Sea Bed Permits

Depends on the location. What island and what bay are you thinking about?
Pamela

St Thomas, pretty much anywhere I can get one. How safe is it to leave a boat unattended? We will have someone start the engines and air out the boat. We would like to spend a month in the summer and a month in the winter aboard. We have weighed the options of charter and have not decided as of yet. My son is attending UVI so Brewer's bay might be an option. If I can get a permit, I was quoted $1500-$2000 to have a mooring ball installed.

Brewers Bay doesn't permit permanent moorings -- the closest would be Elephant Bay probably.
Leaving the boat unattended for 5 months - safe? guess it depends what is on it worth stealing - wouldn't seem prudent and during Hurricane season likely a very bad decision.

Most boat insurance requires the boat to be on the hard during huricane season. Many people own boats in STT who do not live there full time. We have talked to people on island who watch boats for a living. A slip would be in the $500 a month area, which brings us back to chartering maybe CYOA or in BVI.

I can not find Elephant Bay on my map, a little help please.

Water Island.

not all that helpful, I'm sure there are more availability then just water island.

See if you can find Gregorie East on your charts. It is close.

I found it west of Hassel Island, permits available?

possibly. I will be talking to DPNR about a couple of other issues this week. Will ask and let you know.

You can call the DPNR and ask where, if anywhere, sea bed permits are available. You can find their number here: www.viphonebook.com

Gregorie East is the name of the channel between Hassel and Water Island -- it is not a mooring area - Elephant Bay is--- and it is the N side of Water Island, closest to the Brewers Bay questioned area, as mentioned before.

Can someone tell me what is commonly used to secure a mooring ball. Screw type, cement blocks or whatever. Thanks

Generally three 5'-6' sand screws in a triangle with chain up to a swivel with line up through your ball, with a pickup line, or two, or a pickup buoy. Certainly concrete blocks won't work, sometimes heavy anchors are used but you need the scope and cantenary to make that work and you generally don't have that kind of space, the old mushroom anchors are used sometimes but the most common tackle is the sand screw.

Hi Pamela:

I'm also looking to get a mooring have you a method via email for me to request one through DPNR?
I really have no idea what the costs are and would like to do this.
My boat and I are hoping to arrive in late Sep or early Oct.

Thanks

Jay

Right now I'm wishing our boat was somewhere else.....

Best Friend,

I have researched the mooring ball situation and you must do it in person. You have to obtain what areas are available and present GPS coordinates to DPNR and this does not assure you of a spot. The cost is only $250 a year fro the seabed permit and about $2000 for a mooing ball. Hope this helps, best if you callDPNR.

Hello

Thank You

Can I assume DPNR told you what areas are available?

I also found this link quite interesting.

http://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/more_info/marinas/

It shows many anchoring locations for all 4 of the USVI.

I drop you a pvt mssg here too.

Jay

Sorry these are the anchor spots

http://www.usvi.net/usvi/marina.php

Best Friend: I suspect you are not on island. DPNR is not going to tell you where you can apply, but they will tell you where you cannot. There are no permits being allowed for many of those designated mooring areas at this time. There is a group working toward a mooring plan for the St James Marine Reserve, which includes: the Lagoon, Secret Harbour, Cowpet Bay, Christmas Cove. Space is very limited in many of the other mooring fields. You will really need to talk with someone from DPNR. Right now, it is very difficult to find a place to keep a boat.

East Ender

Once again thanks for the input you've been helpful previously for me too.
Do you know if I am correct in assuming that dropping anchor in the designated areas from that web link I just posted will be fine in the interim?
I'll give them a call and see if I can at least get on a list for these new locations.
I'm guessing progress there is as slow as it is everywhere else and this mooring plan may be months or years in the making?

Thanks Again

Jay