Skippered catamaran charter in the BVI: what it costs
BVI skippered catamaran: weekly asking price €6,816–9,773. Skipper day rate not verified. Cruising permit from US$4 per person per day.
Photo by Nick Rickert on Unsplash
Skipper day rate
Not verified
No BVI row in our cost table
Cruising permit
US$4/person/day
Home-based; foreign-based US$16
Source: Virgin Islands (Statutory Instrument 2024 No. 83), checked
The permit is official. The skipper wage is not. Do not add the €150–300 a day range: that figure is not a BVI rate.
A skippered catamaran week in the British Virgin Islands starts from the weekly asking price of €6,816–9,773 (€6,816 in September, €9,773 in March, 12 Knots, October 2026) (12 Knots, checked 27 Oct 2026), before fuel, marina fees, food and the skipper. A BVI skipper day rate is not verified. The Globe Sailor's skipper table has no BVI row, and the €150–300 a day range it gives is not a BVI price (The Globe Sailor, checked 28 Oct 2026). A crewed-catamaran weekly fee is not verified either.
Checked 2026-11-03. 12 Knots mixes bareboat and crewed listings. The official cruising permit below is a head fee, not a skipper wage.
Weekly catamaran price, skipper separate
| Month | Catamaran avg. weekly price | Skipper |
|---|---|---|
| January | €8,813 | Not verified |
| February | €9,390 | Not verified |
| March | €9,773 | Not verified |
| April | €9,097 | Not verified |
| May | €8,222 | Not verified |
| June | €7,848 | Not verified |
| July | €7,448 | Not verified |
| August | €6,868 | Not verified |
| September | €6,816 | Not verified |
| October | €7,134 | Not verified |
| November | €8,100 | Not verified |
| December | €8,885 | Not verified |
Charter: (12 Knots, checked 27 Oct 2026). We do not add a guessed skipper fee to these rows. Where we do have a destination skipper rate, the same table is filled in: Croatia and Greece.
The fee that is official: the cruising permit
From 1 June 2025 the cruising permit is US$4 per person per day on a home-based charter boat and US$16 per person per day on a foreign-based charter boat (Virgin Islands (Statutory Instrument 2024 No. 83), checked 1 Nov 2026). For 8 guests over 7 days that is US$224 (home-based) or US$896 (foreign-based), our arithmetic, and it is only the permit. It is not in the weekly asking price.
Skippered or crewed
- Skippered means a captain and your own food and fuel. The BVI day rate for that captain: not verified.
- Crewed adds more crew and usually an APA of 25–35% of the fee (Helm, checked 27 Oct 2026) and a tip of 10–20% (Worth Avenue Yachts, checked 27 Oct 2026). A BVI crewed weekly fee: not verified. Crewed yacht charter.
- Licence: Anchor says the Caribbean has no legal licence requirement and that operators ask for a sailing résumé; it does not name the BVI specifically (Anchor (formerly Helm), checked 27 Oct 2026). The Moorings rates the BVI as Level 1 (The Moorings, checked 27 Oct 2026). With a professional skipper, the résumé question is the skipper's. BVI licence rules.
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See also: BVI catamaran cost by month · true cost · 7-day itinerary · best time · bareboat vs skippered · BVI overview.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a skippered catamaran charter in the BVI?
The weekly catamaran asking price is €6,816–9,773 (12 Knots, October 2026). A BVI skipper day rate is not verified, so we do not add one. The cruising permit, from 1 June 2025, is US$4 per person per day on a home-based charter boat.
How much is a crewed catamaran in the BVI per week?
Not verified. We have no operator rate card for a BVI crewed catamaran. Budget the weekly asking price, then ask for the crew, APA and the cruising permit as separate lines.
Do I need a licence if I hire a skipper in the BVI?
The sources we use do not impose a legal bareboat licence in the Caribbean; operators ask for a sailing résumé, and The Moorings rates the BVI as Level 1. With a professional skipper in charge, that question is the skipper's. Confirm the booking is skippered, not bareboat.