The VI Cat, St. Thomas

Turtle Cove Sail and Snorkel

The daily trip, and the reason to get on this boat.

You sail to Turtle Cove, where seagrass beds draw green turtles in to feed through the day. That is a different proposition from a reef stop: turtles come to graze, so the odds are about being in the right patch of water rather than luck.

Snorkel gear is included, and complimentary rum drinks and snacks come out on the way back, which is the part regulars talk about.

Turtle Cove sits off Buck Island. You cannot swim to it from any beach on St. Thomas, which is the whole argument for a boat rather than a taxi to Coki Point with a mask. A comparable Buck Island catamaran sail and snorkel books at $109 for 3 hours.

Sunset Dinner Sails and Cocktail Cruises

Four nights a week the boat runs dinner under sail with an open bar and a menu cooked from scratch, tacos on one night and barbecue on the others. The remaining nights run as cocktail cruises with appetizers.

This is the half of the operation that drives most of the searches for the name, and it is a genuinely different evening from a restaurant. You are on the water at the hour the light is best, with the harbour and the hills going gold, and the bar is open the whole time.

It also solves a common problem: one half of a group wants to snorkel and the other does not. The evening sail asks nothing of anyone except turning up.

The Boat, and What It Means for Your Day

Fifty-four feet, catamaran, licensed for up to 80 guests, sailing from the Marriott Frenchman’s Cove dock on the south-east side of the island.

Size works in your favour more often than people expect. A big catamaran is the easiest boat in the world to snorkel from if you are at all nervous: wide steps down into the water, a broad stable deck that barely moves at anchor, shade when you want it, and crew watching the whole time. Families and mixed-ability groups do well on a boat like this.

It sits close to the Frenchman’s Reef hotels and a short taxi from the cruise piers, which makes it one of the easier departures to reach on a port day.

Private Charters and Weddings

The same boat books for private groups and weddings, quoted directly by the operator.

For scale, a whole-boat private charter on St. Thomas starts near $1,495 for a half or full day on a 50-foot catamaran, which is what our private charter listings run. A 54-foot boat licensed for 80 sits above that for a full-day exclusive, and the capacity is the point: it is one of the few vessels here that takes a large party in one go.

Who It Fits Best

Groups, families and anyone who wants a stable platform, a bar and a short easy swim rather than a long one.

It also fits people who want the evening rather than the water, which most snorkel operators cannot offer at all.

If you want an empty reef, a boat licensed for 80 is not that, and a dive-boat trip carrying a handful of snorkelers reaches two reefs for $129. The two-reef trip is the small-group equivalent.

Booking and Prices

The VI Cat books direct through its own site, on FareHarbor, and lists neither prices nor trip durations publicly. Call 340-690-2287 for both.

For a reference point, comparable trips price on screen at $109 for a 3-hour Buck Island sail and snorkel and $157 for a 5-hour all-inclusive sailing day with breakfast, lunch and open bar. Our comparison of St. Thomas snorkeling tours ranks everything bookable on price, rating and length.

Is the VI Cat a Water Taxi to Tortola?

No, and this comes up because Google links the two. The VI Cat runs day sails and evening sails from Frenchman’s Cove and does not carry passengers to the British Virgin Islands.

The Charlotte Amalie to Road Town crossing is a scheduled public ferry. Road Town Fast Ferry charges $35 one way for an adult, and fares across the three operators run $25 to $65. Smiths Ferry and Native Son work the same route. Beyond the ticket, budget a $10 port fee, a $10 BVI environmental tax on entry and a $20 departure tax.