A sailing in holiday in the Caribbean paradise of the British Virgin Islands is supposed to be a fabulous relaxing experience. So when you are planning all the details in advance, it’s best to find a way of avoiding all the worries and stresses that can make arranging any holiday seem like harder work than the jobs you’re trying to take a break from.
Choosing to go to the BVI is a good start. You’ve chosen a fabulous group of islands between Puerto Rico and Anguilla that are famous for being one of the world’s perfect destinations for sailing. The islanders are very experienced at providing boating holidays and you can relax knowing that everything will go very smoothly, especially if you choose a leading operator to hire your boat from.
That’s why it pays to use one of the world’s leading catamaran charter companies like, Borrow A Boat – The Air Bnb of boats. As one of the world’s biggest yacht chartering marketplaces, Borrowaboat has an amazing 35,000 vessels available to hire across the globe – and that means it has hundreds of boats available in the British Virgin Islands.
These change all the time as visitors hire them of course and they are all scrutinised carefully to make sure they always comply with all the required safety and maintenance certifications. But at any one time you’ll be able to find more than 600 vessels on Borrowaboat’s online listings in the BVI.
These boats cover a wide range of budgets and requirements. At one extreme will be a small yacht suitable for a couple that are experienced and confident in their own boat-handling skills. At the other extreme could be a fully crewed and skippered luxury motor yacht with room for a big party of guests.
Borrowaboat will make the charter process as simple as it can be and add the reassurance of dealing with one of the largest and most reputable operators in the charter business anywhere in the world.
You still have a few decisions to make though – but don’t worry, they’re the lovely things to consider in advance of your holiday. It will add to the thrill of anticipation.
First you have to choose whether to hire a boat ‘bareback’. That is just the boat, with no crew.
That’s the most cost-effective option if you are a confident, experienced and qualified sailor. If you are still unsure, the BVI is considered one of the easiest destinations to try your hand at chartering – the distances between islands are small and the seas are mostly very safe and sheltered.
Or you can opt for hiring a boat complete with a professional skipper. This means you will have the reassurance of an expert captain to navigate and handle the boat.
The skipper will take you where you want to go and give you all the advice you need. This means you can forget the maps and ropes and concentrate on the other parts of the BVI holiday experience.
You may want to visit one of the lively party harbours or find the most private secluded beach. You simply have to ask your skipper to take you there.
The third option is to charter a boat complete with its own crew. This means a skipper to do the sailing, a chef to do all the food – and a deckhand to help them both.
You’ll be able to ask your skipper to take you somewhere while the chef prepares the food you’ve ordered. You’ll be able to relax and eat where you want, when you want.
Your meals can be served at your table on the deck, all the cleaning will be done for you – and you wont even must do any washing up. It is a holiday after all!
The crew will be experienced and professional, so you needn’t worry about privacy. They will give you as much or as little space as you want.
The crew members will have their own quarters, and these will be separate from the guest quarters. Don’t forget it’s all designed to be your holiday – and their job.
You’ll also have the very pleasant task of choosing what sort of boat to charter. Luckily Borrowboat always have a huge range to choose from.
Yachts will give experienced sailors more thrills as they tilt in the wind. Catamarans are the most popular choice for this sort of sailing holiday, however.
Their design means there is more space, the boat is always more stable in the waves and has a shallower draft, allowing you to explore the shallowest beaches and reefs.
The size of boat you need is down to personal preference, the size of your party and what you plan to do every day. Don’t forget you need space to store supplies as well as people.
If you plan to spend days on the boat, sunbathing, eating and drinking, you’ll need more deck space. If you’re going ashore every day and just using your boat as a mobile hotel you may need less.
Using a large reputable operator like Borrowaboat makes these decisions easier and less stressful. You can ask them for advice, and they have plenty of information to help on their detailed website.
Most importantly they have such a wide range of boats available, at every budget point, you will be able to find something that’s exactly right. With so much choice, they’ll be able to help make your BVI sailing holiday perfect.