Caribbean Yacht Show British, US Virgin Islands

The Caribbean Yacht Shows comes along every November rain or shine.

H2O Luxury Yachts team members attended the Charter Yacht Society of the British Virgin Islands, and the US VIPCA yacht shows  these past ten days.

How many yachts are on display at the Caribbean Yacht Shows?

This year 106 yachts were on display, from 40’  up to a 140’ gorgeous Sailing Schooner named Columbia.

Boats of all sizes and types in between rounded out the headlines. These shows mainly focus on Sailing Catamarans between 50 and 62 feet. There is a scattering of lovely motor yachts and a few sailing monohulls.

Caribbean Yacht Show- Mahasattva Catamaran dockside

How many yacht charter brokers attend these shows?

More than 100 charter brokers from around the world were in attendance this year.

Unusually for this time of year, except for a couple of brief showers in Tortola that were cooling, we had bright sunny and hot days!

What do we do at these B2B (Business to Business) events?

We work! Twenty hours a day we are head down and striding purposely down the docks climbing all over the yachts up top and down below inspecting!

We don’t have a lot of people who feel sorry for us though.

This is our chance to view the yachts and crews and decide which yachts we want to offer for the coming season. We step on board to view the yachts so YOU can get the perfect yacht that DOES look like its brochure pictures.

We MIGHT also have some fun events such as Yacht Hops, dinners on the beach with our toes in the sand and luncheons on board these beautiful motor yachts.

These allow the chefs to show off their style of cooking. Many Chefs take specialized courses every offseason to keep on pushing the limit on the skills.

Bookings come in all winter and with the first snow flurry up north the yacht charters also fall thick and heavy 🙂

Overview at the St Thomas Caribbean Yacht Show of Yacht Haven Grande Docks

Where is the British Virgin Islands show held?

The BVI Charter Yacht Show is held at Nanny Cay Resort and Marina on Tortola. Nanny Cay Marina hosts not only the yacht show but also the famous Spring Regatta.

Where is the US Virgin Islands show held?

The VIPCA show is held at Yacht Haven Grande in Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas. Yacht Haven Grande Marina boasts almost 100 slips in downtown Charlotte Amalie next to the Havensight Cruise Ship dock with 46 of the slips available for Megayachts.

Both of these marinas are world-class, with awards aplenty to go around.

This November 2019 we at H2O Luxury Yachts not only saw as many boats as we could but we also had the pleasure of joining in with crews and brokers in some fun events.

Check out our blog entry on cruising the US Virgin Islands 

What boat show events happened?

  • Every day was devoted to walking the docks and climbing off and on the yachts.
  • Lunches were held on various yachts so brokers and crew could talk about the state of the industry
  • Tasting the different kinds of appetizers the chefs prepared for us to sample
  • The Designer water contests that were presented by the yachts and judged by the Charter Yacht Brokers Association. Believe me, these drinks were welcomed! It is hot on the docks
  • As the sun started to settle over the yardarms, maybe, just maybe, alcoholic beverages might have appeared
  • At both shows a purveyor night was held featuring not only the choices of divine food and beverages available to the crews but also repair, insurance, healthcare, and more services.
  • Both shows featured what is always one of the most popular events, the YACHT HOP.
  • Each yacht who participated decorated their yacht and themselves as a particular theme.
  • Azuria II Catamaran featured a back to the twenties GIN party, Catamaran Lolalita was ENGLAND in one showdown to the chef serving the best fish and chips I have ever had in my life. Blu Pepper Catamaran took it back to their roots decorating their yacht from the mast top to the bottom to look like an amazon jungle. Complete with large Gorilla.
Appetizers aboard Mahasattva Catamaran

Broker and Crew Dinners

Peg Legs at Nanny Cay featured an awards night on the sand with awards going out to various yachts. Awards for Best in Show, Cooking Competitions, Cocktail Making Competitions and more.

On St Thomas, the broker and crews gathered dockside for the awards ceremonies, did a turn around the harbor aboard the KON-TIKI party barge (opens in new tab) and finished off with dinner and dancing.

Our Instagram and Facebook Pages

Follow along with our Facebook and IG pages for daily updates on yacht and show viewings. I promise you will want to insert yourself in the mood!

What is next for Caribbean Yacht Shows?

Coming up in early December is the Antigua Yacht Show where we will focus more on the Mega Yachts. Before then it is off to the Thailand Yacht Show. Thailand Yacht Show.

How do I rent a fully crewed and inclusive luxury yacht charter?

That’s easy! Contact Kerry. Fill out our quote page here and within 24 hours yachts that match your requirements will show up in your inbox.