Hi Reader,

We've wrapped up our latest charter trip to the British Virgin Islands - it was so good to be back after a 5-year drought for me.

With a bit of luck, we slipped this trip in during hurricane season and left just before charter companies began recalling boats to the base ahead of a near-miss with Hurricane Tammy.

This was the best fishing I've ever had in BVI amidst some very settled weather - light winds that were good for fishing but not so much for sailing or mosquitos. More on this trip in the next few weeks!

The British Virgin Islands were devasted by the hurricanes of 2017. Since then, they have come roaring back, although Covid slowed the recovery.

Today, the most popular anchorages are more crowded than ever. Some legendary establishments like the Bitter End Yacht Club and Willy-T have re-opened. Painkillers are flowing amidst crowded beach bars in White Bay.

Despite this resurgence, the mood of the BVI is slowly changing. For better or for worse? I'll let you decide.

These are five notable changes I've picked up on that you can expect to experience on your next BVI charter trip.

As a preview of our trip, the pictures included below are primarily new ones taken last week.

BVI mooring fields are becoming more crowded

The British Virgin Islands is benefiting from a booming yacht charter industry. Interest in sailing vacations is higher than ever.

As the global bareboat charter capital, BVI is feeling those tailwinds strongly.

This is great news for the local economy and the industry as a whole.

But gone are the days of finding your own remote piece of paradise during peak season. I know a couple of hidden spots, but I have to keep those to myself! However, I’ll let you in on a few relatively secret BVI anchorages.

If you’re in a mooring field, expect to have lots of neighbors close at hand. So, choose your ball wisely.

​Boatyball is also a more recent development in the last couple of years. Some would argue they haven’t added any new mooring balls, rather just replaced existing balls.

Other beautiful places, such as Benures Bay, that used to be anchoring only…now have mooring balls. This is bad news if you prefer to anchor in (relative) solitude.

Best advice to avoid the crowds? Try and visit in the shoulder seasons (April-May, November). Or better yet, squeeze a trip in during the summer.

Resorts and iconic beach bars are catering to the masses or going upscale

I’m too young to have experienced what the undiscovered BVI vibe used to be 30+ years ago.

One symptom of development and progress? Many of the local, old-school beach bars are disappearing or being replaced.

After the 2017 hurricanes, when places such as Saba Rock or the Loose Mongoose rebuilt, they went upscale, likely due to the capital that made the rebuilding possible.

Other well-known iconic spots such as the Soggy Dollar Bar or Foxy’s now also cater to crowds that come with visits from cruise ships or day trips from USVI.

So, can you still find that old-school vibe? The good news is, yes! You just need to know where to look. The best spots are going to remain secret, for good reason, but they’re out there.

Anegada, however, is still clearly a winner in this category. Local bars on the beautiful north shore beaches and at the anchorage in Setting Point still dominate and defend that vibe.

Traveling to the British Virgin Islands feels more difficult

Getting to the BVIs has always been about jumping through hoops. You’re committed to a full-day travel affair on both ends of your trip.

American recently introduced the first-ever direct route from the US, but challenges remain with airport operations and the weather for this short runway.

Recently, the smaller regional airlines have encountered staffing difficulties, leading to many delayed and canceled “puddle jumper” flights – these are the short trips from nearby San Juan or St. Thomas, USVI.

With only a few of these a day, a canceled flight can lead to an entire lost day sailing the British Virgin Islands. Ouch!

So is there a better way to arrive? Yes, and here’s your best option if it's within budget. We used a private water taxi on a trip last week, and it was well worth it in my opinion.

Fly to St. Thomas (many direct flight options) and book a direct water taxi from the likes of Island Time or Chillout Charters. They will pick you up in Red Hook, handle clearing you into BVI Customs while you stay on the boat, and then deliver you directly to your marina.

It will all take about 1.5 hours.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy a cold beverage along the way.

Larger catamarans are taking over the British Virgin Islands

OK, not literally, but the trend is your friend.

It seems to be two-fold:

1. Catamarans in favor of monohulls
2. Bigger is better

I get it, and I tend to fall into the group that prefers a catamaran charter. I explain my feelings in this catamaran vs monohull post.

The market is simply responding to what crews prefer these days.

We find the bigger cats more appealing for several reasons:

• Large flybridge areas where everyone can hang out and sail together
• Better stability and salon above the waterline
• Most will come with other features we like, such as generator-powered AC, water makers, and underwater blue lights

Here’s why you might not like it: things that go bump in the night. Mooring fields are getting increasingly crowded and catamarans, by nature, have a much wider beam.

In most trade wind prevailing conditions, this is not an issue. But if the breeze falls or there is a back winding scenario, it’s possible for yachts to get rather close for comfort.

BVI charter vessels only

This might be a lesser point, but it’s worth considering.

It’s not impossible, but Covid-era regulations made it difficult for non-BVI charter boats to clear into BVI. This was an attempt to protect the industry while Americans flocked to the US Virgin Islands for charters amidst country lockdowns.

This matters for crews that prefer to charter from St. Thomas and enjoy the flexibility of a trip throughout the Virgin Islands (US, British, Spanish).

There have been some recent, positive developments, however. The Waypoints USVI based cleared these hurdles for the majority of the fleet late last year. Also, the BVI and USVI governments signed cooperation agreements for the charter industries which should eventually help ease these additional requirements.

That's it for today, thanks for reading!

Have a great week! - Matt Weidert

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