Charter Local Area Familiarization

Once you’ve arrived at the charter base, the company will give you an extensive briefing on the local area, where to sail, where not to sail, and they’ll also give you a recommended route to take for the time that you have allotted. They’ll point out danger zones, submerged objects and reefs, key VHF radio signals, key phone numbers, key AM/FM radio stations for weather forecasts, local repair facilities, and what to do in case repair is required as well as good local watering holes and restaurants. They are a wealth of knowledge so listen carefully and take good notes because 3 days into the trip you’ll be so relaxed you’ll forget much of the stuff they told you. Review your notes each morning regarding the island/area you’re in.

Download onto your mobile device the electronic charts for the area.

Here are some helpful links for iPad and iPhone.

Or for Android, see Navionics charts on the google play store. 

British Virgin Islands

If you are going to the BVI, take our NauticEd BVI course online. There is also a downloadable PDF. The Fast-Check-Out is accepted by most Yacht Charter Companies as a replacement for needing to do the briefing at the base. They will still go through many things with you, but this will save you quite a few valuable vacation hours AND you will have the information handy to you at all times.