I have been renting from See & Ski for about 7 years of the eight that I've been here and I really like the new cats that they have (I think PocketYachts uses cats, too, don't they?). Very smooth and good on gas, too. Mathias (sp?) is a great guy, very fair, and they have captains available if you dont know the waters very well..Lester is a great guy! Renting a boat when I want to go is just so much easier than owning one, worrying about maintenance, insurance, hurricanes, etc. Works out to be cheaper, too!

Pocket Yachts aren't cats, just the regular center consoles, although I tend to spend less money on gas with them. Although I've rented from almost all of the places, and they are all very good. You can't go wrong.

I HIGHLY recocmmend getting out on a boat, no matter who its with, you can get to some AMAZING snorkeling spots that put the beach spots to shame.

I just returned from my trip to St Thomas lst night and we rented a boat from Pocket Yachts for 2 days. We rented the 18ft center consol with a 90 hp motor. Nice enough boat but the winds were blowing about 15 to 20 mph both days and the water was a bit rough. I own a 22ft boat and have a few years expereince and I never felt unsafe but it was a rough ride. We were forced to go about 12 mph a lot of the time. 1st day we cleared customs at West End Tortola and it was a bot of a pain. Waited about 45 minutes and cost $46 for 2 adults and 2 kids. Went over to the indians and Norman Island. The snorkeling was ok but not great. Watermelon Cay was actually better IMHO. Ate lunch at Pirates on Norman Island. OK food and really nice time. Would recommend a bit bigger boat if doing the BVI from St Thomas.
2nd day we cruised the beaches of St John. I really wanted to do Jost Van Dyke but with the rough water and the cost/time associated with clearing customs we decided to stay in the US. Had a great time going to about 5 different beaches and snorkeling. Watermellon Cay was again the best for snorkeling. We also tried to do a bit of fishing for a couple of hours. Spent about 2 hours trowling (SP?) and didn't catch a thing. My 10 and 8 year old boys lost interest after about 15 minutes and actually fell asleep. It was nice to just motor around but I would not plan to fish again without a guide. Gas cost about $40 per pay plus about $10 in oil. Not bad for about 4 to 5 hours of actual cruising time per day. Pocket Yachts charged $375 for the two days. Plus gas of about $100 abd customs fees we spend a little over $500 for the 2 days. I love boating and plan to do it again next trip. I might go for the 23 ft boat even though it costs about $100 more a day plus about double the gas. Feel free to eamil with any direct questions. Pocket Yachts was very nice and since we were staying at Saphire Beach we stopped by at 4:00 pm the night before and did all the paper work so on the morning of our rental we were able to just take off. They were also nice enough to help fill out the customs paperwork ahead of time. Made it a lot easier to clear customs. I highly recommend pocket yachts. Eric

I just wanted to say thanks for all the suggestions and advice. You've been very helpful, Can't wait to get there!

I will be visiting July 1-8. We are staying in a villa without another couple. We have already been to Virin Gorda, but our friends have not and definitely want to go there. We were on the Limnose last year. However, we are considering one of the faster boats this year so we can see more -- I think it is called New Horizons or something like that. We will be able to go to Baths, Jost and some other place. Can someone give me some advice on this? This is also week of Carnival so I want to go ahead and make reservations. Another idea is to actually rent a boat and captain which we might do another day anyway.

I would go with Limnos or New Horizon II for the Baths. Much cheaper than renting your own boat with a captain for the day, and a MUCH MUCH smoother ride. In a rental boat you will be going straight into the chop the whole way there, and you will spend TONS in gas.

Since you are staying on St John there is a boat rental place in Wharfside Village is you want to rent a boat to head to Jost Van Dyke, or you can rent a dinghy and cruise around St John.