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I hate boaty ball.
#217985
02/18/2020 11:32 AM
02/18/2020 11:32 AM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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We left Anegada at 9,undecided about our next stop being Cooper or Peter or Norman.
There is no reason that we should be forced to decide on a destination before 7am. Many factors will impact our choice. Such factors include wind and sea conditions.
We arrived at Cooper at noon. Not one fcfs ball available.
We only wanted to stop for lunch on board. Over a dozen bb unoccupied. We moved on. We did not want to borrow a bb. if the people arrive with the mooring reservation they would be stressed. No good reason to cause them stress.
Why should we be forced by boatyball to use boaty ball or avoid Cooper? The old fcfs system was fine.
There are not enough fcfs balls at Cooper.
It is the same situation at great harbour on Jost. That place is almost entirely boatyball.
A few days ago, We needed to clear back into the bvi. There was only 1 fcfs ball available. Lots of empty BB.
BB is out of control.
They are owned and controlled by foreigners. The come down here to establish relationships. That is working and I understand that they don't have permits.
I can wait for the day that they add pushed out of the BVI.
Last edited by warren460; 02/18/2020 11:34 AM.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218003
02/18/2020 02:41 PM
02/18/2020 02:41 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
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Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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And gives them the power to behave outside of the best interests of the bvi and it’s visitors
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218009
02/18/2020 03:46 PM
02/18/2020 03:46 PM
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Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 247 Okla
ScurvyD
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 247
Okla
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I know this doesn't solve any BB problems, but is it possible to anchor overnight in Haullovers Bay? Dink around the point to the club, or bad idea?
I'd like to be a jelly fish, cause jelly fish don't pay rent.
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: ScurvyD]
#218011
02/18/2020 04:01 PM
02/18/2020 04:01 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
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Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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You could anchor at haulovers. The dining at the restaurant at cooper in my view is not the destination. The location is stunning and they have a decent happy hour.
If I was at haulovers, I would stay put.
Last edited by warren460; 02/18/2020 04:02 PM.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218016
02/18/2020 04:43 PM
02/18/2020 04:43 PM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 295 Tustin CA
d_fish
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Traveler
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Posts: 295
Tustin CA
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Are boatyballs in every anchorage now? We haven't sailed there since May 2018, so not sure what to expect.
I do not wish to reserve a boatyball in advance or be subjected to sailing into an anchorage, only to find all FCFS moorings unavailable in the most popular anchorages given the limited number of FCFS, hence I will forget about Cooper. I typically enjoy the following anchorages:
1. Anegada 2. Deadmans Bay, PI 3. Somewhere in North Sound, usually Leverick one night and then on to Saba 4. Kelly Cove, Norman Island 5. Diamond Cay, JVD 6. White Bay - usually dinghy from Great Harbour, JVD
On the other hand, we could simply avoid the BVIs and move on to the USVI and SVI, sounds less stressful.
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: d_fish]
#218017
02/18/2020 04:50 PM
02/18/2020 04:50 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
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Posts: 2,129
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1. Anegada has lots of fcfs balls. 2. No bb. 3. Leverick many bb. Nowhere else in north sound open yet. Saba, please hurray. 4. All of Norman, bb free, bb has not spread there. 5. Thank goodness no bb. 6. White bay is bbfree. Great harbour has almost no fcfs. So stay away from gh
Last edited by warren460; 02/18/2020 06:13 PM.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218019
02/18/2020 05:06 PM
02/18/2020 05:06 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
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Posts: 2,129
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It must be the same with great harbour on JVD.
Last edited by warren460; 02/18/2020 05:16 PM.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218022
02/18/2020 05:15 PM
02/18/2020 05:15 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
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Traveler
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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Please consider sharing your views re boatyball with members of the bvi ministry of tourism.
Their email addresses are:
Hazel Penn hpenn@bvitourism.com Perla George pgeorge@bvitourism.com Carolyn Blackett cblackett@bvitourism.com Keith Dawson kdawson@bvitourism.com
If enough people write, perhaps they will take action before boaty ball ruins the bvi.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: mcevog]
#218023
02/18/2020 05:16 PM
02/18/2020 05:16 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
OP
Traveler
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OP
Traveler
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218024
02/18/2020 05:26 PM
02/18/2020 05:26 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 74,100 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 74,100
Central Florida!
