Winter charter - BVI? Antigua? Or ??

ChattingLil said:
Thanks - how did you find Sunsail? I've heard mixed reviews.
We will go for at least two weeks, maybe one week flotilla to get my confidence (jn a boat bigger than I am used to - and a wheel, not tiller) followed by a week bareboat. However, i also dug out an old mag (can't remember which) that had the review of a few days bareboat in BVI followed by a few days the Bitter End and it did sound nice. Thing is, I reckon its cheaper to take the boat for another week!

I suspect Sundail are a bit prescriptive and fixed in the schedules - whereas I think someone like Nautilus will be able to carve the holiday around our requirements. I will call them in the next week or so to discuss.

I think we are coming down on the BVI as the preferred option.

thanks for the input everyone.
Click to expand...

I think the BVI is a good choice. We've been twice and loved it. It's very gentle, easy sailing. Spending some time in North Sound on Virgin Gorda sounds good, although Bitter End looked pricey when we checked a few years ago.

We chartered with www.horizonyachtcharters.com on both occasions. They've got a couple of small-ish boats which are ideal for a couple. (We had a Bene 323 last time, which was perfect for us)

http://www.horizonyachtcharters.com/bvi/bvi_fleet.html
 
I'd leave the Grenadines for the second charter if you ever do one. I've been through the BVIs once but the Grenadines many times in different routes.

BVIs are a stunning intro to the Caribbean and if the thrills ratio is a little low then so is the worry time.

I far prefer the Grenadines for authentic close up contact with Caribbean people and for vigorous sailing combined with many calm but windy anchorages.

After spending the earth on Moorings a couple of times we tried Barefoot and found them friendly and much more informative about the most interesting places to go. Boats maintained truly poorly though and sent back out to charter if booked without being fixed, so we lost a few days sailing as spare parts for the second engine in the cat were flown out. The first engine was already knackered as we found out at the end of day 2.

All the other times we used Moorings again.
 
>Late sail and horizon I think are one unit

No Horizon is a yacht charter company in the Caribbean. LateSail is based in the UK with an American office and handles approximatly 72 of the the world's largest and medium sized fleets. Total boats in the fleets are 20,000 plus of which 2,000 plus are often on the LateSail site. Hence they get the best discounts for the many hundreds of boats the operators can't shift every week. The prices are better than the operator will offer, the operators don't want to be seen offering large discounts for obvious reasons. Horizon is one of the operators LateSail deals with.
 
Having done the BVIs twice, the Genadines top to bottom, St Lucia and Martinique and St Marten and St Barts, the enjoyment factor in the BVIs was tops. For pure sailing, St Marten and the Grenadines were the most challenging but you have to watch out for some very badly maintained boats because standards are pretty low on the whole even from the big multi-national companies such as Moorings and Sunsail.
St Vincent is OK at the southern end but further up the west coast is bandit territory. Boat boys can still be a nuisance in the rest of the Grenadines. Live aboards can get very touchy when charter boats are anywhere near for obvious reasons but some of them are abit touched by the sun or too much rum and can be quite unpleasant assuming that ALL charter boats are driven by idiots.
To get there, try and avoid using Liat (Luggage in another terminal!). They are expensive and customer care is minimal. I have tried to use American Eagle from San Juan with BA to/from San Juan and they are much better but not much cheaper.
I have used Nautilusyachting.com and found them to give a personal service and can source boats from most charter operators at a reasonable price. Avoid school holidays if possible for your flights.
The best thing about the area is the fairly dependable NE wind and steady 28c air temps. Just what you need in the middle of February.
 
ChattingLil said:
Thanks - how did you find Sunsail? I've heard mixed reviews.
We will go for at least two weeks, maybe one week flotilla to get my confidence (jn a boat bigger than I am used to - and a wheel, not tiller) followed by a week bareboat. However, i also dug out an old mag (can't remember which) that had the review of a few days bareboat in BVI followed by a few days the Bitter End and it did sound nice. Thing is, I reckon its cheaper to take the boat for another week!

