Browsing: BVI

Cruising Life
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The Storms Moved On, but for Some of the Caribbean, So Did the Jobs

How long will it be before the boating and tourism industry returns to the hardest-hit islands in the Caribbean after Hurricanes Irma and Maria blew through, destroying hotels, marinas, charter fleets and houses? No one knows, particularly the people who live and work there.  But they do know that they don’t have a way to make a living. The New York Times reports that residents are leaving St. Martin, “because their jobs are no more.” “Right now, the livelihood of tourism is in a coma,” said the sales manager of a luxury hotel in Anguilla. A waitress at a hotel in…

Cruising Life
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After Irma, Foxy’s, with Almost Nothing Left, Is the Command Center for Jost Van Dyke

Now, a week after Hurricane Irma tore through the British Virgin Islands with historic force, Foxy’s, the iconic beachfront bar on Jost Van Dyke, the must-stop destination for most of us who’ve cruised or chartered there, is a mess (see the picture, above). As The New York Times reports, without electricity, running water or phone lines, the island’s 298 inhabitants are surviving on what they have left: a sat phone, a chain saw, some food. But Foxy’s has a working generator and people are rationing food and cooking meals twice a day there. “Anyone that comes, we feed,” said Tom Warner, Foxy’s…

Cruising Life
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Insider’s Guide to the Best of the BVI. Keep This List!

Like many cruising people, I’ve been to the British Virgin Islands many times, and I think I know my way around. Well, turns out I was just getting started. I found plenty of new places on this insider’s guide to the best of the BVI from someone who grew up and still lives there, and I can’t wait to go back to try some of them out. Here, for example, you’ll find the best anchorage, the best beach, the best watersports, the best snorkeling (at The Indians, pictured above), the best hidden gem, the best hiking trails, and the best-kept…

Cruising Life
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St. Croix: The Largest, Most Historic, and Most Laid-Back of the U.S. Virgin Islands

With its warm waters, white beaches and protected harbors, St. Croix has been attracting visitors ever since Columbus landed there in 1493. Unfortunately, he was almost immediately attacked by the native Kalinago, and quickly sailed away. The Dutch and English had better luck, forming settlements in 1625, but they fought with each other and subsequent European nations trying to claim the place. Indeed, no fewer than seven nations (including the Knights of Malta and Denmark) have fought for ownership of St. Croix over the years. The U.S. finally bought the island, which is about 40 nm below St. Thomas (and…

Cruising Life
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6 Gems of Anegada: Reefs, Beaches, Lobsters and, oh, Shipwrecks

When Columbus first saw this low-lying coral atoll in the Caribbean Sea on his second voyage in 1493, he named it Anegada, meaning drowned island. The highest point then, and now, is only 28 feet above sea level. Anegada, about 14 miles northeast of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, now has some waterfront restaurants and beach bars, but the 15-square-mile island really hasn’t change all that much. It is still virtually surrounded by Horseshoe Reef (accounting for 300 shipwrecks), which protects miles and miles of secluded white sand beaches. One of the best, Cow Wreck Beach, is home…

Cruising Life
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Great Guide to Soper’s Hole: Welcome to the British Virgin Islands

It’s hard not to want to go back to the British Virgin Islands once you’ve cruised there. In fact, I keep going back again and again, discovering something new in some of the best, easiest and most welcoming cruising grounds on the planet. Here’s a guide to Soper’s Hole, at the end of Tortola, the largest island there and the base of most of the BVI’s charter fleet. The story is geared a bit toward sail, but all the points apply to powerboats as well. Indeed, the last time I was there was to clear Customs on a trawler my…

Boat Reviews
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Moorings 433PC: Newest Mid-Sized Charter Cat

The newest power cat from the worldwide charter giant, The Moorings 433PC, with three staterooms and two heads, is designed as a mid-sized cruising boat for families or groups of up to eight guests. A well-mannered cat built by Robertson & Caine in South Africa (and also sold under the Leopard brand), The Moorings 433PC offers a comfortable, safe, relaxed cruising vacation with more than enough room, inside and out, for everyone onboard. The large, air-conditioned salon has windows for visibility all around, a galley forward, a convertible settee that can sleep two, and big glass doors that open to…

Charter
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Go Fishing on Your Moorings Charter in the BVI

Good news for fisherman. Now you can go fishing on your charter vacation on The Moorings in the BVI. Indeed, The Moorings just registered their entire fleet of power cats in the BVI as fishing vessels, meaning they are legal for fishing there. A recent regulation imposed by the BVI government requires all vessels to have an official registration number in order to engage in any fishing activities; as of July 1, all Moorings power cats, from 39 to 51 feet, have the official registration numbers. These boats are in addition to the entire fleet of Moorings crewed yachts, which…

Charter
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The Moorings’ Ultimate Dive Charters in the BVI

The Moorings, the world’s premier yacht charter company since 1969, has just come up with a new idea: The Ultimate Dive Vacation in the British Virgin Islands. This sounds like a natural to me, a combination of a luxurious Moorings 5800 catamaran with a seven-day dive charter in some of the most beautiful water on the planet.

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