I passed by the area on that day, probably a bit before the grounding occurred. It looked very rough and those moorings are also quite close to shore (swimming distance) and probably on a pretty short scope.

You have to listen closely but he did not have permission. The week prior he called the restaurant and someone told him he could use the moorings for lunch. I doubt the fact his boat weighed 54,000 lbs came up and he might have been talking to the dishwasher. He did say he has spoken with the actual owner after the fact however he declined to disclose what the owner said. The owner might want him to replace the ball.

We were there that day and the North Swell was cranking up along with the wind. I would not have been comfortable 200 feet of a Lee shore regardless of the mooring capacity.

We stayed on one of the three moorings in June of last year after permission from the owner - which we obtained through a friend. The owner shared with our friend that the moorings are privately owned (by at least two people who own homes in Sugarcane) and were installed for boats larger than our 43 PC. By the way, the one we stayed on was solid at the time (it's not the one he was on), but it did have more growth than the national park and BoatyBall moorings. It was also a calm night in June with no swell.

Regarding Alan Carter - the Wandering Hillbilly - we met him last year, and he seemed like a genuinely good person. I have also enjoyed his videos. I'm sure he gets something financial out of his YouTube prominence (likely peanuts compared to his real job), but it seems like his main motivation is helping others by sharing knowledge and providing a unique experience for his family and friends.

I really hate that this happened to him, and I humbly admit that I've made numerous mistakes that (fortunately) have not resulted in a similar fate - but could have.
True cruisers state that grounding a boat is inevitable if you go out enough, and every year that we go on our two week adventure in the BVI, I learn ways to reduce the odds of this happening - but I'm still learning. I'll be curious what others says about backing down on mooring balls - especially with a PC. We put the motors in reverse to add pressure to test the ball, but we have heard that you aren't supposed to back down too hard with a PC. I like to see the ball sink and hold, but we don't add additional throttle - is this correct?

Anyway, I hope Alan bounces back from this. I know that I have gained some additional perspective from his ordeal.

That is what I do on the 514 PC...quick reverse on 1 engine and let momentum take ball underwater. And I use anchor watch on ball...

and always trying to learn what it is a I dont know I dont know..still remember the night I learned about the North Swell

Same here. We woke up in CGB about 2 am being tossed around. Daylight couldn't come quickly enough!

Same at CGB…

I've been following this forum and gathering very helpful information and counsel for many years. In fact, I'm one among your so-called "credit card captains." This is one explanation for my interest...I live in Indiana (and love it), but make a deliberate point of traveling to, and learning more and more about the wonders of the Virgin Islands almost every year and, especially, the timeless craft of sailing whenever I can visit the place that has for me been a treasure since my dad first took me down in the mid 80's. And nearly every time I visit, sail and explore, I have the opportunity to introduce others to something that for me has been life changing. And I gain important wisdom from so many in this online community who have enriched that experience, which makes me a little better at doing every time I come down. I hope and trust that, for all of us, this is true in many area of our lives.

In view of this humble background, I wanted to pipe in with a shout-out to those of you who have been expressing grace toward the skipper who is the subject of this thread and who has recently endured a really difficult and probably terrifying experience.

I'm nothing approaching the kind of serious sailor to whom special respect is owed, or expected. But I'll confess that I truly love visiting this discussion when encouragement and compassion win out over ridicule and condemnation. I think we can all be assured that this particular seafarer will take important lessons from this experience...and be better for it. And better the yet if what he is hearing from his fellow travelers in this important space is meant to build him up when he is already down.

Shifty

Very little humility and a total lack of hubris on display in his latest video - “see, the Marine Max guy was on the ball too…..” Sorry, but he did NOT eliminate all points of failure, including himself.

Meant “no lack of hubris”