# BVI June or July...any difference



## MWinger75 (Sep 15, 2015)

Hi all! Midwestern sailor, who unfortunately is selling the day cruiser...kids don't enjoy near as much as the speed boat. However, I'm not letting go and have convinced the wife to revisit my favorite destination, the BVI's. We went sailing with good friends of ours a couple years back in the BVI's and had a blast. Great wind, perfect weather and lots to enjoy. Last time we went it was the beginning of June, our plans next year only workout for a party of 6 starting in mid July. I've been told July and June are basically the same wind/weather wise, but wanted to get an unbiased opinion? ...pending we don't have a Hurricane or Tropical Depression, can July be just as good as the June trip we took in 2013? Any thoughts or words to help with a decision would be appreciated...if we get a negative response for going with friends in July, we might ditch the crew and go solo in mid June. Appreciate the read, Mark


----------



## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

Sailing in June and July in the BVI will be nice and the weather will be pretty similar. The winds will have settled down and consequently the seas will be lower on average as well. The shoreside facilities will still be open but the crowds will be missing in the off-season. I've been there that late for two seasons and really enjoyed it. Although the insurance companies consider this to be the hurricane season, the meteorologists tend not to agree with them and the chances of a really nasty blow are quite low.


----------



## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I've not been to the Caribbean in Jun/Jul, but I have frequently been to the Bahamas out islands then. Warmer and calmer. I've not personally been threatened by a tropical storm, nor hurricane, both of which would seriously ruin a vacation.

Let's look at the facts. On average, there are 10 tropical storms and 6 hurricanes each year, or 16 in total. Between the two combined, you are going to see just under 2 per year in June and July combined, with July being just a slight bit higher than June.

TCFAQ E17) How many hurricanes have there been in each month?

That's roughly 1 storm in each month, but that doesn't mean they will hit the BVI, or necessarily come close. The odds are well in your favor.

By far, September is the most active month, with 6, followed by August, with 4.

Of course, Emily was a category 5 hurricane that went through the Caribbean in mid-July 2005. It happens. It had to ruin some vacations in the BVI, even though it's track was south of BVI. It formed only 3 or 4 days before it hit, but you would never know for sure in that time frame what it was going to do. No doubt, you would want out.

If I knew I could get out, I would go.


----------



## FarCry (Apr 21, 2007)

This year there was very little difference between June and July. Most years my wife and I sail the July 4th week. Some years we've had to motor most of the week because the winds didn't break 10kts. This year it was much more breezy with winds in the upper 20's all week long with 5'+ seas in the open areas. Predicting averages is possible but predicting with any accuracy beyond a few days is not currently possible. July is my favorite month to sail. No offense to those that come to visit, but it sure is nice when most of the "visitors" are gone. As mentioned by Zanshin, most everything is still open and the anchorages are much less crowded. The odds of really bad weather is pretty slim. Typically airline tickets and charter fees are much cheaper than in June. Enjoy your trip.


----------

