LETTER TO EDITOR: Government sinking BVI’s charter boat industry
Dear Editor,
If you’re a charter industry long-timer, you know who I am.
There have always been those who think the law doesn’t apply to them. All of them need prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law.
The BVI has been loosing its tourism faster and faster over the last decade.
The BVI government has never understood where the tourist dollars come from. It’s always been about the cruise ships. They have barely understood the villa industry. (I have never understood why the villa industry has not teamed up their political vote, they would outnumber the taxi vote and rule the country. Just saying).
Because there have been more locals involved, they’ve sort of had a grasp on the bare boat industry but definitely inflate its worth over the term charter revenue.
Also, there are changes coming about that is finally going make charter boats be compliant with the same rules that EVERY other vessel in the BVI has to comply with and still turn a profit.
Yes, that’s right folks. All those bare boats out there don’t have to comply with anything! So long as I carry the safety gear on board, a bath tub is compliant! On top of that, they have been able to roam freely between the islands pre-COVID without paying the fees that term charter vessels have to enter and leave the territory.
Hundreds of charter boats before
There used to be hundreds of term charter boats. Boats would fill the docks beyond capacity for boat show, boats would have to anchor out or rent space over at the moorings dock and ferry brokers over because there were too many boats but not enough room.
This year what was it? Eight boats!
My one vessel turned over five to six hundred thousand dollars per year.
Three to five hundred thousand of that stayed in the BVI. Multiply that by the 250 boats lining up to get in the boat show. Now multiply it by eight. Even the government should be able to work out that, that isn’t a good thing.
There has been many damming stories written by world-class journalists at world-class papers, forums and other media. Stories of corruption, not only within the government but officials corruptly interacting with tourists. Stories of mass drug trafficking, cartel operations, corrupt police, and Customs.
Overrun by cruise-shippers
About eight years ago, I read an story on ‘Natures Little Thoroughfare’.
It was a take on Natures Little Secret. It was an article that basically touted how the BVI was completely overrun by cruise ship passengers and it was simply not worth the hassle for either land-based or boat-based vacations anymore! It was written by a boater in a boating magazine.
Tourist are being woken by people with assault rifles and dogs. I remember the first time I saw someone with an assault riffle around there neck. I shivered and thought WTF am I doing here. That thought is still burned in my memory.
I get it. There WILL be crews around without permits. There always is and always will be because if there was not, the term charter industry as we know it will not exist because, I repeat, it is not possible to run a business where it takes six to nine months to replace who might be you’re only employee period.
But, really, what do you think they are going to do, grab their AK47 and open fire on you? Get over yourselves! It doesn’t make you have a bigger phallus having a rifle around your neck, idiot.
Clueless
Boats have no idea of what’s going on. The Tourist Board has been telling the public to come visit for ages. But Customs have not gotten the email yet. Nobody knows what’s going on. I do know of a vessel who got in, though, at West End by presenting cash!
I owned and operated a charter vessel here for two decades. I am now much more involved in the USVI side. I was the first vessel ever involved with the entire shipping registry just because of a chance meeting with John and David at a coast guard meeting when the registry was not much more than just them.
I was the first vessel in the BVI to comply with any sort of regulations. I paid my regulation fees for a decade while I watched the ferries not pay because they could not comply yet.
I have always been in the forefront of trying to always be compliant. I have paid my 1800 bucks a year for decades that was introduced decades ago in lieu of paying import tax on the vessels even though my vessel was fully imported with all taxes paid.
I have been at Road Town for the import taxes schedule when picking up a watermaker from the USVI that was delivered by ferry. I showed the Customs guys the ‘WATERMAKERS AND WATERMAKING EQUIPMENT ZERO IMPORT TAX’.
Nope, you’re paying 20 per cent or it stays here. Meanwhile, locals are taking tens of thousands of dollars worth from their weekend USVI shop through free.
I have been told by Customs that I have to pay import on an anchor because they can not determine that its for marine use. Same with marine air cons. It has never been easy, in fact it’s impossible.
How can you run a business when that business has contracted dates to comply with yet if one of your crew either dies, breaks a leg, mother dies or turns out to have a cocaine habit or any of the dozens of reasons crew move on to somewhere else, it will now take you six to nine months to replace them with another permitted white person!
