Newbie here - picking up powered cat 5/1 anticipate getting out of dock late afternoon. At that time of day do you think there will be a mooring ball available at Norman or Cooper? Would 1 location be better than other? Some have suggested staying at dock and leaving early 5/2. Only have 5 days and hope to make the best use of time

One member of our group was planning on fishing (catch & release) - we rented gear and went to apply for fishing license and was told can only get license if on a certified fishing vessel (a new regulation that went into effect 4/1/16)which ours is not. Anyone hear of this? Some say take gear and fish without license.....thoughts?

You'll have way better of a chance of getting a ball in the Bight at Norman than you will at Cooper.

Don't be thinking about fishing without a license in BVI waters unless you've got plenty of time to be sitting in Balsam Ghut prison, and several hundred thousand dollars you'd like to give to the BVI government. Plus, the owner of the boat you are chartering won't like having it taken by the BVI authorities and sold out from under him or her.

You need to be on a ball or safely anchored by sunset. If late afternoon is already sunset, stay on the dock and toast your first sunset on the boat, snag a cab and go have dinner, come back to the boat for nightcaps and plan on an early AM start.

What would you do at Norman or Cooper ? Moor, start the dingy, and go ashore, or to the Willy T ... for cocktails and dinner, right ? Tortola is an island, in the BVI's, you are already there.

Should you actually get off the dock by 3, head for Norman over Cooper, many many many more balls in the Bight than at Manchioneel/Cooper. Later in the day, be looking for moorings on the outer edges of the mooring field. Once the sun goes down, actually sets, expect it to be dark within 20 minutes or so, and plan accordingly.

Welcome. Read thread here on fishing pole baggage for fishing options. Far more opportunity to get a ball in The Bight than at Cooper, that has also been covered in depth vey recently. If you must go up to Cooper have a planB (Marona Cay or Trellis Bay) in mind. Also little likelihood of getting a table to eat at Cooper.

21st Century BVI Fishing

http://www.bvifishingcharters.com/boat.html

What about Peter for a first night? How many moorings are there?

Peter Island's Great Harbor has a pretty big mooring field IIRC. You should have no trouble there.

Peter only has about a dozen balls in great harbor unless they recently added some.
Norman will not be a issue in early May. There will be lots of open balls. You did not mention which charter company you are using or what time you plan on boarding. Both would be helpful.
G

At least with Peter, you can go by it on the way to Norman. So those would be decent options. Cooper there's not anything else that's very close and its not on the way to anything else either.

We stayed at great Harbour Peter a few weeks ago and there are at least 20 balls now

That's good news, I hope they also changed out the other balls. Some of them were in very poor shape.
G

I've been watching the mooring balls today (Sunday) and they didn't fill up,till late afternoon and as of 5:45pm there still appears to be one available.