It was a stunning, sensational, even quintessential December morning off Jost Van Dyke in the always alluring British Virgin Islands. Back home in New England, I’d just learned, the season’s first nasty nor’easter had kicked in—a preview of winter’s coming attractions. But there I was in shorts, and barefoot, warm and happy. I had a hot cup of coffee in my hand, and someone was thoughtfully streaming one of my favorite recording artists, Tom Petty, whose “A Higher Place” was the perfect soundtrack on the inviting forward trampoline of the Moorings catamaran. 

A good 15 to 25 knots of staunch, easterly trade winds—the so-called Christmas trades—were in full voice. With my hair whipping in the breeze, it occurred to me that it was an absolutely stellar day to reef down, strap up, and go for a cracking-good sail.  

But there would be no sailing for me on this day, or on any of the ensuing ones during our quick charter trip through the BVI. No, the twin-hulled vessel on which I was perched was­—gasp!— a Moorings 464PC power cat. 

Suddenly, I came to the sobering realization that, at least ­temporarily, I was likely in the midst of abandoning my very roots and selling my sailing soul. And I was having a decidedly difficult time coming to terms with it.

I’ve always fancied myself an all-around waterman. I got my scuba diving card decades ago, and I really enjoy open-ocean swimming. My current personal armada includes three kayaks, two surfboards, a good rowboat, and two sailboats: a daysailing Pearson Ensign and a full-fledged Pearson 365 cruising boat. Note what isn’t there, and never has been: a powerboat. Alas, I’ve spent my entire career advocating for and endorsing the sanctity of sail. 

Well, all that said, a guy has to make a buck. I’d been hired to host a pair of Moorings videos for the company’s two new power cats, the 464 and the 403PC. So, this was a press junket of sorts, giving me an opportunity to become familiar with the boats. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t a little unsettled by the experience. Then again, I was in the BVI. It was time to buck up, old boy, and get on with it. 

Virgin Gorda is a pretty good place to do just that. After we dropped the mooring in Jost and made our way up the windswept, whitecapped Sir Francis Drake Channel, I had my first revelation regarding my current situation: No, we weren’t sailing. But neither were any of the sailboats darting hither and yon, all of which were proceeding under power, just like us. It was too darn breezy. 

We tied up at the Bitter End Yacht Club, and it was truly great to see the iconic island destination slowly coming back to life after getting flattened a few years back by Hurricane Irma. The highlight of our overnight stay was the next morning’s sweaty hike up the hill behind the resort, followed by a refreshing dip and a couple of eye-opening bloody marys at the convenient bar right alongside the beach. My trepidation about my situation was slowly beginning to wane. As it did on the next leg of our journey. 

Thanks to a tip from a local, we exited Virgin Gorda through an extremely narrow, very shallow cut between Anguilla Point and Mosquito Island, something we never would’ve gotten away with on a keelboat. Advantage, power cat. From there, we were bound for one of my favorite islands in all of the Caribbean: low-lying Anegada, the outlying isle encircled by coral reefs some 10 miles north of Virgin Gorda. I’d not visited the place in my previous pair of trips to the BVI simply because of a time crunch. You really need to invest three days for an Anegada visit—a day over, a day there and a day back—which is often a bridge too far when trying to cram all sorts of activities into a weeklong sailboat charter.

You know where I’m going with this. The power catamaran solved this dilemma posthaste. With the throttles down at 3,100 rpm, we flew to Anegada at a tidy 16-plus knots. Once there, our photographer proclaimed that he was enjoying our steed for a reason that never would’ve occurred to me: It’s much easier to catch a drone without a mast.

Our quick trip over meant we had plenty of time to do all the things one wishes to do in Anegada. Rent a car. Hit Loblolly Beach for a snorkel and lunch. Search for the pink flamingos. Patronize a couple of beach bars. Your basic perfect day. 

Back on the boat, hanging off the mooring lines after yet another wonderful swim, I could glance back with a view through the twin hulls to catch the sunset framed between them. Pretty cool. And once darkness settled in, the underwater lights off our transom proved to be a tarpon magnet. We sipped our drinks with the super-cool water-world show just a few tantalizing feet away. We’d basically brought our own aquarium with us. 

With our abbreviated trip coming to its conclusion, we had one more stop, at the Bight on Norman Island. Ironically, by this time, the breeze had temporarily frittered away, and guess what? In these calm conditions, the sailboats still weren’t sailing. 

The harbor was chock-full of vacationing mariners, but thanks to our big twin diesels, we were there in time to pick up one of the last moorings. I’m not always the sharpest tool in the shed, but I was beginning to see the advantages of this power-cat situation. If anyone ever asked my advice about a BVI charter for a first-timer, here’s what I’d say: If you’re a sailor, unequivocally, you must book a good sailboat for your adventure. There’s too much nautical history and lore not to sample the archipelago’s joys and challenges as the first explorers did, under glorious sail. But if you’re on your second or third or fourth visit? Hmm. Those power cats are pretty convenient.

Still, I was seriously conflicted about writing a magazine story espousing the benefits of power cruising. Our photographer was sympathetic and said, “You could title it ‘Low Sodium: The Retractions of a Salty Man.’” Even for me, that sounded pretty pretentious. Then he broke it down into something simpler to understand: “Look, man, you were afloat.”

And that struck a chord. His simple statement has really been the common denominator of my entire existence. I’ve always been an equal-opportunity lover of the water, whatever the conveyance, from my own eclectic fleet to a bloody pool toy. Whatever gets you out there, gets you out there. There’s no wrong way to do it. 

And that was that. I had reached the happy and consolable conclusion that I hadn’t really been power-cat cruising, not at all. No, mon, as they say in the islands. I’d been floating.

Herb McCormick is a CW editor-at-large.

