Last Christmas, we were getting ready for our trip to the BVI’s and many of the gifts I gave Scott were for our trip. Unfortunately, the trip was postponed due to covid and now is rescheduled for next April. In this week’s blog, I’ll share with you many of the items I bought him (affiliate links are in this blog).
Since we have never chartered a boat outside of the US, we’re not sure what to expect. If you have chartered a boat in the BVI’s, please let us know if we are on the right track or if we’re missing something.
Drinking Water
I’m a water snob, as many of you know from our multiple posts about potable water and our drinking water episode. Our first boat had terrible water and I never even brushed my teeth with that water. On our second boat, we used a special antibacterial hose, with an external filter to add water to our fresh water tank. Then we had a drinking faucet with a 3M filter which provided us fantastic quality water.
Having no idea what the water quality is on the charter boat, I bought two things for drinking water. First, I bought Vapur ShakeFilter packets (what I thought were filtration packets) for drinking water. But the more I look at the product, it’s doesn’t say anywhere that it removes bacteria and that is one of my biggest concerns. (Glad I have 75 packets!!)
Next, I bought the world’s smallest water filter in a straw, called Clean Sip! These straws filter up to 200 gallons of water and they remove bacteria. I ordered one for each of our crew members for the trip.
Travel Guide
If you have ever traveled outside of the US, you have most likely used a travel guide from Fodor’s. I bought the Fodor’s Travel for the US & British Virgin Islands for our trip and I love it. It not only has all the travel info for hotels, restaurants, mooring balls, etc., but it also has information about the types of reef life, health information and currency. This guide is not only light weight, but the cover has a coating that protects it from moisture.
Phone Protectors
When Scott and I were at the Annapolis Boat Show a few years ago, we stumbled upon a cool new product for your phone & credit cards, called the Ugo wear wallet. The cases are made out of scuba gear material and zippers and they float. We love using these for dinghy rides or kayak trips.
For this trip I also bought us a waterproof bag from Earth Pak, for our longer trips to the beach. This pack also came with a waterproof phone pouch which we use all of the time when we go out crabbing.
Body Protection
While I love being in the sun, Scott does not because he burns so easily. For our trip to the BVI’s I bought him a Baleaf SPF 50 long sleeve shirt that we can wear out in the sun. It’s light weight and very comfortable.
Head Light
When I bought Scott a Cobiz LED head light last Christmas, I didn’t necessarily think we would take it with us on our trip. But after all of the issues we had on our last charter, we might want to rethink that. This is a great head light, with multiple functions. It also comes in a hard carrying case.
Mini Tri-Pod
I admit, we have a lot of tri-pods for all of our camera equipment. But when we are traveling by plane, we need to stay as light weight as possible. I found this great lightweight tri-pod from Pasavant. It only weighs a few ounces and it comes with a travel pouch.
Portable Camera
Last Christmas, Scott bought me all kinds of camera equipment including our drone and DJI Action Camera (all of those links can be found under shop our gear tab). One camera I love and will definitely take with us, is our DJI Pocket. It comes with a gimbal, it’s lightweight and really easy to use. Plus, when you are filming yourself in public, you don’t have this huge camera in your face drawing attention to yourself.
What’s the latest update on our trip?
I wish we were actually packing for our trip, but unfortunately we’ve moved it from February to April of next year. The BVI’s were open and they just closed again until January 21st. Before they closed again, their restrictions were so strict (4 covid tests, 8 days of quarantine, restrictions on to where you could travel), that it wasn’t worth going in February. As a result, we moved the trip to April, but we may very likely have to move the trip again. With vaccines on the horizon, perhaps we might make it.
If there is anything we’re missing here that we should take on the trip, please let us know. As always, thank you for following our journey! You can find us on social at @BoatingJourney. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! See our YouTube episode below!
Cheers, Scott and Ally
