My husband and I will be flying into St. Thomas and taking a ferry to West End, Tortola. I don't enjoy ferries and want to be on the biggest ferry boat for the shortest time possible. In our past trips to St. John, I have preferred to ferry out of Red Hook so that I only have to endure 15 minutes on the ferry, as opposed to the 45 minute ride from Charlotte Amalie. Is the timing for West End, Tortola similar? Will it be considerably shorter to ferry out of Red Hook as opposed to Charlotte Amalie? Also, what ferry services should I be looking into that have particularly large, stable boats? (If you haven't figured it out, I get seasick easily - even on the ride from St. Thomas to St. John.) Thanks!

have you considered flying directly to beef island tortola airport thus elimating the ferry altogether?
red hook is definetly closer to west end than charlotte.

I considered that, but our ultimate destination is Jost Van Dyke, so I'm going to have a lot longer ferry ride from that part of Tortola than West End. Do you have any idea on how much closer Red Hook is than Charlotte Amalie? The reason I'm asking is the ferry websites say that Red Hook to West End takes between 30-45 minutes. The ferry websites say that Charlotte Amalie to West End takes 45 minutes. That difference of 0-15 minutes just doesn't seem accurate, considering the distances between the two.

Hi Becca – if travelling direct the ferry from Red Hook to West End takes 35 mins, Charlotte Amalie to West End takes 45 mins. Some ferries don’t travel direct so they obviously take a little longer.

i was thinking fly to beef island. taxi to west end. one less ferry.

you're going to be on my favorite island !!! where on Jost are you staying ? when are you going ? just curious...i miss it and all the people there !! we'll be returning in the spring. also for the seasickness ; try ginger..works for my sister !!

If you take the BVI Fast Ferry from Charlotte Amalie it's the same amount of time as the regular ferry from Red Hook...also, by leaving from CA you miss out on the 30+ minute cab ride to get to Red Hook from the airport. I've lived in St. Thomas for 4 years & without question - the fast ferry from CA is by far the best option (when coming from the airport)

FYI: I was on the beach in White Bay this past weekend & had a blast....enjoy!!!

The ride from Charlotte Amalie to West End is very pleasant. You also have more choice going from CA. Don't underestimate the traffic from the airport to Red Hook. Some folks have missed their ferries because the taxi ride was slow.

Thanks for all the great answers! We are staying for 4 nights on Jost at Sandcastles. Then we are ferrying over to Virgin Gorda for 5 nights at Little Dix. We leave August 17th and return August 26th. You've convinced me to leave out of Charlotte Amalie (I wasn't looking forward to the ride to Red Hook anyway). What is the name of the fast ferry we need to be on? Does it have a website? Thanks!

The Road Town Fast Ferry travels direct to Road Town from Charlotte Amalie and doesn’t stop at West End. You’ll then need to take a taxi to West End (20 mins) to catch the ferry over to Jost van Dyke.
http://www.roadtownfastferry.com/
Hope you have a great time.

Thanks again for the advice, but is there a fast ferry that connects Charlotte Amalie directly to West End, Tortola?

Both Smiths and Native Son travel from Charlotte Amalie to West End and take approx 45 mins if travelling direct. I would suggest catching either one of these and then you can take the ferry from West End to Jost van Dyke (25 mins). The Road Town Fast Ferry from CA to RT takes 50 mins. I've put together BVI ferry schedules and FAQ on my website (bestofbvi.com) which may help.