To maximize my free weeks for 2024, I only used 1 high season week, gaining 1 extra low season week, giving me 5 weeks in total, with 2 “walk in” weeks remaining. I think I need to have a chat with my boss for more leave…
The benefits of the DreamEasy program to me is the ability to charter a boat, other than my own, at any of their bases around the world.
There are some caveats attached to that but in general it can be a monohull or catamaran. A perfect opportunity to give this monohull sailing a crack for an extended cruise … see how it feels, living “downstairs” for that long.
The cruising ground...
The British Virgin Island, total ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ territory, provides a paradise-like sailing environment if not being hit by Hurricanes. It’s a small community of round 32000 people spread over a bunch of mainly rocky outcrops.
There are some amazing beaches, like Savannah Bay or Anegada Island, but they are not the norm.
For the Australians amongst my readers, it’s a bit like the Whitsunday Islands on steroids… plus wind, though without all the animals in the water that are constantly trying to kill or eat you.
Culturally, the BVI seems confused as to its own identity. On one hand it’s the playground of the rich and famous. It’s about parties, rum bars and reggae music… in other words: very social, expensive and lots of big boats.
Little 44′ “No Shoes” is definitely at the small end of the scale here.
This region is completely different from anything I have experienced. It takes some getting used to. People are very friendly, though you got to smile first … very different from my home ground here in Asia.
I’ve done a lot of day sailing in Hong Kong on a 39′ Sun Odyssey DS with the odd overnight, but I always wanted to know what a big 52′ monohull would feel like at sea.
Meet “Nosey Be”, a Sun Odyssey 51.9. Built in 2017, she must have been a busy bee at DYC based in Tortola, and it shows. Structurally she seems solid as a rock but many hands and feet as well as the harsh Caribbean Sun have left their mark.
Having said that, most of it is cosmetic. I remember a Bali 4.3 at DYC based in the Whitsunday Islands, Australia, that looked pretty sad. Then 2 months later, I saw that very same boat at a boat show in Sydney and she looked like new. Total transformation.
So based on that, “Nosey Be” could, with little effort, look like. More on that later though.
All about sailing ...
This trip was going to be all about sailing. And oh my God, how awesome was that. Steady 15 to 20kts, occasionally 25, day in, day out. Mainly protected seas with max swell of 2m on the way out North to Anegada.
This boat was moving so smoothly through the water, it was bliss. No cat slam, no cat rock, just solid ploughing through the ocean. 8kts max, steady she goes, 2 reefs in the mains and 1 or 2 in the jib, helm light as a feather.
I couldn’t wipe the smile of my face. Though a few avoidable, rig related issues provided a certain level of frustration during our first reefing event.
My newfound monohull enthusiasm quickly stopped at night whilst anchored though. Bring back that big, stable, above water catamaran platform for the nightly entertainment and a good night’s sleep.
The state of the boat after 7 years in service...
First impressions were positive. The boat was clean, and it seemed well presented. Used, but acceptable. Though once we started to use all the systems, some shortfalls became evident.
Here are some pictures how the yacht was presented to us:
As it happens, a couple of things went wrong or failed along the way. Below are some screenshots of my WhatsApp conversations with DYC Tortola base whilst down route for context.
To their credit, they were out there trying to fix things right away. The mechanic who attended the scene knew the boat well and was able to hone in to the issues quick smart…. so maybe not the first time these things went wrong?
Another client we talked to had a similar experience and help was swiftly on the way … good to know.
Turns out that the air conditioner worked for 2 days at anchor but stopped again after the next big sail. More investigation needed I fear…. lucky it was starting to get cooler at nights. Electrically, it was an issue with the internal AC-current outlets.
Apparently they don’t like getting wet and like any yacht, Nosey Be did leak in the rain, though not much. AC outlets disabled, good to continue, we still had a gas stove to make coffee.