I suspect Sundail are a bit prescriptive and fixed in the schedules - whereas I think someone like Nautilus will be able to carve the holiday around our requirements. I will call them in the next week or so to discuss.

I think we are coming down on the BVI as the preferred option.

thanks for the input everyone.
Click to expand...

In the bvi sunsail are fine...

Moorings are better..

Horizon is very good.. ( we think best..)

Fly klm to st marten if possible, then transfer from there..

Get a kayak for the boat...

Moorings base and horizon have a nice pool, horizon base has some nice shops as well... Hotels at both are ok, good for the firstnight.. Though we like to spend a couple of nights in one of the bungalows on Marina cay.

Cafe at the horizon base is the best... But we like a bit of corned beef and hash...:D

Really though... In our experience the horizon boats are the best.. Just book direct or via latesail.
 
So many places so little time

Also having done all the places mentioned yet listening to your wish list, BVI seems to be a good first choice.

Time to get comfortable at the keyboard & do some searching. All the companies mentioned have web sites and you can get a feel for their fleets, prices and any specials.
If that is too crazy, set a budget then call a broker, a well respected one in the states is Ed Hamilton, they have a site too.

Cautions:
October - weather can still be unsettled, lean toward later Nov or early Dec BUT before winter/holiday rates kick in - you will pick that up when searching.

Sunsail & Moorings (same corp) are very big in BVI which can overwhelm some people vs a Horizon which is more personable. But you will get a flotilla out of the big boys

Airfare - DO NOT underestimate the affect this can have on your budget. We learned to do both Charter search & Air Fare at the same time. Availability, routing, carrier, etc, etc. We would put the charter and/or flight on hold while we nailed the other down

Enjoy:cool:
 
photodog said:
In the bvi sunsail are fine...

Moorings are better..

Horizon is very good.. ( we think best..)

Fly klm to st marten if possible, then transfer from there..

Get a kayak for the boat...

Moorings base and horizon have a nice pool, horizon base has some nice shops as well... Hotels at both are ok, good for the firstnight.. Though we like to spend a couple of nights in one of the bungalows on Marina cay.

Cafe at the horizon base is the best... But we like a bit of corned beef and hash...:D

Really though... In our experience the horizon boats are the best.. Just book direct or via latesail.
Click to expand...

If using Horizon Yacht Charters from Nanny Cay marina be VERY careful about their charges for anything extra. We had a problem with the yacht [not through anything we'd done wrong] and couldn't fix it so called them out to help. We were charged for parts & labour at the end of the charter, despite NOTHING being said or quoted at the time. In all the years we've been chartering all over the World through many different companies, this is the first time we'd encountered anything like this.
 
Try and avoid the Sunsail flight package of Virgin to Antigua and Liat to Tortolla.
Antigua is a contender for the worlds worst airport. There are no transit arrangements. You have to reclaim your luggage clear customs and immigration and check in again. All involve long queues and surly jobsworths. Then you have to go through security and emigration where the seriously surly jobsworths and even longer queues are. Any mistakes in the triplicate forms you have to complete means being sent to the back of the queue.
Often the airport is seriously overcrowded and any disruption to a flight and the whole thing descends into a sweaty scrum where the staff appear to take genuine delight in making things as difficult as possible.
 
tom52 said:
Try and avoid the Sunsail flight package of Virgin to Antigua and Liat to Tortolla.
Antigua is a contender for the worlds worst airport. There are no transit arrangements. You have to reclaim your luggage clear customs and immigration and check in again. All involve long queues and surly jobsworths. Then you have to go through security and emigration where the seriously surly jobsworths and even longer queues are. Any mistakes in the triplicate forms you have to complete means being sent to the back of the queue.
Often the airport is seriously overcrowded and any disruption to a flight and the whole thing descends into a sweaty scrum where the staff appear to take genuine delight in making things as difficult as possible.
Click to expand...

