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YOU'RE DRAGGING: WHAT DO YOU DO?
I WANT TO CHARTER A SAILBOAT
BAREBOATING vs. A CREWED SAILING VACATION
LITTLE THINGS MAKE A DIFFERENCE: PART 1
THE WILDLIFE IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ
KEEPING COOL DURING THE SUMMER AND WHY AWNINGS SHOULD BE WHITE
DINGHIES AND MOTORS, THE BIG DECISION
There are many folks out there who have some sailing experience, but want to improve their sailing skills and build up their confidence. Others would like to see if they would enjoy the cruising life, before they buy that bigger boat and sail off on their own. What better place to do it than in the beautiful Sea of Cortez! There are many reasons why a crewed sailing vacation is a much better solution than going through the hassles of a bareboat charter. So how does a Carefree Sailing Vacation compare to a "bareboat" charter? We all know what a bare boat is. You rent a sail boat from a private party or company. It is usually bare bones. No amenities such as air-conditioning, sun awnings, side curtains, kayaks, snorkeling gear wet suits, high performance launch, knee board, water toys etc. There are little or no tools, cell phone, high frequency radio, or navigational aids. You have to provision, or have to pay to provision the boat. The food is nothing special and liquor is another option. The kitchenware is not of high quality. You have to cook all meals, wash all dishes and keep the boat clean. This can take hours a day from your vacation. Usually there are restrictions on where you can anchor or sail. You are on your own unless you are close to base, or if something major happens. You are sailing in a strange area, and do not know the local conditions. You are responsible for the safety of the boat, and all in your family.
When chartering a bareboat, you can't leave until the day after you arrive. You will have to get a hotel for the night of your arrival, and the night before your departure. No matter what your experience you'll have to get checked out for your boat in the morning, and you'll have to provision the boat, unless you pay the chartering company extra and take their basic packages. You will still have to buy all of the alcoholic beverages, snacks, and extras not included in the basic meals package.
On a crewed charter, you won't need to worry about food provisioning, refueling the boat, the dinghy, filling up the water tanks, and basically wasting half a vacation day doing those chores. The only thing you have to do is show up at the airport and we take care of the rest. You won't have to cook, do the dishes, clean the galley etc. What would your wife think about that?! You can decide to relax 100% any day of the cruise, just do nothing, read your favorite book, and still be sailing while the crew handles all of the chores. You could also decide to do all of the sailing at any time you wish and tell the crew to relax! At the end of a sailing day the skipper will prepare cocktails for your party. How does a frozen Margarita sound?
So what is a crewed Yacht?
It is a boat generally 45ft and up, usually crewed by a couple. The captain takes care of, and navigates the boat, and his wife is the chef-cook. Each party usually has its own cabin. On a crewed yacht you won't have to do ANYTHING except relax if you choose to, it is all-inclusive, with all the meals, beverages and liquor included. Usually there are several water toys on board, high-speed launch, kayaks, a kneeboard, tubes, snorkeling and scuba diving equipment etc. Some of the amenities may include A/C, TV/VCR's, CD player, and cell phones, along with a good library with books available describing the local area, sea and wild life.
You assume no responsibility or liability for the vessel. There are no security deposits. You get a lot more boat with all the extras you would never find on a bareboat. Some of the extras include: cellular phone, E-mail, Radar, TV/VCR, GPS, HF Radio, and the water toys, windsurfers, kayaks, snorkeling equipment, fishing poles and lures are all included. Something not often thought of, but very important, is staying cool in a tropical climate, especially if you charter in the off-season. You'll find the boat will have a good awning, side covers, a bimini, many fans in the main cabin, including a fan for each berth. Some of the boats will even have air conditioning! All port fees and licenses, such as for fishing, are arranged for. You don't have to worry about breakdowns, how to get them fixed, or wait for the chartering company to send a boat out with a part. You won't be concerned with local weather conditions or which anchorages are safest to anchor in for the night. You'll live the cruising life on a boat that is doing it. You do what you feel like doing, from just relaxing and enjoying a cocktail at sunset, to handling the sails and driving the boat. You don't have to worry about provisioning, cooking and cleaning up. Your day is not only spent sailing, but you can snorkel, kayak, windsurf, and explore secret coves that can only be found with the local knowledge that years of experience give you.