That’s right, Immigration. Islanders do NOT want to work on term charter boats. Never have, never will. Of probably 200 ads I have placed in the paper, zero have been answered by a local.
I get it.
Slaves to our boats and guests
We are told lie to government officials about how many hours we work.
We get up before our guests do, we eat on the job, we get zero breaks, we have to have 10 different job titles throughout the day, we don’t get to bed till after we have finished cleaning up AFTER the last guest goes to bed and we get up every time the wind changes direction or wind speed in the night. Yes, we are slaves to our boats and to our white guests!
We don’t have a cushy 9-to-5 jobs in a/c with scheduled breaks and no labour, no islander wants our job.
How do you think you could operate, Immigration, if every time one of your employees were either fired or left of their own accord, that you could not replace that person for six to nines months, then complicate your life by only opening your doors for six months per year? Then you have 20 other requirements from other government departments that no body has a clue exist. That is running a term charter boat in the BVI.
Megayacht industry will never happen!
The BVI has for many years been trying to rebrand as a megayacht destination at the cost of all the other boating sectors.
What most people do not realise is the bigger picture. Firstly, I do have involvement in the megayacht industry and I can tell you that it will never happen. You either have the destination or you don’t. The BVI has some of the—no, I will change that to possibly the best chartering waters in the world. But the waters are not megayacht waters.
It does not have megayacht anchorages, it does not have megayacht repair facilities. The country is to hard to get in and out of. It does not have the shopping, level of entertainment or anything else that crews on megayachts want. The captain and his crew actually have a huge say in where a megayacht goes. I worked on a megayacht, earned fantastic money, had everything in your life paid for by your boss, had access to some of the best toys in the world, ate fine foods and wines on board often and have the tab picked up in some of the very best restaurants in the world. So, would you base yourself in East End harbour or Monaco where his dollars actually go further? I know which one my son bases his influence on—his captain. It’s the same as the captain’s wife and the rest of the crew do.
Owners do not arrive at somewhere like the BVI in their yachts. They don’t have time for that. They rather fly in with their jets than get driven over crappy roads through East End’s back yard to their yachts.
Then what, lunch at Bitter End or Peter Island? Well, that’s the BVI done for a megayacht at 25 knots! Next!
I remember when Dave Smith and John first looked in the engine room of my boat he said, “wow, is that the bilge right there an inch below the engine”.
The people who are responsible for our industry in government come from shipping backgrounds. Captain Pat once told me that I would have to be very careful on my 40-tonne, 65-foot-long by 35-foot-wide floating platform I called a boat, where I placed my 60 pound rov because of stability.
They know so little about the industry that they are motoring that I could have had all three crew and 11,300 pound guests stand anywhere on that boat without affecting stability one per cent. Fifty-pound ROV, your idiots.
The Shipping Registry failed all but one item in its assessment by the MCA.
Meanwhile, trying to get them to register here is going to make Registry have the local boats comply with more and more stringent rules that apply globally rather than locally, (wait till you have to swamp test all your open boats, coming to a channel near you).
BVI fast becoming a ‘nowhere’
The BVI had the proud title of charter capital of the world. Hear that people of the world. Now its very fast becoming a ‘nowhere’ because of a pipe dream and a p*ssing contest with the USVI.
Decades ago the USA messed up and gave the BVI the charter industry by accident. COVID gave it back. Captains have been forced to explore the US Virgins and have found it to their liking.
Boats over the last decade have moved away because the BVI has taxed them to death, and now the final nail. The USVI has made it as easy as nothing to operate in their territory for term charter boats now. The hidden fees and the rule changes with zero notice do not happen there and can carry as many as the BVI under local rules.
The final nail
And the final nail—no charter broker for 12 months offered the Virgin Islands or signed a contract as a package. COVID and the BVI have created a permanent split. IT WILL NEVER RETURN.
All contracts are spelt out as two different destinations, two different countries and there could be a ‘maybe’ line if the guests are wanting to travel between the two. Even today and for the next however long, brokers and clearing houses are still trying to sort out charter that are booked, paid for as much a several years ago that cannot happen legally because of the BVI’s final nail in its charter coffin.