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Warren--I understand that you hate BB. I get that. Thank you for editing the post to take out the reference to cancer.
Last edited by Carol_Hill; 02/18/2020 06:33 PM.
Carol Hill
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218025
02/18/2020 05:31 PM
02/18/2020 05:31 PM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 295 Tustin CA
d_fish
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 295
Tustin CA
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Thank you for the update Warren.
I decided to look at the boatyball website to determine where boatyballs are located. Unfortunately I cannot browse their website without providing an email address. I do not wish to sign up or provide an email address. Would someone be able to tell me what anchorages boatyballs are located?
It would also be nice to know how many boatyballs are in each anchorage versus total FCFS balls are available in the same anchorage. That may help sailors determine in advance if they wish to test their luck at finding an available FCFS mooring.
Last edited by d_fish; 02/18/2020 05:40 PM.
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: d_fish]
#218027
02/18/2020 06:34 PM
02/18/2020 06:34 PM
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 45 Ohio
Sedona
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 45
Ohio
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Thank you for the update Warren.
I decided to look at the boatyball website to determine where boatyballs are located. Unfortunately I cannot browse their website without providing an email address. I do not wish to sign up or provide an email address. Would someone be able to tell me what anchorages boatyballs are located?
It would also be nice to know how many boatyballs are in each anchorage versus total FCFS balls are available in the same anchorage. That may help sailors determine in advance if they wish to test their luck at finding an available FCFS mooring.
We encountered BB at: Great Harbor JVD Leverick Cooper Cane Garden Bay And they are in a few other spots as well.
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218030
02/18/2020 07:11 PM
02/18/2020 07:11 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
OP
Traveler
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OP
Traveler
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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Sometimes you get lucky getting a fcfs ball at Cooper in the early afternoon.
Before BB we never had a problem getting a ball at copper. Sometimes we would wait a bit for lunch time turnover.
Sometimes we would have lunch on shore, other times not.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218041
02/18/2020 10:03 PM
02/18/2020 10:03 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
OP
Traveler
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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George, I look forward to the BB response.
Last edited by warren460; 02/18/2020 10:03 PM.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: Kryssa]
#218050
02/19/2020 03:53 AM
02/19/2020 03:53 AM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
OP
Traveler
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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Kryssa, days with multiple stops as you describe was not a problem before bb. But it sure is now.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: BoatyBall]
#218067
02/19/2020 08:23 AM
02/19/2020 08:23 AM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
OP
Traveler
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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We understand that several boaters per boat are trying to reserve balls so they they increase their chances at the morning BB lottery.
This means that far less than 109 boats were trying to get a ball.
Let’s not confuse boats and boaters.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218068
02/19/2020 08:23 AM
02/19/2020 08:23 AM
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Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 43 London, England
sunman60
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Traveler
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 43
London, England
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I don't see any mileage in hating BoatyBall, Cooper Is (and to some extent Great Harbour) are the only real problem areas and as Mr BB above says, 109 boaters were trying to reserve 15 balls, so even if you had 50 FCFS balls it wouldn't solve the problem. there's a plethora of different types of customers in the area & we're on the 'sailing side', ie we like to have a sail during the day so the option to turn up to a reserved ball at 5pm is a great plus for us, to get into a scrum to arrive before midday to get a ball anywhere has zero appeal to us, it's a sailing holiday after all. we haven't been in the highest season but dread to imagine what it might be like, Moorings / Sunsail have 250+ boats out at the same time, plus all the other companies, plus all the privateers, how on earth does everybody manage?? now that scenario I definitely would hate.
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Re: I hate boaty ball.
[Re: warren460]
#218074
02/19/2020 08:36 AM
02/19/2020 08:36 AM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129 Ontario, Canada
warren460
OP
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OP
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,129
Ontario, Canada
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Sunman60,
Cooper is a beautiful anchorage. Lots to do there in the afternoon. So, I don’t see the point of arriving at Cooper at 5pm. You miss out on the snorkeling, lunch on the deck, boutique, rum bar and great happy hour.
Prior to BB, you could nearly always get a fcfs ball at cooper if you arrived by 2pm.
Highest season is not that different. Nothing to hate there.
Warren S/V Scuba Doo Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show) and Lagoon 450, (both part of the Charter Caribe fleet (all inclusive charters) -St Thomas USVI https://chartercaribe.com/charters/ ).
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