BVI to USVI and back

Would someone be so kind as to walk me through the steps/procedures for a BVI-USVI-BVI transit? We have a 433PC from the Moorings out of Tortola. It has the proper USCG documents (our boat). We are US citizens. We are relatively new boaters (third trip) and my wife wants to go to St. John.

I have pieced together some of the processes by searching the forum but would really like to not have a gotcha during this first rip. We are marginally competent at anchoring so any difficult anchorages should be highlighted. It would be really useful to have this quite detailed, step by step, without any assumptions that we know how to do X or Y. We can navigate from Tortola to a specific USVI destination, certainly, unless there is a specific don't go this way. Any forms that we can download and pre-complete would be good to know about too.

Thanks!

We've done this many times. We head over to Great Harbor at Jost Van Dyke. You can check out up to 24 hours before you leave. Customs doesn't open until 8:30/9 am so we check out as soon as we get there. We then dingy over to White Bay for the day. We depart around 7:30 am and head towards Cruz Bay. Our boat now has the annual home land security sticker so we can now use the ROAM app to check into the USVI. Otherwise we grab a mooring ball outside of Cruz Bay and dingy into customs. You don't have to check out of the USVI so when ready, we sail over to the West End and do customs there. Since the ferries no longer go to West End, it's a fast in and out. It's a very simple process. Just make sure you have all the paper work BVI wants.

Get the CBP ROAM app and set up as much as possible before you go.

Your boat... can generally list yourself as "captain" and others as "crew" on BVI form. Confirm you have all your USCG forms (I carry all of mine as PDF on phone/ipad) but also in our "boat book" . Same with National Park permit, etc. In BVI, Captain can check all in/out (Just carry all passports). In USVI, hopefully all cleared in with ROAM, but if you need to present all to customs, ALL must go. Also, in USVI waters, park police are will enforce overcrowding dingy as well as life preservers in dingy.

Returning to BVI, JVD or West End.... but do not cross over into BVI waters before Customs and Immigrations open, otherwise you may be hit with "overtime" fee (Even though by time you get there, they were open).

Especially in BVI, "Good morning/afternoon" is first thing you say. Remove hat and sunglasses, "please' and Thank you" , or they can make it difficult for you.

Not a difficult process, but a little intimidating at first.

You will need to get a us customs sticker in advance for your boat as I doubt moorings put one on it. If you do this the app generally works well. Otherwise take a mooring at Lind Point and Dinghy into US customs. You can clear out at either Jost or Sopers hole. All of the national parks bays have moorings. It is illegal to anchor in the park.

This national park map is very useful for visitors. St John National Park Marine resource guide

That's a great map of National Park info, thanks

If you are a disabled veteran you qualify for a access pass which is also good for a 50% discount on Moorings in St John as well as park benefits nationwide. It’s a bargain at $10.00 to mail process.
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