Around $2,900 per cabin. That's everything — cabin, captain, crew, food, open bar, and one of the best weeks of your life.
That's the all-in number for a couple sharing a private en-suite cabin aboard the Irish Wake for one week in the British Virgin Islands. It covers everything below — and we mean everything.
No hidden fees. No "resort credits." No fine print.
Not included: Dining out at restaurants (most evenings we'll probably all want to explore ashore — budget ~$50–$150/couple/night), personal bar tabs at beach bars, and optional boat toys like kayaks or paddleboards (~$200/week each).
We keep this as simple as possible. Three payments before you sail, one small reconciliation after.
On deposits: Deposits are generally non-refundable, but we're human beings — not a cruise line. If you need to cancel due to illness or a genuine emergency, we'll have a real conversation about it.
We're not the cheapest way to spend a week on the water. We're probably the best value. Here's an honest look at the alternatives.
Assumption: one couple booking a comparable 42-foot catamaran for themselves — which is exactly what most couples actually do.
| Experience | Typical Cost / Couple / Week | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| ⛵ Blue Horizon Adventures | ~$2,900 | Private cabin aboard a NEW! 42-foot catamaran, licensed skipper, food, open bar — zero sailing experience required |
| Standard 42 foot catamaran bareboat (no crew) | ~$9,500 – $10,300 | Boat rental only at $6,749–$7,499/week, plus mandatory insurance (~$700), provisions (~$1,500), mooring fees (~$400), and BVI taxes. Charter companies require that you have substantial demonstrated experience skippering a comparable size vessel and/or a sailing license in some destinations. |
| Standard 42 foot catamaran + hired skipper | ~$11,700 – $12,500 | All of the above, less the skippering experience, plus a local skipper at $285/day + meals (~$2,240/week). Someone sails the boat for you — but there's no crew, no provisioner, no host, and no open bar. |
| Professionally crewed luxury charter | $15,000 – $30,000+ | Full-service crewed catamaran through a luxury charter broker. All-inclusive, but the weekly vessel rate alone starts around $15,000 — and that's before tips, taxes, and extras. |
| High-end Caribbean resort week | $5,000 – $20,000+ | Land-based. You're in the Caribbean, but you're not at sea. No sailing, no anchorages, no waking up somewhere different every morning. |
Bareboat rates sourced from The Moorings and MyBVICharter.com. Rates vary by season, vessel, and availability — check current listings for the most up-to-date figures.
The thing nobody talks about with bareboat charters: by the time you add up the boat rental, provisioning, mooring fees, fuel, insurance, and the stress of sailing a 42-foot catamaran through unfamiliar waters with your friends watching — you've spent more money and had a more anxious week. With us, you just show up.
The $2,900/cabin estimate is for BVI charters. A few things change in the Mediterranean that affect the bottom line:
Bottom line: the charter cabin fee stays the same for all destinations. Shared post-charter costs will be higher for Med trips — we'll give you a realistic estimate upfront for wherever we're headed.
For BVI charters, history tells us the post-charter reconciliation comes in around $900/couple — so your all-in cost will be very close to $2,900. The charter cabin fee ($2,000) is fixed. The shared expenses vary slightly based on mooring availability, group dining choices, and minor incidentals. We've never had anyone feel blindsided by the final number.
Absolutely not. That is not the vibe we're going for AT ALL. This is a trip for friends — including you, who we hope will become a great new friend by the end of the week. Friends help cook meals. Friends help with the dishes. Friends help get the dinghy up on the beach. Friends pitch in. We're all out here, working toward the same goal: having a genuinely great time together. Tips? No. Just no.
Depends on your tolerance for travel-related uncertainty. A standard travel insurance policy covering trip cancellation and interruption runs $200–$400 and can provide some peace of mind, especially if you have significant non-refundable items on your itinerary. We don't sell such insurance and have no preferred provider. For what it's worth, we typically don't buy such insurance policies ourselves (but a lot of our travel is supposedly insured by our credit card providers). Fortunately, we haven't ever had to make a claim to date.
Yes — we've had solo travelers join us and they've been among our best guests. The cabin pricing is per cabin regardless of occupancy, so a solo traveler pays the same cabin rate. Reach out and we'll have a conversation — we might be able to help connect solo travelers who are interested in sharing a cabin to reduce costs. Obviously, what happens in the port hull stays in the port hull!
We love kids! But full disclosure — the Irish Wake is not set up for small children. We don't have safety netting around the boat, which would be very important for young kids, and we don't have child sizes for all of our safety equipment. We've never had teenagers aboard, but we're open to a conversation for mature teens.
We prefer Zelle, but we've been known to take a personal check if asked nicely. We don't run credit cards — which also means no processing fees added to your total. Once you reach out and we've confirmed a cabin, we'll send you the details.
Tim and Donna respond to every message personally. If you're trying to figure out whether this makes sense for your budget, drop us a note — we'll give you a straight answer.