For BVI trips, don’t forget your passport and $70 cash per person for customs fees. 

Other than that, you will need to bring your credit card/cash (for drinks, lunch, and shopping), camera, towel, sunglasses, non-spray, reef-safe sunscreen, your favorite playlist and any snacks you may want. We will provide ice and water; if you have other drinks you’d like to bring along, we have room in our built-in coolers.

If your lunch plans include Limeout or Pizza Pi, we recommend you bring extra cash - food delivery to the boat is cash only and sometimes their credit card machine is down.

Spray sunscreen will stain the fiberglass and cushions on the boat not to mention cause damage to our coral reefs.  Please don't apply spray sunscreen prior to boarding or while on your trip because we want to keep Island Girl looking sharp for many years.  

All trips depart from either the National Park Dock in Cruz Bay on St John or from Sapphire Marina on St Thomas unless specified otherwise. Start times vary depending on the itinerary and trip. All reservations and details are confirmed via email once a date has been secured.

A gratuity for a job well done is certainly appreciated and is left to the discretion of our guests. Your captain has a lot of responsibility for showing you a good time and making sure you are safe. If you would like to show the captain your appreciation, the industry standard is 20% of the charter cost. Our captains always appreciate cash, but if you're running low or spent all of your cash, we can add a gratuity to your final bill that will be charged to your credit card on file - just let your captain know.

When traveling to the British Virgin Islands you must pay for entry and exit fees.  These fees total $70 per person and are payable to the captain in cash at the start of the charter.

At the time of booking, we require a deposit that you can pay securely with a credit card using our online booking software.

For full and half day private charters, the deposit is $250. At the end of your day on the water, we will charge the remaining charter balance plus the cost of fuel to the same credit card you used to pay the deposit.

For our "3 Hour Tour" group trip, the deposit is $25/person. At the end of the trip, we will charge the remaining balance to the same credit card you used to pay the deposit.

We only accept cash for BVI customs fees and a gratuity for the captain for a job well done.

Shades of Blue Charters will help you enjoy what will likely be the best day of your vacation. Our private charters are customized for each group depending on your interests. Our captains have vast local knowledge and will play a key role in ensuring a fun, safe day on the water. Our boat,  Island Girl, was totally refurbished in 2019 - everything is brand new. She is spacious and comfortable with plenty of seating for all in the sun or shade. Our awesome sound system will allow you to crank up your own playlist as we whisk you and your group to each stop on your day’s itinerary. Island Girl is a catamaran designed and built by Ocean Express for offshore cruising. She’s lightweight, fast, stable and smooth and burns up to 40% less fuel than similarly sized, heavier boats. We also have built in coolers to keep the drinks and snacks cold.

Please read our cancellation policy here.

Even if the forecast is calling for rain, we will still go out. A daily rain shower somewhere in our charter area is pretty normal down in the islands. Out on the water, you can usually see the rain showers coming and we always try our best to avoid them. Our boat has a large canopy and plenty of dry storage which provides protection for you and your belongings in the event of a shower. The good news is that most rain showers move on through just as fast as they came leaving sunshine and blue skies behind.

Yes, occasionally we will cancel charters due to weather. More times than not, weather cancellations happen due to high winds and the rough seas that usually accompany them. Also, there may be days when the captain may decide to alter an itinerary based on sea conditions (i.e. the long trip around St John to visit Limeout can be unsafe and rather unpleasant in the wrong conditions). Ultimately, all weather related decisions are made by the captain whose number one priority is the safety of the passengers and the vessel.

Yes, there is shade on the boat. A lot of shade actually. We just got a new, custom bimini top made that provides shade for nearly 65% of the deck. There are very few boats that have as much shade as Island Girl. Don't worry though - there are still plenty of seats in the sun if that's what you're looking for.

You’re welcome to bring food if you’d like, but most charter guests eat breakfast before boarding and plan a lunch stop somewhere during the day. The captain can help you choose depending on the day’s itinerary. Some of our favorite places to stop for lunch are Cruz Bay on St John, Sunset Grille at Secret Harbour, Lovango Beach Resort, and Pizza Pi in Christmas Cove. 

Absolutely! We have plenty of room so bring as much beer as you want. You can bring your own cooler or just use our built-in coolers. For safety, no glass bottles please. We will also have plenty of water on board to keep everyone well hydrated. If you don't feel like getting and carrying your own drinks, you can pre-order rum punch or PainKillers by the gallon when you book on-line and it will be waiting for you, on ice, when you arrive for your day on the water.

On our full and half day private charters, we do not mix groups/parties. If you book a full or half day with Shades of Blue Charters, your group will be the only group on board.

On our "3 Hour Tour" trip, we do mix groups/parties. 

Our full day charters are 7 hours and typically run from 8:30am - 3:30pm. 

Our half day charters are 3.5 hours and begin at 8:30am or 1:00pm.

There is also an option to extend your day by 1 hour for an additional $125. You can specify the "Extended Day" option when you book on-line, or you can ask the captain on the day of your charter.

Our "3 Hour Tour" trip is ~3 1/2 hours, from 8:30am - 12:00pm or 1:00 - 4:30pm.

When we first started coming down to the Virgin Islands years ago, we were totally blown away by the shades of blue you see in the water. We looked forward to seeing it every time we visited and we missed it when we left. Even now, all these years later, seeing all of those shades of blue in the water never gets old.