Thank you for choosing Virgin Island Sailing® as your charter broker.
This additional information is provided to ensure your charter is well-planned and an unforgettably wonderful experience.
Travel & Insurance
Enhance Your Vacation
Provisioning
Planning, Itinerary, & Expenses
Your travel to the Tortola, British Virgin Islands will most likely take the majority of a day, and therefore you should plan on arriving the day before you start sailing. Here are two routes to consider:
Public Ferries – The public ferry operators are Road Town Fast Ferry, Smith’s Ferry and Native Son Ferry. The ferry companies rotate between 4 passenger ferries daily. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Ferry schedule information can be found here: Virgin Islands Ferry Schedule.
Arrival Flight: Your flight can arrive in St. Thomas up to an hour before the ferry departure time.
Departure Flight: You should plan on taking a ferry that is 4 hours or more in advance of your St. Thomas flight departure time.
Tortola to St. Thomas:
7:30am Road Town > Charlotte Amalie
10:00am Road Town > Charlotte Amalie
11:30am Road Town > Charlotte Amalie
3:15pm Road Town > Charlotte Amalie
St. Thomas to Tortola:
9:00am Charlotte Amalie > Road Town
2:00pm Charlotte Amalie > Road Town
4:00pm Charlotte Amalie > Road Town
5:30pm Charlotte Amalie > Road Town
The ferry cost is $60 one-way, plus $10 port fee from St. Thomas to Tortola, $20 departure tax from Tortola to St. Thomas and $10 per piece of luggage. There is a $10 per person BVI Environmental fee paid in cash to BVI Immigration when you arrive in the BVI.
Private Water Taxis – There are several private water taxis to choose from. The water taxis generally depart from Red Hook, St. Thomas for a 40-45 minute ride to BVI customs at West End or Road Town, Tortola. A private water taxi will cost 2-3 times more than the public ferry, but you will experience a personalized service with a flexible schedule. Dolphin Water Taxi is one of the more popular water taxi services: Click For Dolphin Water Taxi Info.
Other water taxi operators are Chillout Charters Water Taxi, Island Time Water Taxi and Ocean Dreams – Water Taxi.
Assuming you arrive the day before you start sailing, you have two accommodation options for your arrival night:
Passports are required for every one traveling to the Caribbean.
If you arrive to Tortola by plane, you must have a Passport Book. Passport Cards are not accepted and you will be rerouted to St. Thomas at your expense for flights and ferry.
Check your passport expiration dates to ensure your passports are valid until after your trip.
We highly recommend trip cancellation / interruption insurance in case of emergencies.
You can obtain a policy with the most coverage by purchasing it sooner rather than later. Some policies have the most coverage within 2-3 weeks after confirming your charter. You can choose to purchase insurance from any provider of your choice.
Here are a few companies our clients have used:
Safe Travels Voyager
TravelEx Insurance
Generali Global Assistance
TravelGuard Insurance
BVI Yacht Charters provides masks, fins and snorkels in various adults sizes. You will be able to help yourselves to the selection of gear available to take on board for your charter.
Rental of water sports toys and fishing gear is a great way to enhance your vacation.
Water Toys: You can rent equipment at Water Toys Rental Form – delivery to your yacht is free of charge!
Fishing: All BVI YC yachts are registered for fishing in the BVI. You will need the yacht’s registration # to complete your personal fishing license applications. Please complete this form and our team will contact you with the registration #: BVI Vessel Fishing Registration – Information Request.
A fishing license is required for any one 18 years or older who will be fishing during your charter. You can rent fishing gear at Water Toys Rental Form. The cost for the personal fishing license is $45/person. We recommend applying for your license in advance. The water toys rental company can assist for a small fee or you can apply directly with the Fisheries Department. The application to apply directly is at BVI Fishing, which includes info about fish and seasons.
Diving: If you are already certified for diving before your trip, you can rent dive gear. If you are not certified, you can arrange for a dive boat to meet up with you in a nearby bay and take you for an introductory course (1/2 a day) which is a good way to see if you get hooked! See Blue Water Divers BVI or Sail Caribbean Divers for more information on both options.
Licensed for 8 people, the larger dinghy upgraded outboard will get you and your crew to snorkeling spots and the beach in style and comfort. For popular spots where it’s trickier to find a mooring, the RIB is the perfect alternative. Settle into Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke for the night and then take the RIB to White Bay for the afternoon to enjoy painkillers without the hassle of finding a mooring ball or having to move your yacht for the night.
The North Sound boasts a selection of some of the best dining options in the BVI. There’s no need to settle for only one spot when you have the RIB. Pick up provisions from Leverick Bay, enjoy the plunge pool at Nova in Deep Bay, and then zip back to the sound for sundowners at Saba Rock before enjoying dinner at The Bitter End. If you have a mix of snorkelers, beachgoers, shoppers and sailors onboard then give your group flexibility by taking the standard dinghy included in your charter as well. This will also remove the need to make multiple dinghy trips ashore for larger groups.
Get more out of your sailing vacation with a Dinghy Upgrade.
The Dinghy Upgrade is based on availability. Please contact us for availability
Standard WiFi: Most yachts are equipped with a WIFI router that you can activate upon arrival for either $135/week ($30/day if less than a week) on vessels under 50ft or $205/week ($40/day if less than a week) on vessels 50ft and larger – must activate for entire charter. Some onshore establishments throughout the cruising area will offer WIFI.
