Taking classes in January, should I bareboat in March?

[Hoosierdoc]

We are doing ASA 101/103/104/114 in March on a 44’ cat in BVI. We are planning to charter in March and I had planned to take a captain, but the more I get into textbooks and sail back home the more I want to do a true bareboat instead.

We’ll likely go from Nassau to Exumas and back on a week long 40-45’ cat charter. Is it reasonable to do this bareboat or am I setting myself and family up for trouble? My wife will be taking the course with me.

I have some sailing experience but all on inland lakes and then just hobie cats on the Caribbean.

[JoeRobertJr]

I recommend doing that first charter with a captain, and finding one that is OK with you and your wife being hands-on as much as possible and passing on some of his/her wisdom. I think the experience and education would be well worth the additional cost. That will give you the chance to practice what you learned while being able to fall back to your charter captain's experience when something unexpected happens.

I did the 101/103/104/118 series after a captained charter. Since getting the certifications, I have done a couple bareboat charters with my family. That worked out well for us.

[flee27]

Maybe another option to think about. I did not do my ASA certifications through www.sailingflorida.com but have bareboat chartered a few times. I found it a great way to get experience. Tampa Bay and the surrounding area offered good sailing and a great mix of experiences in a relativity benign environment. It is cheaper and generally just an easier trip then going out of the country. The staff and boats at sailingflorida are great and I highly recommend them. Something to think about.

Foster

[Hoosierdoc]

We’re looking to find warm water and private anchorages away from people and red tide.

Can that be found in the keys in March? Bahamas just seems to fit the bill well and flights to Nassau aren’t too bad.

[John_Trusty]

I've always been concerned about those combined classes packing too much information into a single week to absorb. Even if you do all the pre-reading (which is essential), you're trying to cram a whole lot of knowledge and experience into a single week. First, if you are doing four classes (!) in a week, you will have no down time. You will spend every evening studying because you have a 100-question test the next afternoon. The 101 class is largely vocabulary, so could almost be a study-at-home class. The other ones are extremely practical. That said, if all you had was some small beach cat experience and those classes, I would not trust you to captain my boat with my family on-board, but I'm protective that way.

You did not mention taking coastal navigation (105) which is one of the more useful ASA classes and talks about reading charts, ded reckoning and trip planning. If they would add GPS use and more about tides, it would be almost perfect. That's study at home, so you may consider it as a winter project.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Hoosierdoc

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We’ll likely go from Nassau to Exumas and back on a week long 40-45’ cat charter. Is it reasonable to do this bareboat or am I setting myself and family up for trouble? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Google Earth shows Nassau to Exuma to be ~120 nm. @6 knots that's 20 hours, seems to be two days to get there, and two back, leaves you 3 days there.


Have you factored the time/speed/distance into your plans?

[Hoosierdoc]

Yeah, that’s my concern too. I appreciate the advice on the 105 class, i’ll Look at that. A certification doesn’t mean i’m Truly ready. That’s what i’m Hoping to gauge with the experience of this forum

Originally Posted by John_Trusty

I've always been concerned about those combined classes packing too much information into a single week to absorb. Even if you do all the pre-reading (which is essential), you're trying to cram a whole lot of knowledge and experience into a single week. First, if you are doing four classes (!) in a week, you will have no down time. You will spend every evening studying because you have a 100-question test the next afternoon. The 101 class is largely vocabulary, so could almost be a study-at-home class. The other ones are extremely practical. That said, if all you had was some small beach cat experience and those classes, I would not trust you to captain my boat with my family on-board, but I'm protective that way.

You did not mention taking coastal navigation (105) which is one of the more useful ASA classes and talks about reading charts, ded reckoning and trip planning. If they would add GPS use and more about tides, it would be almost perfect. That's study at home, so you may consider it as a winter project.

[Hoosierdoc]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Google Earth shows Nassau to Exuma to be ~120 nm. @6 knots that's 20 hours, seems to be two days to get there, and two back, leaves you 3 days there.


Have you factored the time/speed/distance into your plans?

Is that to Georgetown though? Looks like Staniel Cay is 65nm-ish from Nassau. Many seven day charter itineraries go from Nassau to exuma and back. I’m hoping To just hop scotch some smaller cays, make it to thunderall grotto, pig beach, etc. stop at a few restaurants. While giving the Kids a fun experience on a boat.

We don’t need to push all the way down to Great Exuma though I would love to hit the barrier island to the east some day.