Power-Cat Ownership The Moorings’ Way

As of this writing, The Moorings has a pair of power catamarans available in its yacht-management program at Tortola. Both were built in South Africa by Robertson & Caine, which also produces the Leopard line of sail and power cats. The Moorings 403PC is powered by a pair of 320 hp Yanmar diesels and has a cruising speed of 15 knots. The Moorings 464 is also powered with a pair of twin Yanmars and is laid out in a four-head, four-stateroom configuration.

Franck Bauguil, Moorings’ vice president of yacht ownership and product development, says that it’s a great program for mariners who charter multiple times each year. “If you’re going to go only once a year, or every other year, just charter a boat, don’t buy it,” he says. However, if you go three or four times a year, on trips that can cost up to $25,000 apiece, the Moorings package is well worth considering.

“The program has been around for a long time,” he says. “So it’s well-known among sailors, but not as much with powerboaters. Our fleet of boats is all privately owned, but we take care of operations and management. You buy the boat, you own it and name it; it’s very much a regular purchase. But with that purchase comes a management agreement where we maintain the boat on behalf of the owner and charter it to a third party when they’re not using it.”

As with any boat purchase, owners can lay down the cash or go the finance route. For the latter, what’s the cost? The numbers as of this past fall showed that most owners put down 20 to 25 percent of the cost of the yacht, which, in the case of The Moorings’ 403PC, was about $1 million, with a down payment just shy of $200,000. At 8.25 percent interest on a 20-year loan, the monthly payment of about $6,700 was offset by the guaranteed income of just under $7,500 per month. Management contracts generally run five or six years, after which the owner can keep the boat, trade it in, or have The Moorings’ brokerage operation place it for sale.

For personal usage, owners receive 84 points per year, with the cost of trips equating to two points per day. Of those 84 points, 42 can be used to reserve trips in advance, and 42 can be employed on short notice. Generally, this breaks down to four to six weeks per year of in-season trips, or up to 12 weeks per year of cruising in the off-season. —HM

The post Selling My Soul? A Lifelong Sailor Dabbles in Diesel appeared first on Cruising World.

Looking for a sailing catamaran that was built for blue water but is easy for single-handed cruising? The 2017 Robertson and Caine Leopard 48 Bare Necessities is ready to sail away, offered by The Moorings brokerage for $489,000. This four-cabin, five-heads charter yacht has been the perfect sailing catamaran for family cruising throughout its service in the Caribbean.

The award-winning Leopard 48 offers blue water performance and comfortable living spaces, making the model a popular choice among the Leopard line of cruising catamarans. The Leopard 48 features a large forward cockpit with direct access from the salon and a stairway to the forward platform. Noteworthy exterior features include a large and open aft cockpit with cockpit table and a raised helm station, providing excellent panoramic visibility and easy maneuverability. The forward cockpit/lounge has become a distinguishing characteristic on the Leopards, and the one on the 48 has been exquisitely rendered.

A substantial sliding door is the entryway from the rear cockpit to the large main saloon; it’s directly adjacent to an aft-facing, L-shaped galley to port. Large windows allow plenty of natural light, especially the forward “picture window” near the door to the forward cockpit, next to which is the nav station/office space. An airy atmosphere permeates the floor plan; nothing feels cramped or close.

To starboard, down four steps, is the large owners suite that runs the length of the hull, with an ample double bed aft, a large central couch, a desk, plenty of lockers, and a massive head with a big shower stall forward. On the port side on our test boat was a pair of double staterooms with their own ensuite heads.

The boat is extremely well laid out for solo operation. All of the twin Yanmar engine controls, Raymarine instruments and sail-handling hardware are close at hand, and the sheets, halyards and reefing lines are intelligently organized thanks to two banks of Spinlock clutches and a pair of Lewmar self-tailing winches. There’s no traveler, but boom control is facilitated by the double-ended mainsheet that’s also ingeniously led to the helm.

Bare Necessities is located in St. Lucia and has not experienced any hurricane activity in her history. This boat has the lighter ash interior, and air conditioning. 

Where is Bare Necessities located? The yacht is currently lying in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia.

Take the next step: call Moorings Yacht Brokerage USA, (954) 371-2819, or click the link to request more information on the vessel.

Quick Specifications:

• Length Overall: 48’
• Maximum Beam: 25’
• Max Draft: 4’10”
• Displacement: 37,500 lbs
• Hull Material: Fiberglass
• Sails: Ullman with Antal System
• Engine Make: Yanmar
• Engine Hours: 3500 hrs 
• Fuel Type: Diesel 
• Combined Horsepower: 114 hp
• Fuel Capacity: 92 Gal.
• Fresh Water Capacity: 103 Gal.

The post For Sale: 2017 Leopard 48 appeared first on Cruising World.

From cash register to marina director, watersports helmsman Nick Putnam knows better than most about the ins and outs of Bitter End. In our sit-down with Nick, he recalls his come-up story of how he went from “What’s watersports?” to leading the team, plus he hints at some exciting coming attractions for BEYC 2.0.

BE: So, Nick, how’s it feel to be at the helm of Bitter End’s marina and watersports program?

NP: Honestly, it has happened very organically. It certainly didn’t happen overnight, so, you know, I feel like at this point, it comes easy, in a sense.

BE: Take us back to your first days at Bitter End. When did you arrive onshore?

NP: February of 2013. Honestly, it’s gone by pretty quickly.

BE: You’re celebrating a decade in the North Sound. What brought you here?

NP: I was working as a sailing instructor at a summer camp up in Michigan, where I’m from. I was 18 years old and barely knew how to sail, but the camp gave me an opportunity to really fall in love with it. The other lucky thing was that Jerome Rand, BEYC’s then-watersports director, also worked at that camp. I was the kid just following him around everywhere, pestering him constantly to figure out what I needed to do, what certifications I needed, to get to Bitter End. I just wanted to work with the watersports team, so when I actually got hired, I didn’t even mind that it was as the kids’ camp director, which is one step down even from being an instructor. But I was able to start giving sailing lessons, and I was learning to windsurf at the time, and doing all these activities that aren’t really a thing in Michigan.

