We are in the process of booking a charter trip 3/21/-3/29 from Tortola. Our needs are a 36-40 Ft CAT with 4 cabins.

At this pt. I have quotes from several of the companies direct but am confussed on which company to go with.

This is our first time booking directly and I need help.

At this pt. was are looking at BVI Yacht Charters, FootLoose and North South

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have used BVIYachts several years ago, and they were excellent. I also often use Sunsail, and find them to be competitive; have you tried them?

Remember it isn't just the price, it is the boat. In the size range you mention, there are several possible boat:

Athena 38 - the worst designed cat in the charter fleet. Very poor usage of space
Lagoon 380 - sails better than the Athena, but very limited galley
Jaguar 36 - small boat, not built well (but who cares, you aren't buying it), has good utilization of space
Island Spirit 37 or 40, probably the best use of space of any boat in that size
Leopard 38 - good use of space, but only available in 3 cabin
Leopard 4500 - a lot of space and a great boat. Pretty large if it is your first cat charter.

All the companies in BVI are good, some just invest a bit more time in preventive maintenance.

Deb,
Perhaps you should try Barecat. They have a website at barecat.com. The owners, Mike and Sydney Falis are the best They treat you like family. They don't have many boats, but they have class cats, well maintained, and they give you the best personal service I've had in 34 years of chartering in the ilanz
Have fun,
art swanson

Check with Voyage Charters in Sopers Hole (West End) we've been chartering with them for the past 6 years and are headed back again in Nov/Dec. I just checked the Barecat website and the price for their Bahia 46 is about the same as a Voyage 440. They're a family operation as well and we've enjoyed using them. They also have a few rooms above the marina that you can stay in the night before so you're ready to go in the morning. Its right next to Pussers, which is handy if you're into Painkillers.

Bo NOT use Conch Charters! See my post. I recommend the main companies, especially for your first time. The Moorings, Sunsail, and Horizons are recommended. I have not used their second tier companies but have heard ok things about them and the service.

Hi - I have chartered with almost all the companies. For the big ones, I think Sunsail is a little better than the Moorings. The Moorings is so big that it hurts them. If you want a more custom/owners type boat, Horizon Yacht Charters is very good and I would highly recommend them. The companies you are looking at have older less expensive boats and in the end the boat is a large part of the holiday so I would stick to newer boats at the companies I have mentioned.

Go with a catamaran specialist company. There are three in BVI, Barecat, Voyage and Catco. Voyage have only South African "Voyage" cats - very good but a bit "clinical" in my opinion (the boats, not the company!), Catco have mainly Lagoons with a few other French boats still in the company, Barecat have an eclectic range, mainly older but immaculately maintained and clean: their customer service can't be beat.

I agree with the post about for first time chartering to go with Sunsail, Moorings, or Horizon, TMM is very good as well. the reason they do have a good fleet overall and do try, you will be covered as well if any major issues happen, they are more apt to have better customer service and this is what really you need on a trip like this, ability to have a company trouble shoot and take care of the problems. Cannot stress this enough. I have worked for all the major ones and still feel strongly about this.

If you are looking for personal very inexpensive boat out of Tortola, check out PROvalorsailing.com I just got back from one and the only thing I found in ten days was a burned out light bulb. Brent is honest and hard working. Has 2 cats and almost new.

I 2nd the recommendation for ProValor Sailing. Our Island Spirit is with him and he offers great service for a low price. Btw, our IS 400 (AristoCat II) should be available for those dates.

www.provalorsailing.com

check out provalorsailing.com he has 2 cats good honest guy, very inexpensive.
good luck.

I know this is well past your charter time, but just thought I'd respond for anyone else's sake who may still be looking for a company. I don't know who Brent is, but I've chartered from Pro Valor 3 times over the past 4 years, once from Jeff and Mindy and twice since Gene and Jim and their wives bought the business. Each charter has been fantastic. They've got a relatively small fleet, so the personal attention has been great. And the prices beat the crap out of the first tier companies. Mindy met us at the airport on our arrival and Jeff even spent the first afternoon of my first charter out sailing with me as I got comfortable with the cruising grounds...that was my first bareboat and I was understandably nervous. You won't get that kind of attention from Moorings or Sunsail. Since Gene and Jim have taken over, it's been just as good. They're friendly, extremely responsive to e-mail and are always very flexible about return times on that ever too short last day. Gene even convinced my wife that buying a boat for charter was a worthwhile investment. We're planning on going back for another charter with them next spring and I probably wouldn't go with another company in the BVI's at all. Their location near Beef Island is a nice bonus too, since you'll save a few bucks on those ridiculously inflated island cab fares going to and from the airport.

