Sailing

BVI Courtesy flag given to us by Steven Ulrich & Debora Ruffe, S/V Magewind

"Now is the only time we own.  

For no one has the power, to know when their clock of life will stop...  At late or early hour.  

The future is just a dream of hope, the past a distant link.  

Go sailing now my brother, it's later than you think."









To Be Continued... Fall 2013 BVI Charter, S/V Fidelity

This year we will be chartering a 46 foot Jeanneau monohull.  She is very similar to what we would eventually like to live aboard, so we are looking forward to our week aboard and treating it as a dry-run in preparation for bareboating in 2014.










May 2013 Florida Keys Charter, S/V Island Dreamer

S/V Island Dreamer
Our time aboard Island Dreamer with Captains Harold and Margie Ochstein was dual purpose, a working vacation.  Our primary goal was to earn our American Sailing Association certifications - Basic Keel Boat, Coastal Cruising, and Bareboat.  We chose Island Dreamer as our sailing school for a few reasons.  First, they specialize in teaching couples to sail together.  Second, instead of having multiple students in a class type setting, Harold and Margie teach a couple while on a private charter.  Third, I immediately felt comfortable after talking with Harold on the phone.  Harold has a very calm nature, and was more than happy to speak with me to answer any questions I had.  Island Dreamer sailing school has a "no yelling" policy which was a big help with putting Sharon at ease as well.  

Tim, Sharon, Capts. Margie and Harold
During our time aboard Island Dreamer, we typically trained for about eight hours a day, from morning until dinner time with a nice break mid-day for lunch and sometimes even a little snorkeling.  This being a charter based on schooling, food was more simple than pleasure based charters, but none the less we had some fantastic meals that met and exceeded our expectations.  During the course of the week, sailing was 100% hands on, with lectures before making way or during longer sails.  We had studied materials for about four months prior to the charter, and I'm certain there is no way we would have passed our three certifications without doing so.  

View from the helm, sailing to Islamorada
Our week included written tests, and practical tests, one for each level of certification.  As we sailed from Miami to Islamorada, we often went ashore and enjoyed happy hour, live entertainment, and local fare at various local bars throughout the Keys.  By the end of our week aboard, we felt confident in our skills, and put it all together plotting a course including multiple channels and course changes, weighed anchor, motored from our anchorage among other boats, raised sails, sailed to our final destination and picked up a mooring.  Success!



November 2012 BVI Charter, S/V Magewind

Magewind at anchor, Pound Bay
Virgin Gorda
If you are looking for relaxation, luxury, or simply a fun day under sail, look no further.  Captain Steven Ulrich and Debora Ruffe never fail to impress aboard their Ballotta KSS 46 catamaran.  Debora is an extremely talented chef.  Our charter was filled with great food not only from our preference sheets, but also seemingly on the fly, artfully adjusted from conversations during our charter.  At one point, we were talking about food and stumbled onto the subject of curry and a craving we had.  As if by magic, our next meal incorporated a tantalizing chicken curry.  Spontaneity of this sort on a charter yacht is a feat not to be understated.  Breakfast lunch and dinner were never short of spectacular.

Cocktails in the water, White Bay Jost Van Dyke
Steven is a charming, confident yet humble host.  Ask him about sailing or his boat, and his enthusiasm shines.  Steven appears with a fresh ice cold beer, or cocktail at just the right times and the coffees and cappuccinos he makes in the morning put even the best coffee house to shame.  Of course, there is definitely something to be said when your coffee or Bloody Mary is served to you while you swim in crystal blue water.

Although we begged them to stay one more season so that we could charter with them again, Steven and Debora have relocated back to Sausalito, CA and now offer charters on the west coast.  If you are on the west coast and want to do some sailing, look no further - you have found the best.  Check them out here at Magewind Charters.
Steven and Debora in the galley

Champagne on an empty beach




November 2011 BVI Charter, S/V Antiquity

S/V Antiquity anchored in White Bay, Jost Van Dyke

Our first full week charter was with Captain David Decuir and his wife Claudia aboard S/V Antiquity.  Antiquity is a ketch rigged Morgan Out Island.  This charter was to be a very defining moment for me.  Not only was it the most relaxing, most amazing vacation of my life, but it shed a light on a life that I did not know existed - and it made the imagination run wild.

David is the original owner of Antiquity, and has been in the charter business for over 30 years.  He is well known in the area, well versed in it's history, and a true pleasure to listen to.  There are few things better in life than waking up aboard Antiquity to the smell of freshly brewing coffee and David's smiling face assuring you your coffee will be right up.  David and Claudia work brilliantly together as a team sharing all duties aboard.  Claudia's home-cooking and David's Cajun inspired flair combine for a week's worth of enjoyable menus.

