Because in the world of 100% FCFS everyone has the ability to get to a mooring field in time to get a ball...its a choice and its a level playing field. Not just those with a good internet connection at 7am and fast fingers. Some people may like to still be asleep at that time, personally we are usually gone by then, so would have to find a signal whilst underway.
I'm not at all suprised about the 2k reservations and it doesn't prove the popularity of the idea at all...BB have taken FCFS balls away, so of course they're going to get used! There are more boats than balls...people won't just leave them vacant because they think BB is a s### idea! how many of the 2k reservations would have preferred or been just as happy with a FCFS? No way to know.
The more that are converted, the more people are forced to move over to BB, whether they want to or not. And the EARLIER everyone else has to get to the mooring field to pick up one of the remaining FCFS balls.
Its the very definition of a nil sum game. Some people win by having the best internet connection at 7am...the rest have to get to the mooring field even earlier than they otherwise would have...to get a FCFS ball.
None of it solves the problem...which is undersupply! If BB added some more balls then they would be helping the problem. As it is...the "two friends" who started it have just thrown a spanner in the works of a machine that was working just fine without their input.
It wasn't broken...it didn't need 'fixing'!
(and that's without listing all the other negatives of BB that have been mentioned on this forum...squatter issues/balls that damage cats/staying two nights etc etc etc)
Christo, with all due respect you don't exactly represent the average charterer in the BVI. The BVI is a great place for beginner sailors and credit card captains who get their feet wet once or twice a year. I'd bet a great deal of money that the overwhelming majority of charterers in the BVI don't have half the experience as yourself or many of the members of this forum. There's a reason the BVI government, locals, and resorts have invested in mooring balls and Mooring companies urge their boaters to tie up to them; its because the average boater down there just doesn't have the experience to safely and securely anchor every night. For you it may not seem like a big deal to use that pointy thing on the bow, but for the rest of us, showing up to a full mooring field and having to leave to find a new ball or keep someone on anchor duty all night isn't exactly relaxing or fun. Granted, the alternative option is to wake up at the crack of dawn and race to a mooring field, but then you've just lost valuable time that could be spent on the water or enjoying some other part of the BVI. BoatyBall was created to offer those who use (or need) mooring balls to spend more time on the water enjoying the BVI and less time worrying about where or how they are going to spend the night.
I understand that BoatyBall isn't a perfect system or solution and that many of you won't even use the service, because to be frank, most of you are incredibly experienced sailors. I, on the other hand am not. I'm a 19 year old college student, and while I'm perfectly capable sailing and tying up to moorings, I don't exactly enjoy anchoring or staying up all night hoping I won't have to shell out my college tuition if I end up drifting. I also hate having to come off the water at noon to find a ball when I could be diving or sailing around.
Again, I understand that BoatyBall just may not be your cup of tea. But I hope you can realize and respect that the guys at BoatyBall aren't some money hungry corporate goons that are trying to wreck the BV, because the reality is they're sailors just like all of us who enjoy the BVI and want to make it more enjoyable for all involved. I mean follow the money if you don't believe me; the guys at BoatyBall aren't exactly making a fortune from charging a processing fee for a reservation.
I get that the system isn't perfect and there has been and will continue to be growing pains, but overall feedback from boaters (even on this forum), locals, and business owners has largely been positive. I'm not trying to convince you to use BoatyBall, but I hope I've at least given you a little bit better perspective on why the system was created in the first place. And if not, its always nice to get some good practice in with the pointy thing at the front part of the boat. Cheers
