DELETED

[DELETED]

DELETED

[chicagoans]

I would do it in a heartbeat. (Even better would be 5 days on the boat and 5 in a villa if possible.)
Having the villa for the second half would be my preference, just because it seems like it would be more relaxing to end that way with room to spread out at the end. Plus the ability to do laundry for the second half of the trip, but that's the mom in me talking.

[sailorgirl]

I would consider the time lost for trnasfer from boat to villa, especially if its the BVI and not USVI

[Maryanne]

We once rented a villa for 4 nights before a sailing trip. We checked out of the villa (we had packed very light, just a small duffle each) at 10, then went down to Caneel where our captain had arranged to pick us up. We were sailing and on our way to Jost well before lunchtime, which was our first of many delicious meals onboard.

[BOATSRUS]

Dude,...we have friends here in "wilmiwood" that swear by bare boatin'...they always charter out of STT....stop on STJ first, then customs at Soper's Hole and they are good to go... we're talkin' a 60' Hatteras w/ six couples (just between you and me I don't love any of them that much!)Quarters can get small when you don't love the one you brung!..However...they do get around to some great spots off the path I'd love to check out...I'd go for the 2nd 1/2 of the week at the villa too...This year that crazy crowd has chartered 4 boats for the week!!...sounds like a great deal to me...you could spend the night at Jost!! '8)'or...Cooper Island and or check out the Bitter End... Jack and I want to do it, but I don't want to shack up with multiples...we are planning a bare boat vacation sometime down there, just haven't put aside enough pennies for more than 2 STJ trips a year...Go for it, you and Miss B will have a blast
Boats

[jayseadee]

Depending on time of year, you may be able to charter for less than a week.

We chartered a sailboat (with Captain and Chef) for 4 nights in November, 2005; then spent some time on Tortola. We used Sherry at www.yatesyachts.com.

[Henry]

Great trip.. we're going this year 5 days on boat and 8 days on st john. its the perfect vaction(my opinion only)

[ccasebolt]

Having just done a 7-day bareboat followed by 4 days on STJ (and yes, I'm working on my TR), my preference would be 4-5 on the boat and 6-7 on land. This seems to be the consensus among our female crew members. The men however liked things just the way they were. I can say I was starting to feel a bit "schlumpy" after a week on the boat - couldn't wait for a nice hot shower. The guys didn't seem to mind as much
For me, 4 days on STJ was just not enough. I would definitely do the land-lubber portion after the charter. It was a nice follow-up for me.

I'm not sure what CatCo's policy is regarding charters of less than a week. I imagine anything's negotiable for the right price though.

[Diana2]

We've done the split twice. One week first on a boat with captain and cook with another couple followed by one week (after the first trip) and 10 days (after the second charter). I think the perfect scenario is 5 days on a charter and 10 days-2 weeks in a villa on STJ. Definitely the villa after the boat. After 5 days on the boat I was ready to get off. Hubby could have done a couple of weeks on the boat but 1 week is max for me. And BOATSRUS is right on. You'd better 'love the ones you're with' or it's not much fun. That was kind of the story on our first charter. At the end of the week I never wanted to see any of their faces for a long long time so chose your boat mates wisely.

[ccasebolt]

Diana - I'm with you! 5 boat days and a LOT of time on STJ
We had and excellent crew (of 8!) this time. Everyone knew each other beforehand except one couple (friends of ours we lobbied hard for) and it all worked out great. As an added bonus, we had not one, but TWO gourmet cooks on board.

[DELETED]

DELETED

[ccasebolt]

Jorge - your plan sounds feasible to me, bearing a couple of things in mind. Your charter company would have to be okay with it of course. If you're hiring a captain, then you wouldn't have to worry about sailing qualifications. Otherwise, you would have to have a qualified captain (and at least one qualified crew member) on each side. Another consideration is the cost of clearing the vessel into the BVI, then back into the US, into the BVI again, etc. I'm not sure what the cost would be because we stayed in British waters during our trip, but you would certainly want to check it out beforehand. If the cost of all that is unreasonable, you could always charter out of Tortola and arrange to ferry from STJ to do the exchange instead. I don't imagine there would be any issue on the villa side of your plan. Sounds like a great idea to me

[b-as-u-r]

Since I haven't actually done a bare boat vacation yet, I can only speak from my sailing lessons experience out of STT in December. I was on the boat with my husband, our captain/teacher and 2 other men that we didn't know that were also signed up for lessons. Maybe because we were all there to learn sailing, hands-on and course material, there was no time for anyone to not get along (besides, I was the only woman). Even with a broken stove and one broken refrigerator, the threat of a hurricane and choppy seas, it was the most fun I've ever had. That includes the fact that I only took 2 real showers all week and lived in a minimal amount of shorts and t-shirts all week. Waking up in Francis Bay is just the best. Hitting Willy T's at night was a blast and dinner on Jost with all the x-mas lights glowing was awesome. A day in Tortola strolling the marina, hitting the shops and having some lunch, was also another great way to spend the day. Thumbs up for the split vacation concept (though I could easily spend the entire week on the boat)!! Ali~