We rented two 29 Foot boats from Nauti Nymph in Feb. Older boats with brand new motors. Twin 200 fours stroke yamahas on the ones that we rented. The boats ran good and were very fuel effecient. It looked like the ocean runner boats a Cruz Bay had newer Evinrudes but I don't know how new. I don't think ou could go wrong either way.
Jay

I'm a local here so I rent quite a bit. I LOVE www.seeski.com because they have nice new clean boats with plenty of seating and most importantly PLENTY of shade which covers the back of the boat.

Let me know what day you are going out and I'd be more than happy to captain for free if my schedule allows. I've taken out a few people from this board before and its lots of fun. You save $130 captain fee and I get to go have fun out on the water.

But either way I love seeski, great guy to work with too.

And also check out www.captainnautica.com. Great trip.

StuScott, I wish I had gotten in touch with you in January!! We rented from Nauti Nymph and had a poor experience with the rented captain. She was over 1/2 hour late to pick us up at the dock in St. John and didn't allow us to stay out a 1/2 hour longer due to customs. We had to force her to take us where we wanted to go and the day ended with her screaming at us for not tipping her more (we tipped her $50). SCFAMILY, I would not recommend Nauti Nymph, and if you do go with them, plan to spend more than the quoted price (gas, tip, lunch, driver's lunch).

Thanks for the advise and warning about Nauti Nymph. We barebacked last time and had a great time circling St John and stopping to snorkle at differnet sites and mooring to hike Ram Head.

We wanted to venture to the BVI this year and I was thinking of hiring a captain to make the best use of time. How hard is navigation to Norman Island and other BVI snorkle and bar sites? We are very experienced boaters. BVI navigation appears easy compared to our SC coast and waterways.

We would much rather bareback. It's not as much about saving the captains fee, but the privacy and adventure of being on our own.

Is Seeski easy to use from St John? Are they helpful planning routes?

What size boat do you recommend for typical water conditions? There will be just 4 of us.

scfamily
Navagation is fairly easy here. Every rental company will give you charts. You are never farther then 3-4 miles from any island. Navigation by eye. 28 footer should be fine. If you do not plan on drinking i would say bareboat> If you plan on haveing a few i would recommend getting a licensed Captain. From the company you rent from. A licensed captain is responsable for the safty of the passangers and any damage to the boat.

Just to stick up for nauti nymph. they are a good outfit. Picking up on St john can be difficult first thing in the am. The docks are crowded , at the westin, park dock or caneel. You might have to motar in the bay for 15- 45 min waiting for the docks to clear.

Forget Nauti Nymph..they are greedy and the German woman owner is insane!

Sea and Ski...wonderful boats and great owners

Ocean Runner Ok ask for Pete

I agree that if you are going to be drinking get a captain. Also a captain can drop you off close to things and wait for you in the boat rather than you having to try and get a mooring or set and anchor and swim to shore. But if you are not drinking and don't want anyone around then by all means go bareback. Johnson Reef off of Trunk Bay-Jumbie Beach on the northside of St John is all you have to worry about for the MOST part. I don't think See Ski will pick you up in St John if you are bareboating.

I have heard very good things about Stu from my friend Debbie, she said he was an excellent captain !

seabaso

I am sure Stu knows the waters, and knows how to handle a boat as well as , and even better then most Captains.He would be a guide not a captian. Him and I have been thru this before, around a year ago. To become a United States Coast Gaurd Merchent Marine Officer. You must past the coast gaurd test. To be in other words a licensed Captain. To be able to even take the test, You have to have 365 logged days of working on a boat or boating within the last five years. Pass and be on a random drug program, be first aid CPR certified. FBI check. And go to sea school for 2 weeks. After you pass you test. And many do fail. You have to take a stcw course Basic safety training. And as of a year ago a homeland security course. All the courses add up to about 2-3 thousand dollars figureing timetakeing off of work.

A captain is anyone you pay to operate your boat. Pay includes money, a tip, Lunch, any thing you give him. The so called Captain can get in alot of trouble if he or she gets caught .