The brokers love it. They have more destinations to sell, its a whole new market now. There is never confusion over—well, I thought we were going to spend ‘X’ days not ‘Y’ days in the BVI, etc.
Captains and owners love it.
The boats aren’t gong to come
In the past, we picked up in the USVI and chartered in the BVI because a family could save several thousand dollars on airfares but the boat often got stuck with greatly varying entry fees.
We are not going to have all our guests return to the boat at West End complaining how rudely they were just treated.
Not any more. The boats are not going to come.
There are also vessels leaving in droves because of work permit difficulties. It’s a gamble they are playing with everyone’s lives and they are going to loose. Ask Foxy how much money he turns just from local term charter crews that used to come with 8-10-12 guests 35 times each year!
They know the impact of crappy decisions on JVD. How much revenue is lost from the charter industry by White Bay when a cruise ship is anchored off?
This year is going to be one of the biggest charter seasons in decades. Brokers ran out of product to sell for this season six months ago. There are hundreds of charters booked in the BVI that are going to be happening in the USVI this season, they have no choice, they cannot enter the BVI unless they want to base there.
Oh yes, a new rule that was introduced DAYS before the busiest season WAS about to start.
If the BVI wants to continue to attempt to lure an industry that is out of its grasp, the rest of the charter industry will have to move over too.
In all fairness, I too two decades said “nothing going on in the USVI, just a couple of land bars (watch out Willy-T)”.
BVI can’t have it all ways
I too have learned there is actually tonnes in the USVI for term charters. And you know what? They don’t generally group or term as the ‘white people’ over there, too.
You can’t have it all ways, BVI. I have been trying to tell you this for years. Maybe it is in fact that you are just trying to get rid of any whites who own businesses here but are just too scared to tell your people who you are SUPPOSED to answer to that you just don’t want them and there tourist dollar here. Afterall, your income is secure regardless of how much you mess up the country.
Yours Truly,
B.T.W Cooper
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
What a poorly written article. It might have some decent points but I couldn’t get past the awful grammar and spelling. I know this is BVI News but I expect a little better than this.
but the MESSAGE is CRYSTAL CLEAR!
You may not like the grammar but everything that was said is on point and very true. The BVI is now know as a corrupt and dangerous place. This is why the charter industry has moved and won’t be coming back. The BVI Belonger (and I make that distinct) are a racist corrupt people. The only pleasant people have been the expats that most visitors come in contact with in restaurants, bars, etc. Not to worry. There are many places in the Caribbean where whites and their money are welcome.
@Secret. As a Belonger, Born BVIslander, I take serious issue with you statement labeling belongers as racists. If this is the case, I imagine you are not living in the BVI and I would be quite surprise if you are. I imagine if you are here it’s because you don’t have anywhere else to go or you have done well here in the BVI. Before you level belongers as racists you should get to know each and every belonger but you probably wouldn’t because you are likely of a different race.
What you are saying is also racist because you’re assuming Belongers are all one race.
Ras. Don’t matter. Bvi elected bum crooks and now they trying to save their skin via us v them colonial crap. And spilling out policy and published word that echos this guy point. So don’t matter how many good ol island boys there. The fools u put in charge making all yacht people wanna leave and after 20 years of bvi getting long on wealth and shorter on service they are done. Conclusion. You have tolerated as the voting public , horrific and patronage based garbage civil servants and politicians that are crooked as hell in fact they are all in cahoots to some extent and now you are going to sleep in a very cold bed. Bvi own mad it.
I agree. But let’s get this clear.
When the UK could have done something they choose not to do it.
The UK is to blame for letting the corruption fester because their own elite could benefit from it.
Honestly I think they’re just investigating because they need to control what really will come out and and prove that UK MPs are just as complicit in money laundering and drug smuggling.
yo bro wad up,
yes my grammar is crap, so is my spelling, but hey I have little red lines that come up under my miss spelt words, sometime i go bak and corect them sometimes I dont, Did you know its a fact intelligent can read as fast when words are miss spelt. Most intelergnt pple spent there tyme in scool learning science or maths or other subjects of HIGHER level interest.
