? Many charter companies have a 4 or 5 day minimum.

Re: Water taxi to BVI base vs. charter in USVI and clear across? [Re: GeorgeC1] #294433
01/23/2023 01:33 PM
01/23/2023 01:33 PM
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 2
J
Jadean42 Offline OP
Member
Jadean42  Offline OP
Member
J
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 2
Thanks - yes, we'd arrive day 1, sail days 2/3/4, then depart day 5. I'm all set on the boat options. I'm strongly leaning toward water taxi into BVI, but am looking to satisfy some inquiring minds on my crew re: USVI. Thanks for the reply!

Re: Water taxi to BVI base vs. charter in USVI and clear across? [Re: Jadean42] #294440
01/23/2023 02:54 PM
01/23/2023 02:54 PM
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 559
Apex, NC
agrimsrud Offline
Traveler
agrimsrud  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 559
Apex, NC
I have sailed out of USVI for several years. Except during covid, we always sailed into and out of BVI. If you only have 3 days of sailing (plus arrival and departure days) I would not go through the hassle. Highly unlikely you can make it to West End the afternoon of the first day. It's a 3 hour motor from CA. So you are likely going to end up in Maho or Francis on STJ. A very nice place. By the time you get going the next day it will be noon before you clear into BVI. Coming back is the opposite problem. You can't get cleared in to USVI early enough the last day of your trip. You have to check out of BVI and check into USVI next to the last day. Even if you use ROAM you can't make it back to St Thomas and get re-fueled and onto the dock by the check-in time on your last day. So Sailing the USVI is great btw - plenty of sailing and bays to visit. But if you want BVI the time you have isn't going to make that work well.


Life's short - sail more!
Re: Water taxi to BVI base vs. charter in USVI and clear across? [Re: Jadean42] #294445
01/23/2023 04:07 PM
01/23/2023 04:07 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 528
Ohio
jagmansr Online content
Traveler
jagmansr  Online Content
Traveler
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 528
Ohio
Pre Covid, we did the opposite route quite often. Starting in BVI, we'd sail to Great Harbor, get there by noon, check out of customs, dingy over to Soggy Dollar for the afternoon and set sail for St John by 7 AM the next day. Sometimes we'd go into Cruz Bay other times merely check in through ROAM. After 2 or 3 days sailing around ST John we'd do the short sail from Trunk Bay to The West End to check back into the BVI. Going to St John merely meant we wouldn't go to Anegada on those trips. Even the time we had to check into the USVI (after Irma) through Red Hook is was very doable. Nice thing about going down at least 4 times a year is it's no big deal missing some stops to include both BVI and USVI in one trip.

Re: Water taxi to BVI base vs. charter in USVI and clear across? [Re: Jadean42] #294448
01/23/2023 06:11 PM
01/23/2023 06:11 PM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 138
S
Shifty Offline
Traveler
Shifty  Offline
Traveler
S
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 138
It was our pre-covid custom for many years to charter out of CYOA in Charlottte Amalie, head straight up to JVD, clear customs and spend 6 or 7 nights roaming the BVI. Then check back in to the USVI and spend 2 or 3 nights around St. John before heading back to base and trekking back to the Hoosier state. Like Jagmansr suggested, that approach made Anegada essentially undoable, particularly as we generally didn't charter for more than 8 or 9 days. This year, as noted in the trip report I posted a couple days ago, we flew in and out of St. Thomas, ferried over to Tortola with Island Time and chartered with Waypoints out of Nanny Cay. It was an absolutely remarkable trip, especially given that our trip up to Anegada was finally viable. And although I would very gladly repeat the same exact trip (and probably will), I will say that getting shuttled around at the beginning and end of the trip made me nostalgic for flying in to STT on a relatively cheap flight, grabbing a 10 minute taxi ride to Frenchtown, and off to the races. We also really did miss St. John. I suppose we could have done the customs shuffle and gone back and forth, but I just wasn't up to it.

Bottom line: There's a reason we go back year after year after year. Namely, I don't know if there's any such thing as a "bad" itinerary. You just can't go wrong in that wonderful place (on either side of the dotted gray line).

Meanwhile, back here in Indiana, I'm in trouble with my wife. She says I'm in a funk and need to snap back to reality. I think she's right. But I can still long for the next trip, right?

Re: Water taxi to BVI base vs. charter in USVI and clear across? [Re: Jadean42] #294452
01/23/2023 07:26 PM
01/23/2023 07:26 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,647
Memphis, BVI, CT
R
RatmansWife Offline
Traveler
RatmansWife  Offline
Traveler
R
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,647
Memphis, BVI, CT
Shifty, or you could cash in your chips, retire and move to the ilons!

Re: Water taxi to BVI base vs. charter in USVI and clear across? [Re: Jadean42] #294457
01/23/2023 09:29 PM
01/23/2023 09:29 PM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 138
S
Shifty Offline
Traveler
Shifty  Offline
Traveler
S
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 138
I wish!!! Not enough chips just yet.


Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.6.1