BE: So your first exposure to many watersports was at Bitter End itself?

NP: Yes, I knew how to sail and I had some experience with windsurfing, but very little.

BE: Is windsurfing still your favorite watersport?

NP: It is. I’d say most people know me as a pretty avid windsurfer. People always kind of give me a hard time for it, because, by and large, kiting really rose in popularity, and then the latest and greatest is now wingfoiling. But I’m a bigger guy, and as I joke to my friends, I’m not really built to fly through the air like some. But I like to go fast, and I like the physical nature of windsurfing. It’s a good workout.

BE: Speaking of foils, where is the future of watersports headed?

NP: Well, the sports themselves are changing, and everything’s becoming pretty foil-dominant. Look, foils are a ton of fun, but the biggest thing is that the equipment disconnects into a few different pieces and goes into a bag. And so you easily travel with it or store it on a boat, and take it out just as easily.

BE: What does that mean for Bitter End’s programming, where watersports old and new are central to its appeal? What will stay and what might change?

NP: The Hobie Cats aren’t going anywhere—they’re forever popular. They were the pillar that we started with when we reopened, and we’ve built around that. And even windsurfing, we still get a fair amount of people coming down for it—which is great, obviously, because you know how I like it. Plus, a lot of guests, some of them don’t even want to go out on the water; they just want to see the windsurfers out there. So those iconic elements of Bitter End’s watersports will always be here.

As for what’s new, the biggest thing is just that we are in this kind of second iteration of Bitter End. In many ways, it’s so similar, but it’s also very much different. And so, we have an opportunity to try something out, and see if it works. If it doesn’t work, we try something else, you know? The same with the team—we’re bringing in the next generation and giving them opportunities to contribute. So that’s been the probably the most rewarding part.

BE: Where are you most likely to be found on your days off?

NP: Sometimes you can find me in the laundry room, sadly. [Laughs] No, I’d say, depending on what the day has given me, it likely includes a water activity. If it’s a calm day, I’m down to the beach, just hanging out, in and out of the water, probably got the barbecue going. I mean, even on a day off, you’ll likely find me back at BEYC, either down at watersports or at the Reef Sampler Bar.

BE: To that point, people often say that Bitter End feels more like a family than a place. What’s in the water that you want to be here, even on your days off?

NP: I think it’s a few things. First, it’s incredibly cool to be able to come down here and pick up something new, whether it be watersports or a new connection. You’re rubbing elbows with a lot of interesting people but in a very relaxed way on a day-to-day basis. You’re given the world, almost, you know what I mean? Then it’s on you to take advantage of it.

Beyond that, not only do the owners treat you as family, but everyone who works here, past and present, becomes part of BEYC’s shared history. The place really does feel like it belongs to all of us. So, after a day spent working hard and then going hard on the water, you’re with your co-workers bonding over meals, maybe even a few rums, and you’re sharing stories—about yourselves, but also about people who have come and gone. Which is great, because when they come back, you feel like you already know them, even if you haven’t met yet.

And then, bit by bit, just as you get to know the place, the place gets to know you. I’ve found this part of the world to just be one of these places that continues to open up.

BE: Bitter End certainly has a legendary history, but especially now, it’s future is looking equally epic. Peer into your crystal coconut: What you see as the future of BEYC’s marina and watersports program? What happens in the next decade?

NP: Looking forward, I’d say the most exciting thing is really just building on the momentum that we’ve already got. With watersports, we’ll be reintroducing different things like excursions, whether it be snorkel trips or day trips to different islands. For the marina, we want to grow its size, but across the board, we’re also focused on living up to our name and turning Bitter End into more of a yacht club, which is fun as well. There’s a lot—I mean, a lot—to come. This is really just the beginning.

BE: Sounds like a pretty epic place to start.

NP: You know, I think the biggest thing is we just don’t want grow too much too fast. So what we’re doing right now is we’re adding things one by one or two by two, rather than saying, “Here’s a massive resort, push play, go!”

Instead, we’re growing incrementally with demand, so we know we’ll have exactly what customers are looking for. No more, no less. We want to help people enjoy this beautiful place, not overbuild and get in the way of their good time.

BE: To be honest, that sounds exactly how Bitter End was built the first time, piece by piece.

NP: Things really have come full circle, right? Bitter End started back in the late ’60s, early ’70s with a marina, restaurant, couple of rooms, and a little bit of watersports action, and then it became the big hit that it was for so many years. Will it be like it was before? I don’t think the plan is necessarily the same, but it’s a lot of the same working parts, for sure.

BE: Well it ended up in a pretty good place before, so it’s pretty thrilling to think about what’s to come.

NP: Exactly! I’m just honored to be here to see it through.

The post Center of Effort appeared first on Cruising World.

The Moorings, which has more than 20 destinations worldwide, is adding power catamaran charters out of Dubrovnik, Croatia, beginning this summer.

Customers in this destination will be able to book a Moorings 403PC, which accommodates as many as six people in a three-stateroom layout. The boat also has a generator, air conditioning, and a fully equipped flybridge. 

Dubrovnik is a walled city that has become increasingly popular with visiting yachts in recent years, in no small part thanks to many scenes from the HBO series Game of Thrones being filmed there. The city itself is enchanting to explore by foot, and a weeklong cruising itinerary can include lots of interesting nearby sites.

For instance, there’s the settlement of Šipanska Luka on Šipan island. In the past, nobles from Dubrovnik would come here for the landscape, fertile lands and shelter from wind. The harbor has an anchorage, and local restaurants have mooring buoys.

Also nearby is Badija Island, the largest of the islands in the Korčula archipelago. The most dominant feature of the island is a Franciscan Monastery built in the 14th century, but the most active sight that cruisers typically see is the island’s deer. They will approach visitors who offer food, and will take it directly from a human’s hand.

