We spent the day on a chartered boat in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and our experience could not have been better. Here’s how it went.
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Selecting A Charter Operator
We have been to the British Virgin Islands as part of an Explora cruise three times in the last 15 months but had only seen the island from the land. It wasn’t one of our favorites. For this visit, we wanted to try a charter in the BVI and found more options than necessary. We weren’t looking for a BVI yacht charter, there were just four of us and a two-year old. Most seemed geared toward day-drinking party boats, or those that were too large and too luxurious for our half day trip.
I found Triple M Charters through another company we had used before. Our captain, Makeem Hastings, was born and raised in the BVIs and had worked for other larger charter services before he opened his own. He completed his training in Florida for captain.
It was important to us to have a conversation with the Captain first, explain what we were hoping to do, that we were traveling with children and to have confidence in him and the service. We couldn’t have picked a better option.
Choosing An Itinerary
Initially, we wanted to visit Jost Van Dyke, but after some additional context it would have been more of a party scene than what we were really looking for. Instead, we wanted to see the Baths but swimming in rather than taking the treacherous path down from the “Top of the Baths.” Here’s what we settled on:
- The Baths
- Quiet or empty white sand beach
- Tour around the islands
- Lunch on the water
The most important reason we chose a private charter service was the ability to go at our own pace, make our own itinerary, and adjust on the fly as needed. If our daughter could see some marine life and cruise by coral, that would be ideal, but it’s also subject to how our 2-year-old handled the day. If we needed to go back, we wanted that flexibility that a shared service wouldn’t allow.
Private Islands Surrounded By Billionaires
Our first stop was the The Baths, a collection of ancient granite boulders. While unexciting by that description, crawling beneath, around, and over them, and the water inlets created felt nostalgic like being on the Goonies. Unfortunately, the swim was too long to chance taking my phone, but this the view from the outside. Matthew also has a great blog post about this, coming from the land side which was unsuitable for us due to our young son.
We entered the British Virgin Islands at Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. We traveled north after the Baths past our boat, Explora I, to a beach we had all to ourselves, Savannah Bay. Crystal clear waters, white sand beach, and most importantly, not a soul in sight. It was the relaxed island experience we were hoping for – we could have spent all day there.
We headed next to Bitterend Beach yacht club. Mosquito Island, one of Richard Branson’s and his infamous Necker Island, shared the bay. A world-class Catamaran belonging to fellow billionaire and 7th richest man in the world (Larry Page) was docked there as well. A commercial cruise ship operated by sails (and backup motors of course) from boutique operator, Sea Cloud sailed the BVI but dropped anchor here too, ferrying passengers back and forth for fish tacos, and shrimp.
Once we had exhausted billionaire bay, we headed back to Savannah beach because that’s all we wanted to do. We just wanted a beach all to ourselves for a little while longer.
Service, Costs
I can’t speak highly enough of Captain Makeem and the service he operated. He was professional but friendly, funny, and helpful. We felt safe and we all had the time of our lives. He brought a cooler full of drinks with plenty of non-alcoholic options (which can be hard to find), he showed up on time, and was reasonably priced at $1,750 for a full day charter. We paid a little less because it was a half-day and would have saved a bit more if we had embarked from the standard cruise port. We loved our experience and will repeat when we next return to the BVIs, in fact, we can’t really imagine not doing the same thing the next time we are back.
What do you think? Have you chartered a boat for a day in the BVIs? How was your experience?
“Reasonably priced at $ 1,750. for a full day charter.”
Paying that is numpty . He would have done it for $ 300. , and would have been happy to do so .
Friends do a 2 week stay at the Bitter End Yacht Club yearly and absolutely love it. ( getting there is complicated day of travel ). My cousin swears I moored there with her husband but I don’t have a specific memory of that likely because it would have occurred before the last big hurricane.
I think the $1750 for a private full day charter sounds reasonable
Ouch $1750!! We stayed at the Bitter end YC years ago for our 25 year anniversary… No TV or cell service etc but was a great vacay… It looks a little different now..
It was remodeled (rebuilt) after Irene, or erma hurricane. I recall my friends had an add on fee of $500 to be picked up just at the ferry landing. Pricey place.
Next time hire an all day charter in Playa Rincón, Samaná,DR. The cook will snorkel for fresh fish and lobster, cooked over wood charcoals. Fifty dollars per person. Private beach included.
@JoeMart … +1 . Good thinking .
@Kyle is a very very Big spender .
People go to the BVI and Jost to get drunk and enjoy the water. No need to ruin it with families and kids, thanks for staying away from Jost and stick with Disney with kids.
Looks lovely but that does seem very expensive. We had a catamaran for a full week in Croatia for about $12k and a private boat tour for half a day in Cambodia (on an old fishing boat 🙂 for $200. With family it would be tough for me to spend that much for half a day. I get it for a once in a lifetime experience but still. No critisicm. Just my thoughts.
I’d prob go for the shared $50-100 per person experience and just hope bub was fine. Or have one person stay back at the port/beach.
$1750 for a HALF day charter? And you negotiated a discount? Two things at play here: Islands in the Caribbean being the clear leader in extorting the ignorance of Americans as to a value equation AND your actual willingness to pay that. For a half day, lol. Dude, you clearly need to travel more and have a lot to learn.
@Antwerp … Next time he will pay 3K .
Kyle said the full day rate was 1750. Also here the current charter rates are significantly higher.