Getting your captains license
 

We were thinking of a BVI vacation or some other place that included renting a Catamaran. I guess you need to have a captains lice to rent one of these. Has anyone done it? Can you make any recommendations?

My parents have a place on the east end of St.Thomas that may be available to rent. It looks back in at Redhook.

The ferries leave from Redhook to go to St.John (15mins across) or the BVI's.

I can get you more info if needed.

Is it true that if you get your captains licence whenever you are on the boat you have to wear a captains hat and people have to say aye aye captain everytime you say something? Please say yes.

Bcrider. I was looking to rent a boat (Catamaran) to be specific. Not sure if your parents “place” is just that a condo or a boat?

I contacted Sun Sail and it turns out you don’t need much of a lic to rent a boat. It kind of reminded me of a Divers Cert in Mexico, where if you can swim from one end of the pool to the other with out touching bottom your good to dive 😀. Crazy I know. But it’s sounds like they rent you a boat depending on your ability and where you plan on going.

Grant, we just got back from the BVIs two weeks ago. We go every two years. If you are wanting to rent a sailboat, then you will have to have a sailing cert. You always have the option of hiring a captain too. Some companies rent power only cats. From what I have heard, you may not need an actual captains license to rent them if you have experience with larger boats. Again, that is hearsay but I have heard it from more than one person. The trip is awesome and I would recommend it to anyone.

I have no want to Sail. So a power cat is what Im looking for. We just wanted to cruise the shoreline and check out the local places. How is the place? My buddy said that the last Hurricane that blew threw took out many of the fav small restaurants and bars

Ive done BVI I think 5 times, always choose a Cat. So much more room and easy sailing. The 1st time we went was probably 20 years ago. We had very little sailing experience. Our most experienced had a 14 foot sailboat when he was a teenager. We were a little nervous. The sail co takes you out of the harbor, asks you to raise the main sail, asks a few questions then they jump into their dinghy and we were on our own. Each time we got bigger, newer boats. We sail everyday to a different island and or dive spot. We have been as far south as St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. Further south the scuba gets unreal. Its a great vacation and highly recommend it.

It did take out a lot of it. We were supposed to go last January but decided to put it off a year. The main places we missed was Bitter End Yacht Club(completely gone) and Saba Rock(both at north sound on Virgin Gorda). Anegada is still mostly there, Soggy Dollar, Foxy's and Cosairs are all rebuilt. Willy T is back and better than ever. The main thing I noticed was the snorkling wasn't very good. Irma did a number to the bottom. There is a new website to rent mooring balls on so you don't have to be first come first serve. You can rent them at beginning at midnight the day of so I suggest someone stay up late.

It's so nice to see everyone getting along when politics isn't involved. Shame everyone dies at the end.

yes you have to know what you're doing before you can rent a boat. me and a couple buddies going in a few months. one is has capt cert and has done it about 10 times. we're getting a 50' cat.

other option is paying for a capt but that's get expensive pretty quick

I can't speak to renting a boat as when I went 2 years ago I stayed on Tortola, but did charter a day sail that was well worth the money!!! Anegada made it through the hurricanes well, Tortola was hit really hard but most places have rebuilt or mostly rebuilt... Jost Van Dyke has rebuilt mostly and Virgin Gorda is rebuilding but Bitter End and Saba Rock were basically wiped off the map. A friend of mine has been back to Jost twice since the hurricanes but stayed on a friend's boat that lives/works on Jost.

I'm frequent Insta/FB pages of several BVI businesses/people and almost everyday is an update of a new place for rent or restaurant opening up. I'm hoping to make it back there in the next year or so and would love to do a sailing trip instead of land-based living.