Sunyata Charters

[brandn03]

Has anyone used Sunyata for day sailing or snorkeling? I am booked for a half day snorkel trip next week when are on St. Thomas with the Carnival Dream.

[brandn03]

No one?...Looks like I'll be the guinea pig :)

[brandn03]

Just returned from my cruise. We did the Sunyata half day snorkel while in St. Thomas and I would be happy to share my experience if anyone is looking to book a snorkeling/sailing trip while in St. Thomas.

[The Islander]

How was it? Where did you go snorkeling?

 

--Islander

[brandn03]

I'll just start from the beginning. Andy (The captain and Owner of the Sunyata) met the six of us at the front of the cruise ship dock at 11am in a small inflatable boat, and then he took to his catamaran that was moored out in the harbor. They actually customized the time slot for us which was nice, because we ended up missing the larger boats and had the snorkeling spots to ourselves most of the day. The trip was advertised as a 3 hour tour (...a 3 hour tour...*Thunder*), but Andy offered to take us out for 4 hours at no additional charge.

 

Once on board we were greeted by the Rashel (The first mate). She told us a little about what we would be doing and showed us around the boat. The boat could easily hold 10-12 people, but they only take a maximum of 6 guest on each trip. The boat is in excellent condition. I couldn't get over how nice it was. Andy said it is only 4 years old, and he actually sailed down on it from Baltimore (where he is from).

 

As we set out for Buck Island, the six of us relaxed on the front of the boat as Rashel took our requests for drinks. We all started off with a Mimoso (Champagne and Juice). We were full of questions for Rashel and Andy and they were both happy to answer all of them. After a short trip to Buck Island and a couple of cocktails, we set anchor and we all jumped in. The snorkeling gear that they had on board looked practically brand-new. Most of us had our own gear, but I did use their flippers. As soon as we set anchor we saw two sea turtles swimming right beside the boat, and we were able to swim right along side them. After about an hour of snorkeling around the area we all got back on the boat and Andy asked if we would like to move to the other side of the island where there is a shipwreck, of course we said yes.

 

On the way over to the other side of the island we enjoyed some more cocktails. This time "Painkillers" were the drink of choice, and they were delicious! We snorkeled a little more around the ship wreck until about 4 or 5 of the "cattle boats" showed up with 30-40 people on each. Which was fine, because they didn't get in our way, but it just made us extra pleased with our choice to go with the Sunyata. We got back on the boat and enjoyed a few more "Painkillers" and rum punch, and beer. I have no idea how long we set there in the same spot off of Buck Island just drinking and shooting the breeze with Andy and Rashel...but it must of been an hour at least...or it could have been 5 minutes (at that point time didn't really come to my mind).

 

By that point we were all in a pretty happy place, so we headed back towards the harbor, where they had to nearly drag us off the boat. Or should I say carry us off, after one too many "Painkillers".

 

Overall it was an awesome experience. It was definitely the highlight of our trip, and Rashel and Andy were tons of fun to be around. The coral left a little to be desired, but the sea turtles more than made up for it. We saw many species of fish, and the ship wreck was definitely something neat to see.

 

Oops, I almost forgot. We were treated to a fresh fruit tray, chips and salsa, and also cheese and crackers. They were all delicious!

[The Islander]

Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing your comments.

 

--Islander

[w8ing2cruz]

This is exactly what we're looking for - except we have eight in our group. Is this a sailboat or a true catamaran?

[goldesq]

I think I might try this. I am going on my own though so I am a bit nervous. I want to try a charter with a small group so it isnt overwhelming and crowded. Where do they leave you when you get dropped off? Is it at the pier?

[brandn03]

This is exactly what we're looking for - except we have eight in our group. Is this a sailboat or a true catamaran?

 

It is what I would call a true catamaran. It has sails of course, but the engines were used to power the boat for our trip.

 

The boat could certainly hold 8 guests comfortably; however, I'm not sure if they would be willing to waiver from the 6 guest maximum. Couldn't hurt to ask. Here is the website, with contact information: http://www.sailsunyata.com/

[brandn03]

I think I might try this. I am going on my own though so I am a bit nervous. I want to try a charter with a small group so it isn't overwhelming and crowded. Where do they leave you when you get dropped off? Is it at the pier?

 

They picked us up, and dropped us off, at the very beginning of the Havensight pier (under the big blue & white "Shopping" sign).

