During our week-long escape to St. Thomas, USVI (from January 9 to January 16, we decided to Charter a boat for one day to explore some of the 50 or so islands that make up the US Virgin Islands. After a pretty exhaustive search, we selected Tropical Adventure Boat Charter - St. Thomas. There weren’t very many reviews to be found, but every one I did find was overwhelmingly positive. This day charter ended up being the highlight of our week in St. Thomas! It was less a charter and more like going out on a friend's boat for the day.Chris W., the owner and skipper, picked us up at our VRBO rental at 9:30 - exactly on time. We happened to be staying on the North side of St. Thomas and the roads make that journey on time particularly impressive!
At the marina, we boarded the Mary Talley, a beautiful 60' Sea Ray with every convenience and luxury built in. She has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, inside and outside sitting areas, and lounges built in to the deck up front. We brought our own towels. They had asked us the week before our trip what sorts of drinks and snacks we preferred and everything was there waiting for us.
After our safety briefing, we were off to explore the sea around Buck Island (Buck Island is a bird sanctuary, so we couldn't go on the island. Instead, we snorkeled around the island enjoying sea turtles, scores of beautiful tropical fish, and even a 4' barracuda!). Katelynn, the first mate, was wonderful, making sure we were all constantly taken care of with drinks, snacks and gear.
For that first leg from Charlotte Amalie to Buck Island, the seas were a unexpectedly a little heavy from a storm brewing somewhere nearby. That was no obstacle, though. We do recommend Dramamine for anyone with a propensity for motion sickness. It smoothed out brilliantly after lunch and was perfect the rest of the day.
The skipper secured lunch reservations for us at the hard-to-get-in Lovango Resort and Beach Club on Lovango Cay. We sat on the patio and enjoyed fantastic appetizers and excellent entrees. Service was impeccable. Even the General Manager, Matt Snider, whose family owns the place, dropped by for a quick conversation and cleared a plate!
From there, we cruised to Honeymoon Beach on St. John for another round of snorkeling and playing on the beach. Here we saw more turtles and fish, as well as a small stingray. Afterwards, we headed to the perfect spot to watch the sunset before heading back to the marina.
The crew went beyond our expectations, particularly when they launched a drone to shoot some video of us playing in the water around the boat. They provided Go-Pro cameras for us to take snorkeling, too. We expect those photos and videos in the next few days.
With 5 couples, the pricing was very reasonable. We also enjoyed a discounted rate thanks to the pandemic, but it was well worth every penny we paid. Some of us paid cash, but they also accepted Venmo payments.
This was an unbelievable treat for us and again was the highlight of our week here. I cannot recommend Chris, Katelynn, and Tropical Adventure Boat Charter - St. Thomas, USVI highly enough!