We avoided all that...went straight from plane to plane without entering the terminal. Needless to say our luggage turned up later that day.:) on the return trip we did have to go through immigration and checkin but queues weren't too bad.
 
tom52 said:
Try and avoid the Sunsail flight package of Virgin to Antigua and Liat to Tortolla.
Antigua is a contender for the worlds worst airport. There are no transit arrangements. You have to reclaim your luggage clear customs and immigration and check in again. All involve long queues and surly jobsworths. Then you have to go through security and emigration where the seriously surly jobsworths and even longer queues are. Any mistakes in the triplicate forms you have to complete means being sent to the back of the queue.
Often the airport is seriously overcrowded and any disruption to a flight and the whole thing descends into a sweaty scrum where the staff appear to take genuine delight in making things as difficult as possible.
Click to expand...

Substitute 'Heathrow' for 'Antigua' and this post makes sense!
 
I was about to say that...went thought Antigua last Friday, the BA (first one) was in, then the AA and we (the Virgin) came in last...cleared customs in about 40 mins with a rum in hand...

London Gatwick took the same amount of time yesterday without the rum...

Antigua has transit though if you book a through flight?
 
ok, now I am thinking: Flotilla in Antigua for one week, followed by bareboat for one week. Avoids having to transit and therefore saves a little money and time. Flotilla for one week will help ease any nerves I have about handling a bigger boat before taking off on our own and gettting the gist of the place. Sound sensible? I'm sure you old hands think I'm being over anxious, but it's a long way and a lot of money, so want to get it right for ourselves. It's not something we'll be doing every year, so I really appreciate the advice here.
 
Well, i would really recomend the bvi over antigua for a first carib experience.

Your going in the winter, and the sea state can be substantial at that time of year... Certainly we have seen on passage antigua to guadeloupe 4 meter swells...

The bvi is a lot more sheltered... And you can go for 36 feet or something and it will be cheaper... The sailing around antigua is excellent, but certainly more challenging, and as such i think better with a bigger boat, ie 45 feet or so, and more crew...

If you go to the bvi there really is no need for a flotilla, and i think for a two week trip less stressfull as you wont feel inclined towards goin inter island which is more open to the north atlantic and its prevailing conditions...

Thats my two pennies....


And as well... The bvi is smaller, more laid back, and feels safer ashore. Its far more oriented towards the charter sailor... And thats not a bad thing....
 
You must do what's right for you, call sunsail and horizon and ask them for their views based on your requirments. As has been said the BVI are prob a better learning playground.

The good news is they all have rum ...
 
More food for thought

ChattingLil said:
thanks Photodog!

gosh I'm all a dither.
Click to expand...

Antigua Flotilla - humm, wonder if there are any. Have not been in a few years and the Sunsail base was very small, again check all the company websites

Agree with others, the conditions in and around Antigua are very different than BVI, harbors and anchorages are further apart, a few navigational challenges ie;reefs and shallows, plus the swells and waves

Flotilla Alternative - hire a Captain for a 1/2 day, day or few days, at least then you have 100% of their time & attention. They can show you all the tricks on your particular boat but beware, if they feel you are not completely capable, your charter could be canceled, it's in the fine print

Getting to BVI - Many people fly to St. Thomas, USVI, then take the ferry to BVI.
Puerto Rico also has flights to BVI. Flight search engine ie; Orbitz should uncover alternative and maybe easier/cheaper
 
With regards to the Antigua flight it's not that bad and part of the fun.

Just try and get off your virgin / BA as fast as poss ( choose seats at front or upstairs which can be economy) then walk at a very fast pace ... Exit via the transit lane which may take you back out. If so turn right grab a Carib from the shop on the right or the bar in the middle the go and queue for your liat.

Once checked in grab another beer and wonder back through as most the big stuff will have checked in again.

Grab a window seat and get the camera out to take lots of pix.

Simples ...or just stay the night in Antigua and grab first one out next day.
 
We quite like vc bird airport...

Anitgua2-PAGEONE.jpg


But you need to have the right attitude...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top