My limited experience in the BVI involved fending off an overloaded dinghy in the dark off Jost Van Dyke. Not a single lifejacket or any sort of flashlight. All that said, I would at the very least avoid overloading the dinghy. And an overloaded dinghy is unstable, rides wet and is slow.
I rarely see a dinghy in the BVI with life jackets onboard. I have also never seen one flip or capsize with people in it so doubt they get unstable. They do get wet!
