Sell the Wife: Off Grid/Beautiful Nature in a 7-day Starter Charter?

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Auklet

...............
.............................
British Columbia is the PNW.

BC is the Pacific Southwest in my country. South of the border it is the USA's PNW.

From a not-too-sensitive newly minted Canadian permanent resident, formerly from San Francisco.


Happy New Year

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Oh dear you don’t get jokes do you !!

I'm a little slow on wry humor.

[ttcbj]

Thanks for the replies. To sum up what I learned:

1. I think a charter with a skipper is better for our first charter/testing the waters. I recently learned that it is much cheaper than I realized (I had been looking at "crewed charters", not "bareboat+hire a skipper").

2. There were several recommendations for St. John in the USVI as having a lot of what I am looking for. That seems like a strong direction to me (I should have mentioned we have kids age 8 and 10, so we are looking for more of a warm/swim/snorkle/hike type experience).

3. There doesn't seem to be a highly recommended book or resource for specifics of exploring the darribean, or USVI/BVI. For example, I have a book titled "A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast (6th edition)" which has descriptions of hundreds of little coves and bays in Maine. No one seems to have recommended a similar book for the USVI or BVI. If anyone recommends one, esp. for st. johns, let me know.

4. For a more general strategy on how to discover where to sail given my goals, it sounds like a smattering of 'search the web', plus the useful suggestion of talking with the charter company. It sounds like the really knowledgable sailors probably use tools (charts+personal knowledge and intuition) which would be hard for me to use and replicate.

Anyway, the thread was a bit chaotic (it did not occur to me that "Sell the Wife" would be misinterpreted, but that was clearly my oversight), but ultimately I think it was helpful in developing an initial plan: skippered charter, USVI, St. Johns, talk with the charter company and captain about our goals.

Thanks!

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by ScottMeilicke

What sold my wife on the cruising life were two things:

Attending lots of seminars given by women sailers. We live in Seattle, so this was easy come boat show time. This convinced her it is all about knowledge and experience, nothing more. If these women could do it, so could she.

Next, she took a week long learning cruise in the San Juans (PNW), women only, captain included. Men tend to “take over”, and my wife would often let them - sailing is hard work! A women only event ensured all the students did it themselves.

Funny story - when they came into a marina, the captain warned them that men would jump up and take their dock lines if they let them. Sure enough, my wife stepped onto the dock, dock line in hand, and a man snatched it from her hands, “helping”. It took her three requests to get that line back. Finally she said “that line is costing me good money and you’re starting to piss me off!”

^^^^^

I think ttbj should show the above post to his good lady. What a marvelous story, and good on her!

[Auklet]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

BC is the Pacific Southwest in my country. South of the border it is the USA's PNW.

From a not-too-sensitive newly minted Canadian permanent resident, formerly from San Francisco.


Happy New Year

OK. Just trying to orient a Missourian to a couple of sailing venues of Canada. I think the point was that you're in not much different scenic venues right on one side of the Haro Strait versus the other (except when going deeper, further north and northwest into British Columbia). IMO, a 7-day BB charter out of Vancouver would rate higher than a 7-day charter out of Bellingham, Anacortes, or Seattle. All beautiful, but better chance to sail if crossing the Georgia Strait to the Gulf Islands and return. Plus, there is Howe Sound and Granville Island!! Regrets.

[MicHughV]

the title of this thread definitely needs some work

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by ttcbj

Thanks for the replies. To sum up what I learned:

1. I think a charter with a skipper is better for our first charter/testing the waters. I recently learned that it is much cheaper than I realized (I had been looking at "crewed charters", not "bareboat+hire a skipper").

2. There were several recommendations for St. John in the USVI as having a lot of what I am looking for. That seems like a strong direction to me (I should have mentioned we have kids age 8 and 10, so we are looking for more of a warm/swim/snorkle/hike type experience).

3. There doesn't seem to be a highly recommended book or resource for specifics of exploring the darribean, or USVI/BVI. For example, I have a book titled "A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast (6th edition)" which has descriptions of hundreds of little coves and bays in Maine. No one seems to have recommended a similar book for the USVI or BVI. If anyone recommends one, esp. for st. johns, let me know.

4. For a more general strategy on how to discover where to sail given my goals, it sounds like a smattering of 'search the web', plus the useful suggestion of talking with the charter company. It sounds like the really knowledgable sailors probably use tools (charts+personal knowledge and intuition) which would be hard for me to use and replicate.

Anyway, the thread was a bit chaotic (it did not occur to me that "Sell the Wife" would be misinterpreted, but that was clearly my oversight), but ultimately I think it was helpful in developing an initial plan: skippered charter, USVI, St. Johns, talk with the charter company and captain about our goals.

Thanks!

Sounds like a good plan. The sell the wife responses were in jest. Make her experience good. If she likes it great, if not, sell her or better yet find something else to do.
PS keep jackets on those kids.

[KenKo]

Yachtsman's Guide to the Virgin Islands (13th ed might be most recent) is one guidebook. Also, --
The Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands by Nancy and Simon Scott is a good source of info that includes some "ashore" info. St. John is largely a national park, so for onshore activities you might check national park guides. I'm not sure what edition is current but they generally update them every couple of years or so.

[Macblaze]

PNW PNW PNW!

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by ttcbj

...
...


3. There doesn't seem to be a highly recommended book or resource for specifics of exploring the darribean, or USVI/BVI. For example, I have a book titled "A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast (6th edition)" which has descriptions of hundreds of little coves and bays in Maine. No one seems to have recommended a similar book for the USVI or BVI. If anyone recommends one, esp. for st. johns, let me know.
...
...

WADR, you are not trying hard enough. When we first did a bareboat, back in 1986, there was no internet. By snail mail the company sent us their "package" of info, saying they'd give us orientation and a guidebook, and once we signed up with a deposit, they'd mail us the guidebook so we could "study up."


I'll betcha if you go to a GASP! charter website in the USVI or BVI, they will tell you what book they either include or recommend.


Gee, I may be wrong, but you could try...

[Capt. Greg]

The Abacos in the Bahamas would be a fun time for your family. Steve Dodge's Cruising guide will give you plenty of information. The barrier reef in front of the outer cays will provide endless snorkling opportunities. Sea of Abaco will provide beautiful, protected sailing and there are uninhabited/lightly inhabited cays north and south of Marsh Harbor. Let your charter company be aware of your wants and they can help you plan an itinerary.

[Calphor]

I had a similar situation but in reverse. The wife was trying to sell me on sailing. We ended up taking a week long ASA course in the USVI in early ‘21. We learned the basics (101, 103, 104 & 114) and saw a good bit of St John and Megan’s Bay. I caught the bug and we’ve had two bareboat charters since, both in USVI. The charter company took the ASA certs with no questions on the first charter. It felt weird motoring out of the marina in a 45’ cat on our own the first time, but it went off without a hitch.

Now we are planning to charter different manufacturers to narrow down our likes, as well as explore more of the world than the USVI. The how and when to make the transition from working stiffs to live aboards has become a hot topic as well. Good luck on “selling the wife,” just be careful how deep you set the hook!

[nextis12]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

PNW PNW PNW!

That is spectacular! Where exactly?

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by nextis12

That is spectacular! Where exactly?

Princess Louisa Inlet. I will have to admit it is the singular most spectacular spot in the PNW — although I hear Alaska has lots to compete with it But Louisa is well within range of any charter company's base

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by BlueH2Obound

It's not the survey I'd be worried about, it's the sea trial!

I seem to remember the sea trial being the best part.