Scarlet Ibis Charters

The seasonal price that you see on the website is only for the vessel, for a week (8 days, 7 nights). Your official quote will contain the vessel charter fee, as well as miscellaneous fees (Cancellation Insurance, Cruising Permit Tax, National Park Permit, Virgin Island Search and Rescue Fee, etc) which, at the time of this publishing, total just under $1000 USD for a week long booking. You will be required to provide a credit card in which a $5000 hold is placed to cover the hull insurance deductable in case of any accidents involving the vessel while in charter. This will not be charged unless an event that causes damage to the boat triggers a charge. Once the charter is complete, you are required to refuel the vessel as well as the dinghy. Depending on the amount that you motor vs sail, and how often you run the generator, that dollar amount is usually no more than $450, depending on the price of fuel at the time.

The Scarlet Ibis is located at Nanny Cay Marina in Road Town on the island of Tortola, BVI. Tortola has a small airport (Beef Island, EIS) that is serviced by American Airlines, as well as a few smaller Caribbean airlines. Due to the length of the airport runway, the flights are limited by plane size. Direct flights to Beef Island are few and far between, and the smaller airlines are not always the most reliable, but it is doable. Our preference is to fly into Charlotte Amalie (STT) airport on St. Thomas, USVI and take a 45 minute ferry or 30 minute private water taxi to Tortola. There are direct flights from a few major cities to St. Thomas, and the flights tend to be cheaper and more reliable. The ferries are affordable and pretty reliable. You do have to deal with their schedule and some crowds when checking into Immigration and Customs. Private water taxis are a great option, especially if you're in a group of other couples to split the cost. They are more expensive, however, the cost usually includes the land taxi from the airport to the water taxi, customized departure time, and concierge service when checking into Immigration and Customs once in the BVI.

Provisioning is a fancy yachting word for grocery shopping. The large supermarket brand on Tortola is called Riteway. They have a flagship store where you can go and shop in person, or you can order online ahead of time and schedule to have your provisions dropped directly off at the boat. That system is great but far from perfect. If they are out of an item you request, they may substitute something that doesn't make sense. Or one avacado ordered may show up as one entire case of avacados. You can always request credit from the store if something is missing or incorrect. There is a small Riteway store at the marina, just a two minute walk from the boat, where you can get a lot of the basics as well. There are some great boutique providers on Tortola as well, such as The French Deli, Steakation and Caribbean Cellars, where you can find many higher end foods and bottles in person or delivered directly to the boat.

Most sailing trips in the BVI follow a pattern of either a clockwise or counterclockwise route from the charter base to the surrounding islands. Typically a trip will start by heading either to Cooper Island or Norman Island, and hopscotch along the the islands circling Tortola. The one island outside of the main loop is Anegada. If weather is permitting, it is a beautiful, remote change of pace from everywhere else. But ultimately, outside of the weather, you can dictate where you go and spend your time. If you have a favorite spot, head directly there if it makes sense. If you discover a new place you love, stick around for a couple of days instead of sailing off the next morning. That's the beauty of a private charter; you set the agenda. If you're new to it all, we can help with an itenerary.

Seasickness affects everyone differently and sometimes not at all. We can recommend things like staying hydrated, over-the-counter remedies like Dramamine, natural items like ginger candies or mint, or asking your doctor for a presciption for a patch that you wear behind your ear. These things may or may not work for you, but often times some combination of these remedies along with benefit of being on a catamaran and not a mononhull (Scarlet Ibis is a much more stable platform than a monohull and therefore is not affected by the ocean nearly as much), as well as most daily sails being in fairly protected waters and often times no more than 6-8 miles apart, can make managing symptoms doable for most people. Almost all anchorages are well protected and free from ocean swell, so once you get on anchor or a mooring ball for the afternoon and evening, it's likely you'll barely notice the motion on the boat.

While it's easy to lounge the days away, sailing, sunning, and enjoying a lovely beach, there are plenty of exciting activities to enjoy in the BVI. Water-based options are snorkeling the many reefs, scuba diving, kayaking and paddleboarding, kiteboarding, wing foiling, and hobie cat sailing just to name a few. If you don't have your own gear (or skills) there are plenty of outfitters and instructors that will be happy to make sure you're taken care of. As for land-based activities, many islands have trails for hiking, geological features to explore such as The Baths, and the Bubbly Pool, rum distillery tours, ecotours of the Anegada Salt ponds and the nature preserve on Necker Island, as well as walking around different towns exploring the shops, restaurants and beach bars.