Testimonials

Why Charter with Conch?

Conch Charters is a family-run business and we’ve been chartering exclusively out of the BVI since 1987. Our goal is to offer affordable yacht charters with a friendly, personal approach that’s as warm as the tropical sunshine. Back in 1987 the owners of Conch Charters, Brian and Cindy, set out for the BVI leaving Canada for greener and warmer pastures. Conch Charters was built from the waterline up with the belief that “a repeat customer is the best compliment”.

Large franchised stores are the way of the world now, but if you miss that corner store personal touch, where you are greeted by name, then come on down and meet our qualified and caring staff.

Just wanted to say how GREAT of an experience we had with Conch Charters!  Very impressed with the service before, during, and after the charter.

FYI, my 6-year old daughter and another young boy were playing jenga near Pirates Restaurant one day, and I struck up a conversation with the Dad, who turned out to be Kevin LaFond, who writes for some of the sailing magazines and runs http://www.charteradvisors.com .  I was wearing my Conch hat (thank you Mandi!) and Kevin inquired about our experience as he stated he has heard some mixed reviews.  I candidly stated that our experience with Conch (as well as the boat performance) had been awesome!

While on the dock, one of Conch’s employees was collecting fins and things from another boat.  He somewhat went out of his way to welcome us back and inquire about our trip.  While getting in the taxi to head home, another Conch employee rode up on a motorcycle and with a beaming smile, greeted us and said “hope you had a great trip!”

Thank you to the Conch staff for helping us have a wonderful trip and experience!

• John Loyd July 2017

“Thank you and the rest of the staff at Conch Charters for making our sailing vacation in the BVI’s a great experience. We had an awesome trip and appreciate the help we received from your staff.  Lauren made some great recommendations during the chart brief, Ben was thorough but brief on the boat briefing which allowed us to get out early and make it to Coopers the first day.  Ross made the return to Road Harbour seamless to get us back to the ferry on time and especially Myk for making an unplanned trip to make sure our holiday plans didn’t get delayed.

“Team Happ” is already talking about our plans for a return visit next year!”

– Bab Happ,  June 2017

“We had a great time on our charter.  We’ve had the opportunity to charter quite a bit down there starting with the old Tradewinds over at Fat Hog bay (…that was some time back), thru Footloose and on up to the Moorings and Sunsail.  And we all agree ( the family that is) that your chart briefings and on board briefings and debriefings were the best we’ve had.  Don’t get me wrong, the folks over at Wickman’s do a good job but you guys really put the extra 10% in to be sure we knew everything we needed to and had everything we needed.   Your attention to detail and overall attention to us were top notch.

You’ll see us again (…oh yeah, as a matter of fact in 9 short weeks).”

– Bob Cowen, December 2016

“My husband, sister, and brother- in-law (4 of us) booked the Lipari 41 “Lulu” for 3/31-4/8/16 from Conch Charters.  We had a great time, the staff at Conch Charters was very helpful!  The boat was great, very comfortable and clean.  (We were a little disappointed in the cushions, they were swapped in for the cushions that normally go with the boat (which is understandable) but they were very hard and uncomfortable to sit on and slid all over the place.  Other than that everything was great.)

Our captain, Julian Hodge, couldn’t have worked out any better!  We were skeptical of traveling with any captain as it’s someone we’re in close quarters with for a full week out on a boat in what felt like the middle of the ocean!  Julian was comfortable to be around, and really cared about making sure we got the most out of our trip.  We’d go over a schedule daily and he’d suggest leaving early (ie 7am) for some trips to make sure we got a mooring in time, or what he called “the best mooring” and it worked every time!  We would never have seen some of the beautiful sights (and sunrises!) that we did without him.  He’s very knowledgeable about the area, not only was he a great captain of the boat, but a great tour guide!  He made some restaurant recommendations which were amazing!  As soon as our trip ended we all missed him.  Couldn’t recommend him enough as a captain!!  (I don’t know if there’s a place where I can leave a public review for him but I’d like to if possible)”

– Sarah Waters, June 2016

“It has been 3 weeks since we left the BVI for home after a 10 day sail on “Psalm 37” from Conch Charters, but the memory of a great time is still fresh in our minds. Thank you, Conch Charters for a very memorable and carefree vacation. The yacht was everything we expected, and more;  the staff was friendly and helpful; and even the weather cooperated beautifully. We’ll be sure to return, and we’ll be happy to recommend Conch Charters to all our friends!”