Again when you hire a captain he or she is responceable for your safety and that of the boat. If you go up on the rocks, or a reef, ding the prop, drag anchor and go up on shore, god forbid have an accident. Your captain is at fault .If you have a Guide , Hope you brought your american express. They are 50- 100 thousand dollar boats

I talked to seeski today and he says they no longer offer bareboating except to people with extensive local experience. I have 30 years boating experience but only a few days locally and I could not convince him. Back to the 1st plan of hiring the captain in order to get the most out of the day. I appreciate the guys offer on the board but would only consider a professional captain for liablity purposes etc. Thanks for all your input. Any particular captain to request through SeeSki?

scfamily,
I don't know any of the captain's personally at seeski. I did check out there site after StuScott posted it and they do appear to have a nice modern fleet of boats.
I did see this review/commercial on ONStJohn a while back
http://www.on-stjohn.com/2007/03/16/on-stjohn-tv-palm-tree-charters/
This guy seems like he would fit the bill for what you are looking for. As for the rental companies not letting anyone bareboat without local experience its a simple function of math. The guys at Nauti Nyphm told me that on average they have to go out and retrieve a boat off of a reef or beach once every ten days and thats with them only renting to people with local knowledge or at least claiming to have. All of these companies have huge deductibles, I think Nuati Nyphm told me $8000 per boat. They charge a small daily insurance fee $30-40 bucks I think that drops you personal deductable down to around $800 dollars. This is basically self insurance for them to cover the deductable when someone tears up a boat on the rocks. I assume you have coastal or bluewater experience in SC? If you have blue water navigation experience you might be able to get someone to rent to you or you could simpy lie about you local experience which I am sure is done frequently.

hwki,
Its unfortunate that you had a bad experience with your boating trip. Do you remember the captain's name? If you have it then you should post it. As to her being late it may not have been her fault as stated above, weather, lines at the fuel dock, dead battery and god knows what else could have caused it. As to not getting to stay over the extra half hour. The customs dock in St John just doesn't have sense of humor. Those are some of the meanest women on the planet. They take great pride in busting everyones chops whenever possible. Not clearing back in just isn't an option. As to the hidden costs of a boat rental, gas, tip, food etc. Its just part of the deal. You will pay for fuel on any rental of this type. As for lunch wether its stated or not it is local custom to feed the crew on any charter that doesn't include meals. That doesn't mean you have to but it is the custom. As for her attitude about the tip that's the part that just not right. The tip should be based on the level of the service received and generally would run 10 to 20 percent of the charter cost if everything went well on a charter that costs $650 with a captain then a good tip would be 100-130 but thats at the high end based on a great experience.

J.R./Stu Scott
I was going to go were J.R. went but talked myself out of it until J.R. went there. Stu I have read alot of your posts on this topic and I have no doubt that you have good intentions with your offer of a "free captain" but your choice of words couldn't be worse. First of as J.R. pointed out the regs for a OUVP or Masters License are lengthy and hold a lot of responsibility on the holders part. You need to know that you are exposing yourself to alot of liability with the offers that you have made here and on other boards. The coast guard would likely take your offer to captain for free as your acceptance of "valuable consideration" which would require you to hold both a license, either OUVP or Master and an SCTW95 certificate as this trip even though it is only a day trip visits a foreign port and as such requires the SCTW95 to meet international standards. In the event that there is a problem the person that rented the boat is going to be on the hook for damages. And then they are going to be looking to you as the Master of the vessel for reinbursement. If its an incident that involves the authorities and they find out about your unlicensed status you could be liable for both civil and criminal penalties. I fully understand your desire to boat in the islands but I would suggest you get your sea time legally, get a job as a mate on a day trip boat, put in your time and get your credentials so you can do it legally. By the way Sea School holds classes in St Thomas and offers both of these courses. If you don't have the hours to get your license then take the SCTW95 and you will have no problem finding a job as a mate to get your time.
For the record I do hold a 50 Masters License, I don't work for Nauti Nymph or any other charter company in the islands.

SC Family,
Sorry to derail your thread. I hope youf find a crew you can live with. And I think you already understand the liability issues.
Jay

Actually JR after we had this conversation a while back I talked to my friend at the Coast Guard and as long as I don't accept any payment including lunch, drinks, tips whatever its just a group of friends bareboating. He said it is not a problem, although he and I do agree with you it is a fine line. I do get insurance through See Ski for the boat. If I wreck the boat its on me. Why would I make the tourist pay for it? I finally got a 6PAC license I just don't want to do this professionally so I don't charge, and if I did charge my liability would increase.

So please know your facts. Did I ever say I don't have a license? I just don't charge.

Stu
Last year when we went thru this you did not have your 6pac. I did not know you got it. I apoligize for not asking first.

Hey guys thanks for all your input and entertainment !

