The Next Adventure – The BVI (British Virgin Islands)

You are receiving this Blog Email because you are Family or Friends, with any of the following people;

1. Mike, Jonell, or Ashley Jonell Murphree – from the Blog about America’s Great Loop (2017-2018CY)
2. Jerry & Deena Luck – from the Blogs about The Exuma Islands (2023CY) or the “SC to MI Trip” (2025)
3. Rich & Anita Cook – new BVI Blog Postings, The British Virgin Islands (Mar 26-Apr 3, 2026)
4. Dave & Ginger Hinman – new BVI, recently completed in (Mar 26-Apr 3, 2026).

You will be receiving one Email Blog Post per Day, for 7-Days.

These Blog Posts will show the highlights of our recently completed trip to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) from March 26th – April 3rd.

If you’re not interested in reading about our trip, just delete the Email notes 🙂

This trip really was really initiated by Jonell’s cousin’s Rich & Anita Cook, along with their friends Rich & Kim Harrold. They had been wanting to do a BVI Trip for several years, and asked me and Jonell to join them and to help plan the trip. Jonell ended up bowing out, but our daughter Ashley joined the crew with great excitement & energy.

Planning for the March 2026 trip began in July of 2025 and we locked the boat in during August of 2025.

Our Vessel was rented thru a company called The Moorings, one of the biggest Yacht Charter companies in the BVI. Our Yacht was The Moorings 464PC, a new 46.5 foot Power Catamaran named Sea Senora

464PC video = Click Link

Our Crew :
1. Mike & Ashley Murphree
2. Rich & Anita Cook (Jonell’s cousin)
3. Dave & Ginger Hinman (Murphree friends, who had never met The Cooks)



Special Thanks to Dave Sylver Jr, who provided significant BVI information & tutaledge.

Special Mention to ; Rich/Kim Harrold & Bill/Linda Rotramel, who planned to be with us but had to bow out due to medical issues.

This Blog Posting is the Primer, or the Background for what is to come in 7 future blog posts.
Let’s start with some questions that I have received frequently, while preparing for the trip.

Question-1: Where is The BVI ?
The BVI is located in the Caribbean Sea, just east of Puerto Rico.
It is also just east of the US Virgin Islands (not shown on map below)

Question-2 : What are the Major Islands that people visit in the BVI ?

Question-3 : What are the Major Attractions to visit in the BVI ?

Question-4 : Why go to the BVI ?
The BVI is only a 3 hour flight from Miami.
But most important for “novice boaters” is that almost all of the islands are within 25 miles of each other.
The short travel distances make it easy to complete a 5-7 island adventure in 1-week.
The Water is BEAUTIFUL.
You don’t need a Captain’s License to charter a boat in the BVI (but you must describe your boating capability).

Question-5 : How much does it cost to rent a 47ft Yacht in the BVI for 1 week ?
The rental of our 46.5ft Power Catamaran was about $20,000 or $5,000/Couple
The Flights varied from $750/PP to $1200/PP, or about $1,500/Couple.
Mooring Balls, Marinas add another $55/Day (Mooring Balls) – $300/Day (average Marina)
And then there are Meals & Drinks – I spent about $200/Day or $1600 for the week.
So our trip cost each couple about ; $5000+$1,500+$1,200+$1600 = total about $9,000/Couple

Question-6 : How do you prep for 1 week in the BVI, while operating your own boat ?
Research, Planning, more Research !
What Islands will you go to ?
What attractions do you want to see ?
What Route will you take ?
Will you use Marinas, Mooring Balls, or Anchor (note = can’t anchor in many places, coral reefs).
How long to travel between each island (that limits your time on each island – Anegada 40 miles 1-way.
Marina Reservations = 2-3 months for popular marinas (Scrub Island, Bitter End Yacht Club, Oil Nut Bay).
Boaty Ball Reservations = 7am each Day, or Advanced Boaty Ball Authorization (2-3 months in advance).
Dinner Reservations = Mostly walkup, but 2-7 days in advance at some places like Cooper Island Beach Club.

Question-7 : Do you need a Captain’s License to charter the boat ?
For The Moorings Yacht Charters in the BVI, you DO NOT need a Captain’s License in the BVI.
You DO need a Captain’s License at other places that The Moorings rents boats (Greece, Crotia, Tahiti)
Remember – The Captain is still responsible for any damage to the boat (Two Options).
Option 1: Yacht Damage Waiver (YDW)
Upfront Cost: You pay a non-refundable daily fee (typically ranging from $50 to $98 per night depending on the yacht type).
Reduced Liability: This option significantly reduces your security deposit. If damage occurs, your liability is capped at a much lower amount (often between $400 and $1,800 depending on the vessel).
Option 2: Higher Security Deposit
Upfront Cost: No daily fee, but you must leave a much larger refundable security deposit at the base (often $3,000 to $13,450+ depending on the yacht’s value).
Liability: If damage occurs, you are liable for the full cost of repairs up to the total value of this deposit.
We used this option 2, but our security deposit was only $1,400 (quite the deal on a million dollar boat)

Important Lessons, while planning this Trip
1. Booking The Yacht – book one year ahead of time, the rates go up a lot closer to your date of departure.
2. Advanced Boaty Ball Reservations – This is the Mooring Ball Reservation System in the BVI.
If you don’t pay for the Advanced Reservation Capability, you must get up at 7am each day & compete for a Mooring Ball, and they go fast (by 7:10am, they are all reserved).
The Advanced Reservation System is expensive ($700/week), but after spending $20k on the boat & $1500 on Airfare, why ruin your trip by having to wake up early & compete for a chance to get the mooring ball that you want.
If you want the Advanced Reservations capability – apply 3 months in advance, they sell a limited amount of Advance Reservation Permits.

Enough with the Questions & Recommendations, this is Boring – lets see some Photos & Video !

The Good Stuff (Photos & Video) is coming in the next 7 Blog Postings, over the next 7 Days.
I promise that there will be a lot of cool photos & video, and less commentary.
Below are some “Teaser Photos & Video” to gain your interest for the upcoming Emails.

If you have any questions, just hit the Reply Button and we will answer your questions.

Thanks for reading,
Mike/Ashley, Rich/Anita, & Dave/Ginger

Examples of what you will see on the upcoming blog postings, are shown below.