Another nearby stop is the town at Hvar Island, a popular vacation spot that can be busy in the summertime, but that is nevertheless worth a visit. There is a quay and mooring buoys, or cruisers can moor at the Pakleni islands archipelago and take the tender over for a look. Archaeological attractions here include the Fortica Fortress, cathedral and Franciscan monastery.

Yet another place to explore is Lastovo Island’s Skrivena Luka. This island is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the Adriatic Sea, amid an archipelago of 45 uninhabited islands. It is the opposite of Hvar: unspoiled by tourism. It is instead a nature park with beautiful scenery. Its Struga Lighthouse was built in 1839 at the mouth of Skrivena Luka Bay. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in Croatia, on the edge of a steep cliff.

And don’t miss: Polače at Mljet Island. This is one of the oldest settlements on Mljet, and is surrounded by islands: Tajnik, Moračnik, Ovrata and Kobrava. Many cruisers stop here to check out the ruins of structures from ancient times, as well as the current village, which largely dates from the late 17th and early 18th century. Cruisers can rent bicycles and kayaks here, and there are restaurants for sampling the local cuisine.

Where to learn more: visit moorings.com

The post The Moorings Expands in Croatia appeared first on Cruising World.

Anybody and everybody looking at a boat that’s for sale after a life on the charter market has the same question: What kind of shape is it in? 

The answer to that question can depend on a lot of things, including the original build quality, the training and skills of the crew, the type of charter fleet it was in, how often the boat was booked, and what kinds of charter clients spent their vacation time on board. Of course, there’s also the boat’s location, and whether it was kept at a base with a well-trained staff that focused on maintenance.

In the case of the Leopard 43 PC Shorebilly, the answer to all those questions boil down to being part of one of the best-honed charter operations on Earth. The answer also involves the Covid-19 pandemic. This 2019 build—listed for sale at an asking price of $475,000 through The Moorings Yacht Brokerage—is described as being in great shape partly because of the low hours and reduced usage during the slower overall charter periods of the pandemic. 

“Shorebilly is looking in great shape,” according to The Moorings team, which is phasing the boat out of use at its St. Lucia location in the Caribbean. “And a young model.”

The powercat is the three-stateroom owners’ version of the Leopard 43 PC. The stepped hull design reportedly offers 27 percent more interior volume than the preceding model did above the waterline, allowing for roomy guest areas in the hulls without sacrificing on the powercat’s performance.

Up on the flybridge, there’s a navigation station with 360-degree views. On the main deck, the galley is forward with a table and a settee aft, for even more views all around.

Inside the starboard hull, all of the space is dedicated to the owners’ stateroom, which has a sleeping area as well as a private head with a separate shower compartment.

Throughout the powercat, the interior is “light blonde,” adding to the feeling of spaciousness with the natural light. 

According to the team at The Moorings, the narrower hulls and reduced wetted surface area below the waterline allow the boat to reach a maximum speed of 23-plus knots. Shorebilly is powered with upgraded Yanmar 8LV320 engines.

What kind of electronics are at the helm of Shorebilly? Multiple products from Raymarine, along with a Fusion stereo system. Where to learn more: click over to www.mooringsbrokerage.com.

The post For Sale: 2019 Leopard 43 PC appeared first on Cruising World.

The Moorings and its sister company, Sunsail, are powerhouses of the charter industry. Their bareboat and crewed offerings can be found all around the world, including the Americas, Caribbean, Mediterranean and more exotic locales such as the Seychelles, Tahiti, and Thailand. 

In the British Virgin Islands—long the most popular destination for bareboating—the company now has 19 new monohulls, 35 new sailing catamarans and 24 new powercats as part of its fleet. These 78 yachts reportedly have a combined value of $70 million, and bring the two brands’ combined number of boats to 254.

The company, in a press release, called the additions to the BVI fleet “a welcome influx of inventory in time for peak sailing season in the Caribbean and another step in the continuous renewal of the sister companies’ fleets.”

Also in response to increased demand, The Moorings and Sunsail have stepped up their hiring process. They’re already one of the largest employers in the Virgin Islands, with a workforce of 300 employees.

“As a business, we have invested heavily in our BVI operation,” Josie Tucci, vice president of sales and marketing for The Moorings and Sunsail, stated in a press release. “As the largest charter operator in the world’s most popular charter destination, we take great care to ensure a welcoming experience for our guests, and have gone to great lengths to maximize the guest experience through our marina revitalization project, and new fleet replenishment. Ultimately, our aim is to provide an unparalleled customer experience to the many thousands of visitors we welcome each year.”

According to the company, charter business in the British Virgin Islands has been experiencing annual double-digit growth. There are new direct flights to the islands out of Miami, landing at Tortola, with all expectations for another strong year in 2024.

The Moorings also has a base at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, with itineraries that explore around that island as well as St. John and St. Croix. Much like the British Virgin Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands is a destination that’s well-suited for first-time charterers as well as returning veterans. As The Moorings says, “The smooth cruising conditions, combined with the sensational views, countless islands to explore, and laid-back island living make St Thomas one of the best destinations in the world to visit on a sailing vacation.”

How long has The Moorings been in business? Since 1969.
How to book a boat for a bareboat or crewed charter: Click over to moorings.com

The post 78 New Yachts Join The Moorings and Sunsail appeared first on Cruising World.

International yacht sales and charter companies Sunsail and The Moorings announced a new partnership with French sailing yacht manufacturer Dufour Yachts, who has been evolving its range for more than 50 years. The new partnership cements a long-term collaboration which will see Dufour Yachts become the exclusive supplier of monohull sailing yachts for Sunsail and The Moorings.

