Tribal VI Day Sails

[girlscruise2011]

Hi Everyone, I'm back. Yes we did the excursion with Tribal and it had its goods & bads. First, before I left, we changed the time to 11am and yes, I had confirmation from him that 11am was the time to meet. At 11:15am, still sitting on the pier waiting, I called Mathias and he forgot the time had changed. No problem. He was there within 10 mins to pick us up. Now we dingy to the boat. It was the single hull sailboat and we were 7 people and it was small. Honestly, the boat was nothing special and nothing fancy. After booking a triamaran and getting this boat, I was a little disappointed. Even though sailing in the warm sun was nice, my husband didn't enjoy it much The water was rough, even though Mathias said it was calm compared to usual, my husband got sick. It was a rough ride and my husband doesn't usually get seasick so I think it may have been because of the type of boat it was.

 

Now Mathias was with his brother Stephan and they were both very nice. We went over to Buck Island to snorkel and Stephan being a marine biologist was great at the snorkeling. He went down and brought up things for us to look at, touch and was very informative about everything. I actually got to see a Baracuda. It was kind of cool.

 

For snacks we had cheese & crackers. There were sodas and beers for us. Water I think was tap because it was poured in a cup with ice and didn't taste that great.

 

Overall in my opinion was it a nice excursion? Yes because it was just my group. We sailed by others and their cats and boats were crowded. Ours was definately more personal getting to do what we wanted to do.

Did I get my moneys worth? Not being on the triamaran I would say No.

Would I do it again? Probably not.

Would I recommend it? Mathias and Stephan were great. 2 really nice guys and I enjoyed meeting them both. I think if we were on the triamaran we would have enjoyed it more. So for that, if you can get the triamaran, I would definately do the excursion. If not, I would book with someone else.

 

If you have any questions, just ask.

Edited January 20, 2014 by girlscruise2011

[girlscruise2011]

I am very sorry if I offended anyone. I just meant it as a joke.

 

Some folks just need to take things a lot less seriously.

 

Really.

 

Not that you offended me just being out on a island on a small boat with strangers with your family can sometimes put you on edge a little and then the word demise does make your mind think strange things.

 

Sometimes you take things to serious when you think you may be putting your family in an uncomfortable situation. Can't fault me for that.

[girlscruise2011]

Is the single hull a sailboat? Did it look nice. We are booked for April 1 and Capt. Matthias thought it should be repaired by then. Hope so.

 

Just checking to see if OP had returned and how her excursions went. Hope to hear soon.

 

I didn't like the single hull. I thought it was small and old looking. I would have preferred the cat but for some reason, it wasn't available for me.

[2 cruzen]

Are adult beverages available? I thought an open bar was included, but that may just be on the trimaran. I REALLY hope the mast is repaired since this is our only excursion planned for any of the ports and I want it to be nice, and special. thanks for the updates and info.

[sippican]

We were offered a single hull or a cat. We had the single hull and it was very fun a REAL sailing exp. I wouldn't want 12 people on it though. It would be crowded IMO. There were 6 of us along with 2 crew and it was perfect.

 

We did a single hull day sail on our last visit to St Thomas. It was a wonderful day. When we compare it to our catamaran sail on a different island, we much preferred the cat. We did feel crowded on the single hull with six of us.

My understanding is that Tribal will only take six on the single. Anyway, I think we'll pas unless we hear that their other boat is fixed before our trip.

[girlscruise2011]

Are adult beverages available? I thought an open bar was included, but that may just be on the trimaran. I REALLY hope the mast is repaired since this is our only excursion planned for any of the ports and I want it to be nice, and special. thanks for the updates and info.

 

He did have run punch now that you mention it but I'm not sure about anything else. We are really just beer drinkers so we were good with that and the soda & water for the kids. I would think if its available on the trimaran, then he should have it on the other boat since he's charging the same price. I would definately confirm that with him if you prefer other drinks then beer, rum punch and soda.

 

We did a single hull day sail on our last visit to St Thomas. It was a wonderful day. When we compare it to our catamaran sail on a different island, we much preferred the cat. We did feel crowded on the single hull with six of us.

My understanding is that Tribal will only take six on the single. Anyway, I think we'll pas unless we hear that their other boat is fixed before our trip.

 

I did the Catamaran in Barbados with Calabaza and it was absolutely fantastic compared to this one. I'm sure being on the Cat was one of the main reasons.

