Chartering a boat in the Caribbean.

[sevoflurane]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I get the feeling that some of you guys out there have experience chartering a boat in the Caribbean.

Wife has done it...

I’ve never done it, yet I have caribbean blood running through me...

Sounds like one HECK of a good time.

Gonna do it...

Looking into it now.

Any advice?

Thinking about a 40ft Catamaran... 2 couples....

Captain or no Captain?

Thinking BVI’s as the islands are really close to each other and would not be that hard to navigate from island to island.... according to my wife 🙄😕.


Any and all suggestions are more than welcome.

 

[dhb]

Captain or no Captain?

I would never go out to see w/o a captain: kinda like going to the OR w/o an MD 😉

Other than that it's a great idea.

 

[doctor712]

Here's an idea: please write down everything you do because I think I need to be following in your tailwind! THAT IS ONE AMAZING IDEA, LOVE IT!!!!

I'm curious to know the costs...!

D712

 

[Angulimala]

I'm not sure what your level of sailing experience is, but if it's only modest, I'd definitely recommend hiring a captain. Most of the time, they should be pretty open to letting you do as much of the actual sailing as you'd like, but will take all the stress and difficult procedures out of the mix (docking, anchoring, etc.).

Here's some good reading:
http://www.cruisingworld.com/destinations/chartering

 

[mustang1]

To all you that say there is no money in anesthesia try finding a thread with this topic in many of the other specialty forums. There are obvious rewards for all the hard work. Sevo, I hope you have an excellent time. Sounds like an incredible experience. Must say though in the middle class family I grew up in this was definitely never a topic of conversation. Definitely something to look forward to🙂

 

[IN2B8R]

Do it--you only live once! OOOoopen urrrr eeeeyes, as The Man used to say 😉

 

[doctor712]

As jack sparrow, "that's CAPTAIN jack sparrow!"

Ok, as captain jack sparrow, "WHERE'S THE Rum!?!?! Why is the rum always gone!?!"

(That's gonna be a cool trip!!!)

Bring rum.

D712

 

[Bertelman]

To all you that say there is no money in anesthesia try finding a thread with this topic in many of the other specialty forums.

You could also say we just know how to live, how to have a good time. We spend our money accordingly.

 

[drccw]

I recommend cruising on a small boat, specifically with Seadream. Only about 100 other passengers. Very nice for active people: bikes carried on board, a marina that they lower about 3-4x/cruise and excellent food. All inclusive also (booze, tips, etc), excellent service. We spent a week in the Carribean on the ship and it does not feel like a giant cruise ship, more like a large yacht. They tend to hit a lot of the smaller ports as well..Check it out.. it's easy, takes a lot of headache out of things...

drccw

 

[sevoflurane]

I would never go out to see w/o a captain: kinda like going to the OR w/o an MD 😉

Other than that it's a great idea.

You are probably right... however, my wife has 8 months of sailing in the open waters under her belt... and the couple we are going with also have some experience... but yeah, I think THIS time (😉) we are going to hire a skipper!

I want as much hands on as possible.... this is a "learning trip".

 

[sevoflurane]

I have had this dream for many, many moons...

Just imagine with me for a second... 🙄

Waking up to the caribbean's gentle breeze and curling waves.... Pelicans and other avians on the hunt for breakfast. It's time to get up and meet the day...

Blue sky's above, turquoise water below... and below that the fine white sand sprinkled with rainbow colored fish of all walks of sea life...

Flip flops go on, no shirt necessary.... out to the main deck to scan the horizon with a nice cup of java in hand. Skipper comes out with the area nautical MAP .... You sit down to decide your next stop and proceed to plan your route...

But not before you drop your dinghy into the water and head for land on a mission for breakfast and food at the local market....

Once you get back, you launch and harness as much wind energy as possible... dude, you are sailing... no motorized sounds to disturb your peace...

Before arriving to your next island destination you pull up to a secret scuba site.... and decide to do go for a 1 hr. dive since visibility today is 130 ft. 🙄

Looking up from the depths... the sun rays pierce the water as if gods arms are reaching out to you.

After stripping off your scuba gear your deep sea fishing gear hits the water.... and this day you hit the jackpot and pulled one of Neptune's great beasts:

As the sun sets, the pinks and oranges and reds make their appearance... the grill gets fired up... the sent of sea, sand and the fresh catch of the day fill the air as you sip on an ice cold Corona and lime....

