I've chartered from Pro-Valor 3 times over the past 4 years, once from previous owners Jeff and Mindy and twice since Gene and Jim and their wives bought the business. Each charter has been fantastic. Gene and Jim have winnowed out some of the older, less well-kept boats, so all of the boats now are in great shape. And as somebody once told me before my very first charter, unless you're planning on spending your entire charter on the boat you don't need a brand new boat with all the latest bells and whistles. Granted, you'll be sleeping on the boat, but most of your time will probably be spent snorkeling, diving, wandering the islands and going out to dinner, all away from the boat. My wife and I just got back from a week in Belize aboard a 2 year old Beneteau from Moorings, and other than having
GPS...which is virtually useless in the BVI's unless you're going to Anegada...I saw no appreciable difference between that boat and the older 2nd tier boats at Pro Valor...other than the much higher price tag. They've got a relatively small fleet, so the personal attention has been great. And the prices beat the crap out of the first tier companies. Mindy met us at the airport on our arrival and Jeff even spent the first afternoon of my first charter out sailing with me as I got comfortable with the cruising grounds...that was my first bareboat and I was understandably nervous. You won't get that kind of attention from Moorings or Sunsail. I had to cancel my 2nd charter at the last minute due to a severe case of the flu and Mindy gave me full credit for the price I paid toward a future charter with them. Gene and Jim honored that credit after they took over, even beyond the one year Mindy initially said it would be good for. Try getting your money back like that from one of the big companies. Since Gene and Jim have taken over, it's been just as good. They're friendly, extremely responsive to e-mail and are always very flexible about return times on that ever too short last day...no hard deadline of 12 noon or you pay a late fee. Gene even convinced my wife that buying a boat for charter was a worthwhile investment. And their location near Beef Island is a nice bonus too, since you'll save a few bucks on those ridiculously inflated island cab fares going to and from the airport. Whenever I have a friend or co-worker who's interested in chartering, I always refer them to Pro-Valor. We're planning on going back for another charter with them next spring and I probably wouldn't go with another company in the BVI's at all. I have nothing bad to say about them and I'm sure you'll be quite happy if you decide to charter from them. Oh, by the way, I'm not getting a commission from them for saying all this and I don't have a vested interest in the business, I've just had some really good experiences with them.
Rich
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