NEON MOON

Hi - my name is Nate, and my family and I just finished an awesome charter trip with Craig and Tara on the Neon Moon. He mentioned I should send you my review for the clearing house. Here it is - please let me know if you have questions or need anything else:

We just spent a week sailing the British Virgin Islands after Christmas with Craig and Tara, and it was an excellent experience for our family of four (two adults and two kids, ages 5 and 😎.

Craig and Tara are a great team and strike a rare balance between professionalism, warmth, and flexibility. Craig is a retired firefighter and helicopter rescue medic, which immediately put us at ease from a safety standpoint. Beyond that, he’s a very experienced captain in the BVIs and has deep local knowledge—great instincts for where to go each day, from quiet swimming spots and snorkeling areas to restaurants and beach bars. He was thoughtful about presenting options each morning, communicated clearly, and was very accommodating to our pace and interests. He even coordinated a scuba dive for us and dropped us directly at the dive boat, which made the logistics seamless.

They were both fantastic with our kids. They didn’t just tolerate having young children onboard—they genuinely engaged with them. Craig and Tara spent time playing with the girls, reading books with them, and teaching them about the boat and the islands. Tara, who previously worked as a nanny, has an especially natural way with kids. Our girls adored her, and she even helped them search for and find some great conch shells on the beach—one of their favorite memories from the trip.

Tara also took the initiative to document the trip with photos. She captured great shots of our family throughout the week and shared them with us afterward. It was a real gift—having those memories without feeling like we were constantly reaching for our phones let us stay present and enjoy the experience more fully.

The boat itself was very well set up for a family. It was stocked with good food and drinks, plenty of water toys (stand-up paddleboards, floating island, snorkel gear, kids’ floaties), games, and coloring books. One highlight was the outdoor projector—we watched family movies together at night under the stars, which became a surprisingly special part of the trip.

Most importantly, Craig and Tara are just genuinely fun, down-to-earth people to spend a week with. Easy to talk to, relaxed, and clearly invested in making sure everyone had a great experience.

We would absolutely charter with them again and fully plan to do so. If you’re considering a BVI trip—especially as a family with kids—I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend sailing with Craig and Tara.

We had the most incredible experience sailing with Neon Moon this past spring. My 5-year-old son and I are still talking about it months later. He keeps asking when we’re going on another sailing trip!

Our captain, Craig, was fantastic. He was so helpful and really geared the trip toward kids, keeping things fun and engaging with fishing, paddle boarding, and snorkeling. Every stop along the way was a highlight.

Anegada was breathtaking—the clearest water I’ve ever seen. We took a tour where we spotted flamingos in the wild, dove for conch, snorkeled a local reef, and ended the day with an amazing lobster dinner.

At Virgin Gorda, we explored The Baths, which were absolutely stunning.

At Willy T’s, we had a blast jumping off the floating bar/restaurant.

We even caught tuna and barracuda—Craig prepared the freshest tuna tacos for dinner one night.

Evenings were magical with incredible stargazing, and each island stop offered its own unique feel, with great restaurants and bars (don’t miss the chicken roti at Soggy Dollar!). One of the best parts was waking up on the water every morning my son could just jump in and play. No packing bags or searching for a spot; the spot was always Neon Moon.

It truly felt like a trip of a lifetime and we can’t wait to go back!

Crystal Voyles

I was able to go on a week long BVI trip on this boat. The captain was very knowledgeable with the area and took us to all the fun spots that were not entirely full of tourists. He knew the different islands and had reservations booked in advanced. Suggested amazing places to eat and the night on the boat was comfortable and peaceful. We did this for multiple days seeing different sites and beaches, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, fishing, and sailing. This trip and adventure was perfect and I’d highly recommend going with a group of friends or family! You not only get a reliable boat but a Captain that knows the area and can entertain you while taking care of your needs.

Jeff Smith

  My wife and I were able to tour the British Virgin Islands with Neon Moon Charters. It is hands down the best trip I've ever been on. For perspective for you better-than-us traveled folks out there, our comparative travels include trips through Costa Rica(rented a car and drove from SE corner to NW corner for 10 days), Belize(stayed in beach front house of Ambergris Key for 10 days), several Mexico trips, particularly one through the heartland of the Yucatan Peninsula to the Mayan ruins of Uxmal and Coba with a rental car from Merida, Mexico. Not to forget a trip to Panama and Nicaragua.

    Back to our best trip ever, the Captain of Neon Moon Charters took care of virtually everything on this trip. The route, the activities, the food, and a week's worth of amazing memories were all planned and supported by our Captain. We SCUBA dived at several awesome locations including, but not limited to, the shipwrecks of the RMS Rhone and the Chikuzen. We dined at different ports almost every night. Spent some time at White Beach(so much fun!!) And a 2 page list of other excitements.

    I will be the first to say that I was reluctant to stay on a Catamaran as I am 6'2", but each room was so incredibly spacious, I never felt cramped our confined. I don't think I even hit my head once. I preferred to spend my time topside on the catamaran, but one could easily spend their time in their personal cabin if necessary. There is A/C in each cabin which was big win for us in that my Montanan wife who can only sleep in sub 68 degree temps was able to sleep comfortably in the cool temperatures.

    In the end, this trip was the best bang for the buck we've been on. We'll do one again in the future and recommend this for anyone wanting to experience the B.V. Islands in the absolute best way possible.

Cheers and happy travels!!