The technical departments of both Sunsail and The Moorings have worked alongside Dufour Yachts to ensure that the new Dufour products will be well positioned to meet the needs of its customer base. Sunsail anticipates the arrival of its first batch of 25 Dufour Yachts in the spring of 2024 for its Mediterranean destinations. This will include four models between 37 and 53 feet, including the Dufour 37 (Sunsail 37.3), the Dufour 41 (Sunsail 41.3), the new Dufour 44 (Sunsail 44.3 and Sunsail 44.4) and the Dufour 530 (Sunsail 53.5). The second and larger order will be manufactured in the fall of 2024 for the Caribbean winter season (2024-2025), and for the Mediterranean 2025 season for both The Moorings and Sunsail. 

Offering a luxury range of sailing yachts with a modern design, sleek deck layout and superior quality finishes, the Dufour brand is known for its ease of sailing, stability and performance.  

“We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Dufour Yachts, for all new monohulls arriving as part of our charter fleets,” said Franck Bauguil, VP of Yacht Ownership and Product Development for The Moorings and Sunsail. “We are looking forward to a long-term partnership and a high level of collaboration, that has already started on the new Dufour products. There is a natural convergence between our companies concerning product design, interior layouts, equipment levels and setting the stage for an unparalleled charter experience.”

Romain Motteau, Deputy CEO at Fountaine Pajot/Dufour Yachts Group, added: “We are delighted with this new partnership, built upon a shared long-term vision. At Dufour Yachts, we strive to design yachts that cater to the evolving demands of yacht owners and charterers seeking dream holidays. Our three core pillars of comfort, sailing sensations and respect for the oceans align perfectly with the ethos of Sunsail and The Moorings.”  

The new Dufour Yachts will be available through Sunsail and The Moorings’ Yacht Ownership Programs, as a unique option for those who are interested in yacht ownership but are limited in leisure time or by budget. The program guarantees a steady monthly income or reduced purchase price, while allowing ample sailing opportunities throughout the year,   access to an array of global destinations, and eliminating the typical operating, insurance and maintenance expenses associated with boat ownership.

“I want to thank the senior team of the Dufour Group, Romain Motteau, Steven Guedeu and Laurent Fabre in the USA, for making the process easy and pleasant,” said Bauguil. “Special thanks to the Dufour Team, Nicolas Berenger and Romain Lucas, for their expertise and willingness to listen. My appreciation goes to my dedicated team members, Antony Wighting, Global Technical Director for Travelopia Yachts, and John Lefevre, our Global Purchasing and Logistics Manager, for their unwavering dedication throughout this process.”  

More About Yacht Ownership with Sunsail and The Moorings

In addition to an extensive variety of cruising vacations, Sunsail and The Moorings’ Yacht Ownership Program has worked with more than 5,000 owners since its creation in 1971. With a fleet of yachts covering more than 20 destinations worldwide, it remains the only program of its kind to guarantee a monthly income, according to a company spokesperson. The program aims to help cruisers of all abilities, from first-time adventurers to seasoned sailors, spend more time on the water enjoying the best parts of owning a boat.

The post Sunsail, The Moorings Announce Partnership with Dufour Yachts appeared first on Cruising World.

We were cruising  through one of Desolation Sound’s towering fjords when the wind hit 35 knots. This type of a headwind is to be expected in this part of British Columbia, and it made me glad that I was—for the first time in my life—exploring a region not aboard a sailboat but instead aboard a 53-foot Grand Banks trawler with twin 650 hp engines. The term “powering through” took on a whole new meaning.

I’ve enjoyed more than a few sailing adventures in my lifetime—not just racing America’s Cup boats, but also on expeditions to remote places including Antarctica, Cape Horn, Sable Island (off Nova Scotia) and Norway’s Svalbard. I’ve completed trans-Atlantic crossings on sailboats too. Now in my 70s, I decided to try a trawler charter with NW Explorations, which is based in Bellingham, Washington. Our crew included my wife, Janice, who has cruised extensively in Maine and on the Chesapeake; longtime friends David and Christy Elwell, from Florida, who had cruised this area twice before this trip; and Kitty Mountain, also from Florida, but a veteran Desolation Sound cruiser. We were all of similar age, and we all had ­experienced our share of health issues in recent years. Somehow, letting a reputable charter company do most of the planning and make sure the boat was in good working order seemed like a reasonable compromise this time around.

It’s hard to keep me away from a helm, and I particularly enjoyed the solitude of many hours spent running the trawler from the upper deck. The views are fantastic from this perch, with the mountains along Desolation Sound rising 5,000 feet straight up out of the water. I thought about how, when the wind was exceedingly light, it would have been difficult to make progress under sail. Instead, we cruised onward at 9 knots, burning 6 ­gallons of fuel per hour. There was no hurry. We were having too much fun.

Desolation Sound is surprising in so many ways. Often, we would find a suitable cove to anchor, only to discover that the depth next to the shore was 600 feet. We’d have to look elsewhere or tie up to a few trees or rocks. And although the water was deep, it was surprisingly warm during our September cruise. The water was also, often, ours alone, with few other boats around.  

It’s counterintuitive that it could be so (relatively) easy to get to a place so remote, but that’s precisely what the five of us—a perfect-size crew for a trawler this size—had done. We had picked up the boat from the charter base in Bellingham and then cruised over to Port Sidney, Canada, to complete the immigration and customs process for Canada. The New York Yacht Club had organized a few rendezvous of which we took advantage (it’s always fun to compare notes with the crews aboard other yachts), and we were far from the only out-of-towners who were awestruck by the scenery.

Desolation Sound’s remoteness also gave us a liberating break from internet and cellphone service. We stayed busy with hikes, reading, and in-depth conversations about world affairs, the economy, and our grandchildren. We played spirited nightly games, took occasional naps, and focused on some of my favorite things: navigating and steering. The boat had an autopilot, but I like having my hands on the wheel and my eyes all around. Every few miles, an interesting sight or object would appear: a pod of whales, tidal rips, the ever-changing shoreline. The farther north we sailed, away from the impressive waterfront homes of Vancouver and the San Juan Islands, the more remote the scenery got.

