St Thomas Day Sails

[OHTOBECRUISIN]

Darcy:

Appreciate the info. Just what I wanted.

 

Can't wait!

[2VaCruzers]

Thanks also Darcy8 for the info. We're booked!! Will be in St. Thomas and sailin' on "Winnie" June 26th. We've also got the Silver Moon booked for our stop in Barbados, and River tubing in Dominica. Research on these boards sure does pay off!! :D So now....we sit and wait :rolleyes:

 

Thanks again for the information...

 

Robin

[cruzmom]

Okay...it sounds as though there have been some wonderful daysail experiences for many others; however, we just returned 3 days ago from a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. We did the WINIFRED DAYSAIL and it turned out to be a pretty big disappointment. We are not cruise snobs by no means but the daysail did not meet our expectations. This is what our daysail consisted of: a 1-hour sail to a snorkeling spot at Caneel Bay (St. Johns), a 1-hour snorkeling tour with Bobby the first-mate (he was the best part of the daysail as he is well-educated about sea life and the islands), then a mediocre dining experience and a 1 1/2 hour sail back to St. Thomas. We were not offered any other options as stated on Winifred Daysail website...fishing, dinghy to island, dessert...we were also limited on the "Open bar". We were offered rum punch or Red Stripe beer. We have done a very similar daysail in Grand Cayman but with much better snorkeling and more time to snorkel and it only cost $35 pp. So, on that note, if you have the chance to do another daysail, I might consider it. Next time we are in St. Thomas, we will simply catch a taxi to Sapphire beach, rent some snorkel gear, and drink all the drinks we want and still probably save ourselves $100.00. We felt the prices were a bit steep for what we got.

[OHTOBECRUISIN]

cruzmom:

Hi. After your reading your post, I am a little concerned.

 

Could you answer a few questions?

-did you have any kids on your sailing?

-what time did you arrive back to their dock area after the sail? It sounds like we should be out for about 6 hours. Were you?

-what was served for lunch?

 

Thanks for your reply-

[cruzmom]

OHTOBECRUISIN~

Well, to answer your questions...

No children on the sailing--6 adults only

We were away from the island for about 5 hours at most. Most of which this time was spent sitting on the sailboat---either sailing or eating or listening to instructions on how to snorkel despite the fact that we had all snorkeled several times before. We arrived on the island after the sail at around 3 p.m.

We were served some type of "bird" as was Captain Sharon's response. It was dark meat that tasted a bit like chicken but we weren't totally sure!!!

 

If you are already booked on this daysail, you can cancel and if I were you, I would consider. Our group--my sister, her husband, myself, and my husband spent just under $600.00 to do this daysail between the four of us because of our taxi ($10.00 pp one-way), the daysail ($115. pp), the 15% gratuity to the first mate ($15.00 pp) totals $300 per couple. The daysail wasn't worth that in our opinion. There was another couple on the daysail that we met that day and they too, were extremely disappointed in the experience. They were on their honeymoon and had planned the daysail to be a big part of their vacation!!

We did a lot of research before booking this daysail and it came highly recommended so I don't know what went wrong with our sail but we had just gotten off a ship so 3+ hours of sailing on a sailboat wasn't exactly what we had in mind!! We were under the understanding that we would be doing a lot more snorkeling and playing at the beach! One hour just isn't enough!!

 

P.S. Sharon told us that we needed to pay the first mate a 15% gratuity once we got on the boat...in my opinion, he should have received the $115 pp and her the 15% gratuity pp.

[mpduquaine]

How much is the sail with Capt Bobby and Karen. We will be traveling with 6. 2 Adults and 4 Children

[Cinderellie]

I just heard from Capn. Bobby yesterday...

 

The cost is 125pp

credit or 115pp cash discount. Menue includes grilled ahi tuna, mahi

mahi, chicken breast and fillet mignon. Nonswimmers are a nonproblem!

What will you see.....one of the most beautiful places on the planet!

Have you seen our website? http://www.rumbabacharters.com Lots of good info!

We can get you back in time. Capt Bobby

[afdds]

I'll just add my two cents for what ever it's worth. We are cruising with the Mariner on March 19th. I needed a family sail for two adults and two children. I surfed around and read a lot of old postings on these boards. I emailed about half a dozen business.

The below web site emailed me back within a couple of hours. He stated that he would like to talk on the phone rather than email. He called long distance from St. Thomas the next day to discuss "what we expected out of a sail" We talked at length about the day sail. He also stated that he is one of the few sailboats that has a permit into the National Park in St. John.

After our phone conversation, I felt very comfortable and satisfied with his company. His first question was how experienced where we in swimming, sailing and snorkeling. If the girls get bored with the sailing I'm sure he won't mind adding more time for snorkeling instead.