Tomorrow will be a day of skiing, wake boarding and chillaxing on a white sand beach you've never met before....

And this is just day 2 with 8 more to go.



The above has been my dream... and I'm gonna make it happen.

I work my ***** off in order to do things like this. True work hard/play hard mentality over here. Last week I was on call 6/7 days. Next week I'm on call 6/7 days. Why? Well I did it to myself... so I could take on such adventures.

But really, you don't have to be an anesthesiologist to accomplish the above. Anyone can do it. Yes, it will be more expensive than your all inclusive resort in Punta Cana... but not by an incredible amount... and it will easily be 100x as rewarding.

Get 3 couples together, rent a 50 ft catamaran and you are talking 2K per person during off season = VERY DOABLE FRIENDS...

You just have to dream and mold your reality to what you want it to be.

 

[DrMunkey]

Out of curiosity, what would something like this run and for what length of time of charter would that get you.

I concur and echo others opinions, no captain is equivalent to no MD doing your Anesthesia unless you happen to have become an expert sailor in your spare time.

Edit: so between the time i started writing this and posting it, sevo posted his response. Cheers, man, those pictures make me wanna get the hell outta the hospital right now!

 

[Trisomy13]

I have had this dream for many, many moons...

Just imagine with me for a second... 🙄

Waking up to the caribbean’s gentle breeze and curling waves.... Pelicans and other avians on the hunt for breakfast. It’s time to get up and meet the day...

Blue sky’s above, turquoise water below... and below that the fine white sand sprinkled with rainbow colored fish of all walks of sea life...

.....

You're pretty much dead on with how it is, or at least how it was 20 years ago before tourism took a stronger hold in the BVIs. It's still possible to have a vacation just as you described though, but a few of the spots once treasured are now more touristy, e.g. the Baths on Virgin Gorda.

My family used to charter a boat every couple of years in the summer and make this trip anywhere from 1-3 weeks. My father is a hobby sailor, and for our first time out we had a captain who would sail with us by day, and leave in the evening via his dinghy trailing behind us. The second trip he had a captain with us for the first two days, basically to ensure that we were "OK". Even then, we had some sphincter tightening moments when a squall surprised us.

The folks are going back next year, and we are hoping to tag along with our kid to continue the tradition. They sail out of Tortola every time, I believe with The Moorings.

If you have specific questions as you start planning, PM me and I'll pass them along to the old captain in my family. 😉 Don't hesitate. It's an incredible vacation.

 

[Trisomy13]

To all you that say there is no money in anesthesia try finding a thread with this topic in many of the other specialty forums. There are obvious rewards for all the hard work. Sevo, I hope you have an excellent time. Sounds like an incredible experience. Must say though in the middle class family I grew up in this was definitely never a topic of conversation. Definitely something to look forward to🙂

My parents were both elementary school teachers and have chartered a yacht at least 6 times in the BVIs. It's not how much money you make, it's how well you save it. 😉

 

[jetproppilot]

.

 

[jetproppilot]

Sevo, are you on here??

http://youtu.be/avaSdC0QOUM

 

[sevoflurane]

Oh, geesh....!

Nah... dawg... not THAT boat,

Something more like...

Ummmmm....

THIS boat...

😀

 

[sevoflurane]

If you have specific questions as you start planning, PM me and I'll pass them along to the old captain in my family. 😉 Don't hesitate. It's an incredible vacation.

Nice. Thanks. 👍

 

[TheRunner]

Here is an article from a few years ago that got me wanting to do this too...

http://www.slate.com/id/2232603/entry/2232604/

 

[RT2MD]

Dude... Sevo... do it! You will have a blast, I have a little sailboat on a "lake" here, there is a group where we keep our boat that is organizing a trip to the Caribbean. They have 40 people going on 5 boats (all cats, 38-44 feet). I wish that I could do it, but it's in the middle of class. A smaller group went last year, looked awesome! I can't wait to do the same thing.

As far as hiring a captain? Well... they didn't, BUT they had 2 or 3 ASA sailing instructors onboard - all with YEARS of experience. I know that I would hire a captain, but that's just me. I know that I don't have the experience. Sounds like your wife has some good experience, though. Having 2 people who are experienced would be good, just in case something happens to one of you.