Since there are many good grocery stores on Tortola that offer pre-ordering with delivery to your yacht, we recommend ordering your provisions in advance. This also makes for a smooth and easy start to your charter. If you would like to select some items yourself when you arrive, we recommend at least ordering your heavy and non-perishable items in advance.
Keep in mind that delivery of orders should be after your scheduled boarding time.
Please remember that anything you will consume or throw away – you supply, including charcoal for the grill.
Cruising World Article – Provision Planning for a Sailboat Charter Vacation
BBQ Grill: These yachts have a charcoal grill: J Dog, No Worries, Allegro, Indian Chief, Carelli, Big Blue, Naya 1 Love, Stella, Mr. T. All other yachts have a propane grill.
Coffee Makers: All yachts with a generator have an electric coffee maker that uses a basket filter. Filters are available at the front office.
Toasters: All yachts with a generator have a toaster.
Ice: Each boat gets two 10 pound bags of complimentary ice to start or one 20 pound bag. Additional ice can be purchased in the office if needed.
You can self provision the day your charter starts at One Mart, Rite Way or Bobby’s in Road Town.
If you are provisioning on a budget, you may consider bringing some items with you. You can find a list of recommended provisions items to bring with you at Bareboat Charter Packing Tips.
Prior to arriving in Tortola, you will contact Virgin Island Sailing® for any of your charter needs: Call 800-382-9666 | 941-966-9387 or Email Concierge Team. As your charter nears, you’ll hear from our Concierge Team with useful information and reminders to assist in your planning. Click here to Meet Our Team.
Once you arrive in Tortola, you will work directly with the excellent staff at BVI Yacht Charters. Their local number is 1-284-494-4289 | 1-284-342-1667 and their office hours are 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. For your friends and family that are not chartering with you, feel free to give both the BVI Yacht Charters and Virgin Island Sailing® phone numbers.
If you experience issues during your charter, you should immediately contact BVI Yacht Charters to resolve the issues. Although we don’t anticipate issues, even with the most stringent preventative maintenance, sometimes issues do arise. In addition to the local number above, there will be an after hours emergency number provided on board. We can not stress enough the importance of involving your broker is the issues are not being resolved timely.
Your boarding time is 12:00 pm without a sleep aboard reserved, or 5:00 pm with a sleep aboard pre-arranged.
The staff will be available for any questions when you arrive.
You can also complete the Advance Online Check-In – BVI Yacht Charters.
During the online check-in, you will provide a credit card for the yacht insurance deductible, copies of all passports and watch an advance check-in video.
Prior to departing the docks you will receive a full boat briefing and a full chart briefing, and a yacht operations binder will be on board. The chart briefing is at approximately 10.30am and boat briefings begin any time after 8.30am for clients who had a sleep aboard the night prior. If you wish to study the area ahead of time we recommend the NauticEd Online Chart Briefing. This offers great insight for those who have not sailed in the area before.
If you have done your paperwork and both your briefings you can leave the dock early. Please remember your charter begins at 12:00 pm, whether you slept aboard or not. We do our very best to get you off the dock beforehand, but should any issues arise during the morning, our staff may be working on your yacht.
Your charter ending time is 12:00 pm, which is the time you should be ready to disembark the yacht. You are asked to return the yacht reasonably tidy, take off your garbage, pile the linens into one heap, and empty out the fridge. Please be sure to close all the hatches and flush the toilets. You will be given instructions during the chart briefing about refueling the yacht.
We’ve put together a list of packing guidelines and a downloadable checklist to assist you in ensuring you have everything you need for your vacation: Bareboat Charter Packing Tips
Please also consider participating in the non-profit Pack for a Purpose.
Please Use Only Mineral Sunscreen.
Please help preserve the glorious beaches and stunning underwater world that lure you to our shores so that you and your loved ones can enjoy them for years to come! Avoid sunscreens that contain the “Toxic 3 Os” of oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene – they are prohibited in the United States Virgin Islands. Wear rashguards, hats and use only non-nano mineral sunscreen containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, the only sunscreen ingredients deemed safe and effective by the FDA. For a selection of recommended non-nano mineral-based sunscreen lines, see Island Green Living.
Here are some tools to assist with your itinerary planning before and during your charter.
We will also mail you a complimentary Cruising Guide Book & Planning Chart. If you don’t receive this within a couple weeks after confirming your charter, please let us know.
The currency in British and US Virgin Islands is US Dollars. Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted, but you should also plan on having cash for anticipated expenses.
A local cell is provided on your yacht which you’ll prepay $10 of credit for. Additional credits can be purchased from BVI Yacht Charters and throughout the cruising area. Calls to/from BVI Yacht Charters are free. Calls to the USA are approximately $0.50/minute. There is not a refund for unused credit.
Many personal cell phones will work in the British Virgin Islands. We recommend contacting your cell phone provider for specific details of their coverage in the British Virgin Islands, and to find out what international calling and texting plans they can offer.
If you have small children in your party please bring a life jacket and harness for each child – it is a law that a life preserver is worn by children under 12 on any moving vessel (including the dinghy). You may be able to rent children size life jackets from Sail Caribbean Divers. If you would like to rent a pack n play, car seat or other children products, check Island Kidz. It is also a good idea to bring snorkel gear for kids; a perfect fit will make them more likely to give snorkeling a try and have fun doing it. It also helps their confidence to practice in the bath tub or pool before you arrive!
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