How far in Advance Should We Book Our BVI Yacht Charter?

You may as well ask, "how long is a piece of string?" The only possible answer is: you should book the day before somebody else books the boat you want!

Unfortunately, my crystal ball broke a few years back ... and ever since then, I have been unable to predict when a given yacht will become unavailable! :)

Since all reservations are done on a first come first served basis; once a boat is booked ... its gone. If that happens to be "the" yacht you wanted and during the time you wanted it, I'm afraid you are out of luck. Time to start shopping again; or perhaps you might reconsider the dates you've selected.

I'll go out on a limb and say that if you are planning to charter in the British Virgin Islands during any holiday period such as Christmas, New Years, Easter, Thanksgiving or spring break ... you should book at least 10 months to a year in advance if you want to get the yacht of your choice.

Keep in mind that the largest, smallest and newest yachts always book first. The reason for this is because there are generally fewer of them on the market, which limits your options.

In general terms, booking 8 to 10 months ahead is usually a safe bet, but not always as it depends on which yacht you want. If the yacht is brand new then you know it is a really desirable boat. If you want it over any holiday period, my guess would be at least 12 to 14 months ahead ... and you should be safe. Sorry to be so vague but its the best I can do.

Some people like to take advantage of last minute special discounts by booking about 4 to 6 weeks ahead. These people are not picky and will usually spend a lot of time shopping around to find a boat which is "close enough" to what they want. If you don't have any specific requirements and just want to get out on the water ... this can be an interesting and cost effective approach.