After we anchored each afternoon, we enjoyed dinghy trips where we found all kinds of nifty things. We poked our bow into small coves, intriguing creeks, marshes and lagoons. We went ashore and worked our way through thick brush. Climbing was hard work, as was walking along the rocky coastline. We never saw bears or cougars, but we did see fascinating birds in the skies. The osprey clutches a fish with its face into the wind, making flight easier. Who knew?

Two cruising guidebooks were particularly helpful: Desolation Sound & the Discovery Islands by Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones, and Cruising Guide to British Columbia Vol. 2: Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands by Bill Wolferstan. As a rule, the authors ­caution mariners to be mindful of tidal rip currents between islands. They’re correct. A few times, it was nice to be able to power up the engines and motor through passages that would have been challenging under sail. All kinds of boaters embrace the challenge, though; we encountered several flotillas of kayaks, including on one of the windy, rainy, chilly days. They waved happily as we steamed past.

I enjoyed Prideaux Haven, a scenic, protected cove that’s crowded during the summer months but had just eight boats scattered around on the day we arrived. The entrance is narrow and shallow, with Mount Denman off in the distance at about 6,500 feet high. For a (brief) minute, I thought we should attempt to scale the peak. The tidal range was about 18 feet, which meant anchoring with care. In one cove, we looked for the remains of an indigenous peoples’ village. We found only rocks, shells and sand, but it was fun to look around.

A few times, it was nice to be able to power up the engines and motor through passages that would have been challenging under sail.

At other spots, we encountered the fishing and logging industries that dominate this region. Signs ask mariners to reduce speed when passing the fish traps and working zones. On Toba Inlet, we watched a ground crew cut trees while a helicopter hovered over the trunks and grasped them with a heavy-duty clamp. At times, two or three trunks were hoisted together. They were moving 60 to 80 trunks per hour.

We followed the advice of the guidebooks at the Yuculta Rapids, a stretch of water with fast-moving currents at the northern end of Desolation Sound. The books strongly suggest transiting during periods of slack water; we experienced fierce rapids about one hour after slack water. Whirlpools, steep and choppy waves, and overfalls were evident as we motored through. Dent Island had a ­seating area where you could watch the churning rapids. We had a great dinner there, and, the next morning, a full ­breakfast before continuing on our expedition.  

I had to smile at some of the waterway names. Two of my favorites were the Hole in the Wall passage, which is a small opening connecting the Okisollo Channel to the Calm Channel, and the One and Only Inlet.

Along the Toba Inlet, we found ancient images of land animals and a sea serpent painted on the shoreline rocks. Equally as mesmerizing was a nearby 150-foot waterfall near picnic benches. One scene was more spectacular than the next.   

At one small general store, I found ­candy bars. My plan was to have one treat per day. The next afternoon, behind the wheel, I was enjoying my 3 Musketeers when the rest of the crew started asking, “Where’s mine?” I took some heat for the next few days, until we came across another general store where I was able to secure a larger supply, along with Raisin Bran cereal for one of our crew who loves it.

We also took comfort in our trawler’s solid hardtop and upper-deck chairs. I had to smile, remembering how, when I was 6 years old, I used to sit on the side of a small boat and marvel at the water gurgling alongside the hull. Here on Desolation Sound, I was still marveling at the water passing by. This instinct to appreciate the view has never left me, no matter whether I’ve been racing on the Irish Sea or from Rhode Island to Bermuda. I thought about my first sighting of the Antarctic peninsula with ice-covered peaks jutting into the sky, the surprising beauty of the Mediterranean, and the lush beauty of the Caribbean. The size of Chesapeake Bay is surprising, as are the endless destinations on the waters of New England. 

I have enjoyed all of it. What a nice life we have, being on the water. A few days after our expedition on Desolation Sound, I started to wonder, What’s next? 

CW editor-at-large and award-winning writer Gary Jobson is a Hall of Fame sailor.

The post Switching Gears: Exploring British Columbia on a Grand Banks Trawler appeared first on Cruising World.

Way back in the 1850s, the wise Indian Chief Seattle (clearly an early environmentalist) said, “Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.” The words remain true for today’s bareboaters: Take memories, leave nothing.  

But how do you take memories, and which ones should you take? First, choose memories that will last. A bottle of wine or liquor brought home is a wonderful remembrance…once. Sorry, Mr. Pusser, but it’s better to soak off the label so that you can remember it long after the bottle is dry. Tip: Soak the bottle in warm water in the sink, and then gently ease off the label. Or tie the empty bottle (securely) and hang it in the water overnight. The label will come off easily. 

The same goes for local T-shirts. They’re great fun at the time, but, like a bottle of wine, they don’t last. We have many dusting rags that were once a not-inexpensive T-shirt.

A logbook or diary is the absolute minimum. We have bareboat diaries that date back decades. Each one is a fun read that brings a flood of memories of sights and sounds, mistakes and recoveries. Pick up simple notebooks (with a pen attached) at the local dollar store, and give them to everyone aboard, including the kids. Tell your crew to include everything: descriptions, sketches, even tracings of a special shell.

Next on the list is a simple waterproof camera. Again, everyone on board should have one and should be told to immortalize memories—from the breezy rail-down sail to the steak someone dropped in the sand. Shoot from dawn to dark. You can sort and edit when you get home. For now, leave nothing undocumented, and don’t be shy about selfies with your crew.

You can find an Ausek underwater camera for $42 or so, or the Polaroid 16-megapixel underwater camera for about $49. Either is well worth the investment for pointing and shooting. 

Bring clear plastic bags to stash your treasures. Grab a handful of sand from your favorite beach. A few shells can be keepsakes, but be absolutely certain no little creatures are still inside them. Colorful pebbles and sea glass will also add to your mementos.

