BVI day trip in Feb

[martini girl]

Our group of 9 is strongly considering a daytrip to the BVI in February, possibly with New Horizons II.

Is this something that I need to reserve in advance, or can I wait till we get there? The dads in the group are a bit apprehensive about water travel in general (they're definitely wearing the patch) and would prefer to make a same-day decision based on the weather. My concern is if we don't reserve ahead of time, we won't find any availability.

Does anyone have any suggestions on this topic? Will we find availability if we wait till we're there, or should I book ahead and take my chances? Any help would be appreciated.

[pswlrw]

For your group, I would definitely recommend a day on Born to Rhumb (borntorhumb.com). You would have the boat to yourselves (it holds up to 12) and Captain Kevin is very sensitive to everyone's boating comfort. He kept checking to make sure everyone was okay with the speed, etc. I loved that. We went to Foxy's, the Willie Tee, Sandy Spit, the Caves, the Indians and the Soggy Dollar Bar - never felt rushed and just had an AMAZING day!! Tell Captain Kevin that Bernie's sister sent you.

[RickG]

martini girl, where are you staying?

We did the NH II with the Gang of 10 last October. We had a great time. You definately need reservations ahead of time if you want to go on a specific day. 9 people will take up more than half of the boat.

NH II covers a lot of territory rapidly. NH II is a fast mover and hits Virgin Gorda, Tortola/Beef Island and Jost Van Dyke. It's about the destinations rather than the journey. This is an inside passage between right up between Tortola and the minor islands, so it's rather shelterd. No one needed dramamine on this trip. NH II is very stable. You can read my trip report in the archives here or on my website http://www.garvin.us/STJ/Trip_Reports/2 ... of_10.html

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/150022 ... 2117uvIkSz


Personally, I prefer sailing. Not everyone in my gang agrees. My daughters are big fans of the larger group excursion catamarans. I love the idea of having a sailboat to ourselves with a captain doing the sober working of captaining. Most of the private daysails are restricted to 6 or less due the specific type of Coast Guard license the captain has (as explained to me by a captain). So, Born to Rhumb is a good option for a bigger group.

You'll have a great time. Say hi to Seddy at One Love Bar on JVD!

Cheers, RickG

[Kentuckygirl]

RickG,
Who would you suggest using for a private daysail for 2? We would like to do some good snorkeling, and definitely spend quite a bit of time on and around JVD. Thanks!

[RickG]

I would throw that out the group at large, probably as its own topic. For two people, we tend to rent a small power boat.

Having said that, Capt. Phil on the Wayward Sailor was voted best in the VI. http://www.waywardsailor.net/

Cheers, RickG

[Kentuckygirl]

Thanks Rick! I will do that, although Wayward Sailor looks like a possibility. As far as a powerboat goes, do you know anything about Flyaway Charters? I had been considering them as well.

[martini girl]

Thanks for the suggestions. We'll now consider Born to Rhumb as an option in addition to NHII. We didn't have a specific day in mind, but given our group size, it sounds like a reservation may be in order.

Rick - we're staying at Great Expectations. I checked out your trip report, it was very helpful.
It gives us something to really look forward to. Thanks again.

[waterguy]

for a day sail we like rusty and hes triamran