Hi, this is Brent Fennell. I'm the founder of Pro Valor Charters in '89 and Pro Valor Sailing Academy in '93. I never sold Pro Valor Charters, the name was copied without my knowledge, permission, or any compensation by the present owner of the PVC in the BVI. As for Hurwitz, who bought only PVSA from me in '02, I proved beyond any doubt in court that he defrauded me of over $200,000 in brokering income, a verdict I have since had domesticated in Lee County, Florida, U.S.A.
Just curious, what does it take for someone to be 'not nice', or at least unprofessional, by your standards?
Talk Is Cheap - I Am Pro Valor.
I'm back as provalorsailing.com

Brent,

If you sold the company and the new owner, or any subsequent owner, wanted to change the name, it seems to me that would be their prerogative. After all, it's no longer your company, regardless of any legal complications that arose afterward. It's not like the names Pro Valor Charters and Pro Valor Sailing Academy are known and trademarked worldwide like, for instance, General Motors. Until just recently, there was only one charter company called "Pro Valor" in Tortola, everybody knew them as "Pro Valor", regardless of whether "Charters" or "Sailing Academy" came after the name, and there was probably little chance of anyone confusing them with an even smaller charter business of a similar name thousands of miles north, somewhere in Canada. For example, there are probably hundreds of little restaurants across the U.S. called "Frank's Deli", and I doubt anyone who goes to the one in Detroit knows or would even care that there might be one in Poughkeepsie, NY with the same name. And I doubt anyone would think they're run by the same people. I also don't see anything wrong with the current owners claiming the business has been around since 1993...it has. Just like General Motors, which has probably changed "ownership" and management thousands of times since it's founding, is currently promoting the fact that they've been making cars for 100 years. It's still the same name and essentially the same continuously operating business, regardless of who runs it now. It seems to me that by returning to Tortola and starting up another charter business with the same "Pro Valor" name, you're trying to undermine the other Pro Valor you sold in 2002, maybe because of some anger you're harboring over what happened with Jeff and Mindy. Since it has been 6 years since you sold the business and the latest owners haven't run it into the ground and, in fact, have built up a nice following of their own, I'd say they've earned the right to tout their reputation, even of the first 9 years of it were aquired through purchase. If your name and reputation are really your main assets, then I would imagine you could even call your business "Brent's Charters" and your old customers would seek you out based on their previous experiences, without causing confusion among the people who have chartered from Pro Valor over the past 6 years since it has been under different ownership.

Well done Stuart. I am not sure how to respond and have not in the past to the audacious representations B Fennel has made here, on TTOL, and his own website. Regardless of whether the claims he makes are true, why he would think they provide any value to his "new" business, or is believable to the point of hurting the "old" business is beyond me. He has continually maintained he is a man of many admirable traits not the least being honest and having integrety. His efforts, with such continued vehemence to defame,slander, defraud, and mislead the public, to cast aspertions against the current owners of Pro Valor Charters for the sake of his personal gain is beyond me and confirms what I and many from the Island know to be the truth.

For others who might read this post, I'd like to put in a word for Catamaran Co. I do have a boat in their fleet and would like to mention what i think is a key difference between them and a company like Moorings or Sunsail. Catco charges me for all repairs and maintenance. They mark up their labor and parts. They make money when they work on my boat. Apart from reputation, it is in their interest to keep my boat in top shape as they make more money. We know that is important.
A company like Moorings sends a fixed check to the owner every month. Maintenance and repairs come out of Mooring's bottom line. They make less money every time they repair a boat. It is in their interest, without jeopardizing their reputation, to do as little repair work as possible. This increases the likelihood of a failure during a charter or some wear and tear issues that Moorings does not fix and writes off to its being an older boat whereas Catco is inclined to stay on top of all their issues.
Just my point of view.