ginabee

We will soon be vacationing in the USVI/BVI - 5 nights on St. John, 3 on Tortola.

My husband is/was a sailor, so I'd like to surprise him by renting a sailboat for a day or half a day - just a small one so the two of us could go out.

Any thoughts regarding whether we are better off doing so in St. John vs. Tortola, and specifically any recos re: where to do so at either? We are at the Westin St. John and Sugar Mill on Tortola.

Thanks in advance!

flsun

We rented a small power boat in Tortola. I love that island. I would say rent a sailboat there. Make sure you stop by Peter Island. There is so much to do around Tortola. There are many bays you could pull up to and islands that are close. You will not love it.

O2BCarib

Full day is best--there's much to see and time goes by quickly. We've been out of St. John 4 times w/ Ocean Runner in Cruz Bay. They are great. We went to the Baths. I know they are suppposed to be great, but it was a long way and I wasn't that impressed. But I did like stopping at Norman Island and eating at Willie T's, a boat that serves lunch. Fun & different. We stopped and snorkeled at the Indians, Newfound Bay and Sandy Cay--all were wonderful. Just having the boat captain narrate while you're going by each island is fun & informative

ginabee

Are there any specific names/companies people can share?

I've been doing some investigating and seem to be having a problem locating companies that actually let YOU captain the boat (vs. doing a day-trip where someone else drives).

Would love the name of the power boat company in Tortola. If we can't get a sailboat, I know my husband would love that as well.

Rumrita1

just back from Tortola - we didn't end up renting a power boat - but Island Times in Nanny Cay does have power boat rentals.

We only did day sails - so can't help with sail boat rental. A good forum to ask about sailing in BVI is traveltalkonline.

Mkraus

Out of St. John you can rent a power boat from Ocean Runner out of Cruz Bay here is the link: http://www.oceanrunner.vi/
Out of Coral Bay St. John I was told to contact a guy named TREVOR AT 340-474-3733 he books boats.
Otherwise try calling the Virgin Islands Charter yacht league they may know someone willing to rent out their sailboat. http://www.vicl.org/day-sailing.html
I have no experience with any of these just found the information while planning a day sail myself.

StanKase

If you are willing to "go-for-it" contact the Moorings.com and rent a 35+ ft. boat with automatic everything. When we did it there was a 4 day minimum rental but the boats were all 1-3 years old and in the finest condition.