Capt Jay- the link of the guy from New York is a great story but it made me realize I would have a miserable day not being my own captain. After boating on my own for 30 years it's hard to imagine missing the adventure of a day as captain on the waters of the USVI and BVI. I know all waters can be dangerous, but boating in the VI is nothing near as treacherous as the waters and currents we are used to along our coastal areas.

I called Ocean Runner and they had no problem renting me the boat for the day since we had all had a good experience last time.

After clearing customs, I am planning to go to the caves at Norman Island, The Indians, Sandy Cay and Jost Van Dyke for Foxy's and Soggy Dollar in the afternoon.. Is this to much for 1 full day or do you guys have other suggestions. We all love to sun, snorkle,sightsee and an afternoon cocktail is a must.
I am plannning to pick up my paperwork for clearing customs the day before our trip so we can get started around 8 am. I have never cleared customs before- what is involved. Is it just a quick stop at Sopers Hole? We all have our passports.
Give me some inside onfo on your favorite stops that are simple to find. I have all my charts from earlier trips.

StuScott- I really appreciate your offer and your recommendation of seeski, but the guy there did not even want to discuss bare boating even though his web site indicates this is an option.. I understand liability. I own boats that are valuable as well.
We are coming in this Sunday and our first day on the water will be Tuesday. We may book a 2nd day depending on how well it turns out.

I am glad you got it worked out. As for customs BVI is easy Ocean Runner will give you the paperwork. You can clear in and back out at the same time on a day trip to the BVI. It can be done at White's Bay or Soper's hole. Only one person has to go in in the BVI's there is a form for each person and another for the boat. It will be easier with passports. As for the return you need to be back at customs by four at Cruz Bay a few minutes earlier may keep you out of a traffic jam there as all the dayrental try to come back at the same time. Everyone has to come into the office and present your paperwork. There is a form for the boat as well make sure Ocean Runner gives it to you. When I was there in Feb Nauti Nymph didn't give me the form and the customs lady had a great time busting my chops on it.
As for your sail plan. It can be done in a day but it will be some running. The thing you want ot watch is the sea conditions. If it is choppy it will be a miserable ride down to Norman Island. If its not then take off and have fun. If you are running out of time make your Jost stop at White's Bay/Soggy Dollar and skip Foxy's at Great Harbor. This pains me to say but the real draw for me at Foxy's, since he isn't singing at lunch do to the surgery he had on his vocal cords, is at night on the weekends which means an overnight. Sandy Key and Sandy Spit are at the other end of the island so you will have to manage your time well. The main thing is not to overplan it but go with what the conditions give you and have fun it truly is a magical stretch of water. When you anchor at White's be carefull of the surf and breaking waves. This anchorage can get rough and you want to make sure you are hooked well before swiming ashore. You can anchor a couple hundred feet off shore then have the strongest swimmer let out rode on the anchor to shorten the swim for every one esle then shorten it back up and swim in. If its calm the day you are there then you can get away with anchoring closer in. This is a great place to have a dry bag. If the surfs up and you don't get to go to Norman than you can run down to Marina Key/Foxy's Taboo and walk over to the Bubbly Pool.
Enjoy your trip.
Jay

PS it is line of sight navigation from island to island but if you have a handheld GPS it wouldn't hurt to take it with you.

Thanks for the local tips. I was thinking the same thing about the sea conditions. No need to press it too far unless conditions are ideal. Thanks for the pointer about anchoring at White's Bay. I am going to do some research on Marina Key and have that as plan B. My wife and I have been to Norman Island before, but the kids have not.

Watch your wallet. They will over charge your credit card the first chance they get.
We chartered a 33 foot boat and was told it was $705 plus around $300 in gas. We had a very nice captain named Jeremy who was very sweet but not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He forgot to fill the boat with oil, then after we left around an hour late decided we should go back for a ladder, but could not get one once we went all the way back. Then we went to customs, where we then told we needed $120 in cash to clear the border, which would have been fine if we were just told in advance. So then sweet, dumb Jeremy had to make two trips back to customs to finally pay our pay through the border. We had a wonderful day and then had to head back early to fill the boat with gas where we payed for our gas for the day and for what they used yesterday. But Jeremy said the price would be adjusted when we got back to shore and had to pay for our trip. To make a very long story short the owner proceeded to huff and puff when it was time to pay because I thought he was over charging us. He then acknowledged that he did charge us for too much and adjusted our total. And although he did give me a new receipt for the correct amount he never voided out the first transaction and my credit card was double charged.
If I were you I would charter your boat from someone or anyone else!!!!!

Unregistered poster on a thread over 15 months old with an interesting tale to tell -- Remarkable isn't it.