 

He did 7 with us because he got a "demise charter" approval from the coast guard. Technically I "chartered" the boat and then him and Stephan as the crew. I even had to sign papers stating so which I really wasn't happy with or aware of.

 

I think on the trimaran it would have been a much better excursion. When we talked, he was waiting for his insurance company to approve the claim so he could get it fixed. He had all the paperwork in but the insurance company was dragging their feet. Not sure how long it would take to get fixed once he gets the approval but I would definately have a plan B just in case.

[2 cruzen]

That's good advice, but a bummer. Already sent $100 instead of just 20% deposit. Didn't want to owe so much the day of the sail. It's thru paypal so I guess it won't be a problem getting a refund, if it comes to that. :(

Edited January 21, 2014 by 2 cruzen

[girlscruise2011]

That's good advice, but a bummer. Already sent $100 instead of just 20% deposit. Didn't want to owe so much the day of the sail. It's thru paypal so I guess it won't be a problem getting a refund, if it comes to that. :(

 

It shouldn't be. He gave me my deposit back while he was working on getting the approval from the Coast Guard for the Demise Charter since he wasn't finding out until a few days before I was leaving for the cruise. I honestly feel bad not giving the excursion a 100% because Mathias was a really nice person and I did somewhat enjoy my time with him and his brother. Its just that I think I had high expectations and I think it was the boat that didn't meet up with my expectations. Even though I knew I wasn't getting the Trimaran, I thought the sailboat would have been somewhat newer/larger then it was. For 7 people, we were a little crowded and limited on where we could sit.

 

Another thing was I had told Mathias we wanted to fish while we were out and that never happened. Even though I did ask if he had the fishing gear and he said yes, when my son asked when we were going to fish, he was told he didn't have enough gear to do it. That also was a little disappointing. It was something he was looking forward to.

[2 cruzen]

Just heard back from Capt. Matthias ... His mast won't be fixed until mid-April now. :(. He has a 42 ft single hull available. We have roll call friends going on Carnivals St. John's catamaran excursion. Torn between what to do?? :confused:

[girlscruise2011]

Just heard back from Capt. Matthias ... His mast won't be fixed until mid-April now. :(. He has a 42 ft single hull available. We have roll call friends going on Carnivals St. John's catamaran excursion. Torn between what to do?? :confused:

 

We had the single hull but not sure if it was 42 ft. My husband said it could be and if it was, it was small and old. Honestly, go to St. Johns. I didn't think the boat was worth it but thats just my opinion :(

 

Not sure why but its taking a real long time to get his boat fixed. When I was there in January he said he had all the papers into the insurance company. Now we all know that insurance companies don't move to quick but this happened in December and this just seems too long to be going on.

Edited March 1, 2014 by girlscruise2011

[2 cruzen]

We cancelled with Tribal...DH just wasn't comfortable...worried that something would happen, break down. I do want to say that the morning after I sent the email that we would be canceling and to please refund our deposit, I got a notice from PayPal thAt I had received a payment from Tribal. I would sail with them in the future when their Trimaran is operational. :D

[girlscruise2011]

We cancelled with Tribal...DH just wasn't comfortable...worried that something would happen, break down. I do want to say that the morning after I sent the email that we would be canceling and to please refund our deposit, I got a notice from PayPal thAt I had received a payment from Tribal. I would sail with them in the future when their Trimaran is operational. :D

 

Yes, he was very quick with giving my back my deposit when this all happened and he was a very nice person. If I ever get back and his Trimaran is sailing, I would definately give him another try.

 

I just felt that the other boat was old and not as large as the Trimaran and he should have adjusted the pricing as a sign of good faith for not cancelling. I know I did have the option to cancel since I wasn't getting the Trimaran but for some reason I thought the Single Hull would have been a little nicer to make up for it. I would have probably preferred the Catamaran but for some reason he offers it as an option but never uses it. I wonder if the Single Hull is cheaper for him to charter :confused:

[pambud96]

I just felt that the other boat was old and not as large as the Trimaran and he should have adjusted the pricing as a sign of good faith for not cancelling. I know I did have the option to cancel since I wasn't getting the Trimaran but for some reason I thought the Single Hull would have been a little nicer to make up for it. I would have probably preferred the Catamaran but for some reason he offers it as an option but never uses it. I wonder if the Single Hull is cheaper for him to charter :confused:

 

 

 

I am sure it is just a matter of preference, but I loved the single hull, it was REAL sailing.

I have been on both and love both. I doubt the price is a factor. But I will for sure use them again when I go back.