Captain Dave and Claudia with Sharon
David and Claudia also function as your own private snorkeling guides.  Throughout all my years of snorkeling in the Caribbean, I had never had such quality snorkeling.  To top it all off, they are both accomplished with a camera, and quietly snap pictures throughout your week aboard.  At the end of the week, David constructs a beautiful DVD slide show as your own personal momento.









 


Nov 2009, Nov 2010, Kuralu Day Sail BVI Charter

Captain Gary Cottreau and mate, with the Kuralu
Soper's Hole Tortola
Our first intimate experiences with sailing came aboard the Kuralu.  The Kuralu sails from Tortola's west end, and sets itself apart by offering day sails without the crowd, to the Indians and Norman Island, or north to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke.  Typically, the Kuralu sails with 8-10 guests.  Captain Gary Cottreau never fails to put together a fantastic day sail.  Open bar, snacks, and an amazing home-cooked spread for lunch are offered while sailing, snorkeling, and checking out "The Willy-T" or "The Soggy Dollar" are all in order.  Check out Kuralu Day Sails here.

Sharon at the Soggy Dollar with Painkillers














3 comments:

Unknown said...

YES YES YES!!!! This exactly what will draw people!!! The set up is beautiful and the pictures are perfect!! I researched a few others on Sunday and they were very dry BUT they had sponsors....companies that new the blogspot had followers. After a few weeks they will find you as well. Now, when this becomes "work" then let it go. Have fun with the script and I know you have plenty of awesome pics to post!!

CaribDream said...

Thanks Shelby. Stay tuned. I'll be adding posts to the "Sailing" page of all the certification training we have done, the boats we have sailed, and our general misadventures riding wind and sea. On the "Islands" page I'll detail our past, present, and future travels. I'll also be adding a "Good Reads" page to post about some of the great books and articles I have enjoyed on the subject. Thanks for the idea!

Craig said...

Hey CaribDream

Boy o’ boy am I ever so familiar with your story. My wife and I are a bit ahead of you, we now have the boat, but it’s not yet located in our dream location yet (The Caribbean). We started sailing together twenty years ago, taught by a near and dear friend on a Pearson 26. Since then we chartered in the BVI five times, Croatia once, and once in Greece. My work took us to Ireland where we met some old acquaintances from the BVI who took us into their sailing club. For two and a half years we cruised and raced on the Irish Sea. This is where we picked up the habit of NEVER getting on a boat unless we have a PFD on. We also belong to a local sailing /charter club where we rent boats in the Seattle area. Upon returning to the States we picked up where we left off. Amazon.com seemed intent on putting me into an early grave so I left and started working for low key startups. So far so good. But like you, I get up everyday at 6am and return home everyday at 7:15pm. Long day and a real drag as I feel the life blood getting sucked out of my body on daily basis. I continually ask myself “what the hell am I doing?”. Our timeline is around 2-3 years to ship the boat to the Caribbean and cruise 6-7 months a year there. However, my wife and I seem to be the epicenter of the family. Aging parents and kids trying to find their way in life and our finger prints are all over them. The grandkids are especially adept at tugging at the ol’ heartstrings. Our lives are complex to say the very least.

So what we need to do is
1. Fix up our house to get it ready to sell. 3200 square feet with just the two of us kicking around it. I think two winters of re-building the basement should do it.
2. Move into our condo, which has been rented out for the last eight years. Yes, we bought this condo as a part of our long range cruising plans.
3. Ship the boat to the Caribbean

Sound easy, not really. Leaving family is soo tough for us, especially for my wife. Those grandkids are just too cute and lovable. Then the aging parents, whew. This is tough although the attitude we had in Ireland holds true with our cruising plans, if there is an issue, we park the boat and fly home. And we will also need extremely good comms back to the States, maybe Globalstar sat. Still researching that. Being “part time” cruisers (6-7 months a year) we do have the advantage of being home in the PNW to keep the train on the tracks with the family during the at home months.

The boat, 2012 Beneteau Oceanis 45. Wow, what a boat. I read a few books way back when that suggested the last thing you do before you take off cruising is to actually buy the boat. We broke that rule and now that we have had the boat for a year now, we are absolutely convinced we did the right thing. Getting to know your boat well enough to make it your semi-permanent home with a high emphasis on safety takes years. We will cherish the next couple of years to really get hands on with “Kairos”. And we are having a great time cruising local waters. The PNW is great cruising ground but not obviously tropical. At times, it is pretty tough sailing and we learn something every time we go out. Lately we have been getting very confident in flying our asymmetrical spinnaker with just the two of us on board. Additionally, being a new boat, many things fail and I get a lot of hands on time with maintenance. If I do the fixes myself, Beneteau pays me for my labor time as a part of warranty service. How cool is that.

My wife and I will add your blog to our most watched list. We currently follow ZTC, Banyan, and Totem. You have a different perspective and it will be interesting to follow. Good luck!

Regards,

Craig Kelly (kellysails)

Post a Comment