st. thomas charter day sailing - recs

I have tentatively booked with "Sail with Liberty" - they only have 20 tripadvisor posts so hoping to get some additional feedback.

Hoping to get feedback on other charters as well.

Suggestions on which beaches to go? Other tips?

Boats come and go, so go with one that has recent posts. Weather will determine where any boat goes, so you should book whoever is available.

I have tentatively booked with "Sail with Liberty" - they only have 20 tripadvisor posts so hoping to get some additional feedback.

 

Hoping to get feedback on other charters as well.

 

Suggestions on which beaches to go? Other tips?

We like High Pockets. We have had a couple of great days with Capt. Kathleen. Great sailing, great snorkeling, and a wonderful lunch.

Another vote for Kathleen of Highpockets, have sailed with her 3 times now. This is the only place I have ever enjoyed to snorkel, her equipment is always in like new shape!!

Yacht Nightwind, Cap't Maxx, we enjoyed New Horizons.

Beaches are another story since the daysails don't hit them, this thread gives some descriptions -

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1993432

Did you go with Sail with Liberty ?

We went with simplicity charters and had an awesome day.

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How easy are any of these boats to get in/out of the water? Some of us have mobility issues so need easy access in/out of water.

Also, are these sailboats or catamarans? What is the pros/cons to each type?

Thanks.

How easy are any of these boats to get in/out of the water? Some of us have mobility issues so need easy access in/out of water.

 

Also, are these sailboats or catamarans? What is the pros/cons to each type?

 

Thanks.

We just did a day sail on a sailboat ... I would say it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues but not impossible, depending on the severity of the mobility issues. Most often you need to board a dingy from a dock to get to your sailing vessel - and on a sailboat itself there may be stairs leading to the bathroom - or a step down to get to a seating area. More than likely you will need 1-2 people to help that person get on/off.

We just did a day sail on a sailboat ... I would say it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues but not impossible, depending on the severity of the mobility issues. Most often you need to board a dingy from a dock to get to your sailing vessel - and on a sailboat itself there may be stairs leading to the bathroom - or a step down to get to a seating area. More than likely you will need 1-2 people to help that person get on/off.

Thanks so much!!! Anyone have any catamaran options for St T that you would recommend?

Thanks.

We love Simplicity Charters, but our ship gets in too late to go with them on our next trip. We don't dock until 10am, so wouldn't be able to get to Red Hook until 11. Can anyone recommend any options?

We love Simplicity Charters, but our ship gets in too late to go with them on our next trip. We don't dock until 10am, so wouldn't be able to get to Red Hook until 11. Can anyone recommend any options?

We just recently sailed with Sail with Liberty --- it was really a great time :)

They worked with us since we were pretty much novices at snorkeling - and that was made more difficult as it was our little guy's first time and so we both were a bit too focused on watching him to snorkel properly.

We sailed for a bit, did a little bit of snorkeling - where the "first mate" Mumfy actually got in the water to swim with our 5 year old son , and then we stopped at a beach for an hour or so before sailing back to Red Hook. Both Capt Ryan and Mumfy explained different points of interest during the sail and were very nice to sail with.

Not sure about how many people you have, but this sail would probably fit 6 comfortably and the price was comparable to other larger charter companies but you got the private experience.

They have a webpage and a facebook page too where you can find out more info :)

We've sailed on two different sailboats in St. Thomas. Rumbaba has been our favorite so far and we've sailed on it three times. The day was great and they had some of the best seafood I've ever had that the Captain cooked on a grill on board for lunch (had beef and chicken options too). Highly recommended.

How easy are any of these boats to get in/out of the water? Some of us have mobility issues so need easy access in/out of water.

 

Also, are these sailboats or catamarans? What is the pros/cons to each type?

 

Thanks.

Most of these boats are smaller sailboats that seat a max of 6 people - Rumbaba is 37 feet. Depending on one's mobility issues they could be a problem. To start with, most board a small dinghy off the docks at Red Hook to transport you to the boat and depending on the tides this usually involved climbing up or down a wooden ladder around four feet on the side of the dock. Climbing back onto the boats after snorkeling involves climbing up a small metal ladder dropped down the side of the boat. The only assistance they can reasonably give you is to grab your hands to give you a boost once you're part way up the ladder. A lot of the boats only have a very small cockpit that seats four so the other two passengers normally sit on the deck of the sailboat. Depending on ones mobility issues, walking on the moving boat or sitting on deck while it is moving could be an issue. I don't know if some of the boats have a larger cockpit or not.

Also be aware that single hull sailboats like these sail a fairly big pitch (angle) which might make it difficult to move around, or sit on deck, for one with mobility issues.

There is one catamaran I'm aware of called Scubadu that does a similar itinerary and I think had similar pricing. It sounds like it might be better for one with mobility issues although I don't know if they require you to climb a ladder or have steps they drop into the boat after swimming or snorkeling and I don't know if they board at a dock or via dinghy. We'd booked them for last winter but ended up canceling that cruise so we haven't sailed with them yet.

All of these small day sail boats seem to have their own web site, that you can find by googling their name or "St. Thomas day sail" or "Virgin Islands day sail". The websites generally have pictures of the boat and a phone number that often goes straight to the Captain's cell phone. They are not big operations.

How easy are any of these boats to get in/out of the water? Some of us have mobility issues so need easy access in/out of water.

 

Also, are these sailboats or catamarans? What is the pros/cons to each type?

 

Thanks.

Actually you board many if the nicer sailboats right from the dock at Sapphire Marina or American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook. Yacht Nightwind, High Pockets, and New Horizons are all excellent choices. Most day sails in STT are mono hulls.

Actually you board many if the nicer sailboats right from the dock at Sapphire Marina or American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook. Yacht Nightwind, High Pockets, and New Horizons are all excellent choices. Most day sails in STT are mono hulls.

Have you tried all of these?

We have reserved (for March) on Nightwind at $125 per person only now just to find New Horizons @ only $95 per person. Is Nightwind that much better or should we cancel and rebook on New Horizons.

We want to sail and snorkel. Will enjoy drinks and lunch on both as we are not at all picky.

Would love to hear opinions from you and others.

We enjoyed a day on NH while staying at Sapphire, great lunch and a nice sloop and good crew. But they can take a lot more ppl. I'd stick with YN, we haven't taken her but friends loved it and the reviews are all excellent.