Where to leave boat in BVI or USVI?

We are considering taking our new (to us) boat to the BVIs in December for the winter. We have been there before on a friends boat and know we want to spend our cruising time primarily in the BVI (as opposed to the USVI). We want to leave the boat there for approximately 3 months and fly back and forth so the boat will be without us for weeks at a time.

The question is, where to leave the boat? The boat is 63’ with a 7’ draft, so that eliminates some of the smaller marinas. Most are still recovering from storm damage so availability is an issue. Does anyone have suggestions or advice, ideally based on recent experience?

Not sure if it makes more sense to base at St Thomas for the easier air access but deal with apparently higher crime issues, or base in the BVI with fewer access choices but you are already in country when you get to the boat.

We need to find somewhere that we will be comfortable leaving the boat, ideally with someone trustworthy available to keep an eye on it in our absence. Reliable power is important also.

Who has already done this? Any suggestions?

Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola is/was a large marina with haul out and yard services, but it is still recovering from the hurricanes and recent reviews in Active Captain are mixed.


David

Have you looked into Scrub Island? Their marina is fully operational and it would appear to be a very safe place to leave your boat as far as security is concerned. I'm guessing it would be fairly easy to find a recommendation from someone there for someone to look after her. I have no experience leaving a boat there but had a charter boat staged for me there a few years ago and was most impressed with the facility and marina.

It's also easy to get to from the airport... the ferry dock is walking distance from the terminal on Beef Island (EIS) and Scrub Island Resort has a private launch to take you on the ten minute ride to the marina (cold bevs available while you wait). It's fairly easy to connect to EIS from San Juan.

Thanks, Cruzer. I wasn’t aware of Scrub Island but just looked it up and it does look very nice and might work.

The daily rate of $6/ft over the holidays is pretty agressive, but the monthly rate may be rational. I’ll look into it further. Would like more recommendations also.

Thanks!

djmarchand said:

Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola is/was a large marina with haul out and yard services, but it is still recovering from the hurricanes and recent reviews in Active Captain are mixed.


David

Click to expand...

I saw those mixed reviews and am not sure what to make of it. I would love to hear more from anyone that has been there.

The big advantage of leaving your boat in the USVI is ease of access without a ferry ride. The safest in a storm is Compass Point but deep draft causes a problem plus management there are idiots. Yacht Haven is the newest but kicks you out in a storm. Crown Bay is closest to the airport and busy. All have issues.

Yacht Haven's sister marina, American Yacht Harbor, also in St. Thomas, might be an excellent choice. American caters more to boats in your size range while Yacht Haven targets Megayachts, up to 600+'.

BVI would be my choice. Get an address, you'll find its great for 'offshore' banking.
USVI would leave a trail and easy access from you know who.

Irish Rambler said:

BVI would be my choice. Get an address, you'll find its great for 'offshore' banking.
USVI would leave a trail and easy access from you know who.

Click to expand...

He's looking for a place to store his boat, not a tax shelter.

Doesn’t 101Tug (Hughes) keep his big boat in the Caribbean somewhere? He might be a good person to ask.

cardude01 said:

Doesn’t 101Tug (Hughes) keep his big boat in the Caribbean somewhere? He might be a good person to ask.

Click to expand...

St Marteen or St Barth if I am right.

L

My apologies Shrew.
When I see the way the politicians here waste it I thought I'd keep the most it for myself

Another factor to consider is that a US boat is a foreign vessel in BVI waters. Anytime the boat is in BVI for more than 30 days a temporary import permit must be obtained. Note if the boat is registered in the USVI the period is 120 days.

Another factor is that with flights to and from the BVIs you are flying internationally which means customs / passport control etc. In addition a return airline ticket is required for US residents. There may be an exemption to the return ticket requirement (and stay limitation) for boaters but I have several friends required to buy return tickets at the airport for flights to other English speaking Caribbean islands.

A further complication is if you are on Medicare your 60 day travel window starts when you arrive in the BVIs whereas the USVIs are part of the US for Medicare's travel rules.

Don’t mean to hijack or cause thread drift, but did I see written that crime in the USVI is high? Like all over, or just certain parts like in any other city/town/country.

cardude01 said:

Don’t mean to hijack or cause thread drift, but did I see written that crime in the USVI is high? Like all over, or just certain parts like in any other city/town/country.

Click to expand...

Factually, the level of violent crime is high in the USVI. Now the official reports that rank it as a country are a bit misleading as it is not a country. To put it in better perspective, the rate of murders was 52.64 per 100,000. Baltimore is 57.8, St. Louis is 59.8, New Orleans is 41.7, Detroit is 43.4. The majority of those murders is drug related.

I would still be comfortable visiting and spending time in much of the USVI. There are areas, however, I wouldn't dare walk through. In General, the countries and possessions in the Caribbean have high rates with 9 shown in the top 20 countries in the world. One misleading portion of these ratings is they are based on inhabitants/residents, while at a given time they all have many more people present.