If thats all you can get out of what was presented to you all I can say is I am glad my mind is open to more than yours
Sorry, BC, but I also found it really difficult to understand what you were trying to say because of the poor grammar.
I couldn’t understand why you wrote “I remember when Dave Smith and John first looked in the engine room of my boat he said, “wow, is that the bilge right there an inch below the engine”.” comletely out of the blue. Weird.
Thank you for this article
USVI IS WELCOMING ALL BOATERS. There is no bvi love here. We welcome business, capitalism, and any one who desires to operate.
We are open. And killing it
I guess you can’t help yourself with all this bragging you keep doing since you have NEVER been in this position before. But trust me, this Boy Scout Government will soon be gone and the BVI will be on top again. We still love you as we are neighbours, but we all know that even with your Federal funds you have a hard time keeping up with us. Sorry for the slant, but your bragging is juvenile.
As a former boy scout, I take offence to this.
The VIP has killed the goose that lays the golden eggs
Well written letter and i hope notice is taken.
It is very sad what is happening and like you said i also don’t believe that the government has a real handle on the industry.
Maybe one of the political advisors should of been someone that ran a charter company or a clearing house. Certainly better money spent than gratuity to payments to CSC. Changing the rules a week before season began sums up the illogical mindset or the clear inexperience of the leaders of the natures little secrets.
There is a marine advisor on the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council. He is the chair of the BVI Marine Association. Does he listen to him?
No. He does not
@Doh – Too True!
Not a person in gov’t that speaks “yacht”. Including the Tourist Board.
Listen to who again? If it isn’t CSC, Pa..y, Be..s or other cronies, the Premier lends a deaf ear and this all to the detriment of the entire BVI population. But don’t worry, the old people taught me that time is longer than twine and that each dog has his day. Let them bark and bite now for their time is soon at an end. We, the people of the BVI, are totally disappointed and disheartened by the level of representation we receive from this Administration.
That person, The Economic Advisor to the Premier and Chairperson of the BVI Marine Association has gotten so frustrated with the inaction of the powers that be that he is off island doing something totally unrelated to his advisory positions…
“They rather fly in with their jets than get driven over crappy roads through East End’s back yard to their yachts.”
The above statement got me. I am so ashamed of the BVI when I drive thru East End on the way to or from the airport. Lord have mercy!!
Imagine us who live there and have to deal with it on a daily. Where are the 7th & 8th district rep??????
East End is a total disgrace. Roads, sewer, derelict buildings ……
Interesting read.
WE WERE ONCE THE SAILING CAPITAL OF THE WORLD NOW WE HAVE BECOME THE LAUGHING STOCK
Struuuuppppeeesss.
For God’s sake get to the point ! You may have a few good points but nobody is going to read that blabber to the end.
There are issues with the government for sure but sounds like this guy just has a beef and a chip on his shoulder. Marine industry is thriving
Is it, do you know that for sure.
Are you referring to marine industry including the charter industry or the marine industry excluding the charter industry.
Yes it is true the Caribbean is going to see one of the busiest charter seasons for decades, however the charter industry is in turmoil.
One broker that I know has 4 charters this season that cannot go ahead in the Virgin Islands this season because of new “rules” that were not in place at the time that the charters were booked.
One is a mega yacht, exactly what the marine industry is trying to encourage.
USA registered, non US crew. Do you know the implications of that?
When the charter was booked the boat was welcome to come to the BVI and pay all the relevant fees and charter here with high end guests leaving high end dollars.
New last second rules and they are no longer welcome.
St Martins gain the BVI loss. It will not be just this mega yachts ONE charter but forever.
all sectors of the charter industry are struggling to fill positions as crews bail.
If your talking about the rest of the marine sector without the crewed or bareboat charter industries in reference then I will say here that I have no idea what is going on in the rest of the marine sector sorta like the rest of the marine sector has no idea whats going on in the charter sector,
otherwise please go and talk to someone in the charter industry, perhaps Janet could educate you some about how THRIVING the charter industry is doing and how uneducated most are about it.
And finally if you are referring the British Virgin Islands marine sector as a whole including the charter sector and do NOT actually know who Janet is then please just shut up uneducated fool.
