11 minute read
world of chartering
With a special report this month from longtime Bay Area sailors on how chartering led to a New Acquisition and a New Lifestyle.
How Chartering Led Two Small-Boat Sailors to a Life-Changing Decision What do Hobie sailors do to relax? They charter a big cat where they can sail all day with a beverage in hand and stay dry! Years ago, a group of Hobie sailors started chartering boats in faraway places, inspired by the fact that the Hobie Worlds was staged at fantastic locations around the globe. My fi rst opportunity to join this group was about 10 years ago in Belize, where we took all 11 cats available in the charter fl eet for a weeklong trip. I had my two boys with me; the youngest was eight and the oldest person aboard was 88. A week aboard a Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46 was quite a treat. Several years later, the Hobie sailors were at it again and sought out another Hobie sailor who chartered her own cat named Safari in the British Virgin Islands. Safari is a Lagoon 440 with the steering station on top and plenty of room for everyone to be together as you’re cruising along. With nine aboard, my girlfriend and I became quite smitten with the chartering life and sought to do more trips — especially after falling in love with the Lagoon 440. Last year, we followed Latitude 38 editor Andy Turpin’s lead, after reading his article about sailing a 55-ft Carbon Catana through Tahiti's Leeward Islands. With a group of friends, we fl ew out to Tahiti and chartered a similar
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We were thrilled to hear that our article played a role in inspiring John and Monique's French Polynesian wedding.
55-footer from Dream Yachts. For 10 days we toured around Raiatea, Bora Bora and Tahaa, where Monique and I were married on a motu (islet) at the end of the trip. We fell in love with the chartering life and have had the opportunity to go several places and compare several catamarans. Of course, we decided that we needed to fi nd a cat of our own to call home. Deciding on which boat to buy was by no means easy, though. One thing we knew was it had to be a catamaran. The question really came down to whether she should be built for speed or a 'rooma-ran', as they say. The several charters we'd done on different boats made us realize that 90 to 95% of the time we would be anchored in a beautiful cove, relaxing. So, although speed and performance were still important, these were no longer the driving forces behind our decision-making. We really loved the Lagoon 440 that we'd chartered in the British Virgin Islands. The steering station on top had plenty of room for everyone to be together while cruising, and its four staterooms with ensuite bathrooms had plenty of space to comfortably accommodate four couples, without feeling crowded. We also adored its forward cockpit — or 'conversation pit' — for hanging out and visiting. And quite honestly, its performance is perfectly fi ne. The Lagoon 440 was simply the best choice for us. Once we'd decided on the boat we wanted, the next step was to fi nd one in
ALL PHOTOS MONIQUE BOUCHER & JOHN SCHULTHESS
our price range that was in great condition. We went through all the listings we could fi nd, put them into a spreadsheet with their pros and cons, went to visit most of them that were in the States and BVI, then almost gave up and shelved the idea of buying a boat for a year or two — perhaps when we are "more ready," we thought. We'd looked at boats that were coming out of large charter companies and others that were private-party sales. Our goals (or should I say our wishes) came down to fi nding a non-chartered, 'owner’s version' with low hours on both diesel engines and the generator — a boat that had been owned by 'a little old lady who never used it', right? It took looking at several boats to fi nally decide what we could live with and what we simply could not live without. We were just about ready to give up when we met a fellow who had just purchased his Lagoon 440 and tricked it out as we would have done — in fact, I recall making notes on how we would make changes on our boat to match his when the time came. We'd called the guy to ask him to preview a boat for us that was in his neck of the woods, to see if it was worth our while to fl y cross-country
Sleek, sexy and comfortable, it's hard not to be impressed by this big Lagoon cat. Inset: On the trip north John bagged a beautiful mahimahi.