My two cents may not add up to much because we haven't been yet. But I will post a comment when we return. Has anyone else used Capt. Pat?

 

http://www.ikewittcharters.com/

[CdnCruizer]

OHTOBECRUISIN,

 

I wanted to give you a different point of view - my husband and I were on the Winifred on January 31st and had a wonderful time. We saw turtles, a huge spotted moray eel and several rays (and LOTS of fish). Both Billy and Sharon were great sources of information.

 

We also enjoyed the lunch (the salad included herbs from Sharon's garden). I have been on snorkel trips throughout the Caribbean and this was one of the very best I have ever been on. I would not hesitate to recomend the Winifred.

 

Zuiderdam - January 28, 2006

Millienium - 2002

Zaandam - 2002

Vision of the Seas - 2000

[CRUISAYEAR]

We spent a day with Pam and Brian on the "Fantasy" and loved every minute of it. http://www.daysailfantasy.com we had a group of six. The other group of six from our CC group were on http://www.sailwinifred.com and they had a great day as well.

Be sure to make your expectations known to your Captain. They are not mind readers. They are business owners who will bend over backwards to plan the day according to YOUR wishes. If you want to spend more time doing one thing or another. TELL THEM ! You are paying the bill and you are in charge.

[2VaCruzers]

cndcruizer and cruisayear....thanks for your comment since I'd already booked Winifred and was getting a little worried. We had met a couple on a cruise last year who sailed Winnie and had a great time so we were going on their recommendations.

[2VaCruzers]

pmdear...that's just what I was looking for...more validation. Thanks so much!!! I really can't wait until June, now. :D Last time we were in St. Thomas we did an island tour with Godfrey who came highly recommended, so I wanted to do something different this time.

[cruzmom]

Glad to hear others had enjoyed their daysail on the Winifred...as mentioned earlier in this thread by another poster, I would make my desires/expectations known to Capt. Sharon. We had asked several times about going snorkeling to another spot and were told that we would only snorkel at the one place. It was a bit of a disappointment to us as we have done other sailing/snorkeling tours that were much better so we had too high of expectations, I guess. Good luck to those of you doing the Winifred Daysail in the future!!

[Tak8]

I've done the Winifred twice and really enjoyed the daysail. Yes, it is about an hour plus to the site and the same back. Yes, we only snorkeled one site, but we snorkeled about an hour and a half. The lunch and breakfast items were small in portion but very tasty. Plenty to drink, alcoholic or non, during the trip. The snorkeling was the best I've seen on 9 cruises. First mate, Tom, excorted us in the water. It was definitely a highlight for me.

[Funcouple]

Here's a few sailing trips that I've learned are available during my trip and I've narrowed down my choices to these. Any comments about these? All are out of Red Hook.

 

- Yacht Nightwind (Steve Marsh) Vessel: 50' Yawl Food, Open bar (7 hours)

 

- Ike Witt (Capt Pat) Vessel: 35' Sparkman Stevens design Food, Open bar (7 hours)

 

******

Avail through the cruise line:

 

- ST John 1/2 day champagne Cat Sail. snacks, Rum drinks, snorkel. (4 hours)

[glesesne]

Our group of six thirty-somethings just returned yesterday from a 10-day trip aboard the Sun Princess. Without a doubt, our group agreed unanimously that highlight of our entire 10-day cruise was our excursion aboard the Winifred!

 

We communicated with Captain Sharon several times in advance of our trip; she asked us our interests for the day, she let us know upfront the costs of the trip and appropriate gratuities for the first mate, and she graciously answered all of our many questions.

 

When we arrived at the pier, Russell met us right on time. The day could not have been more perfect: beautiful sunshine, gentle seas, delicious homemade rum punch, top-notch service from Billy (our first mate), relaxing music, and great stories and sightseeing from Russell. We snorkeled for almost two hours at Caneel Bay, and Russell even offered to take us to another snorkeling spot if we wished a change of underwater scenery! (We were pooped and decided to return to the boat for lunch.)

 

And lunch! Delicious lemon chicken over rice, a terrific homemade salad (complete with fresh apples and blue cheese), a lovely French baguette, and Winifred's own homemade dessert were a real treat.

 

We absolutely enjoyed the low-key, casual elegance of the Winifred, and by the end of the day, we felt like part of the family. To have the comfort and privacy of your own beautiful yacht for the day, a gracious and helpful crew, and the fun of a sailboat without the mob crowds or ill-mannered tourists or wet t-shirt contests was purety heaven!

 

If I could, I'd go back to Winifred tomorrow! We definitely plan on returning to this lovely lady!

[dawn Feb 2]

I did the Champagne Catamaran Sail and Snorkel and cannot recommend it enough!