When it comes to paper memories, get creative. Grab the brochures from the ferry, resort, marina, and restaurants where you dine. These make great scrapbook additions. I’m not sure what this means, but bar coasters and cocktail napkins populate our collection and readily stir memories. Pick up postcards at local shops and marinas. Every bareboat destination is near a post office with colorful stamps. 

Bric-a-brac and trinkets are also great. I have a friend who has a keychain from every charter destination, and another who buys shot glasses (certainly more practical). Refrigerator magnets and souvenir plates all fit into this category to put on a shelf (or use) for memory lane.

Artwork is a delightful reminder of a trip. At your check-out briefing, ask if there are any street art shows in the area. A watercolor or sketch from a local artist is a perfect memory for your wall at home.

In local shops, you’ll find pins and iron-on badges for every destination. We have a friend who collects tiny bells from every European charter. Snow globes are fun, but beware: They quickly add up in your luggage weight.

Books aren’t light, but you can find small photo books of your destination that are packable. Also keep your eye open for local recipe books that will help you re-create some of the foods you enjoyed on your charter. As with the wine labels, take the labels off foods you cooked aboard (and that scalded everyone’s tongue with local spices).  

At the end of your charter, don’t trade in all your money. Keep a few small-denomination bills and some coins as great memory-makers.

On your charter, think ahead in terms of how you’ll use these mementos at home, such as in a scrapbook or in a shadowbox frame hung on a wall, or displayed flat on a coffee table. Our walls are covered with shadow-box frames memorializing various bareboat adventures. Several have the sand we brought home, glued to the inner backing, and then we hot-glued or taped in a mélange of photos, shells, pebbles, ticket stubs, and anything else that sparked a memory.

Personally, I like being able to glance at a frame on the wall, but many bareboaters prefer to create a scrapbook of their adventure. Craft stores have entire sections devoted to scrapbooking, including albums of all sizes, filler pages that make short work of photos, and other paper items. This approach leaves the question of what to do with your shells, so our house has several glass bowls filled with a worldwide collection of shells and pebbles on a base of sand.

Whatever you do, plan ahead to create memories that will last a lifetime. To ­paraphrase Chief Seattle, you’ll not only have the ­memories, but you’ll also see your ­footprints forever.

The post Charter Life: Making Memories and Bringing Them Home appeared first on Cruising World.

Aaron Maynard owns an electric-­bike shop in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where a customer came in one day seeking a folding bike. 

“I asked him specifically why he wanted a folding bike because we sell many models,” Maynard says. “He said that he and his wife were going to sell their house and their belongings, and move onto a sailboat for a few years. After he left, I looked up ‘45-foot sailboat’ online. What I saw totally enthralled me. I began researching boats nonstop. I ordered a catalog from The Moorings and read it from cover to cover. In the back of the catalog, there was information about learning to sail.”

The next day, Maynard called Offshore Sailing School and signed up himself and his wife, Michele, for a certification class. They had never set foot on a sailboat when they attended the Offshore Sailing School at the South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island, Florida, in 2018, joining the increasingly large ranks of people who are taking certification courses either to learn the basics or to gain advanced skills.

And make no mistake: It’s far from just newbies like the Maynards signing up for classes these days. For boat ­owners, some insurance companies require sailing certifications, and some charter companies have tightened up certification ­requirements for bareboat sailing as well. 

John Gaston was an experienced sailor and boat owner who had completed basic and intermediate cruising certification courses in Canada. He was looking for advanced cruising certification when he came across Barefoot Offshore Sailing School in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He knew the school’s instructor, Rob McLean, who was associated with the courses in Ontario. Gaston signed up and completed his Sail Canada Advanced and Offshore courses in the southern Caribbean.

“I find that taking sailing courses provides excellent training to prepare for situations and response options,” he says. “I would rather learn from other people’s training and experience because you don’t know what you don’t know. A sailing course tends to be a safe and controlled environment.”

Taking the classes helped the Maynards and Gaston live their sailing dreams. The Maynards went on to complete multiple certifications, purchased a yacht and placed it in a BVI charter fleet, and have chartered 14 times over the years. They also bought a boat that they keep closer to home. Gaston recently completed an offshore sail-training trans-Atlantic crossing. 

Class Is In

No matter what sailing interests students have these days, there are classes available to help them achieve their goals. The American Sailing Association has certified close to 600,000 sailors at more than 400 sailing schools around the globe. 

Jonathan Payne, executive director of ASA, says that he sees two common paths in ASA sailing education. “One, someone takes in interest in local sailing courses. They make a long-term commitment to learn at a sailing school near where they live and attend weekend classes,” Payne says. This typically takes six weeks.

The second path, he says, is a ­weeklong destination school. “This is a full-­immersion, intensive course where students do a fair amount of study before arriving,” he says. “Once they are there, they are in class and running maneuvers sunup to sundown. The skill-building happens on the water.”

Of the two paths, the sailor who studies locally over a longer period might build a broader base of knowledge, while the other might be looking for a deep dive into the aspects of chartering. “A student in a course stretched out over six weeks might learn more about sail trim and sail theory, whereas someone on board a boat 24 hours a day might learn more about seamanship, bilges, and troubleshooting the engine,” he says. “There are certain things that happen on the water when you’re living on a boat. You have the opportunity to learn ­problem-solving in the moment.”

For the ASA local courses, Basic Keelboat Sailing (ASA 101) teaches skills inside a marina. Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103) takes the student outside the marina, and up and down the coast. Bareboat Cruising (ASA 104) is required to charter a boat.

“You can learn to sail in Colorado on your weekends, or sign up for a charter yacht in Greece,” Payne says. “There are a lot of options.”

US Sailing, the governing body for the sport of sailing in the United States, offers similar building-block tracks: Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising.

