Have you chartered?

[Wayne Estabrooks]

BVI's with Sunsail in 1999

In May of 1999, I organized a group of 25 people and we chartered 5 boats from Sunsail. The boats ranged from a Beneteau 50, Beneteau 44 CC, a 38 ft. Catamaran and a Hunter 376. I had a Hunter 410 and it was great with 5 aboard. It was my first time chartering so cannot compare to other charter companies and the best vacation I ever had. Overall our experience with Sunsail was good. The partial provisioning was excellent. The boats were in relatively good shape. We plan to do it again in May of 2001 but will try Stardust, formerly CYC.We plan to charter a Beneteau 411.Yes Foxy's was great, Virgin Gorda, and the reach down the Sir Francis Drake Channel was super ! Good snorkeling and the scenery aboard some of the other boats was delightful. We partied each night on the catamaran - lots of room. Looking forward to doing it again.Wayne

 

[Warren Blanchard]

BVI Charter Alternative

If you're interested in a alternative to the BVIs for a bareboat charter then you need to consider Abaco in the northwest Bahamas. It's totally laid-back and uncrowded, the people are friendly, the water's crystal clear, there's great diving on the third longest barrier reef in the world, and you'll find some of the world's most beautiful beaches.There are two major charter companies there, The Moorings and Florida Yacht Charters, as well as a couple of smaller outfits. I'm going to throw in a small plug for Florida Yacht Charters and hope it gets by the censor. That's because Florida Yacht provides Hunter sailboats and one of those boats happens to be our H-460, "Banana Wind".But the main point of this posting is to emphasize how great a sailing (or trawlering if you like) location this place is. I go over there as often as my time allows and I never get tired of it. It's easy to get to with daily 1-hour non-stop flights from Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm and Orlando. The Bahamian Dollar is one for one with the U.S. Dollar and they accept either, plus most places take plastic.The only thing that takes some getting used to is the shallow water of the Sea of Abaco. It's not unusual to be barreling along at hull speed and be seeing 8-10 feet on the depth meter. The water's so clear it's like sailing in someone's swimming pool! But it's easy to read the bottom and there's an excellent Abaco cruising guide which will keep you out of trouble. Bottom line: "It's better in the Bahamas."

 

[Ron Thom]

Just got back!

We just got back from 10 days in BVI. Best holiday ever. We chartered from Conch Charters in Rhode Town. If you want bright,shiney and new, go somewhere else. The majority of Chonch's fleet is about 10 years old but they tell you that up front and their prices reflex this also. The boat we chartered was a 1990 38' Benneteau for 9 days for $1,000.00 less than what Moorings or Sun would charge for a week ($1599.00 US for 9 days). Sure our boat has seen a lot of skippers over the years but she was well maintained and very clean, besides, my 81 30 Catalina is 19 years old and I don't hold that against her! We found the staff very helpful and knowledgeable about sailing in the BVI. They helped us plan our itinerary and suggested several spots that were off the beaten track along with where to shop and eat etc.We did have one break down while docking in Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda. The throttle cable broke just as we were approaching the dock. An alert dock attendant caught our stern line and lassooed a cleat bringing us to a smooth stop. One phone call from the boats cell phone brought out their mechanic and we were underway within 1 1/2 hours with a new cable. Just enough time to reprovision and do a bit of shopping plus sample the area's rum!Like I said, our boat wouldn't win any ribbons at a boat show but she was clean, well maintained and safe and 1/3 less the cost of the rest of boats available in the area. We are already planning our next trip back and will use Chonch Charters again.

 

[Paul Bednarzyk]

Banana Wind

Warren, My wife and I spent 2 weeks in the Abacos this last May aboard our H380 Knot Again and I think I remember seeing Banana Wind either in Green Turtle Cay or Hopetown. By the way we found the waypoints in Steve Dodge's book to be right on the money. Can't wait to go back.Paul Bednarzyk

 

[dave desseyn]

First Rate Moorings in the Bahamas

I ahve chartered with the moorings in the bvi's and in the bahamas. I also chartered in the bvi's with sunsail. The experiences in the bvi's with sunsail was poorly handled. on the reservation and customer service end, they tried to make up for the ordeal, but on the base manager end, it was awful. unprofessional and confrontational. I will always go back to the moorings after the last experience my family had. Bvi's, must see is anegada. Bahama's must see is green turtle cay. Be prepared for tranporation air delays out of the bahamas.

 

[SailboatOwners.com Editorial]

Final results

Final results for the Quick Quiz ending 12/26/2000:How would you describe your chartering experiences?52% Haven't chartered29% Best sailing around14% So-so05% Would rather stay home

 

[Tony Amos]

Charter Sail in Hawaii

Hi,I wanted to let everyone know we charter a boat in Oahu for a 7 day sail with Honolulu Sailing Company and had the best sailing adventure ever. The boat was a '91 50 foot Beneteau Oceanis set up with 4 cabins and a crew quarters. It was called the Makalii. The adventure took place Dec. 2-8, 2000. We caught lots of fish, saw beautiful sunsets, went snorkling, and even seen the humpback whales up real close. It was the best vacation ever and the boat was excellent. I would highly recommend them.Tony

 

[Gil "Gritz" Gresham]

SYC in the BVI's

Sailed the BVI's during the first week in December, 2000. Chartered through Sun Yacht (StarDust). This was the second time we used them. Last year had a 51', this year a 38'. Both boats where very well maintained and staff was friendly and accomodating. This past year we had 6 aboard and the 38' was quite comfortable for all. We provisioned the boat ourselves so I am not familiar with that option provided by the charter company. We threw in $150 per person into a boat kitty to cover breakfast, lunch, snacks, alcohol and mooring fees. Dinners where on shore, but had plenty of food if anyone wanted dinner onboard. Will charter again in 2001, using same company.