Virgin Charter Yachts vs. The Moorings: Which BVI Bareboat Charter Company Is Right for You?

If you are researching a BVI bareboat charter, there is a good chance you will come across both Virgin Charter Yachts and The Moorings.

Both companies have operated in the British Virgin Islands for decades.

Both offer bareboat power catamarans from Tortola.

Both have experienced BVI teams and modern charter yachts.

But the two companies are very different.

• The Moorings is one of the largest international yacht charter companies in the world, with a large BVI fleet and charter bases in destinations around the globe.
• Virgin Charter Yachts is a smaller, family-owned charter company that has operated in the BVI since 1996, with a fleet of approximately 25 yachts.

For travelers looking specifically for a BVI power catamaran charter, there is another major difference:

The Moorings offers power catamarans built by Robertson & Caine, the manufacturer of Leopard Catamarans. Virgin Charter Yachts offers power catamarans from multiple manufacturers, including Leopard, Aquila, Aventura and Fountaine Pajot.

That difference in yacht selection can become especially important for larger groups.

Virgin Charter Yachts vs. The Moorings at a Glance

What Is the Biggest Difference Between Virgin Charter Yachts and The Moorings?

For powercat guests, we think the biggest difference is choice.

The Moorings has developed a very successful charter model around yachts manufactured by Robertson & Caine, the South African builder behind Leopard Catamarans.

Their current power fleet includes different sizes of Robertson & Caine power catamarans.

Leopard makes excellent yachts.

In fact, Virgin Charter Yachts offers Leopard power catamarans too.

The difference is that Leopard isn't the only powercat brand we offer.

Our bareboat fleet also includes Aventura, Aquila and Fountaine Pajot power catamarans.

Why does that matter?

Because power catamarans from different manufacturers can be surprisingly different even when they are approximately the same length.

• Cabin configurations differ.
• Flybridges differ.
• Interior volume differs.
• Cockpits differ.
• Galley layouts differ.
• Master cabins differ.

And the number and type of guest cabins can vary dramatically.

At Virgin Charter Yachts, we don't have to begin the conversation with:

"Which size Leopard would you like?"

We can begin with:

"Tell us about your group."

Then we can determine which manufacturer and model makes the most sense.

Is The Moorings Better Because It Has a Larger Fleet?

Not necessarily — although size certainly has advantages.

The Moorings is a much larger company than Virgin Charter Yachts - The Moorings offers hundreds of catamarans and monohulls for charter, just at their base in the BVI. 

For some travelers, that is exactly what they want.

The Moorings has a large international reservation system, charter bases throughout the world and a highly standardized operation.

If you want to charter with the same company in the BVI, Greece, Croatia and other destinations, that international network can be very attractive.

Virgin Charter Yachts takes almost the opposite approach.

We have intentionally remained a relatively small, family-owned charter company focused on the British Virgin Islands.

We have personally curated our fleet, and we keep the fleet size to approximately 25 yachts which allows our team to know the individual boats and provide a highly personalized level of service to our guests.

Neither model is automatically better.

It depends on the type of experience you prefer.

Which Has the Better Powercat Selection: VCY or The Moorings?

This is where the differences become more significant.

The Moorings' powercat fleet is only based on Robertson & Caine/Leopard models.  They have multiple sizes from Leopard, but they only offer Leopard powercats for charter. 

Virgin Charter Yachts offers powercats from:

• Leopard
• Aquila
• Aventura
• Fountaine Pajot

We don't believe there is one powercat manufacturer that builds the best yacht for every charter group.

• For three couples, a Fountaine Pajot with fewer but larger cabins may be ideal.
• For four couples, a Leopard may be perfect.
• For a family, an Aquila may provide exactly the space and configuration they want.
• For five couples, an Aventura with five double cabins may be significantly more comfortable.
• And for six couples, our six-cabin Aventura 50 offers an extraordinarily unusual layout.

The advantage isn't that one of these manufacturers is universally better than Leopard.

The advantage is being able to compare them.

Virgin Charter Yachts vs. Moorings for Four Couples

If you have eight guests or four couples, both companies have excellent options.

The Moorings offers four-cabin power catamarans.

Virgin Charter Yachts also offers four-cabin powercats, including Leopard models as well as yachts from other manufacturers.

At this group size, cabin count may not be the deciding factor.