Just seeking clarity here, you keep making reference of employees leaving and employers struggling to fill positions. I would like to think that the charter industry is very profitable since it offers somewhat of a high end service at high prices. It seem to me there’s also a problem of how employees are being payed or being treated. It dont take a rocket scientist to see that if employees are being underpaid or not treated fairly they will not show up to work. Mr. Cooper you seem like a hypocrite. You trying to tarnish the repuation of the government but employers also have to do their part so you don’t have as much employee turnover.
No Crews make fantastic money, Many work a season and go home with 20 or 30 grand in their bank accounts in their first year with zero prior experience.
Many only come for a year, a break before college or a year off,
Many do it for the travel, A year in Greece a year in turkey a year in the BVI etc.
This accounts for many of the crews and chefs and captains they are special, they have created an industry standard where they want either a ton more money for a second season (often paid, less hassle) or they want to move up in size or class to increase there resume.
Poaching is always around, legally you are work permitted to a particular vessel or company but people shift somewhat freely which leave once again those who are trying to do it legally without crew.
Its just the nature of the industry.
Just 1 more thingn no body in gov knows.
The crews earn great money, have a great lifestyle and a very common debate amongst crews is “what exactly do you do after a job like this? few have an answer”
Crews are either looking at the job as a profession and are working there way up a resume, and so often want to go to the next level. A season or 2 and they want a bigger boat. If someone gets offered a step in the right direction and if the new next level job needs starting 4 weeks before the end of the season. POOF there gone. This is mostly the captains and chefs Cant blame them. Now what do you do. Many crew jump ship before the end of the BVI season to start the Med season.
The BVI is know as the learning grounds, just got a captains licence or became a scuba profesional last week and looking for a job, its the BVI.
Never had an actual job before as a captain well sorry but its hard to find a job anywhere in the world but are sought after by the bareboat fleet here, It doesnt take long till Mr new captain isn happy with the small bare boat and the job at the bottom of the pile. The bigger the boat the bigger your resume, pretty much that simple realy!
The rest of the crews however are just usually taking a few years off before settling down to real life.
A season in Greece maybe, a season in the BVI a season in turkey then home to think about a family or real career. This is often true because of the scuba element, many crew are required to have scuba master or instructor as part of their job requirement(remember all those hats we juggle.)
This then goes that many in our industry are also in the dive industry floating around the world seeing crazy new stuff in crazy new places, you can only take 10 people diving on the Rhone so many times before adventurous people have to move on. The dive stores all suffer the same fate not that anyone in gov would know. I get it if you have always wanted to dive miconesia and a great job starts there tomorrow! POOF gone. I get it but it makes for lots of empty positions.
Poaching goes on, crews get offered deals by owners struggling to find good crew, I recently heard someone say I would take 3rd rate crew at the moment because its hard to get better!
Lots are new to the industry, so picture this,
You place your local ads which are never answered then you place ads elsewhere, perhaps your home town or perhaps in a crew agency perhaps in the scuba professionals forums. Then you go through your replies, email some “no sorry”, go on with others till you talk on the phone, then if you and this person goes ahead with an agreement for employment then you start the work permit process.
Its long its laborious, and its expensive.
This remember is for a job 6 months away. Any idea how many of those people find a job somewhere else in the world in that 6 months?
So perhaps 6 months later this person is in fact at the dock where he/she is supposed to be. You have never met this person before and there may be one or two more in your new crew that you have never met before today, day one of the season. And now we are now all going to happily co exist 24hrs 7 days a week working 14 to 16 hours each day and everybody gets along. Remember all you non boaters, we all live-work-play-socialize-get drunk together for 6 months living 24 hrs a day in an area a quarter of the size any government department space. Think of big brother on steroids!
What do you do when it turns out your crew member is a drunk, or you find out that at Willy Ts he was divulging in the BVIs, no sorry I mean the cartels finest, do you keep him on for the rest of the season because its impossible to replace this person legally in the BVI, its unfortunate that is often the case. Sometimes you cant keep them, any idea how many crew come to the BVI a greenhorns, the boat owner is now by now in pretty deep with them maybe $5000 just to get them to the point that they are on the boat to find out that they had lied, never realy been on a boat much and after 2 weeks of trying they just cant get over sea sickness?
no one is underpaid quite the opposite, no one is poorley treated quite the opposite.
