BVI Charter boat - any interest ?

[RobH]

We have been looking into doing a charter in the BVI's. A number of companies offer kite specific charters, however I think it can be done much cheaper if one were to organize a group of 6 or 8 people and picking up a captian/cook to take you to the kite locations. Better yet if someone has the background the moorings the bareboats are a option. Let me know if you have interest, it would be much more expensive than a Padre trip, but doing downwinders off a charter for a week while island hopping sounds pretty darn fun.

[P R Key]

Count me in! As long as I have 2 months notice I am all good. I am in need of a vacation!

Jeremy

[Tighe]

keep me in the loop, I'm very interested.

[jeff1]

Rob,

Jo and I would love to do a trip like this, and I believe I would be able to do the bareboat option with my qualifications (I would have to look into the moorings requirements). But, from a financial standpoint I think it will be a year or two before I can make the trip.

Good luck, I hope you guys have a great trip.

[Michelle]

Rob,
Did you guys have a date in mind for this trip?
Michelle

[alf]

I have been looking into the Real BVI thing, so I would definitely be interested. What dates were you thinking?

[RobH]

I also checked into the Real kite BVI - spendy but nice. Due to company shutdown over the Holidays we were checking in on rates end of December and over New Years, not sure how much of a premium is paid at that time frame. Other dates we are looking at are mid January or late March.

Really just in the research phase and wanted to know what interest was in our community. Heather and I are committed to doing it this year or next.

[Michelle]

Cool,
Anything before Feburary next year and Seth and I would be very interested.
Michelle

[Chip]

For an unbelievable experiance, I would suggest these guys. For a boat of this size - their prices are resonable. I have chartered with them before and will be on the this boat the week overlaping Feb/March.

http://www.ayacanora.com/

[Prof Marc]

Rob,

I'd be interested in such a trip. Keep me in the loop.

--Marc

[Chris B]

Don't you guys get on that boat without me!

[Tighe]

Might want to talk to Jeff Hoxtell from Air Padre. He's talked about some trips to Brazil.

I've ridden the BVI and it isn't really the best place to ride. I rode off of Necker Island which is owned by Richard Branson. The bay between Necker and Virgin Gorda is nice but not amazing. I didn't get up to Anagada, but that looks like the place to go. Unlike all the other islands in the BVI Anagada is a coral island, surrounded by beach. There are reefs everywhere and white sand beaches. All the other islands in the BVI are hilly and only have beaches on the sheltered side of the island. Maybe a trip to Anagada might be a cheaper option. Just an idea.

Living on a boat would be sweet though.

[Tom L]

Rob,

Ive been to the BV's a number of times. I haven't kited there but Tighe has a pretty good assesment of the challenges. I think most of the kite tours in the BVI's are done with cats because of the extra room for inflation & launch. I think they may be using the cats for launches rather than the beachs, bacause as Tighe says many of the good beaches are on the leeward side. But cats are much more expensive to rent. I'd try to do a cat. Sound lika blast if you go.

I saw a document somewhere linked to Kiteforum that had all the kite launches in the BVI's. Finding that would be a must. Maybe it's linked in the beaches section.

[Tom L]

Rob,

I found that document. It's a guide to launch's in the BVI's. 11 launch's. Great resource. I uploaded to my server.

http://www.loweprofile.com/misc/BVI.Kite.pdf

[steveb]

That ayacanors very expensive...you can charter your own 40 footer for a month for the price of 2 people for a week. Sweet looking boat though.


Nancy and I would be interested as long as we don't stay on something as expensive as the aya wana getya money.

[Tim S.]

I saw the post and had to chime in.

I've done a few charters in the BVI and as far as kite launches, I don't think it is the best place. As said before there are not a lot of open beaches or really beaches at all that would be accessible for kite launching.

I also spent some time working on a motor yacht in the bahamas. Moorings and a few other companies charter boats out of Marsh Harbor in the Abacos (Northern Island Chain) area of the Bahamas. This is the place to kite (where I learned to kite) HUGE open beaches everywhere with nobody on them. The islands are also very low profile, in fact most are just giant sandbars so the wind is very clean on either side of the islands. The Abacos sit on the Eastern edge of the Bahamas so you have the Atlantic ocean coming in from the east providing great surf, and you have a "intercoastel" area between the outer islands and the inner islands providing lake like riding. If you chartered a sailboat you would have your pick of any of the thousands of deserted beaches to kite on. There really is no downside to the Abacos except that it is a challenge to get to Marsh Harbor, and the water is so clear that you end up seeing lots of sea creatures, stingrays, sharks, ext. Luckily most of the sharks are nurse sharks but they still make you think twice before jumping in. Also if there is no wind, the reef on the outside of the Abacos is some of the best snorkling/diving around. This area is awesome! Some of the kite companies in FL are starting to offer trips into the Abacos to kite. I think there is also a kite company that runs out of Paradise Island/Atlantis resort that takes people for day trips to the Abacos to kite.

Anyway worth a click on the Moorings site to check out Marsh Harbor. Good luck with the planning where every you end up with a trip like this you won't beat it!!

[RobH]

Thanks everyone for the great input and feedback on the topic. We are going to keep researching and making contacts so that we can hopefully pull together a trip together by next year. We decided to go back to Barbados over New Years as it can be done pretty inexpensive once on the island and offers great kiting, scuba, and night life.

[djmadmike]

Rob man! Keep Jodie and I in the loop also! I watch those crazy BVI videos and just day dream too much. The next year will be a little tight with dinero and time until both of us are done with school, but once that is complete I will figure out a way to make it happen for sure.

Rock on
Mike N