One major piece of advice I can give you, though? Be sure to plan your trip around my school breaks, and don't be surprised if a couple of REALLY heavy suitcases show up with the rest of your luggage.

 

[shopsteward]

If you want to learn, it may be better to have a professional skipper to learn from, rather than having family/friends teach you - teaching you might not be quite so much of a holiday for them, and you could be getting second hand learning. As an alternative to having a skipper for your boat, you can go on a flotilla holiday, where only you and your friends are on the boat but there are other similar boats doing the same trip, one of which has professional crew on board to help and advise. Some companies will also give you a week staying on land and being taught followed by a week sailing - they call this "villa-flotilla".

Some bits of the Carribean are easier weather-wise (lighter winds, smoother seas, shorter sailing between ports/anchorages) than others. And off-season is also hurricane season, which can be bad news in a small boat. So check what the brochures have to say on these subjects. Your wife is right about the BVIs being a good starting point for easier sailing.

Also to start with, a small boat is exponentially easier to deal with than a bigger one - 40 feet of catamaran is pretty big, especially for close-quarters manouvering in a harbour or marina, and handling sheets and anchors will be heavier work than on something smaller. Up to 35 feet should be fine for 2 couples, and even a 30 foot monohull could still be doable, as it would still be likely to have a double cabin at each end. The cabins would be small but it's not as though you will be taking much luggage with you, you'll spend most of your time up on deck, and you'll be getting off the boat pretty regularly to explore on land/eat out/ check out the beaches.

Remember suncream. Light bounces back off the water up and underneath a hat, and you can get much more burnt at sea than on land.

But yeah, go for the dream. It's awesome.

 

[sevoflurane]

If you want to learn, it may be better to have a professional skipper to learn from, rather than having family/friends teach you - teaching you might not be quite so much of a holiday for them, and you could be getting second hand learning. As an alternative to having a skipper for your boat, you can go on a flotilla holiday, where only you and your friends are on the boat but there are other similar boats doing the same trip, one of which has professional crew on board to help and advise. Some companies will also give you a week staying on land and being taught followed by a week sailing - they call this "villa-flotilla".

Some bits of the Carribean are easier weather-wise (lighter winds, smoother seas, shorter sailing between ports/anchorages) than others. And off-season is also hurricane season, which can be bad news in a small boat. So check what the brochures have to say on these subjects. Your wife is right about the BVIs being a good starting point for easier sailing.

Also to start with, a small boat is exponentially easier to deal with than a bigger one - 40 feet of catamaran is pretty big, especially for close-quarters manouvering in a harbour or marina, and handling sheets and anchors will be heavier work than on something smaller. Up to 35 feet should be fine for 2 couples, and even a 30 foot monohull could still be doable, as it would still be likely to have a double cabin at each end. The cabins would be small but it's not as though you will be taking much luggage with you, you'll spend most of your time up on deck, and you'll be getting off the boat pretty regularly to explore on land/eat out/ check out the beaches.

Remember suncream. Light bounces back off the water up and underneath a hat, and you can get much more burnt at sea than on land.

But yeah, go for the dream. It's awesome.

👍

Thanks for your response as well as RT2MD's. We've been thinking of downsizing to under 40 for the reasons you described.

I have 2 weeks in October and was thinking of going then. Would you guys recommend against that since it's in the middle of Hurricane season and pretty darn hot?

Best time is probably April but I don't know if I want to wait that long.

Definitely like low season as I can save a pretty penny... although I might have to just bite the bullet on this one.

 

[shopsteward]

Don't know enough about the carrib to tell you about October, other than a general warning about hurricanes. (Even if you are not directly in the path of one, my understanding is that their lesser effects can have a wide spread of unsettled winds and lumpy water which is undesirable for a holiday on a smallish boat.) You might be OK and you might not.

I was in the windward islands in April/May last year and that was perfect sailing weather to my mind.

I know more about the mediterranean. If you could make it to the med, the southern Greek islands (Dodecanese) or Turkey should be pretty good weather still in October, further north in the Aegean would be a bit less warm but still entirely doable, especially early in the month. In the med, you should definitely have a monohull rather than a cat.

 

[nycitygas]

Whatever happened here sevo? you plan the trip??