Instead, compare things such as:

• Yacht age
• Cabin size
• Flybridge layout
• Interior space
• Galley
• Outdoor entertaining areas
• Equipment
• Price
• And the charter-company experience you prefer

This is a situation where we might recommend a Leopard to one group and a Fountaine Pajot or Aquila to another.

Virgin Charter Yachts vs. Moorings for Five Couples

This is where the difference between the two fleets becomes much more important.

Five couples ideally need five private cabins with five double beds.

The Moorings currently does not offer a five-cabin bareboat power catamaran.

The Leopard 46-foot 464PC has four en-suite guest cabins. It can accommodate up to 10 guests by using additional convertible sleeping spaces in the salon.  The salon table drops down and an insert is added so that 2 people can sleep on the dining table at night. 

That can work very well for a family with children.

But five adult couples may feel differently about having one couple sleep in the salon while the other four couples have private cabins.

The larger Moorings 534PC is also a four-cabin yacht. It does not offer a convertible salon or any additional accommodations in the forepeaks.  So even though the 534PC is larger, it can accommodate a maximum of 8 guests. 

Again, that can work for the right group.

But maximum guest capacity and number of private double cabins are not the same thing.

VCY's Five-Couple Option

Virgin Charter Yachts offers 50 and 56' Aventura power catamarans specifically configured with:

• 5 private guest cabins
• 5 double beds
• 5 heads

That means five couples can each have their own private double cabin.

Nobody sleeps in the salon.

Nobody gets a bunk room.

Nobody sleeps in a forepeak accessed from the deck.

For a group of five couples specifically searching for a 5-cabin BVI bareboat power catamaran, that difference can completely change the vacation.

But Doesn't The Moorings Have Five-Cabin Catamarans?

Yes — sailing catamarans.

This distinction is important.

The Moorings offers sailing monohulls, sailing catamarans and power catamarans.

Some of its larger sailing catamarans provide additional cabin configurations.

But if you specifically want a power catamaran, the current Moorings power fleet does not include a five-cabin model.

Virgin Charter Yachts specializes in bareboat power catamarans and offers three-, four-, five- and six-cabin powercat configurations.

So if your group consists of five couples and you specifically want a powercat, make sure you're comparing the actual sleeping arrangements rather than simply the advertised maximum guest capacity.

What About Six Couples or 12 Guests?

This is an even more unusual situation.

Finding a BVI bareboat powercat that can technically accommodate 12 people isn't necessarily the same thing as finding one with six actual guest cabins.

Virgin Charter Yachts manages the Aventura 50 Unwinding, which has:

• 6 guest cabins
• 6 double beds
• 6 heads
• Capacity for 12 guests

That means six couples can each have a private double cabin and their own head.

There is no need to convert the salon every evening.

There is no bunk room.

There is no couple assigned to a forepeak.

For a group of 12 adults specifically looking for a BVI bareboat powercat, this is an extremely unusual configuration.

Don't Ask How Many People the Yacht Sleeps

Ask: Where does everyone sleep?

This may be the single most useful piece of advice we can give someone comparing BVI bareboats.

A yacht may advertise capacity for 10 guests.

But that could mean:

• Four double cabins plus two people in the salon.
• Or four cabins plus secondary berths.
• Or five actual double cabins.

Those are three very different charter experiences.

For a family traveling with children, a convertible salon or secondary berth may be completely acceptable.

For five couples spending thousands of dollars each on a vacation, it may not be.

Before booking any BVI bareboat, look at the actual cabin layout.

What About the Yachts Themselves?

It is important to emphasize that we are not suggesting Leopard is inferior to the other brands we offer.

Quite the opposite.

Virgin Charter Yachts manages Leopard powercats because we think they can be excellent charter yachts.   Virgin Charter Yachts offers both the Leopard 51PC and the Leopard 53PC powercats for bareboat charter. 

But we also manage Aventura, Aquila and Fountaine Pajot because different manufacturers solve the same design problems differently.

That's exactly why we like having multiple brands.

If the Leopard is the best yacht for your group, we'll recommend the Leopard.

If the Aventura's five double cabins make more sense, we'll recommend the Aventura.

If an Aquila's tremendous interior volume better suits your family, we'll recommend the Aquila.

The yacht should fit the guests — not the other way around.