[brandn03]

Here is a picture of the Sunyata and a nice picture of a turtle we swam with.

 

 

[The Islander]

Great photos... what type of camera were they taken with?

 

--Islander

[louise1955]

Sounds like a great time!! I had been thinking about The Fury or Island Girl,but I might have to consider Sunyata. I do tend to get seasick. Do you know if one is more likely than the other (catamaran or regular sailboat) to cause seasickness?

[brandn03]

Great photos... what type of camera were they taken with?

 

--Islander

 

The sea turtle picture was taken with a fujifilm waterproof digital camera, like this one:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-FinePix-Z33WP-Waterproof-Green/dp/B001QENO6Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276168885&sr=8-1

 

I didn't take the picture of the boat, I stole it from a friend.

[brandn03]

Sounds like a great time!! I had been thinking about The Fury or Island Girl,but I might have to consider Sunyata. I do tend to get seasick. Do you know if one is more likely than the other (catamaran or regular sailboat) to cause seasickness?

 

I have never been on a regular sailboat, only catamarans, so I can not compare the two. However, I would be willing to bet that a catamaran would be less likely to make someone seasick. They seem like they would have a lot less side-to-side rocking compared to a sailboat. But keep in mind...I have no idea what I'm talking about.

[The Islander]

Thanks for the camera info.

 

--Islander

[DreamzTerra]

Loved your review and decided to book with them for a morning excursion in September. Hoping to have a similar experience!

[brandn03]

Loved your review and decided to book with them for a morning excursion in September. Hoping to have a similar experience!

 

I hope your cruise turned out nicely. I'm not sure if the hurricane interfered with your itinerary, or if you were able to do the Sunyata trip. If you did, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, and I would love to hear about your experience.

[brandn03]

I hope your cruise turned out nicely. I'm not sure if the hurricane interfered with your itinerary, or if you were able to do the Sunyata trip. If you did, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, and I would love to hear about your experience.

 

Nevermind, I just read an article that said the Epic was rerouted from the Eastern Caribbean to the Western. I'm sorry to hear your plans were shifted like that, but I'm sure you are still having an amazing time.

[GAcruiser417]

Brand03 what about snacks or lunch, were they served? Were their any kids onboard?

 

I love day sails in St Thomas, but would prefer not to travel to Red Hook. I may consider this one.

[brandn03]

Brand03 what about snacks or lunch, were they served? Were their any kids onboard?

 

I love day sails in St Thomas, but would prefer not to travel to Red Hook. I may consider this one.

 

We only did the half day snorkel so we had snacks (Chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, and fresh fruit...and of course all the beverages we could drink). They may offer a lunch if you do a full day, I'm not sure. The boat only holds up to 6 adults I think, and lucky for us we had 6 adults in our group, so there were no children. I'm not sure what their policy is for children, but it can probably be found on their website, or by calling.

[luvcruisin_12]

Ive been doing a lot of research for a catamaran tour to buck island and this one sounds great. Unfortunatly their website is not loading? Can you tell me how much it was for your half day tour? My faimliy and i are going in Jan on the Victory and we looooooove buck island. Its been 12 years since we were last there and cant remember the tour we went with last time....it was a catamaran with about 8 people and your review sounds just like our tour :) Thanks so much for your review!!

[brandn03]

Ive been doing a lot of research for a catamaran tour to buck island and this one sounds great. Unfortunatly their website is not loading? Can you tell me how much it was for your half day tour? My faimliy and i are going in Jan on the Victory and we looooooove buck island. Its been 12 years since we were last there and cant remember the tour we went with last time....it was a catamaran with about 8 people and your review sounds just like our tour :) Thanks so much for your review!!

 

I think we paid $75 per person plus gratuity. I assume they are still operating this tour, here is the captains email address: cruznsouth [at] hotmail.com

 

His name is Andy.

[dis2cruise]

We are excited! We just booked the full day with Andy, he will alter the sail since it normally ends at 4pm and our ship leaves the same time so we are starting early!! We only want to do one snorkel stop so we will either do a beach stop or just sail around we will have the whole boat to ourselves since we are a party of 6.

[brandn03]

We are excited! We just booked the full day with Andy, he will alter the sail since it normally ends at 4pm and our ship leaves the same time so we are starting early!! We only want to do one snorkel stop so we will either do a beach stop or just sail around we will have the whole boat to ourselves since we are a party of 6.

 

That's great! I hope you enjoy your time on the Sunyata as much as we did!