Doris and Steve Colgate, founders of US Sailing-certified Offshore Sailing School, come from a racing background and have more than 160,000 graduates in over 60 years of teaching. Offshore offers one-week training courses in Florida and the British Virgin Islands, where students earn certifications for boats up to 50 feet. 

Students attend for a variety of reasons, according to Beth Oliver, vice president and director of sales and marketing. Some are new to sailing. Others are veteran sailors who want to experience the BVI. “These are people who either want to charter on their own, or who are considering purchasing a yacht and living aboard,” Oliver says. “They’re adventure-seekers with an active lifestyle, and want to share this enthusiasm with like-minded people. Many of our students are highly educated professionals, so continual learning is important to them. They like to share their skills with family and friends. Many want to pass on the sailing lifestyle to their children and grandchildren as a sort of legacy.”

 For those who want to charter, Offshore offers a combination course: Fast Track to Cruising. “We like to say that we can take you from your couch to the captain’s chair in one week,” Oliver says. Textbooks are sent in advance, and students arrive at class prepared to learn.

Offshore is the official sailing school of The Moorings, one of the world’s largest charter companies. The Moorings offers Offshore Sailing School courses in the BVI and Royal Yachting Association courses in the Mediterranean, according to Amanda Kurland, charter sales representative for The Moorings and Sunsail. These sister companies offer several levels of courses in multiple places. Sunsail has destination sailing schools in the United Kingdom, Croatia, Greece, Australia and Grenada.

Some people do the training because they want to purchase their own boat when they retire, Kurland says. Others are jumping from lake sailing to ocean ­sailing. Still others have the goal to ­charter a bareboat.

Blue Water Sailing School, an ­ASA-certified school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, offers destination sail ­training charters closer to home. These are seven-day liveaboard courses where the vessels anchor out at night. Classes are available in Florida, Rhode Island, the Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. 

Blue Water owner David Pyle says that he also finds two basic groups of people looking for sail training: those who want to go cruising on their own boat someday and those who want to charter. “We try to get students to a point where they’re comfortable, confident and safe on a boat,” Pyle says. “It’s kind of like getting a pilot’s license to fly a small plane. You can get the training and certification, but of course you want to be safe and competent before you fly a plane on your own.”

Pyle says that approximately 15 to 20 percent of basic-level students return later for advanced courses. “We get a lot of people who have this goal to purchase their own boat,” he says. “They want to see if this is for them. I was just talking to a couple from Nebraska. They’ve never sailed, and they’re interested in finding out if this is for them. This is not uncommon.”

Pyle and Oliver agree that the most challenging aspect for students is often the amount of material they need to learn. Most students are also fairly anxious when it comes to docking. “Students who have been away from testing for a while might get nervous about the written-test ­component, but our instructors determine each student’s learning levels and preferences, and work with them individually, quizzing everyone each day on topics, so most are very comfortable by the time they take the written tests,” Oliver says.

There’s a lot of repetition and refreshing as the course goes along. Some students fear that they lack the physical strength for sailing work, but the sailboats have equipment such as winches to assist the student with maneuvers. Other students have a general fear of the water and ­seasickness, but most of that can be overcome with time on the boat.

Pyle says that it’s not uncommon to work with sailors who have had smaller boats, such as a 25-foot boat on a lake, but now want to go coastal sailing on a 40-foot monohull or offshore sailing on a 50-foot catamaran.

West Coast Multihulls in San Diego runs a sailing school with training on multihulls. Students who complete AS 101, 103 and 104 can take ASA 114: Cruising Catamaran Certification. It’s a five-day liveaboard class offered around Catalina Island and in the Sea of Cortez.

“We are catamaran experts with the largest sailing catamaran fleet on the West Coast,” says Guinevere King, general manager at West Coast Multihulls. “People come to our school to learn how to sail catamarans and experience the liveaboard cruising lifestyle in Southern California and in the Sea of Cortez.”

Most students want to get ASA 114 certifications while building their sailing resumes so that they can bareboat charter. “We also have a large percentage of our students who are looking to buy a catamaran and cruise the world with family and friends.”

 West Coast Multihulls also offers ASA 105 and 106 advanced courses for experienced sailors. The company recently added ASA 107 and 108, which cover celestial navigation and passagemaking.

“Our instructors share their knowledge and expertise with their students in a supportive environment,” Kurland says. “Our students gain confidence and invaluable real-world experience on board, which you can’t replicate by watching a YouTube video.” 

Barefoot Offshore Sailing School ­instructor McClean says that because there are so many levels and types of courses available, he doesn’t see a typical student but rather a thread that links them all. It’s people who want to sail, who want to live on a boat and learn for a week, who want to go offshore.

“Fifteen percent of our students are new to sailing,” he says. “Forty to 50 percent have already taken an initial course and are there to advance their skills.” The school welcomes all levels, he says, “but we do encourage people to take that first level at home. Someone can get far more out of their investment if they can learn the basics of tacking and jibing before coming to the Grenadines. It’s an ideal location for learning. You’re exposed to 8- to 15-knot winds, waves offshore off the islands, and a guaranteed variety of good winds.”

McClean says that the most important skill, in any context, is ensuring the safety of the crew and skipper. Other tough skills for students include navigating in ­unfamiliar waters, understanding weather, and anchoring at night. “Probably the most challenging [skill] we teach is crew-overboard drills,” he says, adding that students practice in multiple circumstances at multiple times. “If you’re not confident on all points of sail and you can’t manage a beam reach, then you need training and practice.”

After the introductory and ­intermediate courses, some students apply for advanced courses, including sailing at night. Some want to learn offshore sailing on a trans-Atlantic course. “We have a discussion with them to verify that this a good match for them,” McClean says. “The last thing they want is to wake up and find that this is the last place they want to be.” 

Award-winning journalist Theresa Nicholson is CW’s senior editor.

The post Back to School: Sailing Education Benefits Everyone From Beginners to Offshore Racers appeared first on Cruising World.