The Moorings BVI Base Cover

The Moorings BVI

 
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The Moorings BVI Base
Tortola Airport to The Moorings Road Town

Location

Time Zone
UTC/GMT -4 hours
Address
The Moorings
Wickhams Cay II
PO Box 139, Road Town
Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Charter Base Details

Base Hours
The base is open from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM, seven days a week (evening staff to cover until all flights have arrived).

July – September: hours are 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Base/Marina Facilities
Bar, Coffee Shop, Restaurant
24 Hour Security
WiFi Internet
Laundry (for a fee)
Restrooms & Showers
Mariner Inn
Scuba
Shopping and Gift Stores
Dining Options
Onsite:
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Ginny's Coffee Shop - Expensive breakfast sandwiches and coffee.
Charlie's - Open air. Decent food. Quite expensive. Normally slow.

Offsite:
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Brandywine - approximately 15-minute taxi ride
Bananakeet - approximately 25-minute taxi ride
Pusser’s - approximately 5-minute taxi ride



Provisioning Options
Moorings Online Provisioning: This is a great online market with most of what you'll need for a charter. The Moorings will only allow their staff to load your provisions before you're on board. All other options require you to be there to meet the provisioning people.

RiteWay Food Market: This grocery store has a good reputation for charter provisioning. Online ordering is very handy. They deliver to your yacht and even ferry provisions to other islands if needed. The store is about 3 minutes away by car.

Bobby's Marketplace: Good reputation. No online ordering option but you can order for delivery using an order form. About 5 minutes by car. Open until midnight which can come in handy!

Ample Hamper: Online ordering. Decent selection.

OneMart: Online option is out of date. Supermarket is about 3 minutes by car.

There is a very small grocery store at The Moorings base.
Getting to the Base
Getting to Road Town is a production so plan accordingly!

Option 1: Fly to EIS (Tortola) airport. You'll likely need to connect in San Juan, PR and take Cape Air or Seaborne Airlines. Some major airlines will code-share so you can book all with them. You can also choose a private charter from San Juan to EIS. Fly BVI is a great team and will be waiting at your gate with a sign when you arrive in San Juan. With a large group private may actually be cheaper.

Option 2: Fly to St. Thomas USVI and fast ferry to Road Town. Depending on flight availability to St. Thomas, this has been a great option.
Check-In Procedures
Check-In Procedures
Charter Start Time: 12:00 PM
Sleep Aboard: Time: 6:00 PM
Briefing Times: Monday through Friday – 9:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 4:00 PM & 7:00 PM*
Saturday and Sunday – 8:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 4:00 PM & 7:00 PM*

*4:00 PM and 7:00 PM briefing times are sometimes available for customers who have booked an Evening Start as part of their reservation and cannot be guaranteed on a daily basis. Please inquire with the base staff upon check-in to confirm that day's briefing schedule.

All skippers must attend a Chart Briefing which covers all you need to know about the cruising area, use of the VHF radio, how to call for assistance, and more. A Boat Briefing will also be provided on-board your yacht.
Check-Out Procedures
Check Out Procedures
Charter End Time: 11:00 AM for Sailing Charters & 10:00 AM for Power Charters

A debriefing and final walk-through will be done upon return so please allow enough time to complete this before the charter end time.
License Requirements
Bareboat Charter or Equivalent Resume
Charter Company

The Moorings BVI base in Road Town probably sees more charter guests in a year than nearly any other base. For the most part they do a good job and have everything you could need.

There is a small grocery store, a couple of restaurants, nice shower facilities, a pool, a SCUBA outpost, and some nice gift stores.

Everything is marked up considerably and the service is typically pretty slow.

Once you are here, you're in the BVI and about to go on an amazing charter. Things could certainly be worse!!

User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
4.3
Enjoyed it?
 
4.0(1)
Recommend it?
 
4.0(1)
Going back?
 
5.0(1)
Pre-Charter Communication
 
N/A(0)
Chart Briefing
 
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Boat Briefing
 
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Provisioning
 
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Base Amenities
 
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Staff Attentiveness and Service
 
5.0(1)
Cleanliness and Readiness of Boat
 
5.0(1)
Local Bars and Restaurants
 
3.0(1)
Moorings BVI Tortolla
Overall rating
 
4.3
Enjoyed it?
 
4.0
Recommend it?
 
4.0
Going back?
 
5.0
Pre-Charter Communication
 
N/A
Chart Briefing
 
N/A
Boat Briefing
 
N/A
Provisioning
 
N/A
Base Amenities
 
N/A
Staff Attentiveness and Service
 
5.0
Cleanliness and Readiness of Boat
 
5.0
Local Bars and Restaurants
 
3.0
If you fly in, it is only about a 25 min cab ride from the airport. The base is pretty large and well equipped. We grabbed some food at Charlies the night before we set out, and the shower/bathrooms on location were very nice to have. The Moorings staff were easy to work with, and the boats were clean and ready to go.
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