Chartered over a dozen times in BVI and just about every island south down the Leewards and Windwards. Now looking into the Spanish Virgins this Christmas. Can anyone describe pros, cons, differences?? How crowded will it be? Short distances bw anchorages? Protected harbors? Diving? Are there any beach bars/rests? Heard it was like BVI 30 years ago, which was great but still pretty simple. Any helpful info is appreciated!!

Have been to the SVI three times, and the BVI probably a dozen or more.

I really like the SVI.

One man's pro is another man's con, so it's hard to tell you how you'd like a place.

The SVI is significantly less developed. There are a few mooring balls, but not many, and you'll be anchoring a lot. There's only one place to pull up to a dock and get fuel and water - Marina Puerto Del Rey in Fajardo.

It is not crowded. Many times we'll be the only boat in the anchorage after the day-trippers leave. If you pick your anchorages with an eye to the weather you should find them snug. A cat gives you more flexibility... for example I will anchor in Bayo Flamenco on the north side of Culebra in a cat, but you'd be thrashed to death in a monohull.

The diving around the south side of Culebra in the Marine Reserve is really nice. Taz and Ann at Aquatic Adventures (515-290-2310) can set you up.

There are not many real "beach bars" like, for example, the Soggy Dollar Bar. Better to fill your cooler with beer/etc. and bring your own party.

There are relatively short distances between anchorages, but a little farther than the BVI.

There are far more bars and restaurants in the BVI.

There are some nice places to eat in Dewey, Culebra, and also in Esperanza, Vieques. Del Rey is huge and very much like the US/Miami.

For me, the charm of the SVI is finding your own anchorage with no other boats and hitting the beach for a lazy afternoon of splashing and exploring.

Hope that helps.

We did the SVIs 2 years ago at Christmas. Very different from BVI in that it is a lot less crowded and not much of a bar scene. We spent Christmas Day at Culebrita (definitely a must if you feel comfortable getting in through the reef) and we were the only boat there. That being said, when I lived in Puerto Rico as a kid we had times when we would go to Culebrita and it was crowded and loud with Puerto Ricans on their power boats, rafted up and having a good ole time. We call this the Puerto Rican Navy and they don't just go to Culebrita, they can be found everywhere. If you are going the week of Christmas, though, you may not encounter them as they usually stay home with their families. We really liked the town of Dewey and had fun exploring there. It seems to be very much as I remembered as a kid. We chose to take a bus to Flamenco Beach (another must) due to the conditions on the north shore. This was a great day and we got a bit of the taste of the culture eating at the little food stands they have off the beach. Beer was inexpensive as well. Walk down the beach and check out the tanks. Would have loved more time to explore the south side of Vieques. When I was a kid we only really went to Green Beach on the northwest tip of the island because most of the island was not accessible due to the military involvement. I've heard Bahia de la Chiva is beautiful. We spent a day in Esperanza which is a nice little town with a boardwalk of cute restaurants and bars. We also enjoyed Palominos and Icacos.

Where does everyone charter from when going to the SVI?

I am looking into one from Fajardo, PR although there are options from STT. SVI sounds like good fit for my family. I wont do charters on Holidays in BVI. I find it stressful to race to moorings in diff harbors to be shut out and have to scramble to another island/place. If the holding is good in the SVI and it is safe (had some interesting encounters in the Grenadines twice) I dont mind being quiet and remote. Tx for the help. TTOL rocks!

Holding has been good everywhere I've gone in the SVI.

The one place that I've heard of people having trouble is off Esperanza, Vieques, though we have anchored there twice at the sandbar in about 10 feet of water and stuck it first time, both times. Probably luck. Avoid the sea grass.

Glenn Kranig now maintains half a dozen moorings there (340-227-4288) and the cost is reasonable. I seem to remember $25 or $35 or something. He's also a wealth of information.

