Flying home, we talk about the lessons learned on this trip. If you found this end of the trip blog, you should click here and start from the beginning of the BVI family sailing charter.
This is our first June charter in the BVI, so our conclusions must be remembered with a grain of salt. But here are my thoughts.
Temperature
I’ve chartered down here in winter, spring, and summer. I don’t know whether I prefer Winter or Spring more. April is probably my favorite time in the BVI because it’s less crowded, the water is warm, and the evenings are warm. Not that the temperature differs much between seasons here, it is only a difference of 5 degrees in the water and maybe 10 degrees on land. In winter, it is nice to have a light jacket for evenings ashore, and when the sun goes down we usually stop snorkeling. The water is warmest in June, and you wouldn’t mind snorkeling all night if you could. The days get a little hot, and it’s nice to have an air conditioner on the boat.
Winds
In June, the trade winds aren’t as strong, and have a lot more variability. We had a sizable low pressure system go by south of the BVI for the first 4 days which meant constant rain and cloudy skies. Also, the humidity is much higher. No that it’s bad down here in June.
Bottom Line
Bottom line is, I wouldn’t pass up a chance to sail down here ANY time of year. If you are planning a trip, I’d recommend Winter or Spring, but don’t be surprised if you see me posting again about a summer trip here either.
One of the advantages of summer is that the anchorages are for the most part less crowded, the water is never more than 4 feet away if you want to go for a swim and cool off, and the rain is rather refreshing. But I guess that’s why it’s the low/shoulder season.
This June BVI sailing charter was fantastic. Read about our sailing charter here in January with some good friends, or about our first sailboat charter experience in the British Virgin Islands here.