Bobthebuilder

Many have followed my Caribbean offshore adventure over the last few months with the climax being the Leverick Bay, BVI poker run on Memorial weekend.
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...ay-2011-a.html Jayboat ( Jay ) has so professionally captured the spirit of the event with his photo thread again this year. http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...h-o-t-o-s.html This has generated a lot of interest from fellow OSO's as they contemplate the possibility of shipping their boats to the Islands and joining in on an unforgettable offshore experience next season. It can be intimidating for many especially if you have not shipped a boat into a foreign country before. The purpose of this thread is to provide some basic info on what is involved and to answer your questions. I intend to return to the Islands again next year, probably in February and it would be great to have a few more boats along. We will once again plan on doing the 2012 Leverick Bay, BVI poker run as a season ending finale. I can help steer you in the right direction when it comes to shipping, customs clearances, receiving your boat in St. Thomas, launching, secure storage for your boat and trailer when not there, and your return to the States.
Feel free to ask questions or contact me if interested. At some point next fall as we get closer to commitment time, I will bring this thread back to see if the interest is still there.

Bobthebuilder

A bit of basic info to consider

Shipping: I use Sea Star Lines and am hooked up with a shipping broker that has given me the best pricing available. She is currently working out ball park pricing on a variety of boat sizes starting at 32 ft to give you an idea.
I shipped from Port Everglades, FL ( Fort Lauderdale ) and am quite sure that they also have a terminal in Jacksonville. To give you some idea what to expect my 50 ft Nor Tech weighing just over 22,000 lbs on the trailer was about $ 10,500 total, down and back. I am hoping that a 38 ft boat can be shipped for $ 7 or $ 8,000 but will confirm that in a day or so. Pricing is determined by cubic ft so naturally cats will cost more to ship.

On arrival: Your boat will offloaded and stored outside in a fenced, secure shipping terminal with security. I did not lose a thing during the coarse of my trip. They will hold it for a reasonable length of time until you fly in to receive it. I used a recommended towing company to haul me about 2 miles to the launch ramp. He then took the trailer to a secure storage compound where it stayed until my return to St Thomas.

Distances: From Charlotte Amalie the capital of St Thomas and USVI to Saba Rock Resort at the eastern end of the North Sound and BVI it is only 45 miles. All of it protected waters other than some exposure in the gap between islands. Anegada is another 12 miles to the north of the North Sound. From BVI out to St Maarten it is another 88 miles to the east. That is all exposed water and should only be crossed in good conditions. Also to the west of St Thomas there are some really beautiful islands towards Puerto Rico including Culebra that are easily accessed.

Fuel: Good quality and readily available as it is never more than 10 or 15 miles to a marina. Expect to pay a buck or two more than in the US but a tank of gas will take you all thru the Islands and then some. I will need to check on the octane as I was only buying diesel of coarse. When I went down Island some places only had 90 or 91 octane. It depends on where refined.

Boat size: As you saw from Jay and my pictures, you can manage quite well with a moderate size boat. I would recommend not less than 32 ft and of coarse the bigger, the more comfort if that is important. We saw several Top Guns and lots of center consoles.

Island hopping: The Islands of the BVI form a protective ring around the Sir Francis Drake passage. Often the trade winds are blowing, kicking up the seas offshore but it is still very boatable within the island chain. Many of the islands are only a few miles apart and offer protection. There are some really cool and famous restaurants and beach bars on many of the islands: http://www.articlesbase.com/cruising...er-345076.html

PhantomChaos

Thanks Bob!!!

jasonmd2

iTrader: (4)

Great thread Bob, very informative! Hope to be able to do this one day...

RT930turbo

I can't wait to follow this thread! As always, thanks for sharing all your valuable insight.

Bobthebuilder

Thanks everyone. This is the range of boat sizes that ran in the poker run - From an approx 10ft Mini Hawk look alike to the pictured Sunseeker and everything in between. Too funny. I think Jay has a running shot of the MH and yes he did run the whole coarse of about 60 - 65 miles. The wind and seas were unusually light this year allowing even the smallest of boats to participate. We saw a few single engine boats being towed in over the coarse of the day. I am recommending a minimum of 32 ft with two engines to be able to enjoy most days.

tomba29

Thanks for the thread Bob.

I live in the BVI and have done the run for the past five years. I'm also willing to offer any assistance I can from this end for any one interested in coming next season.

Bobthebuilder

Wow, that would be extremely helpful and thank you. While I have spent some time in BVI the last two years there is still a lot for me to learn. There is nothing like " local knowledge ", for sure. David ( OSO Expat ) at Saba Rock has been an immense help to me and I know he would continue to help as well. I have always found the BVI'ers to very helpful.
Again, thanks and we must meet sometime.
Bob

Expat

Bob, great idea and thread. I am certainly all for more people to bring their boats down here to experience this area. It truly is a boaters paradise that more should enjoy. You are absolutely correct in stating it isn't' as daunting a task as it may seem to put the trip together. I am always available to help in any way I can to make that happen. David

J.B. Marshall

I also look forward to donig this someday, thank you for providing this very helpful info. Your trip threads are great