We work hard but in return earn well, live well, eat well, our lives when not on charter are what our guests pay thousands of dollars per person for just 1 week.
I think that realy the industry in general has a lot of spoiled brats in it that are really just into life, think snowboarder on the water, no loyalties to anything but there own whims.
More serious people are not answering ads for jobs 6 to 9 months out.
Its just the nature of the industry.
Absolutely clearly without a doubt you do not talk Mr Tolian as someone who has any clue about our industry or the toils that the industry goes through.
I don’t, that is why i was seeking insight as to how things work. But thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I know exactly who JO is. Was talking to someone this afternoon doing term charters and they are mostly full for the season in the BVI. Talk to the bareboat companies, have met with some of them and their bookings are great. Not denying the government has thrown a curve ball but the majority are working through it and it is not nearly as dire as you say. Maybe before you call someone an uneducated fool you should check all your facts and learn to write and spell.
I agree that the govt is doing a horrible job on just about all fronts, however, I have mixed feelings about the charter industry in the BVI. As a BVIlander, I don’t care much for the crowds from the cruise ships, but tolerate it because it helps the taxi drivers to earn a living, which I appreciate, as my father was a taxi driver. Honestly I don’t see how the current BVI charter industry helps BVIlanders at all, so if the charter industry finds it necessary to move on, it may actually be a better opportunity to build a better industry over time where BVIsladers can actually benefit and perhaps an industry that may be more attractive as it may well be less crowded Sorry just my honest opinion.
You clearly know nothing about the charter industry. It pumps $50 million per year into the economy. Who do you think supplier the boats with food and drink? BVI stores. Who does the laundry? BVI laundromats. Who supplies the parts, Labour, maintenance? BVI engineering / maintenance/ companies. Just because the crew are not bvislanders I’d does not mean the country doesn’t benefit. Plus they pay their tax, social security, nhi etc just like everyone else. You want the biggest pillar of your tourism to move on?
What you say is ignorance at its best! Sad.
This is imbecilic nonsense. Each charter party will spend tens of thousands with hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, taxis, ferries etc – most locally-owned. The Moorings is one of the biggest local employers. We never get to see the revenue from cruise ships, which disgorge their poor tourist payload with $15 to spend.
the knowledge that WIGLOX possess, why wasn’t he consulted ? ( OH , he’s only interested in BORIS
I am withholding my opinion pending a response from the various endangered and almost endangered of the VI’s,marine life reefs and such.
Until then,” Don’t cry for me Argentina”.
Be informed, it is the worldwide human killing virus that has changed the normalcy of the world and the activities of capaitalist economic ativities.
No government foresaw or could have mitigated the consequences of such.
Life vs money. Which is more important. The inhumanity and selfishness expoused in the comments indicate fully the low level of current humanity thinking and being.
Sad, sad sad indeed!
It seams every jurisdiction can have rules, regulations and polices of which persons has to be in compliance, but not BVI. The minute the BVI ask anyone or organisation to be in compliance in order to be approved for what is being requested, we get all kind of baseless complaints.
Everywhere has rules, it’s not about rules, it’s how you do things. The hospitality industry has been down for 18 months and you spring new rules on people a week before things start back up. There’s a lot wrong with the BVI as we speak and it will hurt our economy. It doesn’t help when Government just keeps saying it’s the worst pandemic in 100 years as cover for their incompetence. They seem to take everything personal and don’t have a clue about how the economy works. Right now things ‘look’ good on the surface but there’s a lot going very wrong.
I hope the author is a better sailor than writer; else his passengers are in deep trouble.
Things may not be good in bvi right now but the sour grapes in this “letter” are so obvious that it takes away from any points the writer is trying to make.
The ” author ” is not a he and is well known for her opinions. blah blah blah
Sorry. Not me. I read this at the same time as you all did. And had no prior knowledge.
The author is a former charter captain who does not live here anymore so not sure why he is ranting.
Author, just clean up the article and repost it to satisfy the naysayers.
I’m a belonger and I knew this was the case and I know others know its the case.
Its not admiting to reality that is killing the BVI.
But alas, I think we’re so messed up that we’re going down with the ship never to be heard from.