to view it. During that conversation, he happily agreed to do so, but also informed us that his boat was for sale if we were interested! Oh my! We crunched numbers ‘til we were numb and decided to go for it. We had met this fellow in Tortola during one of our boat hunts when he motored into the marina where we were staying. We grabbed his docklines, told him how much we admired his boat and told him we were eager to pick an "owner’s brain," as we were shopping for a boat of our own. It turned out we were kindred spirits. A couple of dinners and a few beers later we had shared life stories and found a new friend. He shared with us all the love he had poured into the boat, not from a sales perspective, as none of us had any idea of what would soon happen, but we bonded through a mutual love of boating. He was sailing back to St. Thomas and we asked if he needed crew to take her back. He obliged our obvious excitement about spending more time on a Lagoon 440. During the trip, he showed us all the upgrades he had done to her, explaining why he had done these things, and what to look for as we continued on our quest for our own boat. We made it back to St. Thomas, helped with a few boat chores, and fl ew off to the Miami Boat Show to continue our quest to fi nd a boat “just like that one!” Now you know how that story ended — but wait, there’s more, as they say. We had many issues to work through. Where to keep the boat was a big one. We contemplated leaving her in the BVI, but soon realized that Mexico would be the place we could travel to most often. We run a seasonal business in Northern California and have many friends cruising Mexican waters already whom we planned to connect with, so Mexico would be our destination. We also thought we could do the Bash North for a summer and run the Baja Ha-Ha back down to Mexico. Then came the question of how to get our new boat there. She would have to come through the Panama Canal, of course. The owner had also wanted to go through the Canal so he agreed to join us, which gave us a great opportunity to learn about the boat during an actual voyage. We fl ew down to Panama, bumped across the isthmus by car to Shelter Bay Marina, which lies near the Caribbean entrance to the Canal, and started a very intense weeklong course learning about our new acquisition. We packed everything into our heads that we could possibly fi t and then some, took pictures, and made notes. After completing the Canal transit, Monique went home to manage our business while I took on a hired captain and crew to travel up the Central American coast, bound for Mexico. Nineteen hundred miles and 20 days later, we arrived at La Cruz, in Banderas Bay, and there our lovely cat now sits — now named Baja Fog — enjoying a sweet little marina (Marina Riviera Nayarit)‚ which has a great community of cruisers whose company we enjoy every time we fl y down to spend time aboard. If you are contemplating buying a boat away from home, either for chartering or private use, here are things we did right and some things we should have done differently: 1) As she was recently purchased by the previous owner, there was a marine survey available along with all the invoices, and pictures of haulouts and other work that was done to her to address any and all issues. The boat had even
Transiting the Panama Canal is high on many travelers' bucket lists. Monique and John took delivery of their new boat there.
Monique and John are used to working hard in the Bay Area, but thanks to their new commutercruiser lifestyle, they're learning how to relax.
been hauled, had her bottom painted, and new thru-hulls had been installed four weeks earlier in Antigua, so we felt comfortable with that. As we had sailed her from Tortola back to St. Thomas, we felt we had done our sea trial on her and felt so comfortable with her that we did not haul her out in Shelter Bay when we took possession. In hindsight, we should have done this. It wouldn't have changed our decision to purchase her, but by hauling there we would have been able to address some very important issues. 2) If you are hiring a captain and delivery crew, do your research — ask for references and call them! Remember, what is posted on the Internet is only what that person wants you to see. We ended up with a scoundrel of a captain who was not at all what he passed himself off to be. (Everyone survived but it was not a good experience.) 3) We had originally planned to put our boat into one of the charter companies. However, we found that with this particular boat, there are many special features, and we felt the wear and tear of bareboat chartering would take a toll on her. Someone who has a boat in charter told us, "You have to be very thick-skinned," and we found that we were not thick-skinned enough to try that adventure. 4) You know that video feature on your smart phone? Use it! I wish we had done this during our intense week with the former owner. We took pictures of things, but I totally forgot about the phone's video capabilities, and it would have come in handy when trying to remember what steps to take to run and service the watermaker, for example. 5) We love where we are in Mexico, however, we found as far as slips are concerned, it’s not cheap, especially for a catamaran. The cost of day-to-day "being" there is inexpensive, especially right now (while the dollar is extremely strong vs the peso). But by the time you pay insurance and slip fees, it does cost a pretty penny. So now the question is: "Where to go next?" We love the time we get to spend on Baja Fog and relish the adventures when we get to take friends along. We invite you to visit us and follow our escapades at www.bajafogcat.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bajafogcat/. We are happy to talk to anyone about what we’ve learned so far, so feel free to drop us a note. We are very excited about joining the cruising community and hope to meet many new cruisers this season, as they arrive in Banderas Bay following the Baja Ha-Ha rally.
— john schulthess
Readers — John and Monique have many years of sailing experience on many different boats. When not in Mexico aboard Baja Fog, they sail and race their Catalina 250 and Hobie 16, often with other members of their Santa Rosa Sailing Club, and at Hobie Division Three regattas — including the Hobie Worlds in Australia. They plan to continue to commuter-cruise to Mexico for a few years until they retire. Their 30-year-old sailing and watersports company, Wind Toys, has locations in Santa Rosa and Sausalito.
— ed.
John gets a kick out of driving 'Baja Fog' from his elevated helm station. And everybody loves lounging in the forward cockpit.
Maine Cat 30 and 41 (2015) and New MC 38 Bareboat Charter
Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas
info@mecat.com www.mecat.com
Enjoy the protected Sea of Abaco aboard our easy-to-sail, unique, open bridgedeck catamarans. Dramatic beaches, beautiful reef life for snorkeling and restful anchorages. 1-888-832-2287
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Ft Lauderdale, FL