[bensolomon]

Hoosier,

You will have no problem with a bareboat cat charter given your experience and after the course work. The only thing you'll have to remember, is to reef by the numbers in the cat. Unlike your MacGregor and the hobies, there is no heeling feedback if you're over canvassed.

Also, You mau want to pay the extra fee for a one way charter, so you can explore the Bahamas and take the pressure of getting back off your mind and see more of the Bahamas. The worst thing to have on a sailboat is a schedule, and although you are on Charter, and have to move the boat, by going in One Direction only, you minimize the effect the schedule has on your decision-making.

As a physician, you are capable of making good decisions. All you have to do when you're on the water, in general, is make good decisions and everything will be fine. Also, listen to The Admiral. She tends to be more risk-averse than the captain.

Ben

[Hoosierdoc]

Aaaand.... the admiral has decided she wants a hired captain

[bensolomon]

Well, then.... That's what you do so the Admiral can enjoy the trip. My experience with the professional Captain I did my ICC and dayskipper with is they are more than happy to let you do as much as you would like to do. the other piece of unsolicited advice I will give you, and the emphasis is on unsolicited, is since you have a captain enjoy the vacation with your wife and family. What I mean by that is balance your desire to sail and spend time with the boat, with your time with your wife and family. If the admiral has a good time on this outing, then obviously more will come. If, however, you are too engrossed with the boat and the sailing, the Admiral may not enjoy it as much. Catch my drift?

My background is similar to yours: I'm a pulmonary and critical care physician with a family of my wife and three kids plus two dogs, and own my boat in the Chesapeake. We bareboat charter regularly, though. Most recently, we just came back from a bareboat charter in Tahiti. The short version is, I learned about balancing my time with my wife and running the boat somewhat the hard way. So..... I like to pass on the tidbits I have learned.

Ben

[Macblaze]

Late to the party but...definitely go sailing as soon as possible. And I've never been to the Bahamas, I would say that if you are cautious that going sans captain is fine; especially if your wife is taking the courses and is interested. Do as much as you can to get confident docking and anchoring during the classes...the sailing is a lot more straightforward than you might think.

But since you are taking a captain, I still recommend you use him as a back up and make your own decisions (and mistakes). Experience is a great teacher and if you are careful, the likely hood of disaster is pretty low.

[pete33458]

Just something to consider in reference to 'warm water and private anchorages in the Bahamas in March:' cold fronts are a regular feature in March. The water on the Banks can be quite chilly in winter, especially after a cold front. And while there are plenty of anchorages in the Bahamas (the Banks are basically one gigantic anchorage), your bigger problem will be finding shelter from the northerlies. Over a week long period, at least one cold front is pretty likely.



Aside from that, if you've had no sailing experience prior to your courses, it might be a little bit of a stretch to bareboat, but it's not inconceivable, it depends on the person, the boat, and the conditions. Most charter companies can get you a captain by the day, so maybe consider day 1 with a captain on board, then off on your own if you feel confident. Bahamas sailing is mostly pretty forgiving except when a cold front is coming through...


Best wishes, Pete

[elee]

My first bareboat was on a 42' cat in French Polynesia, 3 years after I started to learn how to sail. I had taken 104/105 about a year just prior to the charter, and during that year, participated in club sails around Vancouver on 24' sloops. There were no problems. I agree that "zero-to-bareboat" courses may not allow for enough time to gain confidence, however, everyone would have different tolerances in this regard. If you have keelboat experience on lakes, then that would be a leg up.

Another thought to consider, is if this is your and your wife's first "big trip," then you really want to make it a SUCCESS. So if you're not sure, just go with the captain, even if you two do most of the sailing and use the captain as a backup. I think it would be a shame if something went wrong, or if there was a close call, that make the two of you (or perhaps the admiral) call off all future sailing engagements. Have a great time - sounds like fun!

[DEAN2140]

Your question reminds me of a flotilla charter I did in Turkey some years ago. It wasn't until the end of the charter that I had a chance to meet some of the other charterers at dinner. There was a couple with a child sitting next to me and I asked the wife if she had a good time. She suddenly broke into tears and said she was scared to death throughout the charter because her husband didn't know what he was doing. (This was after they had taken a one week course from Sunsail on the same boat in the area.) Her husband just sat there and looked miserable. I thought not only would this family never go sailing again but her husband would pay for his "poor judgment" every day for the rest of his life.

I don't know your wife but if she votes for a hired captain and you decide otherwise, its likely she will be looking over your shoulder and second guessing everything you do. Not a formula for an enjoyable sailing vacation. I vote with your wife. GET A CAPTAIN.