Large International Company vs. Boutique BVI Charter Company

The other major difference between Virgin Charter Yachts and The Moorings has nothing to do with boats.

It's the type of company you are booking with.

The Moorings

The Moorings offers the advantages of a very large international organization.

It has:

• A large fleet
• Worldwide charter destinations
• Standardized systems
• Extensive reservation infrastructure
• A major Tortola charter base
• Decades of charter experience

For travelers who value scale and consistency, those are meaningful advantages.

Virgin Charter Yachts

Virgin Charter Yachts has been operating in the BVI since 1996.

We have chosen to remain much smaller.

Our approximately 25-yacht fleet allows our reservations, customer service, dock and technical teams to have direct knowledge of the yachts we manage.

If you call us trying to decide between two powercats, we're not simply reading specifications from a manufacturer's website.

We know the boats.

We know their layouts.

We know their equipment.

And we know the BVI.

For guests who value personal service and direct access to the company actually managing their yacht, that smaller structure can be a significant advantage.

Nanny Cay vs. The Moorings Base

Virgin Charter Yachts operates from Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola.

Nanny Cay is a full-service marina with accommodations, restaurants, bars, a beach, swimming pool, grocery market and numerous marine businesses.

The Moorings operates from its large charter base in Road Town, which also provides extensive amenities for arriving charter guests.

Both are convenient places to begin a BVI charter.

The difference is primarily the atmosphere.

The Moorings provides a large company-operated charter environment.

Nanny Cay is a full-service marina community containing numerous independent businesses in addition to Virgin Charter Yachts.

Which you prefer is largely personal.

What If I Need a Captain?

A bareboat charter doesn't necessarily mean you have to operate the yacht yourself.

If you don't have the experience required to captain the yacht, Virgin Charter Yachts can arrange a professional freelance captain.

This can also be a good solution for someone who likes the flexibility of a bareboat vacation but doesn't want the responsibility of operating a large powercat.

The captain can handle the yacht while your group decides where to go, where to eat and how to spend each day.

Which Company Is Less Expensive?

This changes constantly.

Both companies offer seasonal rates and promotions, so we would not choose between VCY and The Moorings based on a single advertised discount.

Instead, compare the total price of comparable yachts for the same dates.

And make sure the yachts really are comparable.

A four-cabin yacht advertised for 10 passengers isn't necessarily equivalent to a five-cabin yacht with five double beds just because both technically accommodate 10 guests.

Compare:

• Base charter rate
• Mandatory fees
• Insurance or damage waiver
• Cruising permits
• Cleaning
• Dinghy and outboard
• Wi-Fi
• Generator and air conditioning
• Optional equipment
• Sleep-aboard charges
• And any other mandatory costs

Then compare the actual yachts.

Is Virgin Charter Yachts Better Than The Moorings?

For some guests, yes.

For others, The Moorings may genuinely be the better fit.

The Moorings may be right for you if:

You want a very large international charter company.

You specifically want a Moorings/Leopard powercat.

You want access to sailing monohulls or sailing catamarans as well as powercats.

You charter in destinations throughout the world and value staying within one company.

Or you simply prefer the scale and standardization of a global charter organization.

Virgin Charter Yachts may be right for you if:

You specifically want a BVI power catamaran.

You want to compare several powercat manufacturers rather than just different models from one builder.

You want a five-cabin powercat with five double beds for five couples.

You need six private double cabins for six couples.

You prefer a smaller, family-owned BVI charter company.

You value personalized customer service.

Or you want the company helping you choose the yacht to be the same company responsible for managing it in the BVI.

The Simplest Way to Compare VCY and The Moorings

For powercat guests, we think the difference can be summarized pretty simply.

The Moorings gives you several sizes of Robertson & Caine/Leopard power catamarans from one of the world's largest charter companies.

Virgin Charter Yachts lets you compare Leopard with Aventura, Aquila and Fountaine Pajot through a smaller BVI-based charter company.

Neither approach is right for everyone.

But if you're not sure which manufacturer, cabin configuration or powercat design is best for your group, having several brands to compare can be a major advantage.

After operating in the British Virgin Islands since 1996, we've learned that there is no single "best" yacht.

There is only the yacht that is best for your group.

And helping you find that yacht is exactly what we do.

Did You Know?

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