Been lurking for while so thanks to all for the good info I have gleaned.

Been down to the BVI a few times, usually on a 38' Beneteau, this time we doubled our crew to 8 and are trying out a cat for the first time. Plan to take a captain with us for the first day to help us transition.

Provisioning: We have used Bobby's in the past but someone told us their Road Town store had bare shelves. Anybody used them recently? Any risk to faxing them an order?

Internet: Greg's posts have answered many of my questions and we are taking an unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 and planning on getting a Digicel SIM with a 3GB data plan. The crux is, and I will try to get Digi to verify, is to be able to turn it into a Hot Spot for our other crew to use. I'll let you all know how it goes. Our plan B is the boat WiFi for $17 per day (Ouch!).

Anegada: Thanks again to all you folk, I called Dean and he says he has a "truck" that can carry 8 for $90 per day - reserved it for one day to visit Flash of Beauty & visit a few other spots on the island.

Really looking forward being on the water again! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

Please do update if you figure out the hotspot issue. In the past I remember reading that Lime doesn't support the iPhone hotspot. But, I read that a while back and even if that is still true digicel could be a different story.

Really don't think you need the captain. (Ducking)

The check out brief should cover what you need to know. Make sure you agree what the Captn plans on doing, how long, and where he gets off. Pm me for more.

The transition to a cat is not that big a deal if you’re comfortable operating a twin engine anything. As far as sailing, most things are the same except backwind the jib slightly thru tacks. Be real careful and watch your sail plan. Over sheeting is common to mono sailors.
Was at Bobby’s and Riteway’s 2 weeks ago in Road Town. Bobby’s was looking sparse while Riteway was pretty much like a local rural US IGA. Like you we’ve always used Bobby’s before but have used Rightway for the last 2 times. For beverages check Caribbean Cellars and Tico. Sometimes the cost difference will really get your attention.

I am interested as well and probably many others. I used Digicell's email support bvicustomercare@digicelgroup.com to ask what frequencies they were using for 3G (like others they call it 4G now but it is really a marketing term - I call it faster 3G). A "Special Project Manager" wrote back the next day. It wasn't a perfect answer, she only told me one frequency but with some friendly additional questioning I got my answer. So far I haven't found Lime's email support so I called - that went nowhere quick...

The only thing I've seen about hotspotting an Iphone on Lime is that mrsimcard.com says they don't support it. I doubt they would have gone out of their way to say that if it wasn't true. I can say that any carrier can prevent it if they want to - att won't let you unless you pay them $20 extra per month to use you data that way and the att mvno's just leave the "Personal Hotspot" greyed out.

I just bought two unlocked wifi hotspots that I will be testing on our next trip and then my least favorite will go to my brother-in-law in Greece. The other I plan to use enough times that it pays for itself. At $17 a day it will only take one trip.

I think it was RickG that may have come up with the best solution. He went to a Digicel store, got their wifi device and added a data plan. That's a low stress way to do it and for a little extra price for the device they set it up and make it work! For me I wanted one that would work on att's 4G when in PR/STT and one to send to Europe, that also worked in the BVIs, so I had a lot more work to do.

If Digicel or Lime allows tethering an iphone that should be very popular among TTOLer's! If all of the charter companies supplied this for free or at least cheap all the better.

We hotspot the boat with a Lime card and a simple $40 mifi router, easy peasy.

Welcome from a former Venice Beach'er..used to live by Venice High. As for provisioning Riteway is the way to go..agree on checking liqour prices..Riteway's wines are good value but their beer prices can be as much as $10 a case over other places!

We will most probably provision with Riteway this trip and most of the liquor at Tico but we do shop around for best product/prices.

I did not mention that our charter starts April 7 so expect an update then on hotspotting an iPhone with Digicel.

I know about the mifi router option and since beerMe gave me the Digicell email on a plate I will ask them if my plan will work - will let you know their response.

Agreed. And that would be an option. But, I already have an extra iPhone that I will be using so it would be nice to work phone and hotspot data with one device if it is possible.

Beerme- a year or so back when trying to answer some of these questions I read on a Lime FAQ That their network doesn't support iPhone hotspots. But, like I said, I read that awhile back so may or may not be current info. What you saw from Mr. sim would tend to corroborate that is still the case though.

Not that I would necessarily encourage the practice, but someone more technically savvy than me would have to explain whether an unlocked, and jailbroken, iPhone's hotspot would operate regardless of carrier.

Great! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Understand about using what you've already got.

