If you’re flying into St Thomas (STT) and meeting your yacht in the BVI, a private water taxi is the smoothest way to connect the two, especially for families and groups.
With the public ferry, you need to match your flight to a fixed schedule, queue for tickets, change taxis on both sides, and clear customs on foot in Tortola before taking another taxi to your yacht. It works, but it can be tight and tiring, particularly if you land later in the day.
With a private water taxi, the handover is much simpler:
- You land at STT
- Meet a dedicated driver at baggage claim
- Transfer by taxi to the marina (usually Red Hook or Crown Bay)
- Step straight onto your own boat and go directly to wherever your charter starts
- Stay onboard with a drink while the Captain handles customs clearance
For families and groups (6-10 guests), a water taxi often ends up only slightly more per person than the ferry once you add taxis and fees, but you skip the stress, avoid missing the last ferry, and go straight to your yacht.
Quick Answer
- A private water taxi runs roughly $700-$825 per boat each way for small groups, plus about $60-$75 per person in clearance fees.
- The ferry is around $100 per person return, but ties you to fixed schedules with taxi changes and customs queues on both sides.
- For 6-10 guests the per-person difference is often smaller than expected, and the water taxi drops you at your yacht.
- Our vetted operators: The Last Mile, Island Time BVI, Dolphin, Ocean Dreams, and Chillout Charters.
Broker insight
The water taxis are going in and out all day, so they know the customs officers and can take you through very smoothly. You hop on board, they hand you a fresh drink, they cruise straight across, and then they take you directly to your yacht. If you can find the extra bit of budget for it, it is a lot faster and a lot easier.
John Boullin
Charter Broker
The Last Mile Water Taxi
We use The Last Mile a lot for our own clients, and several of our brokers used it themselves in 2024 to travel to and from the BVI Charter Show. It’s become one of our default choices for straightforward, stress-free transfers between St Thomas / St John and Tortola or Virgin Gorda.
Recent example pricing:
- STT / Red Hook to Tortola (West End / Road Town) One Way: 1-8 guests: starts at $800 for the entire boat (additional people up to 12 are $50/pp) + $65/pp in cash for custom fees upon arrival
- STT / Red Hook to Virgin Gorda: about $1,200 each way (excluding customs fees)
Some partner sites and brokers also advertise shared seat options around $175 per person one way with minimum headcounts, which can make sense for smaller parties if dates line up.
Strengths
- Only 45 minutes from Red Hook to Nanny Cay, including customs clearance
- Purpose-built 40′ Gold Coast wave-piercing catamaran, comfortable for groups and stable in a bit of breeze
- Smooth, predictable STT meet-and-greet, dock, BVI customs, yacht flow
- Captain takes care of customs clearance while you enjoy a drink onboard
- A very good fit for 6-10 guests heading to West End / Nanny Cay / western Tortola
Island Time BVI
Island Time BVI is a BVI-based operation out of Nanny Cay, Tortola, offering water taxis, powerboat rentals and charters. We like them as a local, flexible option, especially when we want strong support on the BVI side of the transfer.
Recent example pricing
Island Time quotes most trips individually, but a recent charter-yacht guide shared the following example rates for USVI-BVI transfers:
- 1-5 passengers: flat $825 each way plus about $60 per person international processing fees
- Over 5 passengers: about $165 per person each way
- Round trip for 8 people (all fees included): about $3,600 total
Actual quotes will vary by route (e.g. STT to West End vs STT to Virgin Gorda), season and updated fee structure, so we always confirm directly with Island Time.
Strengths
- BVI-based, with home base at Nanny Cay: great local contacts and flexibility
- Very good for Nanny Cay / West End / central Tortola starts and finishes
- VIP-style flow from STT arrivals to your yacht with no baggage fees and monitored flights
Weaknesses
- Slightly more expensive than comparable water taxis, especially for groups over 5
Dolphin Water Taxi
We’ve worked with Dolphin Water Taxi for years. They’re one of the largest and most established private water taxi operators in the Virgin Islands, and they handle a big volume of charter transfers every season.
Recent example pricing
- Typical cost STT to Tortola (one way): $200-$220 per person, including Dolphin’s private taxi + water taxi (but excluding customs).
- Customs & port fees: about $75 per person to enter the BVI and $45 per person to exit, paid in cash.
- Minimum boat fare: usually in the $500+ range per trip, so full boats (6-8 guests) end up close to that ~$200pp ballpark.
Strengths
- The only provider with a meet and greet counter at bag claim
- No waiting, rapid transfers to the BVI and quickly thru customs
- Great ride-sharing options for 2’s & 4’s
- Convenient dockside/ boat side delivery
- Voted #1 boating provider for the last 7 years by the Daily News
Weaknesses
- Per-person costs add up quickly for small parties once you include separate customs/entry/exit fees.
- Big, busy operation: great for capacity and coverage, but can feel less “small, boutique operator” and more like a well-oiled shuttle service.
Ocean Dreams Water Taxi
Ocean Dreams is a family-owned water taxi and transport company based in St Thomas, offering private water taxi transfers, land taxis, and island-hopping around the USVI and BVI. They also appear on the official BVI Tourism site and current USVI tourism listings as an active operator, with recent reviews praising their airport-to-boat coordination and smooth customs handling.
Recent example pricing
- As a rough reference, fully private 20-30 minute crossings for a group of 6 tend to come out in the high hundreds to low thousands of dollars per boat, depending on route and timing.
Strengths
- Strong “concierge” feel: private land + water combination, good for guests who want everything handled from STT to the BVI
- Flexible routing across both USVI and BVI, plus ability to combine transfers with island tours or day trips
Weaknesses
- No public pricing grid: everything is quote-based, so they’re less convenient if you want instant online price comparisons
Chillout Charters Water Taxi
Chillout Charters is also based around Nanny Cay, Tortola, and focuses on premium powerboat charters and water taxi services. We tend to think of them as the “make the transfer feel like a short charter” option.
Recent example pricing
- 1-5 passengers: about $720 each way between USVI and BVI, plus $60 per person for international processing fees
- Round trip for 8 people (all taxes/fees included): about $2,880 between USVI and BVI
- Separate land taxi from STT airport to Red Hook is usually around $135 for 1-5 passengers, or $25 per person for 6+, paid in cash to the driver (set by the taxi commission).
Strengths
- Premium feel; boats are comfortable and well-kept, with good luggage storage
- Very good for Nanny Cay / central Tortola starts and finishes
- International processing fees are included in their water taxi quote, which simplifies budgeting
- Good fit when guests want the transfer to feel more like a short private charter than pure transport
Weaknesses
- Priced and positioned more like a mini-charter: fantastic experience, but not the cheapest way to get from A to B.
- Availability can be more limited in peak weeks because boats are also used for day trips and charters, not just transfers.
