Displaced BVI / USVI cruisers & alternative plans for '18
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Black Jack
Super Anarchist
Crete and Cyclades. Summer in Croatia.
sail(plane)
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can anyone comment on how the USVI and BVI are doing with the recovery efforts? from a tourist perspective?
thanks
thanks
Max Rockatansky
DILLIGAF?
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A post in the BKH Cruisers’ Facebook group
https://m.facebook.com/groups/339471791134?view=permalink&id=10154991837856135
https://m.facebook.com/groups/339471791134?view=permalink&id=10154991837856135
sail(plane)
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Yes you are right about the congestion, but the plan is wife +2 kids, not 8 friends +booze, so I need the infrastructure reasonably working
my36
New member
I arrived in St. Thomas on 11/25 after a long slow sail. The Red Hook marina is open. Fuel is available. Restaurants are open. Supermarkets are fully stocked. Most hotels were closed. The roads are bad but improving. There is sporadic wi-fi and cell coverage. Many homes are still without electricity.
I'd say it's fine if you are living on a boat but if you will be staying in a resort it might not be much fun even if the resort is open.
Flights out of the airport are a bitch. Very few seats and a 3 hour wait to get through security.
I'd say it's fine if you are living on a boat but if you will be staying in a resort it might not be much fun even if the resort is open.
Flights out of the airport are a bitch. Very few seats and a 3 hour wait to get through security.
MangoMan
Super Anarchist
A good friend of mine just did a week in the BVI's as a captain on a catamaran for a week. Soma has it spot on, there's no reason not to go to the BVI's.
If you can enjoy being a self-contained, low-maintenance cruising group, there's probably never going to be a better time for a BVI tour. Uncrowded anchorages and no competition for mooring balls. That would also be true anywhere else in the Caribbean that has charter boats and provisions. But if you need the full BVI vacation infrastructure, and many do, I'd wait a year.
MangoMan
Super Anarchist
I think one of the scary things will be seeing what happens when a bareboater who is used to the easy cruising in the BVI's decides to rent a boat in the Windwards ....
Especially if the Christmas winds are blowing 25 to 30 knots and 3 meter seas. The charter boats get abandoned in marinas while the charters fly home losing their security deposits and with extra delivery charges to come.
Mind you the North end of St Vincent in reinforced trades and 3 meter seas will be officially unpleasant.
money drain
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Heading to BVI in a week or so together with a bigger group of friends. We originally was going to charter 2x 50 footer catamarans, but there was some change of plans because of the destruction. The smaller original charter company could only get us one boat, a different model than we wanted though, instead of the two we had booked. This message came just some weeks ago (this was all due to troubles moving fleet from other locations). It was actually very easy to get another yacht from other charter companies,, so ended up with a boat from Sunsail.
Have a few friends who has already been there. Things seem good. I'll probably miss Willy T's though.
Have a few friends who has already been there. Things seem good. I'll probably miss Willy T's though.
freewheelin
Anarchist
We did a bareboat out of Grenada mid December as an alternative to BVI (where our charter canceled due to damage). We had only done bareboats in USVI and BVI before that, so we fall in this category. It was just my wife and I, and we had a truly awesome time. We did 9 days, 8 nights. We went from Southern Grenada (True Blue) up to Tobago Cays and back down.
I don't think Grenada/Grenadines should scare anyone away, the routes are well traveled and there is plenty of information. Yes, some sails are much longer, the winds/seas can be bigger, and you will be anchoring. You need to pay attention to weather, and change your course and anchorages accordingly. If you are good with all that and do some homework, I think you will have a fantastic time and see some really amazing spots. It is totally different than the VIs - it feels like real cruising. If instead you want to just fly down, grab a quick chart briefing and bar hop island to island like you can out of Tortola, then MangoMan is right and this probably isn't the trip for you.
money drain
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So, back from my two week charter. BVI was as great as it used to be, only less crowded (but not at all lonely either, lots of boats still). Some places was obviously closed, but it didn't really affect us at all; there's places open just about everywhere still. Many of the places we were you wouldn't have guessed that a hurricane had passed through, as things was already built up - some places from scratch.
Moorings/sunsail gets weekly shipments of new and used boats, many used shipped from the Med. Ours was one from a base in the Med, and we were the first to charter it in the BVI. So if other companies don't have anything available, call them.
Edited: We could get ice most places. An other boat in the same party didn't have problems filling fuel or water either.
Moorings/sunsail gets weekly shipments of new and used boats, many used shipped from the Med. Ours was one from a base in the Med, and we were the first to charter it in the BVI. So if other companies don't have anything available, call them.
Edited: We could get ice most places. An other boat in the same party didn't have problems filling fuel or water either.
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slug zitski
Super Anarchist
I was just talking to a charter agent in the Caribbean...the season is slow.
boats are OK, facilities are OK, everything is OK.
the issue is that when folks were making winter holiday plans they observed the hurricane damge , then decided to skip the Caribbean this year and go skiing instead.
boats are OK, facilities are OK, everything is OK.
the issue is that when folks were making winter holiday plans they observed the hurricane damge , then decided to skip the Caribbean this year and go skiing instead.
money drain
Member
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Yup, my impression from being there as well. Moorings is basically a dead place compared to a normal season (only 1.5 piers in operation for charter, rest is just storage). Apparently they have fired almost 100 people due to the low demand.
I live down here and all I have to say is if you have a charter scheduled for BVI you should still go, things have come a long way. If you have been moved to Grenada / Grenadines you should go it's not that difficult, electronic charts for the area are good and sailing is excellent.
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Student_Driver
Super Anarchist
Does anyone know if work has started, or is planned for BEYC?
1sailor
Super Anarchist
- Thread starter
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There was an announcement a couple days ago that my wife was reading to me, plans are being drawn currently. Sounds like they are going to respect the old vibe of BEYC and not over develop it, I'm very happy to know this. One of my favorite places ever. Just did a google search, cannot find what she was reading but will ask her
