We have been aboard the White Squall 5 times, beginning in 2002. We wouldn't miss this wonderful trip, as it has become an integral part of our Tortola vacation each and every year. The deck is roomy and offers plenty of shade, the food is fabulous and plentiful, and the excellent crew is always offering and serving juice, rum punch, soft drinks or beer. They take pride in making sure all their guests are happy! The best part of the trip for me is the snorkeling. Crew member Debs is happy to give a "guided" reef tour, and she points out sea life that I would ordinarily miss if I were snorkeling without her. Don't miss this spectacular day sail - your BVI experience would not be complete without it!

In January 2008 we were in Tortola on holiday and someone suggested a snorkelling trip on White Squall. We made enquiries and discovered that trips could be taken most days on a lovely schooner, out to places where good marine life could be seen while snorkelling. We phoned the number which we found on several advertisements for the trip, and spoke to Maggie, who was very informative about the trips, what we should take, and what we could expect.

We duly turned up at 9 a.m. one morning at the quayside in Roadtown, where we joined Captain Chris, a very friendly and knowledgeable Canadian in charge of the ship. His assistant that day was Kate, a lovely Welsh girl, a very competent swimmer and diver, and the two of them were very attentive to our needs. We were given drinks on board, and set off to Norman Island, where we anchored and those who wished to, went in to snorkel and view the wonderful under-sea life there. Kate joined us in the water and pointed out several interesting fish swimming beneath us. When we returned to the ship, we went near to the shore, and those who wished went on the dinghy to the restuarant there. My husband preferred to walk up a hill nearby and I lounged on a sunbed on the seashore.

While we had been away from the ship, Captain Chris and Kate had rustled up the most delicious barbecue, with chicken, sausages, etc., and lovely rice and salad dishes, beautifully set out. With swimming, we had all worked up quite an appetite and really enjoyed the food and drinks.

We then moved to another site, and again, those who wished, could go in the sea to view the underwater life. We sailed back to Roadtown with the sails up on this lovely old, but safe, ship, a magnificent sight, and reached the quayside at exactly 4 p.m., as forecast. We had a truly enjoyable day, thanks to the crew, and can thoroughly recommend the trip to anyone going out to Tortola.

Jo, Scotland, U.K.

We took a day sail with White Squall II Feb. 2008. The boat is an older wooden 100+ foot sailing boat. We were charged $105 for a day sail that included all we could drink, beer, punch, wine, sodas, etc. Lunch, and stops to snorkel. We sailed to Norman Island from Roadtown, Tortola and left about 9 AM.

It was a beautiful sail. Sails up, no tilting. The boat is large enough you don't feel the wallowing. No one got sick and I don't think anyone would because of the size. The two captains were always nearby replacing drinks and answering questions. We snorkeled in Privateers Bay, part of Norman Island.

One of the captains took us on a snorkel tour and we saw 15 reef squids and many, many different reef fish. Then we stopped at the famous Willie T for lunch that was covered by White Squall, plus one drink. After a very leisurely lunch, we took the dinghy to the Pirates Bight, another restaurant/bar with a nice beach. It was a wonderful lazy day, snorkeling, drinking, and laying on the beach and enjoying the wonderful sailing. We missed a stop at Peter Island, but you NEVER rush things in the Caribbean and there just wasn't time. I expect if we had insisted we would have gone and spent less time at the other places. I was content with what we did. Returned to Road Town about 4 PM.

My husband, Jim & I were visiting Tortola on Thursday, December 20th from the Crown Princess. I never book excursions through the cruise line. I booked us on a day sail with White Squall II, which I had received several recommendations about from TTOL (TravelTalkOnLine - a travel message forum I am a member of). I can’t say enough good things about the entire day! Capt. Chris, mate Deb and Jeff (Capt. Chris’ brother) were attentive, friendly and so much fun. There were 9 of us - 3 other couples and one single guy. We sailed to Norman Island and our first snorkeling stop was Privateer Bay. Simply amazing. I love to snorkel, but Jim can usually take it or leave it. He couldn’t get enough of it. After an hour and half, we headed over to the Bight and Pirates Bar & Restaurant. The men all swam in to shore and the women took the dinghy while Capt. Chris & crew got lunch ready. Browsed in the gift shop and lounged in the sun before heading back for a great lunch. Loved the curried rice salad with the mango chutney so much, I got the recipe and made it for Xmas day dinner buffet. After lunch, we headed over to Soldier’s Bay for some more snorkeling. Back on the boat and we started back. Now that we were done snorkeling, we took Deb up on her offer of rum punch. Got back into the marina by 4:00. Walked around town a little and poked into some of the shops and headed back to the ship. What a great day! I would definitely book with White Squall II again to visit some of the other snorkeling areas.