I did manage to find Lime's Acceptable Use Policy Lime's Acceptable Use Policy. They specifically mention tethering is a no no but then go on to say it won't work without "the appropriate data plan" - who knows if they are preventing this or if they offer "appropriate" plans.

From what I've seen it looks like att has been sending a lot of people using Jailbroken iphones and applications like 'TeatherMe' nasty grams telling them to stop or get moved to another plan but others say they do it. Don't want to open that can of worms...

I use a an iPhone 5 with Lime and teather. Jailbroken is a term to get free apps, unlocked is what you are looking for. If you have completed your contract with AT&T they will unlock it for free, took 5 minutes. There is nothing illegal and never heard of a nasty gram.

That is exactly what I was looking for (tethering on Lime)! Any idea if Lime wants a little extra so you can tether or if it's just part of their normal smartphone plan?

Evan, I was only answering Chris's question about an unlocked and jailbroken iphone. I specifically mentioned I was talking about att customers that are trying to avoid the $20/month extra charge and that does require a jailbreak and yes att in enforcing this now. The only way this relates to the OP's question is that I was saying Lime/Digicel could enforce this if they so choose. I wasn't trying to imply jailbreaking had anything to do with tethering working from an unlocked iphone on Lime/Digicel.

what $20 a month extra charge, I have never had an extra charge from AT&T. Lime would have no clue that you are tethering or surfing on your devise

Back to Internet in the BVI, this is what I emailed Digi:

""We will be chartering a boat out of Road Town in April and I wonder if you could tell me if our Internet plan will work.

We have an unlocked iPhone 5 that was used on the AT&T network. Our plan is to buy a SIM card from you together with a 3 GB 30 day data plan for $55.

Here is the question. With a Digicel SIM card in my unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 will I be able to configure it as a personal hot spot and allow other phones & pads to access the internet through it? Do you allow it and do you expect the phone to allow it?""

and they replied:

""Yes the plan will work and you will be able to tether. The cost of the 3GB plan for mobiles is $50. The plan that you are referencing is for our mifis/routers and dongles.""

So with sail2wind's comment & Digi's response I have a high degree of confidence it will all work out, just have to wait and see how it plays out in practice for us.

That's great news!

Back to less pressing matters...

Evan, I don't know the whole history of ATT's smartphone plans and tethering but here is a link where they are telling their customers how their data plan is about to change and it now includes tethering. Looking near the bottom at "Tethering Plan Requirements Keep Your Current Plan" you can see "you'll need to stop using mobile hotspot tethering by the end of the month" and "Please remove any tethering apps" and "If you continue tethering on your current plan and we don't hear from you, your data plan will automatically update to the DataPro 5GB for Smartphones". I don't know specifically which plans they were refering to except for the "unlimited" plan they used to offer and many have been grandfathered in. I don't know if ATT always prevented them from tethering or not but at some point people started using apps that let them get around this and use tethering. These people felt like they had already paid for "their data" and many said they felt like ATT was pushing them into plans that would cost them $20 more a month or force them to leave their unlimited plan if they wanted to tether.

Anyway, it looks like we can tell people that they can tether an iphone (any compatible GSM smartphone?) on Lime and soon we'll have verification that it works on Digicel too. We know that Digicel offers 3G/4G (not 4G LTE, it's 3G at HSPA+ speeds) on 850 Mhz and 1900 Mhz for wifi/hotspot users. Based on the device Evan (sail2wind) has we know Lime works at least on 850 Mhz. There is probably another frequency Lime uses but I am not sure which one that is. I'm trying to find out. Anyone see any errors in that summary?

Rick, your link looks like an advertisement not a threat or ultimatum. You are WAY over thinking this with all your letters and numbers. The "Personal Hotspot" is already a part of your iPhone. I Bluetooth my phone to my laptop when I do not have available wifi. Even with our 10 GIG family plan, with roll over data, a few streaming movies can chew up some data. We also have a Alfa Bullet wifi antenna up by the spreader, gives a about 1/4 mile reception. My router is set to Long Overdue and all my guests need is my password <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

I've got one of those alpha's and it's the coolest thing. Down in Les Saints it was pulling in a signal at least that far! Amazing. I had signed up with hothotspot in Antigua and thought it was a great idea at the time - they had set up wifi towers in several harbors. Now I'm afraid cell technology may put them out of business eventually. I haven't been able to find as many open signals as I used too a few years back.

Yeah, overthinking I guess <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> I just don't want someone to get burned because they bought an unlocked hotspot off of ebay or Amazon and find out it only works in Europe. Now I feel like I can look up the model number and tell people yeah, that will work in the BVI.