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BVI Yacht Charter · Feb 12–19

One catamaran, six cabins, a week in the British Virgin Islands.

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What we're looking forward to

Locked-in stops are listed first. The skipper makes the final call on routing and weather.

The Baths, Virgin Gorda
Granite boulders and tide pools. We need to be on a mooring early, before the day boats arrive.
Saba Rock, North Sound
Tiny island, lunch and drinks. Check that it's open before we commit the day.
Virgin Gorda North Sound
Two days on Virgin Gorda so we're not rushing between the Baths and the Sound.
Still being decided
Anegada (reef-fringed, famous for lobster, needs a full day), Norman Island caves, Jost Van Dyke.
On the way between stops
Trolling lines out on the longer crossings. Mahi and wahoo are the target.

The boat

A 2026 Fountaine Pajot Aura 51 with air conditioning, a hydraulic swim platform, Bose speakers on the deck, and a gas grill. See Info, then Boat, for what's already aboard.

Everything in one place

Plan has the day-by-day route. Gear stops us bringing duplicates. Polls settle group decisions. Money is the trip fund and daily expenses.

Put it on your phone's home screen

iPhone: open the link in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.

Android: in Chrome, tap the menu, then Add to Home screen or Install app.

Open the icon once with internet. It asks for the PIN and your name again, because an installed icon keeps its own saved data. After that it opens without a signal.

Week plan

The day-by-day route. Organizers fill it in as weather and the crew's votes settle the plan. During the trip, today's card also shows on Home.

Already on the list: The Baths, Saba Rock and Virgin Gorda North Sound (two days on Virgin Gorda). Anegada is still open.
Mooring reminder: reservable moorings in the BoatyBall app typically open around 7 a.m. Set up the account and payment the night before. boatyball.com

Gear

Shared items for the whole boat. Tap "We've got it" on anything your couple will bring. Items marked must-have need an owner before we leave.

Suggest something we're missing

The organizers approve suggestions before they join the list, so it stays short.

Organizer tools

For the people managing the list. Enter the organizer code.

Polls

Anyone can ask the crew to weigh in. Rank the options, and whoever posted the poll makes the final call.

Start a poll

Trip fund

One pooled fund. The holder pays from the pot and logs every expense here, so everyone sees the balance and each day's spend.

The crew

Add yourself so we can find each other on the boat and ashore. Saving a name that's already listed updates that entry.

Arrivals

How everyone is getting to Tortola, so we can meet up on Feb 11.

Everyone

Add or update

Crude Escape

2026 Fountaine Pajot Aura 51, BVI Yacht Charters, Ritter House Marina, Road Town.

51 ftlength
26.5 ftbeam
5.2 ftdraft
2 × 80 hpengines
238 galfresh water
236 galfuel

Already aboard

Listed by the charter company. Don't pack these.

Navigation
Garmin chartplotter, autopilot, wind instrument, VHF, cellular phone, paper chart and cruising guide.
Power
Generator, solar panels, lithium batteries, air conditioning.
Galley and deck
3-burner stove, gas BBQ, double-drawer fridge plus a cockpit fridge, hot deck shower, sun shade, foredeck cushions.
Fun
Bluetooth stereo with Bose speakers, hydraulic swim platform, snorkeling gear.
Safety and tender
Safety gear, dinghy with outboard and hydraulic lift.

Not guaranteed

The charter company lists the watermaker and underwater lights as premium features. They try to have them working but don't promise it or compensate if they fail. Air conditioning is listed too, so test everything at checkout before we leave the dock.

Confirm at checkout

Wifi
We expect wifi aboard. Get the network details and a speed check on day one.
Dinghy outboard
Horsepower and passenger limit. We'll be making several runs with a big group.
Life jackets
One per person, in good condition, plus throwables.
Snorkel gear
Condition and sizes. Bring your own mask if fit matters to you.
Watermaker, A/C, underwater lights
Run each one while the charter staff are still there.

Trip info

Charter dates
Feb 12 – 19, 2027
Marina
BVI Yacht Charters, Ritter House Marina, Wickhams Cay 2, Road Town, Tortola
Charter company
+1 284-494-4289 · from the US 888-615-4006 · charters@bviyc.com

Key dates

Thu, Feb 11
Travel day. Get to Tortola the day before, close to Road Town.
Fri, Feb 12
Charter starts. Confirm the check-in time with BVI Yacht Charters.
Fri, Feb 19
Off the boat. Confirm the checkout time with the charter company.
Sat, Feb 20
Fly home.

Emergency

Boat rules

The captain will go over these at the briefing. Reading them first saves the first day.

Heads
Marine toilets clog easily. Follow the charter company's rule at the briefing. The safe default is nothing in the toilet except what came out of you, and paper goes in the bin.
Water
Short showers even with the watermaker. Nothing greasy down the galley sink.
Shoes
Non-slip soles, no dark soles (they mark the deck). Flip-flops with no heel strap go overboard.
Dinghy
Tie it with two lines. Know where the kill switch is. Make two trips rather than overloading it. Pull it up on the lift at night.
Trash
Nothing goes overboard. Bag it daily and drop it at marinas.
Sun
Reapply every two hours. Overcast days burn too. Day one is when somebody gets cooked.
Quiet hours
Sound carries on a catamaran. Agree on a time at the first dinner.

Moorings

Reservable balls
Booked ahead in the BoatyBall app for one night, about $55. They typically open around 7 a.m., and you have roughly 4 minutes to pay. Stops it covers include Cooper Island, Saba Rock, Jost Van Dyke, Cane Garden Bay, Soper's Hole, Scrub Island, Marina Cay and Anegada. Check boatyball.com for the current list.
First come, first served
Roughly $30–40 a night. Tie up, then pay in the app or to the mooring host. Some balls belong to local bars. Popular spots fill by early afternoon.
Day-use balls
Near dive and snorkel sites, short stays only.
Our routine
Leave the anchorage by about 9am. Pick tomorrow's stop the night before.
The Baths
Be there before 9am if we can.
Anegada
Call ahead on VHF to the mooring host before arriving, and stay in the marked channel.
Cash
Bring small US bills. Mooring hosts and some beach bars take cash only.

Stop guide

What to expect at each likely stop. It's saved in the app, so it works with no signal.

Clearing customs in the BVI

Boats clear in with BVI Customs and Immigration on arrival, with passports for everyone and the boat's papers. Confirm at the charter briefing who handles this for our boat.

Ports of entry for yachts: Road Town, West End (Soper's Hole), Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke, and St. Thomas Bay on Virgin Gorda. Hours differ by port and the last two close at 4:30pm, so don't plan to clear late in the day.

If we visit the US Virgin Islands, we clear in again at Cruz Bay (St. John) or Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas), then clear back into the BVI at a BVI port.

Source: BVI Tourist Board. Hours and the online SailClear process change, so check the official page before the trip.

Compiled from public cruising guides. Conditions, prices and opening hours change, and a north swell can close some anchorages. Confirm mooring availability on BoatyBall and the day's plan with the skipper.