Glenn pointed us to Bahia De La Chiva, which was very nice. Absolutely no light pollution there, fantastic star gazing, and we saw bio luminescence below the boat after sunset. There you anchor off the north tip of the Cay on the western side, in about 10-12 feet of water... west of the "Danger! Explosives!" buoy. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

We always charter from CYOA.
At the Annapolis boat show this year we learned that we are currently CYOA's longest running customer - 31 years of chartering from them!

Lately CYOA has been putting water-makers and ice-makers in their boats, which is virtually a "must-have" for the SVI. We spent 10 days aboard Big Papa Lulu, took showers every day, didn't stop for water once, and turned the boat in with a full water tank. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

The "Danger Explosives" sign didn't worry you in Bahia de la Chiva? We are heading that way next week for 2 weeks exploring and I am taking notes for good anchorages.

Well, we didn't drop the anchor close to the buoy, if that's what you mean. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

So the gig is that you do not, under any circumstances, go onto the rocky Cay in the middle of the bay (Isla Chivas). Something about un-exploded ordinance, unstable dangerous chemicals, or somesuch. Boom. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> There are very large and numerous signs visible from every angle so it's really impossible to make a mistake. It could get pretty rolly if the wind is significantly south of east. We had no troubles, however. The Cay is pretty effective in blocking the waves. Plus, a 44-foot cat is pretty stable, even if there's a little surge. La Chiva beach (formerly know as Blue Beach) is very nice and visited by locals via car. It's easy to dingy to the beach and you can pull up just about anywhere. We didn't avail ourselves of the snorkeling there, but it's supposed to be pretty nice.

Here's one of the signs.

I had a lousy experience with the charter operator out of fajardo.

Cannot and will not recommend them.

Enough said!

I had an excellent experience with Caribe Yacht Charters out of Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

We spent 5 days in Fajardo waiting for parts. The guys at Sail Caribe could not have been nicer. The charter guests all seemed happy and the boats looked great.

Two excellent Sail Caribe charters. Highly recommended.

Maybe you got lucky or we had horrible luck. Either way, I would use cyoa based on broad based recommendations. I would never go near Jim's operation.

Sounds like you'll love the SVI's! Biggest issue I think is if you have a lot of crew and you don't have a watermaker there is no dock to get water, except Fajardo. We just conserve water when we're there (only two of us usually) and try to get a boat with large tanks but that's not an option for everyone. No one mentioned the Bio Bay (Mosquito Bay on the south side of Vieques) so I'll put a plug in for that.

As mentioned above the PR Navy probably won't be out in strength (Christmas and their economy) but I have a great deal of respect for them. Yeah they raft up and anchor backwards (for good reason) but they know what their doing and more often than not it's the husband, wife, some kids and grandma on board. They are usually asleep before we are.

Its my family and they have sailed with the "water nazi" aka Dad before. Add Im looking at a Lagoon 450 and prob only going for five nights and should be little concern. Although I would love to see how a week with a watermaker would change the experience. Wow - I started with those 5 gallon sun showers you would lie on the deck and hope it heated enough by the afternoon to hoist on the halyard and bath <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I love the SVI's like many have said, it's totally different than the BVI's. When we were there, it was windy as hell, so the sailing sucked. You get much more rolly waves since they aren't as sheltered as the BVI. The islands are great. We love PR and the people. They are so high energy vs the BVIers.

If you are looking for a change of pace vs the BVI's, the SVI's won't dissapoint.

We now have, at CYOA charters, or will have shortly eight boats with water makers in the fleet including three of our Helia 44's. It is a different experience with water to spare. These boats are also equipped with drinking water quality filter systems including a UV light. So potable water at every tap. With no plastic trash to deal with. And for the ladies, fresh water flushing heads. No sulfur smell from dead micro organisms in the toilet. I almost forgot to mention most of these boats also have ice makers as well. You can ask Twanger how that worked out. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Remember the first time you rented a boat with air conditioning? Did not need it either until you have had it.

All I can say is: Free at last! Free at last! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Jay, is Wide Ranger one of the Helias set up with an ice maker and water maker?

Ice Maker yes but not a water maker.