First Crew Charted boat

First off we have never done a crew charted trip and look forward to the experience. We are looking at several sites and boats, and this will be our 20th anniversary trip. We have hundreds of questions and have found a lot of information here, but there are still some they we request some of your experience with...
We are planning on going on a 7 day trip with just the two of us in July of 2019 on the BVI.

1) Concern/question - is will we get sea sick... when we go deep sea fishing far off shore, we have tendency to get sea sick. When going a little closer in shore, not as much of a problem. Thoughts on whether others have had similar experiences, or as I read not as much.

2) Things to consider when planning

3) Best places to take charter

4) must things to see and do...

Thanks in advance

Well Happy Anniversary to start with in advance! You will find that cruising around any of the islands during July it is calm, unless there is a storm coming. You are in Hurricane Season during this time. We find May to be a great calm month to cruise in however I take it your Anniversary is in July. Things to consider is pack light!!! Whatever you pack throw half of it out of the suitcase. Dont forget bug spray though. As far as the best places to take a charter, is too many to list. You stated you are having a crew charter, the Captain I am sure will show you the top highlights on your trip. For things you must see and do....Do you Scuba Dive or snorkel? Wreck of the Rhone off Salt Island is great for both. The Baths on Virgin Gorda along with the Caves at Norman Island. Caves you snorkel into and its not some cave where you will get lost but really beautiful inside. (Bring a Dive Light to shine on the walls) Our favorite spot is White Bay Jost Van Dyke. Of course you have to visit Foxy's Bar in Great Harbor Jost Van Dyke. The best thing I can say is research or read up about the BVIs and see what sparks your interest. If you want a world class beach to just chill at then Anegada is the place. Its all about what interest you the most.

I am very susceptible to sea sickness -- at least one time on a dive boat I was pretty much wishing for death. I’ve never been sea sick in the BVI. A few things to keep in mind:

• The SFD channel in the BVI is relatively protected. You can get some decent size waves/swells, but often for just a relatively short time until you can get into the lee of one of the islands.
• The motion of a boat cutting through the waves at a good clip is (in my experience) relatively easy to take. It’s when you’re stationary or moving slowly, and rocking back and forth that things get really bad.
• Remember to keep your eyes on the horizon or something else off the boat. When you look at something close to you on the boat, your brain gets conflicting messages from your eyes and your balance mechanism. This is not 100% of what causes sea sickness, but it’s a big part of it.
• When it’s just the two of you on the boat, you’re in charge! The islands of the BVI are close together, and if you don’t feel well you can generally duck in somewhere pretty quickly. Not like a dive boat or fishing boat where you’re trapped out there until a predetermined time.
• We prefer to spend our nights in very protected places where we don’t get rocked. There are plenty of those to choose from in the BVI. Others like to be rocked to sleep, and make different choices.

Hope this alleviates some of your concern!

Dan

I'll answer #1, but will leave the others to those that have been more recently. Sadly we're coming up on 2 years this fall since our last trip. Hoping to plan one soon though!

Don't take any chances with sea sickness. See your Dr before the trip and get the patch. They'll have you try it before the trip just so you can see if you have any side effects. Everyone that we know that has used it has never had a problem. And we have friends that get sea sick just looking at the water and they had a blast in rough seas with the boat bouncing up and down in the waves!

Highly recommend Catatonic with Dirk and Sandy DeLo. Coolcatcharters.com
Great cat, great captain and first mate with expert diving and sailing experience.

I highly recommend Bonine to our crews. I can get motion sick and once you get it, it's hard to get rid of quickly so I try to stay ahead of it.

Bonine is over the counter, cheap with no or very little side effects. Not like Dramamine that will make you drowsy. I start the day before the trip and take one everyday when I wake up whether I think I'll need it or not. Have not had an issue since I started doing that.

Sea Sickness is very much related to hydration. Stay well hydrated the few days before your charter. Also, try to avoid alcohol if you can in the couple days ahead of time and don't start with an empty stomach. Other than that, in addition to the over the counter remedies above, ginger is a great natural treatment. We are big fans of scopalamine patches, which you will need to get from your doctor. Make sure to place this 24 hours prior to departure and change it every 72 hours. Spend as little time below as possible at least while you are acclimating. July will be hot, so consider A/C on your charter, if possible.