I know there are VERY differing opinions about Boaty Ball and I will probably have some longtime BVI cruiser friends pissed off at me but I have to give my experience with the system.

While there this November we used the Boaty Ball system for times that we didn't want to stress about getting a "spot" at our designated anchorage. To give you some background we had good friends aboard for the first part of the trip who we were trying to show our favorite spots to and for the 2nd part we had our kids aboard who hadn't been back to the BVI since 2019 and wanted to go to their favorite spots to show their friends/significant others. We relied on Boaty Ball for Cooper Island since you really aren't supposed to anchor there and if you do the holding can be iffy. We also relied on Boaty Ball when we knew we would be arriving later in the day (Great Harbor and Anegada). Lastly, we relied on it for Saba Rock because we wanted to fill up the tanks (halfway through our trip) and get a bag of ice. Right now this is included in the mooring ball fee.

The system worked flawlessly for this. I am up early anyway, taking the dog ashore for his morning duties, and so can easily get on the phone and book a ball. Not once was someone on our ball when we arrived. I was bummed to sometimes see a Boaty Ball that was reserved online, not be used. That brings me to the next part of my Boaty Ball story...

I had some internet glitches in the morning after Thanksgiving and didn't get on Boaty Ball until 7:10. All balls in Great Harbor were taken. There was a pretty good North Swell so Cane Garden and White Bay weren't an option. We were coming from Anegada so although arriving a bit later in the afternoon we decided to try Great Harbor anyway. There are some anchoring spots and they do have white balls available as well. Long story short, we saw a boat leaving Great Harbor that we knew had a Boaty Ball reserved for the night. They were 2 boats traveling together and so in passing we asked if they were going to use their ball tonight. They yelled back that they were going to Diamond Cay because there weren't any balls available. We assumed that it was because both boats needed a ball. We yelled back asking if we could have their ball to which they replied there aren't any balls available. We had seen this boat multiple times on the trip and they were definitely newbies so we figured they just didn't totally understand what we were asking. Of course they didn't answer their radio. So...first I sent an email to Boaty Ball asking them if it was ok for us to take over their ball. I then called the phone number of the ball owner, John Chinnery, to see what he thought. He called back right away and said he would contact the other boat to make sure they didn't plan on coming back for the ball. In the meantime I also got an email back from Ty with Boaty Ball. In my opinion, excellent customer service!

So, I know there is a lot of controversy about Boaty Ball and people think it is taking away from the local mooring owners but I disagree. First off, has anyone who is against Boaty Ball asked the local mooring ball owners what they think? I like Boaty Ball because they provide a product that helps you plan in advance. The mooring fee (minus their cut) goes to the original mooring owner (in our case in Great Harbor, John Chinnery) and the balls are serviced and maintained properly. We still dove on our balls but every Boaty Ball we dove on was in top shape. Not to mention you can pay by credit card so don't need to have cash in hand.

I do have to say, though, that I do not agree with their $479 extra upgrade to be able to reserve balls 24hrs in advance instead of at 7:00am the morning before.