NEW VIDEO! BVI Reopening Full Charter Walkthrough

Hi Folks -- I just got back mid-december from an 8 day sailing charter in the BVIs. Went to Norman, VG, Dogs, Anegada, and Jost. Wanted to post a video on my whole experience in case it helps others:

VIDEO: BVI REOPENING! Sailing Charter DEC 2020

It's a bit long, but if you just want to see what the anchorages are like skip to 15:32. Hopefully it helps. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions or suggestions for updates. I am going again in mid-january with a large group. Will update again on how that goes.

Stay safe and happy new year!

-Sri

that is really good...thanks for doing

Very helpful. Thanks for this!

Awesome information Sri, thanks! We are in the DC area too, 6 of us heading down to charter out of St Thomas in late March, so I feel like I am approaching a go/no-go decision. We have 10 days so I REALLY want to do the BVI and not just USVI. Dying to get back to Anegada. Your experience in such great detail and images is tremendously helpful and reassuring. Just wondering how the Day 0 test will work if we are arriving via boat. Are there any other location options for checking in and doing the day 0 test - and it sounds like the 24 hour quarantine?

I would not plan to be able to arrive the BVI by boat in late March. The ports are supposed to open January 21 but that will likely only be for ferries and I highly doubt that date will hold. I'd plan to charter from the BVI if that's where you want to cruise.

Alternatively, you could pay to have your boat delivered to the BVI and you could fly here to meet it.

I am still trying to get a answer as to what is allowed the first 5 days. We’re you allowed to snorkle and dive?
G

I don’t know the rate they’d charge you to have a BVI captain bring your boat to the BVI from the USVI but they’re charging $3,000 to bring a boat from the BVI to Yacht haven Grande in Charlotte Amalie which is just a few hours sail.
It’s a real abuse of power by the government, but then it really doesn’t matter to them because ripping the tourists off is part of their historic agenda

Thank you so much for doing this. 6 of us have a charter in mid-April and are still trying to decide what to do. Your video included answers to many of the questions we have.

George,

After a ton of research I think I finally understand the quarantine requirements...

You may now leave the dock whenever it is feasible for you to go...you do not need your Day 0 results to leave the dock.
If you do not have your Day 0 results you can only go to the following quarantine anchorages...

Benures Bay, Norman
Soldier Bay, Norman
South Bay, Peter
Spring Bay, Peter
White Bay, Peter
Little Harbor, Peter
Great Harbor, Peter
Deadman's Bay, Peter
Hallover Bay, Cooper

If you do have your Day 0 results you may go to any of the quarantine anchorages.

You may go ashore at all the quarantine anchorages except for Little Harbor, Great Harbor and Deadman's Bay on Peter Island. Although I think you have to wait until your Day 0 results are negative.

You can snorkel and swim but you are supposed to stay within 30 feet of your boat which seems odd if you can go ashore (assuming shore is much more than 30 feet from your boat).

Hope this helps. We will know more after our trip in less than 2 weeks!

Thanks so much for thinking of the gang! Although we are presently mid-way through a USVI-only charter and really loving it, we are certainly dialed in to developments across the $20,000 line and looking forward to a full reopening.

Shifty

You must stay within 30' of your boat wether you are ashore or swimming

Excellent Video. Very helpful and glad you loved the BVI. VG is one of my all time favorites.

Thanks Sue, I look forward to your trip report! I guess diving is going to be tough since most of my dives are deeper than 30 feet!

Well I guess that limits the places to go ashore by just a bit!

Jason, appreciate the input.....but....there is no exception to the no-go zone, even for boats intending to follow the required protocol and check in process? Why? I don't understand that. Is there a concern that the boat itself will bring in the virus from the USVI? Makes no sense. Maybe if this was bubonic plague.

So I already have the charter booked through VIYC out of St. Thomas and a deposit down. You're saying that even by late March, even though it sounds like vaccines are starting to make it to the BVI population, no boats at all will be able to cross from USVI and check in through any process?

https://bvi.gov.vg/media-centre/covid-19-vaccine-be-made-available-bvi-residents

A ray of hope!

There is already rumor that the port opening is pushed to March 1, 2021 which is what I expected would happen. The government does not call me to explain their thought process so I'm only giving my opinion. My opinion on the topic is if the ports open for ferries on March 1, they will not be prepared with a set of protocols to manage private arrivals. With a ferry, you know how many people are arriving on each boat, what their names are, and whether or not they have been approved by the Health Ministry to enter. It will be the ferry's responsibility to check the BVI Gateway Approval to Travel information along with negative COVID results BEFORE they leave St Thomas. Opening for private boats means anyone can just show up at the dock and if they haven't been given approval to travel, an immigration official is potentially exposed to someone who hasn't been tested.

The BVI has suffered too much and been locked down too many days to take additional risk. Again, just my opinion. In 2020, we had 40 different curfew orders that created 276 days of curfew in the BVI. 30 of those days were 24 hour curfews that restricted everyone to their homes. There were 158 days of beach restrictions beyond the normal curfew hours and 45 days the beaches were entirely closed. Lots of people here already think the protocols are too loose and the government has quite a bit of support to keep the borders heavily restricted. To me, the 2021 season is already shot so not much reason to assume more risk.

For many months I have been saying it wasn't clear how ferry arrivals would be handled. The government has struggled to implement the protocols with only airport arrivals and the portal still has kinks. Everyone from whom I have heard has still had to go to Sea Cow's Bay for follow-up testing, despite promises of testing locations around the territory.

Bottom line: the government can't handle any more than they are now doing.

Jason, thanks - really appreciate the knowledge sharing, even if it is not what I was hoping to hear!

Great video - thanks for posting

Sri - your video was great! Nice job...

