BVI vs the Bahamas for a yacht or catamaran charter

Each pick is our rule applied to the data, not an opinion; the rules are under how we decide.

See catamarans for rent in the British Virgin Islands on SamBoat · See catamarans for rent in the Bahamas on SamBoat

We may earn a commission if you book through our links, at no extra cost to you (disclosure).

Prices are 12 Knots' average weekly asking prices in euros ("Updated October 2026"). Rows marked our rule, our arithmetic or our calculation are ours; the others are quoted.

Both true-cost totals are partial: neither the BVI nor the Bahamas has a row in The Globe Sailor's table, so the like-for-like rows count the charter fee and food only. For Belize and the three-way price table see the Caribbean.

Both totals are partial: no Globe Sailor row exists, so fuel, marina fees, extras and the skipper rate are not verified and the real total is higher; the like-for-like rows in the table above count charter + food only for both sides.

Inputs are 12 Knots' prices and The Globe Sailor's September 2026 catamaran table (secondary), food at €20–40 per person per day; the per-person totals are our arithmetic. The Globe Sailor's table does not state a period for every column: the skipper fee is per day and the port fee per night (read from the article text); fuel per week is our reading. Tax and permit lines we could not verify (never added to a total):

• The BVI: Current cruising permit rate after the changes reported since 2017.
• The BVI: National Parks Trust permit price.
• The Bahamas: Whether the Bahamas Customs cruising permit applies to a Bahamas-based charter boat.
• The Bahamas: Marina rates in the Bahamas.

Full breakdown: true cost in the BVI · true cost in the Bahamas

The BVI. Usually not: no BVI government text we found requires a skipper's licence, and Anchor and 12 Knots say Caribbean charter companies ask for a sailing résumé instead (the base manager checks it). This rests on secondary sources, and The Moorings rates the BVI as its Level 1 (résumé-based) destination.

The Bahamas. It depends on the operator: we found no Bahamian government text requiring a skipper's licence, Anchor says none is required by law and a sailing résumé is enough, but 12 Knots says some Bahamas charter companies require a valid sailing certificate as company policy. The Moorings lists the Bahamas among regions requiring formal certification, so bring your certificate and résumé and ask before you book.

Licence rules in the BVI · Licence rules in the Bahamas · Sailing licence requirements, explained

Straight line, our calculation from OpenStreetMap coordinates; the road or ferry trip is longer. Nearest airport to the base is our choice (not the airport with the best connections). Distances are straight lines between OpenStreetMap coordinates, our calculation; the road or ferry trip is longer. We make no claim about flights. Great-circle distance between OpenStreetMap (Nominatim) coordinates, Earth radius 6,371.0088 km, 1 nm = 1.852 km. Straight lines: the sailed distance is longer. Coordinates © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (openstreetmap.org/copyright).

• The BVI: Yes, for visitors (recreational licence). Fishing rules in the BVI.
• The Bahamas: Only on a foreign-owned boat; flats need a personal licence. We do not give a price for the Bahamas sport fishing permit. Official Bahamian pages list different fees. The fishing FAQ on bahamas.com, the official tourism site, also says online pre-registration is preferred, but that the permit cannot be bought online and must be obtained at the port of entry. Confirm the fee and the process with Bahamas Customs or the Department of Marine Resources before you go. Fishing rules in the Bahamas.

Warm-sea months (24 °C or more, NOAA mean, our count): 12 in the BVI and 9 in the Bahamas. Snorkel and dive in the BVI · Snorkel and dive in the Bahamas.

See catamarans for rent in the British Virgin Islands on SamBoat

See catamarans for rent in the Bahamas on SamBoat

Listings and prices on SamBoat are SamBoat's own and change daily; the figures on this page are 12 Knots averages. We may earn a commission if you book through our links, at no extra cost to you (disclosure).

• A later law-firm guide and later amendments report different cruising-permit rates; we could not read them, so the current rate is not verified.
• Whether the Bahamas cruising permit applies to a Bahamas-based charter boat.
• Flights and connections: we make no claim about them. The airport is our choice of the nearest one to the base.

