I cleared into Virgin Gorda once and a French group of 4 were clearing in ahead of me. They were the owners of a boat which had been in charter in St. Martin. They had the paperwork to prove it. But the C&I officials insisted that this was a foreign charter boat. I can't recall the actual sum charged, but it was over $1000. The group didn't have U.S. visas for the USVI (remember, ESTA doesn't apply for foreigners entering the USA on sailboats) and the weather was bad for returning to St. Martin so they had no choice. The C&I folks knew that too, and remained adamant about collecting the fees. While I don't wish to cast aspersions on these particular officers, it is well to recall that an audit of BVI customs books showed hundreds of thousands of "missing" funds...

Last season I talked with numerous cruisers up and down the island chain and often I heard that the BVI was now off their cruising plans. I always recommend that those who've never been to the BVI should go, but be cognizant of the C&I and service industry issues. But if you've been there before, skip it.

I might return for the spring regatta, but there are so many other islands that are (almost) as nice and far more welcoming. At present "Zanshin" is in Carriacou, Grenada.That really is a friendly island...