When we get our bracelets or whatever tracking device they give us, I'll ask about the 30ft and going snorkeling, diving or ashore. Frankly I'm surprised they are letting you go ashore.

March 1st is official.

Just came out this afternoon, a Press Release noting that the BVI seaports and ferries will not be open prior to at least the first of March, 2021.

BVI News Article - Port reopening delayed

The text of the ports authority announcement is on their Facebook page but not yet on their publicly facing internet site.

Are the ports truly closed? How are goods getting into the BVI?

Closed to passenger traffic.

So how do they handle crew members on the freighters. It seems like there has to be some interaction as cargo is offloaded. My boat was supposed to arrive today by freighter is the reason I am asking.
G

Where is the boat coming from? I have seen them crane them off into the water.

Super COOL! Thanks for posting this very informative video Sri!

The boat is coming from Capetown. Should be on a ship with about 30 other sailboats. Might be a float on float off freighter.
G

Call your boat company and ask them to ship your Boat to St Thomas instead of the BVI
The BVI will take your boat for a simple $3,000 fee to St Thomas

I believe it is closer to $700.

Actually it’s $3,000 I have friends that are delivering cats from the the BVI to othe parts of the Caribbean and states, They’re not permitted to pick up the boats in the BVI and must pay an “Officialy” approved Belonger to deliver the boats to Yacht Haven Grande at a cost of $3,000 per boat.

Officially I don't know of any others outside of the Airport. It's really the transportation to and from they are trying to control. TMM says that when the sea traffic reopens they will try to do testing on the docks or setup similar to how I showed Nanny Cay. Hopefully see you out there. I am headed back to BVI on 1/16 for 14 days with my whole family :-)

Yes you can Snorkel and Dive as long as it is in the pre-approved quarantine locations. There is a loose requirement of 30 feet around vessel, but even in front of authorities as long as you are in the pre-approved Day 4 site you can do water activities. We had no problems. However you couldn't for instance anchor at Benures and then go over to Indians to dive the first 4 days.

Hi Sue -- You are right on the Day 0 you can go to any of the anchorages in the Day 0 on the map I show in the video at minute 15:17

https://youtu.be/yEVgwCf-1ZU?t=917

I'll be there from 1/14-1/28 as well hopefully see you out there!

I have done this with my catamaran a couple times in the last few months. They deliver it from TMM in Road Reef to American Yacht Harbor, St. Thomas and it is usually from $1000-$1200 each way.

On my trip it seemed like they were fine with us doing water activities and beach as long as within quarantine site. Though this was very early in the re-opening and possibly even authorities were still figuring out the rules. The new tracking system is the phone app, which I hear just like the bracelet also does not work.

Man they are really shooting themselves in the foot. I had a bear of a time booking my JetBlue flight to BVI this January. Spent 4 hours on the phone as the online booking for those flights seem to be disabled. The other airlines are all $1000+ roundtrip. Really need to start the ferries BVI.

I guess each company has a special rate.
About a month ago out of the blue they prevented delivery skippers from picking up the boats in Tortola. The boats I’m referring to were from the Moorings and the cost was $3,000 delivered from RT to Yacht Haven Grande.
Now there’s a very good possibility that Moorings are getting a cut.
When buying a used Mooring boat the surveyors they recommend charge close to double the rate they would charge a private owner

The Moorings has not had any program to move boats to the USVI. With the announcement today of a USVI base that may change. Owners have pushed hard to get the Moorings to allow skippers to move boats with no luck. I was emailed a denial just this morning.
G

It’s not a program to move Moorings boats to a USVI base.
It’s owners who want their boats out of the BVI and delivered to wherever they want.

I guess you mean boats exiting the fleet at the end of the contract. At that point the owner can do what he wants with the boat. Once it’s gone through the phaseout overhual they basically say come get your boat off our dock!
G

That's much more in line with what I've heard from people here. It makes sense because it's basically a day rate for a couple of people plus a chase boat and fuel.

The Moorings boats that go through phase out have the Moorings information removed from the hull and sail covers.
These boats still had them on

I'll be there from 1/14-1/28 as well hopefully see you out there!
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Sri,

Would love to have a drink with you once we are both out of quarantine! Will you be on Orion? I don't know the name of the boat we will be on (our boat is in Martinique) but it will be a Moorings 40.

We will also be there in January. Dates are 1/8 (tomorrow) - 2/4. We'll be on our boat, "Saint Blue." Hopefully we'll see you out there!

What type of boat? We will look for you!

We'll be on a Lagoon 380! How about you?

I recently moved my Lagoon 42 from Road Reef Marina to Charlotte Amelia and the cost was $1,500.

Well you got a good deal. It’s a possibility the Moorings charge extra to cover the cost of insurance or other liabilities

I am getting confused about your posts on the Moorings moving boats. What boats are they moving and who are they charging? They will be moving 5 boats to the USVI to open the bareboat base on 1 Mar but the owners are not getting charged. I have specifically asked if the moorings will move my boat or if I can have a pro skipper move it. The answer is no in both cases. No Moorings owners on the private owners group have been able to move boats.

This has to do with delivery skippers who were hired whether by the Moorings or owners or both who were told two days before the delivery that they could not fly to Tortola to pick up the boats and they would have to hire government approved captains to deliver the boats to Yacht Haven Grande in CA at $3,000 per boat.

Still confused, my boat is coming in on the freighter bringing all the boats in. Owners are free to use the boats if they want to go through the BVI’s gauntlet. There is a very active owners group and not one mention of moving boats.

Whatever, let’s put it this way there were a bunch of cats that the owners or Moorings wanted delivered. It’s a simple delivery but they weren’t allowed to pick up the boats in Tortola and had to have them delivered to St Thomas.

I will send you a PM.

We are on a Leopard 40 with the Moorings. Don't know the boat name yet.