 

We had a great day, the sail was beautiful, the beach & snorkling were great, the crew were fantastic & the drinks and food were plentiful. At $69 ($60 if you book directly with Atlantis) this is the best value excursion I have ever taken and would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Logie]

Hi

 

I have sailed High Pockets and it was a great day. Kathleen and her first mate were great. Bill was there at the time and he snorkeled with us. Lunch was great and we had bloody mary's, wine with lunch etc. Pasta lunch was great. http://www.highpockets.com

 

I also did a 1/2 day sail with Alaunt Charters in January. It was open bar of our choice and served fruit and home made banana bread. They were very grarious and the sailboat was much bigger than high pockets. They were the only ones that would do a 1/2 day sail on New Years day. It was $85. http://www.alauntcharters.com

 

I have Rumbaba booked next month so will report on that when I get back. I ordered the Ahi tuna for lunch.

 

And I do like the "drinkies" so I would be disapointed with only Rum Punch and Red Stripe?? That is Jamacian beer, I could see Caribbe maybe before that choice. And a "bird" for lunch. Yuk!!!

[Flintstone]

I did the Champagne Catamaran Sail and Snorkel and cannot recommend it enough!

 

We had a great day, the sail was beautiful, the beach & snorkling were great, the crew were fantastic & the drinks and food were plentiful. At $69 ($60 if you book directly with Atlantis) this is the best value excursion I have ever taken and would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Did you book this excursion on your own or thru the ship? I did a Yahoo search for Atlantis Sailboat, St Thomas and came up empty.

 

Thanks for your help.

Deb

[lmmn]

I have been on one of the sails mentioned over and over on these boards, and I will admit being disappointed. We tried another....Independence w/Pat....I don't see this sail mentioned much on these boards. I would highly recommend trying it. The food was fabulous. Best rum punch we've tasted so far. We have never been pampered...ever like this...on any of the charters we've been on. Our group cruises often and usually charter "two boat trips per year"....we always end up talking about the great, relaxing day sailing on the Independence.

[seamare]

I'll just add my two cents for what ever it's worth. We are cruising with the Mariner on March 19th. I needed a family sail for two adults and two children. I surfed around and read a lot of old postings on these boards. I emailed about half a dozen business.

The below web site emailed me back within a couple of hours. He stated that he would like to talk on the phone rather than email. He called long distance from St. Thomas the next day to discuss "what we expected out of a sail" We talked at length about the day sail. He also stated that he is one of the few sailboats that has a permit into the National Park in St. John.

After our phone conversation, I felt very comfortable and satisfied with his company. His first question was how experienced where we in swimming, sailing and snorkeling. If the girls get bored with the sailing I'm sure he won't mind adding more time for snorkeling instead.

My two cents may not add up to much because we haven't been yet. But I will post a comment when we return. Has anyone else used Capt. Pat?

 

http://www.ikewittcharters.com/

 

 

we sailed with Captain Pat last year and had a wonderful time. He reminds you of a crusty old pirate, very entertaining! We were able to snorkel at two different locations. We just returned from another cruise and used another highly recommended daysail and i have to admit that it wasn't quite as good as ikewitt. We only snorkeled once and then sailed more. I would have preferred to do another snorkel. She did have a first mate, unlike Pat that did help with the sailing. With Pat you do help with the sailing of the boat. If you have any other questions, I will try to answer.

[dawn Feb 2]

Did you book this excursion on your own or thru the ship? I did a Yahoo search for Atlantis Sailboat, St Thomas and came up empty.

 

Thanks for your help.

Deb

 

We booked through the ship ($69), but you can book directly through the following link http://www.atlantisadventures.com/tour_info.php?site=13&tour=111&cat=8 . Don't be put off by title "St. John...", the tour leaves from St. Thomas & anchors just off St. John for the snorkeling/beach part of the day.

 

You'll have a great time...we certainly did!

[ship99]

We (DH, DD -11 and I) just booked a daysail with Captain Bobby and Karen for April 6th onboard the Victory. Thanks to everyone who posted here, your input helped us decide who to sail with. Hope to see 3 more CruiseCritic fans onboard for the daysail:D

[Flintstone]

Thanks Dawn!! I will check them out!

 

Deb

[DebNJoe]

We (DH, DD -11 and I) just booked a daysail with Captain Bobby and Karen for April 6th onboard the Victory. Thanks to everyone who posted here, your input helped us decide who to sail with. Hope to see 3 more CruiseCritic fans onboard for the daysail:D

 

We (2 couples) are booked with Captain Bobby & Karen on Apr 4th from the Liberty. Bobby called me when I decided to book and told me there is another couple booked from a cruise, so we have a full sail. Can't wait - it sounds like a great day.;)