āµ Ready to take the trip of a lifetime? I write a twice monthly, free newsletter with planning ideas for your next yacht charter trip: insider destination guides, sailing itineraries, and the latest news.
Hi, it's Matt with the Yacht Warriors!
The British Virgin Islands were all over the news recently, so let's get right into it. Here's what I have for you today:
In case you didn't hear, the BVI government seized 184 Moorings, Sunsail, Dream Yacht Charter boats.
The reason? Non-compliance with new safety and paperwork regulations.
Can you imagine showing up in Tortola for your charter trip to find out that it was cancelled and your only recourse was a refund?
Lesson learned? Many of the smaller charter operators such as TMM, Horizon, etc were able to meet the new rules. Might be worth a look for your next trip instead of the big boys (Moorings/Sunsail/DYC).
It's a bizarre way for the BVI government to conduct Public Relations, especially when the charter industry is your #2 source of revenue. But, there might be more to the story...see below.
Amidst a U.K. inquiry to investigate widespread corruption, the BVI Premier (leader of the country) and Port Authority Managing Director were arrested in the U.S. for drug and money laundering charges. Wow!
They were targeted in a DEA sting operation, in which the DEA pretended to be a member of the Sinaloa cartel. That's not all - the meeting was set up by members of Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist/militant organization.
The charging affidavit reads like something out of a Hollywood movie script.
An industry insider speculates that the charter industry crackdown might be linked to widespread corruption in the government. Done in the name of safety, but maybe it was really about lining government official's pockets...more to come on this one.
Last week, there were reports that a Sunsail cat, a new Lagoon 46, broke loose from a Boaty Ball mooring at Cooper Island.
The crew were ashore at Cooper Island Beach Club, and they returned back after dark to find the cat missing.
They reported it stolen to VISAR, and it's unclear if a search effort was organized that night.
The next morning, the cat was found grounded on the rocks with significant damage at Dead Chest Island - about ~2.8 nautical miles where it drifted on the wind and current.
My takeaways:
Check out this USVI and SVI itinerary design for a week-long bareboat trip. It's what I'm planning when I head out this fall with a group of guy friends. Here's what I like about it:
One of my favorite anchorages of all time is Sail Rocks North in the Exumas. Hard to beat the beauty and solitude we experienced on our last trip there in December.
If you enjoyed the newsletter, I'd appreciate if you could share it with others who love boat trips! Here's a link you can use. Thanks!!
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Sailing Vacations
āµ Ready to take the trip of a lifetime? I write a twice monthly, free newsletter with planning ideas for your next yacht charter trip: insider destination guides, sailing itineraries, and the latest news.
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