B.V.I. Sailing Trip
    October 5-15, 2001

    Welcome to the B.V.I. Sailing Trip web site. This site is intended to share useful information about the October sailing trip.   If you have any information that you would like to share then please let me know by sending an email.

       
       Home
       Telephones
       Emergency Contact
       Customs
       Bathing
       Beds
       Motion Sickness
       Food
       Learning to sail
       Bring
       Don't Bring
       Floatplan
       Photos
      Useful links

      Information about "Angelina" (boat #1)
      Information about "Delfino Blanco" (boat #2)
      Tortola Marine Management and information about the area

      Travel information

      Getting there:
      You can get to Tortola in one of a few different ways.
      You can fly to Beef Island Airport (airport code EIS), which is connected to Tortola, or fly to one of the surrounding Islands and take a ferry. If you fly to Tortola, you will not need to take a ferry. If you fly to St. Thomas you will need to take a ferry to get to Tortola. The airport on St. Thomas is airport code STT. The ferries mostly leave from the town of Charlotte Amalie which is a 15 minute cab ride from the airport. Some ferries leave from Red Hook which is on the other side of St. Thomas (probably a 30 minute cab ride). These ferries take about 45 minutes to an hour. Try Native Son ferry service at 340-774-8685 ($22 one-way, $40 round-trip) or Smiths Ferry at 340-775-7292 ($23 one-way, $44 round-trip).
      As of 10/1/2001 the following partial schedule applies:
      weekday (to Tortola):

      • 8:25am (Smith's) from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to West End, Tortola
      • 2:00pm (Smith's) from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to West End, Tortola
      • 4:00pm (Native Son) from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to Road Town, Tortola at 5:30
      • 4:30pm (Smith's) from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to Road Town, Tortola
      • 5:00pm (Native Son) from Red Hook, St. Thomas to Road Town, Tortola
      weekend (from Tortola):
      • 6:45am (Smith's) from Road Town, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie
      • 6:45am (Native Son) from Road Town, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
      • 7:00am (Smith's) from West End, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
      • 7:00am (Native Son) from West End, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
      • 10:00am (Smith's) from West End, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
      • 10:00am (Native Son) from West End, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
      • 2:30pm (Smith's) from West End, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
      • 2:30pm (Native Son) from West End, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
      • 5:45pm (Native Son) from West End, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
      The airfare prices (as of August 30) for round-trip travel to Tortola from San Francisco are about $800-$900 on American Airlines with a 30 day advance purchase. Air travel through St. Thomas is $750 - $850 through United, Delta or American. United was the best last time I checked. For these fares, you must purchase the tickets before September 4 or 5. As of September 20 there were still seats available from San Francisco for less than $800 on American Airlines. For reasonable rates try this Caribbean travel agent (800-327-5540). Their prices are a little lower than those that you would get directly though the airlines and they seem to be lower than other travel agent also. This is true for tickets on American Airlines anyway as they have a contract with American.

      When:
      Try to arrive before 2:00PM, October 5. You can arrive early if you like. There are reasonable hotel accomodations near the marina, however we will have the boats available for a sleep-aboard on the evening of October 4th. We will be returning to the Marina before 12:00 on October 15. Plan to depart after that time.

      General information

      Marina:Tortola Marine Management (TMM), Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands (284)494-2751

      Calling from the BVI: To make a credit card call from the BVI, dial 111 from any phone and follow the recorded instructions to complete the call. You do not need to buy a phone card to make this call.

      Emergency Contact: If anyone needs to reach you in an emergency, have them call the TMM base in Tortola at (284) 494-2751, and ask them to relay a message to you by VHF radio or cell phone. The cell phones will only be activated when the boat is checked out. You may need to mention the name of the boat. The catamaran is named "Angelina", and the monohull is named "Delfino Blanco".

      Currency: U.S. dollars exclusively. Banks are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and there are ATMs in Tortola.

      Entry requirements: YOU WILL NEED A PASSPORT. Most citizens do not require a visa but make sure that the expiration date of your passport is no earlier then February, 2002. It is also a very good idea to make two copies (Xerox-like) of your passport and leave one with someone at home, take one with you and keep it separate from your real passport. This is in case you lose your while travelling.

      Customs: BVI authorities have zero tolerance policy in regard to illegal drugs and firearms. If you need prescription drugs, then take a copy of your prescription with you.

      Bathing/dishwashing: Liquid joy dishwashing soap is good for salt water bathing, shampooing and dishwashing.

      Beds:Talcum powder/baby powder apparently helps keep your sheets fresh. You may want to try it.

      Motion sickness: This part of the Virgin Islands is typically fairly calm. But just in case, Ginger tablets work really well to calm the stomach. Most health food stores should carry them.

      Food/dining:We are planning to provision the boat for all breakfasts, lunches, and half of the dinners. We will be dining at local restaurants for about half of the dinners. Mike Swarm has kindly volunteered to organize the selection of food to be stocked on the boat. Please let him know if there is anything that you cannot eat/drink.

      Sailing:This is great opportunity to learn about sailing. So if you are interested in sailing or learning to sail, then try to start reading an introductory sailing book or other material like this Cal Adventures sailing class BEFORE you get there. That way you will be much more helpful as a crew member on the boat and you will learn much more than if you do not study up a little beforehand.

      Things to bring:

    • passport (must expire after February 2002)
    • a xerox copy of your passport in a different bag
    • diving certification card if you have one
    • sailing certifications if you have any
    • soft luggage (no hard-sided bags)
    • shoes with non-marking soles (most black soles leave marks)
    • water shoes or sandals (for walking in and around the water)
    • bathing suit (more than one)
    • shorts (more than one)
    • hat with brim (for shade)
    • a lanyard to tie your hat to you (otherwise bye-bye hat)
    • sunglasses (polarized are better)
    • extra contact lenses or glasses just in case
    • short-sleeve shirts or tank-tops (more than one)
    • beach towel
    • gloves for snorkeling and/or handling ropes
    • T-shirt for wearing while snorkling (to prevent sunburn and coral scrapes)
    • windbreaker or light jacket just in case
    • guys: long pants (not jeans) for dinner
    • guys: at least one shirt with a colar (for dinners)
    • women: pants or dress (for dinners)
    • sunscreen
    • camera and film (waterproof is better) (film is expensive there)
    • FRS radio if you have one
    • a few of your favorite audio CDs
    • a bottle of your favorite wine (carry-on)
    • a couple of books or magazines
    • flashlight or headlamp for reading or impromptu midnight excursions
    • playing cards or some other small interesting game
    • any medications that you may need (try to bring a copy of the prescription) You do not need to bring the following (we have a group supply):
    • Sunscreen (SPF 4, SPF 8, and SPF 15)
    • Insect repellent (2 bottles)
    • Assorted size band-aids
    • Neosporin (antibiotic ointment)
    • Benadryl (anti-hystamine)
    • Cortizone cream
    • Contac cold tablets
    • Aspirin Things to not bring:
    • snorkel equipment unless you really need to use your own (it's provided)
    • expensive camera
    • linens
    • sleeping bag
    • towels (except your favorite beach towel)
    • work
    • attitude
    • box-cutters
      • B.V.I. sailing trip home page / September 25, 2001 / mail to webmaster