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Old 05-13-2011, 03:53 PM   #1
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Old 05-13-2011, 06:03 PM   #2
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Love the title "Ode to the Credit Card Captains"

I know mistakes happen but I hope I am never "that guy"
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Old 05-14-2011, 03:25 PM   #3
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I can't resist. I've weighed in on several anchoring threads on this board, one such HERE

Now for some more reminiscing about charter boats in the Virgin Islands. I wish that we had carried a videocam those first years of cruising in the Caribbean. The anchoring antics, when you weren't downwind from some of the boats, was amusing. The best stories were always about the bareboat charterers, though (and the French, but that's for another day). Maybe because there were so many of them in the Virgin Islands then - and now.

Friends of ours helped a bareboat get into a slip in the BVIs, partly because they were generally all-around nice guys, and partly because they were legitimately concerned that their boat would be taken out by the boat heading straight for them rather than for the neighboring slip. After getting the people settled into the marina, they invited them over for a cup of coffee and some chats.

When asked where they sailed in the States, the couple told our friends that they had never sailed before. It turned out that they had agreed to charter in the BVIs with friends who were experienced sailors and who had completed the application. When their friends were unexpectedly unable to go, this couple decided that they would take the charter rather than lose their deposit. What they didn't explain was how they could fake their absolute ignorance in all things sailing. Our friends convinced these hapless charterers to just stay in the marina for their week, and enjoy the area without ever setting sail again.

#2. We were heading for a marina in the BVIs to clean up our boat after the prop shaft slipped out and flooded our boat. We listened to a VHF conversation between a charter boat and the dockmaster at the marina. The fellow on the boat went through the "is there a slip available?, how much?, where is it?. Then his final query - "could somebody come onto the boat to bring it into the slip?" He'd gladly pay, of course. The dockmaster said yes, he had someone who would help him, just pick him up at the fuel dock on his way to the slip. The boat skipper said, "you don't understand, he has to come out here to get on the boat" - "here" being about a 1/2 mile from the marina. Lots of back and forth, and finally, with a hefty, hefty charge, the temporary captain got a dinghy ride out to the boat to bring it in.

The scariest, at least for anybody considering chartering out their own boat, was this tale reported by Cap'n Fatty Goodlander, who back then wrote for a VI tourist/sailing rag. Fatty's story started with a photo of the boat being refloated from its resting place on the bottom of the bay. Turns out that the charterers didn't check too carefully whether there were any lines trailing in the water when they started the engine and put it into gear. Sadly, the engine didn't stall when the jib sheet tightened around the prop shaft, but rather pulled the shaft strut out - leaving a 3-inch hole in the bottom of the boat, under the engine, into which a whole lot of water gushed very quickly, sinking the boat upright. Needless to say, the charterers didn't get their security deposit back, but the owner of the boat had a huge bill paying the deductible for the insurance payment to refloat the boat. And repair/rebuild/replace everything that was destroyed by its immersion in salt water for several days. Yikes.

Anchoring stories. Bareboat charter stories. And a story for the beleaguered and tight-budget cruiser.

We used to head for the Virgin Islands every spring after most of the tourists had abandoned the Caribbean for the improving weather in the north. We would anchor in all the recommended bays on the charter boat list of places to go, things to do. As soon as the anchor was set I would jump into the water with fins and snorkel and just swim around. I found: an anchor. A beautiful boat hook. Various shackles and other ground tackle. Great towels, bath and beach. Crockery, tableware, clothes - many, many T-shirts. Masks and snorkels - when we finally left the Caribbean for the Pacific, we had recovered about a dozen of them. I kept the best, gave away the rest, but loved the treasure hunt every day.

Oh, the simple pleasures of the cruising sailor.

Fair winds and a secure anchorage

J
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Old 05-16-2011, 09:10 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptDinghy View Post

Love the title "Ode to the Credit Card Captains"

I know mistakes happen but I hope I am never "that guy"
Gooday U-2. Me again - Keep it 'a long way out front' an oganized - & you'll be BETTER PREPARED for sure, 'Lots of home-work is far more ''cost effective'' than ALL of the alternatives. IMHO . Wish I'd win the 'lotto' & get in your face & be of some 'real' value in your evaluation & selection of your future mobile home & destinations. I'm on your side, just ask. Ciao, james - - do it soon as I'm running out of time in this beautiful earth we live in. Catch-ya, jj
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Old 05-16-2011, 01:09 PM   #5
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We used to head for the Virgin Islands every spring after most of the tourists had abandoned the Caribbean for the improving weather in the north. We would anchor in all the recommended bays on the charter boat list of places to go, things to do. As soon as the anchor was set I would jump into the water with fins and snorkel and just swim around. I found: an anchor. A beautiful boat hook. Various shackles and other ground tackle. Great towels, bath and beach. Crockery, tableware, clothes - many, many T-shirts. Masks and snorkels - when we finally left the Caribbean for the Pacific, we had recovered about a dozen of them. I kept the best, gave away the rest, but loved the treasure hunt every day.

Oh, the simple pleasures of the cruising sailor.
Reuse, Recycle!!!

But as an aside, it kind of blows me away that this happens. It must be hugely expensive. I am not sure that I could make any mistakes like that and keep finacially afloat!!!

/editted for spelling
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Old 05-16-2011, 11:59 PM   #6
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You're right, it was expensive, but it was the tourists, bareboat charterers, who were losing all that stuff. There were an awful lot of them, so the chance of getting something good in each anchoraqe was pretty good.
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Old 05-17-2011, 04:07 AM   #7
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Holey sh&one&t thats not even funny. I just completed a total refit of my idylles15.5 and I think I could possibly find myself in jail if some jerk off sailed into a mooring feild and hit my boat. I'm suprized no one flew out to that boat in their dink and threw the jerk off the helm and turn that sucker around. I guess people were watching in amazement that the boat was actually going to keep on coming with the sails up. I'm sure I would of been thinking, Ok well they must be puitting the sails down any minute now. OMG I would of banished those people from that area. I mean how could they even have the balls to stay and not wear bags on their heads like the old unknown comic from the Gong show. lol The only thing that would of topped it would be if they had rammed the Willy T. NICE
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Old 05-19-2011, 12:57 PM   #8
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We are close to owning our boat (won't jinx the deal by naming it) but there was consideration of chartering the boat out to offset some upgrade costs. Though I think the charter outfits here in Maine may be a little better to work with - there are a LOT of rocks out in our harbors. As sick as it makes me to think of someone hitting another boat, hitting a rock with a little force can do a lot more damage.

Really rethinking that strategy!
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Old 05-21-2011, 06:34 PM   #9
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Repaired the link to the video in the first post.
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