• [Secondary source]: From a newspaper, NGO, guide or tour operator; not official.
• [Not verified]: We could not confirm it. We leave it open rather than guess.
• No label: Read in an official text: government, park authority, ministry or official tourism board.
• our arithmetic: a mean, a difference, a percentage or a per-person total we calculated from the cited figures.
• our calculation: a distance, a weather mean or a day count we calculated from NASA POWER, NOAA or OpenStreetMap data.
• our rule: a verdict. Every "better pick" is a published rule applied to the data (see how we decide), not a ranking by any source.
• our choice: a reference point, an airport or a tie band.

None of this is a forecast, a safety rating or a recommendation to book a particular boat.

• V1. On a budget, flexible dates: the side with the lower 12-month mean of 12 Knots' average weekly asking prices (our arithmetic). A gap under 5% of the lower mean is "about the same" (our choice).
• V2. Fixed dates: no single pick. We list the months in which each side has the lower 12 Knots price (our arithmetic).
• V3. Summer holidays: the side with the lower mean of the July and August prices; a gap under 5% of the lower figure is "about the same" (our choice).
• V4. Christmas and New Year: the side with the lower December price; a gap under 5% is "about the same".
• V5. Families with children: the higher best-month family score on our published method (calm wind, short hops, warm sea, season); scores within 5 points are a tie (our choice). No pick where a score is partial (Thailand) or both sides share one dataset (Mallorca and Ibiza).
• V6. First charter without a sailing licence: the side whose licence regime is lower in the order none, résumé, not confirmed, licence required (our classification of the sources); the same regime is a tie. Beginner scores on our method are printed beside it.
• V7. Steady wind or calm: no single pick. We print each side's force 6 days per year (22 kn or more, NASA POWER, 2016–2025, our calculation) and which side has more; a gap within 2 days is a tie (our choice).
• V8. Warm water, snorkelling: the side with more months at 24 °C or more by NOAA's mean sea temperature at our reference point; equal counts are a tie.
• V9. Seasonal weather risk: no pick. We quote each side's weather-risk answer and link its page.
• V10. Fishing from the boat: no pick. We quote each side's licence rule and any warning from our fishing pages.

Constants (our choices): price ties under 5% of the lower figure; score ties within 5 points; wind ties within 2 force 6 days.

True cost per person = (12 Knots charter fee + fuel + 6 marina nights + mandatory extras + food at €20–40 per person per day) ÷ 6 people (our arithmetic, The Globe Sailor's September 2026 figures). Where a side has no Globe Sailor row (BVI, Bahamas, Thailand) the total is partial and the like-for-like row uses charter + food only for both sides.

Nearest airport to the base is our choice (not the airport with the best connections). Distances are straight lines between OpenStreetMap coordinates, our calculation; the road or ferry trip is longer. We make no claim about flights.

Verdicts are our rules applied to the data, not a ranking by any source. Means, differences, per-person totals, distances and verdicts are our arithmetic or our rules.

Data: JSON.

• 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in the BVI (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
• 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in the Bahamas (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
• NASA POWER: Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources: Monthly API (T2M, WS10M) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical cyclone climatology (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
• NOAA National Hurricane Center: Glossary of NHC terms (tropical storm, hurricane, hurricane season) (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
• NOAA National Hurricane Center: Atlantic hurricane database HURDAT2, 1851–2025 (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
• The Globe Sailor: What it really costs to charter a yacht (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• OpenStreetMap (Nominatim geocoder): Nominatim search API: coordinates of airports and the Palma reference point (secondary, not official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
• NASA POWER: Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources: Daily API (WS10M_MAX, WD10M) and Monthly API (PRECTOTCORR) (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
• Met Office: Beaufort wind force scale (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
• Anchor (formerly Helm): What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht? (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
• 12 Knots: Caribbean bareboat charter requirements: do you need a sailing licence? (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
• The Moorings: Experience guide: Level 3 sail (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
• RYA: Evidence of competence abroad (ICC) (reference, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.

Method: methodology. Data: JSON.

• The BVI: charter guide
• Best time to charter in the BVI
• True cost in the BVI
• 7-day sailing itinerary: from Tortola
• The BVI: weather
• Fishing rules in the BVI
• The Bahamas: charter guide
• Best time to charter in the Bahamas
• True cost in the Bahamas
• 7-day sailing itinerary: the Abacos
• The Bahamas: weather
• Fishing rules in the Bahamas
• All comparisons
• Catamaran Index home