Also, a lot of theft and petty crimes just to be watchful about. I wouldn't hesitate to spend time there, but I would treat security as a very important issue. I'd stay in well lit, popular areas, I'd secure my boat at a marina with good security. I'd talk to and listen to locals about where to go and when. And, I would buy or deal in drugs or guns or any illegal activity. Forget moral reasons or anything else, but as a practical reality when one does things outside the law, they have no protection from the law. The point is that I'm assuming the majority here are not involved in such activities so their likelihood of being murdered is lower.

Good info. Thanks.

Wouldn't buy or deal in illegal.....typing error. Thanks RTF.

I knew what you meant. [emoji57]

We left our sailboat in the BVI for 3 years. We spent 6 months of each year in the BVI and further south, but the BVI was our base. The boat was on the hard in Virgin Gorda during the summers, but the dock space at the time was in Sopers Hole, Tortola. We used B&G Yacht Management, owned by Todd Patterson (https://www.bgbvi.com/ ). The minor hassle of flying into St. Thomas (much cheaper than flying into the BVI) and taking a ferry to Tortola is well worth the much better cruising areas in the BVIs. St. John is closer to Tortola than it is to St. Thomas. B&G is now managed from Nanny Cay after the hurricanes last year. We brought our boat back in the spring of 2017, so missed the hurricanes.

A few friends that had boats prior to hurricane. Stored and launched at Nanny Cay. Docking cost was high, they would only stay a day or two when launching to load and provision and then move on. They would often use Pen's Landing Marina in East end to leave their boats for a month or a few weeks when travelling home. They have also used docks Leverick Bay if leaving for a few weeks.

Getting to the BVI and back is a bit of pain, at least until Branson springs for a few mil to extend the runway, but that would be my choice. Just got back two days ago. The locals really appreciate and need your business.

I keep my boat on a mooring in Coral Bay. Love it there. I think you can rent a mooring for $100 a month and get a anchor permit for $75 thru DONR.

Dpnr.

Larry,

How long do you leave the boat unattended at that mooring?

Is this it?

If you have not yet looked in Puerto Rico, let me suggest it as an option. During our 1st year, we looked at and talked to every marina in the area. We eventually chose Puerto Del Rey as the best value (for us) and have used them for the past 4 years. While not cheap, they are no more expensive than any other marina. They have excellent facilities, are well run, and very safe; the haul out area is chain-link fenced, locked after hours, and guarded 7/24. It is a large, safe, good marina. It is a distance from town (Fajardo), but rental cars are available at the marina or in town. The drive to the Intl Airport (SanJuan) is about an hour, but we've found the airline rates to/from to be reasonable. We've left our boat there, on the hard, every summer for the past 4 years. And it's only 40 nm from STT, with Calebra a forth-while mid-point stop. Another option.

We used Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour. Its a short ferry ride from Beef Island airport and they have the facility to haulout and store on land if/as needed. When leaving the boat in the water we had a great experience with a small private marine in Fat Hoggs Bay. Run by a German. I dont recall the name but will be happy to look it up if of interest.

When you arrive from the US I suggest that you dock at Crown Bay Marina in St.
Thomas. Customs is on the waterfront, no fees, just documents to complete.
From there take you time to determine your next move. Crown Bay Marina is a secure marina, easy in and out,, good fuel, good bar, grocery shopping close by and many helpful boaters Five minutes from the airport.
There are no government or Customs fees in the USVI.
There are no Cruising fees in the USVI where as in the BVI the fees were recently increased to $16 per person per day, take a look at the BVI increase in fees on line
If you are over 65, get a US Park Service Golden Age pass, this gives you 50 per cent off the St. John Moorings. Cruising the USVI Islands could take a month, check out all the anchorages in St. John including the east end, Coral Bay, all have moorings.
The South shore of St. John is quite and peaceful.
Don't forget Culebera and Veiques, Customs clearance is a phone call. no fees.
I lived in STT for over 40 years, never felt there was a security issue are a high crime rate. Lived aboard for 28 years between Compass Point, Crown Bay and Frenchtown
Harbor Marina. Cruised from ST. Thomas to Grenada and back to the USVI.
Never a problem.
Ken

Kept mine down there for 7 years. Used Manuel reef for long in water stays. and hauled at VGYH (Tortola) for the longer stays and hurricane periods. Nanni Key real expensive. The guys at "workbench are very attentive at VGYH. Not too many I'd trust to keep an eye on the boat. There area few and they take pictures (time stamped when they board and Leave. Those are the guys you want.. Also cheaper into USVI and the ferry to Tortola is a good service.. Cruising the BVI's is superior to the USVI. And the people are much nicer. The islands usvi/bvi are only a few hundred yards apart at Sophers Hole. But the attitudes are miles apart

I suggest investigating how import issues differ when bringing boat supplies.

We used to leave our boats on the hard in the BVI for extended periods of time years ago and recall mice getting on board and making a mess in the bilge. Rodents are very destructive so I do recommend leaving some kind of rat bait / prevention in place.