One area that I feel needs mentioning is onboard power, or the lack of it. No solar and 1 house battery only! For 1 fridge, 1 freezer, some cabin fans, anchor light and some interior lights … no music allowed. The house battery was depleted after a max of 5 hours, if that. Then it was generator time. Not my idea of an idyllic overnight.
This is not an issue just particular to this boat but a general problem I observed in the rental fleets. Just keep the generator running seems to be the motto.
Not what I would consider optimal…probably needs a separate article as I feel it needs attention in a greening world of business.
The wrap up...
Boats are busy and time to fix things is limited during high season. This rental was taken at the end of the season, so maintenance time is coming up.
On top of that, it’s hard for the base to find out what’s wrong with a boat unless they get a full report back from a competent sailor (* see comment below).
However, a boat should never go out if it’s not safe. You could argue what constitutes safe. No autopilot? Not an issue in the region, just inconvenient. Tangled lazy jack lines? Getting there. Missing batten carts? Very close. Inappropriately sized main halyard? Definitely. All of them combined.
You can see where this is going when you need to reef and have to do everything yourself because your crew isn’t very confident.
I raised one of the sail issues with their ‘rigger’ (didn’t find out about the missing cart connections until later). “It’s okay, I used it to get up the mast, it’s strong enough”. Yeah, maybe so. But the clutch holding the halyard isn’t designed for an 8mm shoestring, so it will slip when under load. And it did.
My bad though, I shouldn’t have taken the boat. As a skipper, it’s your responsibility to assess what you think is safe. Don’t let other push you into a corner, or the desire to get going for that matter.
>An offer was made to change the halyard: “we don’t have any here but I can see if there is some in town…up to you. Might take a while though.”
That leaves us with the handover brief. Boat brief was generally well done, albeit in a slight military Drill Sargent style. Odd way to start a relaxing island holiday IMHO. Some items where just plain wrongly explained … like how to use and switch the water-maker (see WhatsApp texts above). I never had to used one before and this one was on ‘test mode’. It tested well, just overboard.
As for an area brief, it was non existing, IF I hadn’t pushed for it. And even then, it was marginal at best. In a area where Islands are surrounded by reefs, I would have though particular attention to this is essential. Especially if requested by the skipper who is not from the area.
Could have been a simple “avoid here, particular caution there, here are some references for the approach shown here….etc.”
I am sure I am not the first guy to have asked. If it avoids only 1 grounding, it surely must be worthwhile spending 10 min on this.
Moving forwards and possible improvements...
Use your regulars and owners to help you provide information on the status of the boats.
I have learnt that the bases know “their” owners, but not others who own boats in different fleets (Europe v US). It shouldn’t be that way. A worldwide owners-database for the base managers can provide easy access to this info.
Why do I feel this might be beneficial:
More often than not, we have experience, understand boats (maybe not water-makers, I admit) and have a personal interest in everything working. A small repair early, highlighted by an astute customer, can prevent a major calamity later on – and save dollars no doubt.
So use us to feed you the information you need to keep on top of your boats. It’s free. If you feel it’s ‘bullocks’, just politely ignore the info given and move on. I am sure there are a few Prima-Donna owners amongst us.
It also helps with the handover brief for example. If you know the person you are sitting across from has a professional interest, you can relay information in a different manner. If that person than asks a question, you know it’s been asked for a reason and pay attention. It’s all about mutual respect.
I know you are all as busy as a bee, but I am Nosey Be. I would love to say a quick hello and get some intel on your base that I can share with my readers on this blog. Thanks for listening.
Seychelles is next – the birthplace of DYC no less! Can’t wait.
Thanks Nils,
great read … making the same observations across all charter companies. The energy situation in general ist the most annoying. Old and too small batteries requiring to run the generator always … could be improved easily … anyway … I guess you had a great sail 🙂
best
ANTON
Hi Anton,
Thanks for your feedback. Glad you enjoyed the read. It’s an issue I think worthy of further public discussion. Working on an article about it. In the meantime, stand by for one coming in the next few days about the Seychelles…. what a place.