TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Planning a trip to BVI soon

Looking for some help as I have not been there since 2020. I Chartered a Lagoon 42 and found the rig to be too small to get boat moving in light wind which, of course, was the situation for the week we were there. We were there in peak season and getting a mooring ball was not fun. Even with the 7am boaty ball reservations we did not always get a ball. It's pretty stressful to arrive at a moorage to find no where to tie up so want to get some advice on that. I'm thinking early January 2026 so my initial questions are:

Winds during that time?
How crowded are the moorages?
Recommendations on cats/charter companies?
Will everything be open then on the islands?

Any help would be most appreciated.

Winds should be 15 to 20 but you could see 20 to 25. You likely will also see some North swell.
January is busy but slows a bit after about the 4th.
Most of the charter companies are descent. Pick the boat you like.
Everything will be open.

Also, try to avoid moving with the masses during your time there to help with the crowded mooring concern. There has been a lot written on this forum related to this topic, but generally the best ideas are to either start midweek with a normal rotation or alter course early in the trip to be ahead or behind the mass movement of boats.

Heading there in March 17th a Wed start. Check out the Fountaine Pajot cat 45. At Conch Charter. I am also concerned regarding the availability of moorings and the crowds of fellow charters.

Everyone is worried about Moorings. Relax, have a plan B and if you are not comfortable anchoring have a skipper placed on board.

We've done a lot of January trips and the winds are usually very strong - sustained 20+ knots with higher gusts. You also need to be ready for a big North Swell.

Cheers, RickG