I have being saying this for years. The overnight visitors spent more than cruise ship visitors. They rent hotels or villas, spend money in supermarkets, rent vehicles, go out to various eateries, visit different islands, charters boats and in all have a good time here.
Not to mention the charter guests hire taxis several times a visit and go on tours.
The author is spot on for the bareboat charterer. Since the only thing in Cane Garden Bay was Stanley’s Welcome Bar and Grill I’ve been making the trip and spending my money. Usually with 7 of my friends. The waters of the BVI was only half of the reason I kept going back. The BVI hospitality was second to none. Lose the hospitality and then you only have the waters — but you know what… so does the USVI. And I don’t need a passport or connecting flight or water taxi to get there. The bareboat charter industry in Roadtown took decades to build and only a few years to ruin completely. It’s almost certain that my 2022 trip will be in the USVI with my adult children who will learn it a different way than I did. If the BVI were to hit the “emergency reset button”, they would go find someone who worked there in the charter industry back in the 80s or 90s and let them tell this new generation of bureaucrats what they need to do to bring back the charter industry of yesteryear. The “ah ha” epiphany that those bureaucrats haven’t realized yet is you can’t flip a switch to get us charterers back. The USVI would have to drop the ball again for the charterers to consider the BVI again — and I’ll bet the USVI will be more diligent about not dropping that ball again and losing the charters again. They have some really smart and effective people over there working the tourism industry. Who does the BVI have working that? Oh, and there is another distinction. The charterers the BVI wants are the ones with the black AMEX cards. So not all the charterers are the same. Marketing to just anyone to try bringing back boaters might not give the desired results. And those black AMEX card people avoid the cruise ships like the plague.
Correct 1985, the BVI is splitting and trying to become a more exclusive charter club.
Um whats more exclusive about the BVI than many of its Caribbean neighbors
I dont think you have enough to pull it off though.
How can you expect to be a destination that’s more exclusive than the rest, enough so that many think there “should” a substantial price difference between charters in the BVI and elsewhere.
Currently known for great sailing waters, cruise ship guests and corruption, and cartel cocaine. doesn’t sound that exclusive! Ok there is a great hide your ill earned gains club that seemed to be a bit exclusive, I will give you that! Actually thats not that exclusive either as it seems, seems everyone has money stashed in the BVI.
@BVIslander You don’t have a clue how many people the charter industry employ, so if you don’t know what you are talking about shut up.
@What selfish Nonesense!!, You are a SAD SAD SAD person.
No its not sour grapes at all.
I love the BVI.
I have lived more time in the BVI than any other place in the world, The BVI has been very good to me. I dont live here anymore, I am an outsider looking in, You all know how much easier it is to see with clarity from the outside. I have absolutely zero to gain by any of this, in fact I am sure I will loose friends.
First of all this was not a letter to the editor, it was a comment that I made regarding another article that the paper wrote, Instead of publishing it as a comment the editor saw there must be more to it so published as a LTTE.
Shame that others cant look into what is being said instead of the fact some people work differently to others.
My brain doesn’t care about grammar,periods or comers.I am typically typing dozens of words behind my thoughts. No I would rather learn more on a minute by minute bases than care about grammar.
I know that energy = an objects mass times the speed of light(you all know the formula, I can do advanced mathematics in my head, I write massive computer programs from my head without taking a single note or flow chart. I played competitive chess at 8 years old.
Actually I had this recently with someone whose work that I was working with was maybe 50% incorrect however they didnt want to hear it so long as the periods etc are in the correct place. Harvard at its best.
It turns out there are 2 ways that people absorb data. One find a snippet of new data and adds that to what they already know, Like a computer or artificial intelligence.
Other are educated based on their opinion of something. These people very often have an incorrect opinion because they base it only on the limited data they are willing to accept as they typically will only update their opinion if the data backs up their opinion. (how many people in there heat of hearts think that Trump will be replaced in his right full place unyet we all know its just not and never was true.
They are the people who comment about my grammar or other such nonsense, who are you anyway, you know who I am. What do YOU have to hide by making this about a piece of crap writing.Perhaps YOU work at west end and take bribes, perhaps YOU are a policy maker thats destroying the country but is lining your pockets so its ok right. Tell us who you are and Why none of this is true.
waiting
waiting
There was more to it, not much more, but the editor did a good job.