– Roger Miller, June 2016

“I want to thank all the Conch team especially Megan, Ross, Ian and Laura, for making our vacation so wonderful.  The sleep aboard upon arrival was perfect. The briefs from Ross and Megan were spot on and very enjoyable. My daily phone calls from AQUA for weather briefs and advice were always met with enthusiasim.  Thanks for all your kindness and professionalism. We are already planning our next sail with Conch”

– Dave Kilgore, May 2016

“Thank you for such a wonderful experience!,  Your staff was amazing in every way. They were all very knowledgeable , helpful and cheerful , even at the end of what I imagine was a very busy day.  We WILL be back next year for two weeks this time!  See you next year!”

– Scott Gifford & crew, April 2016

“Thanks to Conch for a truly great experience. This was our fourth bareboat charter in the BVI and our first charter through Conch. From the pre-charter planning through the check-out and check-in, the staff at Conch were fantastic.

We selected one of the older boats in the Conch fleet and couldn’t have been happier. The boat was well maintained and she sailed beautifully. We would highly recommend Conch Charters to anyone looking to charter in the BVI. We’ll be back in the near future”

– Al & Kathie Davies, March 2016

“Thank you so much for facilitating our recent sailing trip in the BVI. As first-timers at a bareboat charter sailing, the Conch Charters team made it easy for us. From answering our many questions in preparing for our trip to the detailed boat briefing and chart briefing, as well as cell phone support as we sailed, we felt in good hands and were able to focus on what mattered most: time with family, soaking up the sun, exploring stunning destinations, and everything from howling beam reaches to tranquil tropical mornings on a most memorable adventure. Thank you and see you again soon!”

 – Charlie Radford Agar, November 2015

“I captained a catamaran (Varekai/41-ft.) for the first time recently on a Conch charter. The experience was different from a monohull, but it was greatly facilitated by thorough and patient briefings in the Conch office and onboard. Everyone in our party enjoyed the comfort and ease of operation of the boat. A temporary glitch caused by failed batteries was immediately and efficiently eliminated. All at Conch were always responsive and helpful with any matters or questions that arose. Communication was easy, sailing was smooth, the environment of the BVI was intoxicating, and no one wanted the charter to end. The Conch choice is a no-brainer. We’ll be back.”

– Jack Hopke, May 2015

“Thanks go out to you and all the team at Conch – you guys really do a great job. We had an excellent charter, probably one of the best of the 6 times I have been down. The winds were great, the boat sailed well and we caught lots of fun events. As I sit here looking out at the snow and sleet in my back yard in Halifax, I am already looking forward to my next visit.”

– Greg Roach, March 2015

“Eight of us chartered the 46 foot Halcyon III for 10 days form 10/28 to 11/7 2014. We had a great time and the boat was beyond our expectations. We were able to sail the majority of the time and visited most of the islands in the BVI’s. We cooked 5 meals on board and ate out the rest. Found wonderful restaurants and searched for the best “Painkiller” in the islands. Snorkeled, scuba dived, explored, played cards and generally had a fantastic vacation. The crew at Conch were helpful and did everything possible to make our charter more enjoyable. All for a much bettter price than the other charter companies in the BVI’s. Highly recommend Conch Charters to anyone who would like to do a Bareboat Charter in the BVI’s”

– Jerry Crawford, November 2014

“We were completely pleased and impressed with our charter experience with you. We will definitely recommend you and would not hesitate for a moment in chartering through you again in the future. The boat was clean, comfortable, easy to sail and fully functional. Our dinghy was also impressive because of the same reasons (sans sail of course). We really had the time of our lives and I was so relieved and thankful to have a great boat and staff to work with”

– Melanie, August 2012