New Horizons II Charter to the BVIs

[alw1977]

Is this one of the better day sails to the BVIs? We would like to see the Baths and Jost in one trip, if possible. I cannot seem to find much info online (the New Horizons website appears to be down) but I keep reading about it in people's reviews.

Can anyone tell me how much this trip is pp, what's included, where you leave from, how large the boat is and how many people are on board? If anyone has another recommendation, lemme hear it!

Thanks.

[promoguy]

New Horizons is a fast motor boat and not a sail boat. I will normally go to the Baths (think you'll swim in on this one), snorkeling, lunch at Marina Cay and than over to Soggy Dollar for about an hour.

I liked Limnos better. Baths (using the trail) snorkeling at the caves and Soggy Dollar. You will take a taxi to top of hill at the baths, included, and walk down. We like this way better

[Schultz]

We really enjoyed the day we spent on New Horizons II - There were a dozen, maybe 14 people on our boat that day. Drinks and snacks were available all day. Lunch at Pusser's. A drink at the Soggy Dollar and snorkeling and the Baths in between. Our trip was extra special as our captain for the day turned out to be Big Dave who we knew from his previous stints at both Blue Moon at Secret Harbour and Alexander's in Frenchtown. Cost is in the $100 - $120 pp range depending upon what type of discounts you can get.

Schultz

[sitter]

We really liked the New Horizon's II!! They picked us up at Sapphire Marina & made a stop in Cruz Bay to pickup St. John people. There were about 15 of us on the boat...& one that had gone out the night B4 & so he spent most of his trip on the back end of the boat with head hanging over!! I was a bit concerned about the swim over to the Baths....but I even made it!! And I even did all the crawling thru the trails in the Baths!
You will enjoy it! Do it!!

[SusanNJ]

Yes the New Horizons II does cover all that is previously mentioned, but keep in mind if it is full the seating does get somewhat tight. My husband and I did this day trip when we first stayed on St. John. It was great to see so much in one day, however they were filled completely (16 people total I believe).

The following year we decided to try a private day sail and have been hooked ever since with the Scubadu and Captain Joe. (www.sailvi.com) He is pricey but it is worth it (especially if you can find another couple to go with).

[RickG]

Agreed, can be crowded but does cover a lot of territory quickly. There's a description of our day trip in 2005 at http://www.garvin.us/STJ/Trip_Reports/2 ... of_10.html

Cheers, RickG

[liamsaunt]

If you have never been over to the BVIs and you want to see the Baths then this is a good trip. Yes, the boat can be a bit tight depending on how people decide to spread out. You will need to swim in to shore at the Baths, but the boat has swim noodles available.

For us, we found the boat ride to the Baths very enjoyable. Although the boat was full and John ended up in the one spot without a view, we liked talking with the captain and the mate, and he could lean over and look at the ocean that was in my view. We found the Baths mildly interesting but not something we would clamor to go back to. Lunch at Marina Cay was fine. Snorkeling at Guana Island is what sold the trip for us. We saw corals in such abundance there, we felt the snorkeling was worth the cost of the trip. Picture:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/21015763/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/17/21015 ... b9d52a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="coral at guana island"></a>

The trip ends at Jost van Dyke, where you can enjoy a painkiller at the Soggy Dollar. Again, you have to swim in to the shore, and you don't want to do what one man on our boat did and push off towards shore using the boat propeller as leverage. OUCH!

I'm glad we did it as an intro, because we were able to experience lots of different things and then determine what we liked the best. For us, snorkeling is the best part, so we are looking into a daytrip that will take us over to the best BVI sites for that.

[JerseyShoreBill]

I've done just about all the day trips & this suited
me best as far as intinerary. I had never done Monkey
Pt. off Guana Is. & I concur with liamsaunt that this
stop was worth the whole trip-marine life in great
abundance & variety. I also liked that time wasn't
wasted at the Baths(instead of being dropped off in
Spanishtown & then driven to the Top of the Baths &
hiking down, NH II anchors at the grotto area & you're in the water quickly). Marina Cay does a good
lunch, also. Now, if they could just stretch the
White Bay stop another hour(Painkillers + Kevin's
wit & stories).
J.S.Bill

[alw1977]

Thanks everybody. The swim from the boat to the Baths doesn't bother me at all. We're both young and in good health. Here's my one concern, and yes, you can call me a chicken if you like. How are the waters between St. John and VG? I've heard that particular part of the ride can be a bit choppy, depending on sea conditions. I don't have a tendency towards sea sickness, but I did have one experience in Maui that has made me re-think my "let's go!" attitude toward pleasure boating. If I can stand up, I'm usually a LOT better.

[RickG]

Christine broke her collar bone on a snorkel trip off of Hawaii. The channel that you go down is not nearly as rough. The NH II has a deep V and is quite stable. I did not see anyone get nervous.

Now, if some hairy storms are forecast then cancel. But, NH II does not give refunds unless they cancel the trip. If the s**t is going to hit the fan their captain does not want to be in the middle of it.

Cheers, RickG

[liamsaunt]

Thanks everybody. The swim from the boat to the Baths doesn't bother me at all. We're both young and in good health. Here's my one concern, and yes, you can call me a chicken if you like. How are the waters between St. John and VG? I've heard that particular part of the ride can be a bit choppy, depending on sea conditions. I don't have a tendency towards sea sickness, but I did have one experience in Maui that has made me re-think my "let's go!" attitude toward pleasure boating. If I can stand up, I'm usually a LOT better.

Our trip to the Baths was super smooth. No rocking, nobody got sick, no complaints at all. The captain did comment that we were very lucky though, so that kind of experience might not be the norm.