One thing that was in there that was removed that I think is crucial is that I have put my full name to this. No one ever does.
The BVI is and always has been such that anyone in the country as a guest must not express an anti opinion or you can face immediate deportation. It happens, sometimes en mass, we all remember how many divers were lost overnight when they opposed keeping dolphins next to the sewer outlet, and of course a week later the dive stores now have no instructors and a 6 to 9 month wait to replace them legally.
I ended it with that I am no longer scared of the BVI government, they cant ruin my life for anything more than speaking out. (Sounds a bit like Chinese politics to me. China bad – person disappear – problem solved)
No its not sour grapes, Its someone who has finally gotten the guts to speak up for the country that both myself and my wife called home for so long.
There is so much more to whats going on here, nobody cares about covid Mr OH please this is a global thing, or how much is not going to be coming into the country in the way of charters, its politics, policy, and attitude.
When I first saw the draft of the new policy and saw a date on it I plus every other person involved in the charter industry that the date would be invoked and will fry the industry even though right there next to it it said he could choose any date instead if he so chose.
Anyone with a comment that the BVI charter industry is doing ok or that the governments push to draw mega yachts and vessel registrations is not going to have a catastrophic effect on the long term of the industry that I have spent so much of my life creating and promoting is an idiot and clearly should just put their MAGA hat on and shut up.
Never in my life have I been aware of a situation where someone was “immediately deported” for expressing an opinion critical of the government. The myth of this happening is what keeps people from speaking out, rather than the reality of it. Journalists criticize the government all the time, and many of them have been here for 10 years or more. If it were really that dangerous to express an opinion, they wouldn’t still be here. I wasn’t here when the situation with the divers occurred, but I suspect there was another explanation for what happened. Please stop perpetuating this damaging myth that keeps people silenced.
The young govt doesn’t have a clue . The message is clear we are in trouble .
Too much lies , too much hypocrisy, too much underhand deals , too much ignorance , to much dishonest practices
…. I was told through the grapevine that WORKERS with the BVI
Airport Authority had Social Security money tand Pension fund taken out from their salaries and it was not paid into their SS and Pension fund
Where has all this money gone . Appealing to
Hon Penn,and The Airport Board to look into this . Unless these things are exposed to the public justice is not going to be served .
Hon Penn take it up in the House of Assembly …. Dishonesty is going on for too long . Me Patsy Lake as a member of the Board look into this
Some of us people in the marine industry are just worthless. We want to adhere to nothing and just rape the industry and the people of the Virgin Islands. Be fair and honest. The BVI is finally doing the right thing in this industry so stop lying to the people.
We rebuke your negative words over our territory in Jesus Name!! Jesus has the final say, not your bitter disrespectful self Mr Cooper.
What t f Jesus as to do with that?
He sure isnt going to be able to sort out this mess.
Tort0la,,,were the coke is cheaper than the weed.Fun times.
I have a client with10 booked charters on a BVI flagged and BVI owned Vessel. We are now being told that these charters can no longer be legally performed in the BVI based on a 1992 law that was apparently never enforced. Can someone please email me the name of a lawyer or government official who can clarify this situation for me? [email protected]
There is no clarity. The only certainty is to move the charters elsewhere, as the yachts risk fines and non-admittance. You can try to follow their onerous procedures only to be ignored or turned down. It is very destructive to the many agents who have trusted (and paid into) the BVI’s for years. Imagine the disappointment of people having waited for their vacation for a few years; so looking forward to enjoying their time (and spending their money) in the BVI’s. Then only to be turned away, to have their charter cancelled once again, not by the issue of a pandemic but instead by the issue of human disregard and ignorance. Yes, BVI’s are beautiful, but agents and yachts and charterers can and will go and work with whomever they prefer in the multitude of so many other venues. That preference is now not BVI and I doubt I will see it return in my lifetime. This could have been avoided but it seems there is no rational thinking here. What is sad is that this uninformed government hurts their own people more than anyone else. They have already hurt a lot of formerly loyal people with this change in regulations, which could have been done with grace and consideration instead of opacity, incompetence, and dismissiveness.