The skipper is responsible for the safety of the boat and passengers, and he will always have the final word. After your arrival, the crew will discuss where you want to go within the cruising area. However, the skipper can make changes to the planned itinerary due to any changes in the weather, or if you're having too much fun at one anchorage you may decide that you wish to stay longer! The itinerary is always flexible. As far as the meals go we will know your food preferences or dietary requirements by a food form that you will fill out. You will list your likes and dislikes, and advise us of any special dietary requirements such as low-fat menus, food allergies, etc. You can also let us know about any special events, birthdays or anniversaries.
When you take a crewed charter, you'll be met at the airport. If you arrive in the morning (there are two flights into La Paz from LAX), you can be underway soon after joining the vessel and meeting the crew at midday. You can be enjoying drinks and lunch a short time after your flight lands. You can also choose to spend the first evening aboard, relax, do a little sightseeing, and then get an early start in the morning. If your flight arrives in the evening, you'll spend the night on board. You won't have to go through the hassles of checking into a hotel, then checking out in the morning and arranging to get all your gear to the boat.
A crewed charter is very private, a single couple, a group of friends, or a family. On the typical 50-foot bareboat charter you'll usually see eight persons. Do you really want to spend a week with three other couples in such close quarters? Who makes the decisions, what to eat, where to sail, where and how to anchor? If the wind shifts, and a decision has to be made to leave the anchorage at night, who makes it and where do you go? Have you ever sailed at night, in new waters with no lights and no moon? Many bare boat-chartering companies don't allow sailing at night, you'll be stuck spending the night in a rolly anchorage. Once you set the hook for the evening, you're there for the night! Is this really a vacation for the first mate? Do you want to do all the cooking and cleaning for eight persons?
Some of those who feel that they are competent sailors may ask, “Why would I want to bother with a crew?” I can honestly say that our captains are very experienced, seasoned sailors with over 38 years of experience in sailing, just in the Sea of Cortez. We have owned many types of boats, and have also done a significant amount of racing and private yacht deliveries. You will find that sailing with a crew will be very enjoyable and convenient. For example, if you were taking a trip with your family, inexperienced friends and children, then you can't count on them to help you handle the boat. If you have a captain on board you won't need to get up 3 times (more if it is blowing hard) every night to check on the anchor and on the surroundings, we do that. We know the local conditions, where to anchor, and where all the reefs are. An experienced crew is very adept at giving the passengers all the privacy they desire. You will never feel crowded. The crew will know all those secluded coves, with empty beaches where couples can take romantic strolls in privacy.
Most of all, you can learn all those little things that you will never read about, you'll be experiencing them. We often hear, "But I own a boat and sail it myself all the time. I don't need a crewed charter." On a bareboat charter you'll just do the same things you did on your own boat, never really improving your skills, just staying at the same plateau you reached a long time ago. Basically, bareboating is an expensive camping vacation on a sailboat!
On a crewed charter you'll get all the privacy you desire. A good crew knows how to blend in and disappear at the right times. They take care of the meals, cleaning up, anchoring and anchor watch, and all those little things that it takes to run a boat.
A good Captain will tell great stories to the kids, and keep them busy during the day. A cruise with a crew can be a great learning experience. There is always something new to learn about sailing, the sea and its environment. If you are an experienced sailor, and you are bareboating, you will to have sail the boat in a certain area with restrictions. With a crewed charter you will be able to go places you might not have been able to go to alone, in safer and more comfortable conditions. Even if you are a seasoned sailor, it is sometimes comforting to cruise in a strange area knowing there is another pair of experienced hands on board. If you are a novice, or not a sailor at all, but eager to discover the joys of this sport, what better way to learn than with a experienced Captain, while discovering magnificent sailing grounds? A crewed charter will allow you to get your feet wet, in complete safety and you will learn a great deal.
A yacht with a crew can be expensive and there are many big yachts fitting this description. What we are talking about are 50' sailing yachts, with a 5-7 day rate starting at $3,000-$4,000 for one couple, and $4,000-$5500 for two couples. This will entitle you to a 50ft sailing yacht with a professional crew of two, all meals (tailored to your food preferences), beverages, liquor, snorkeling equipment, and water toys etc. Best of all, you will find the costs are very close if not more inexpensive on a crewed charter. The bare boats in the 50-foot range can cost up to $6,000 per week. This is just the base price. Add to this all the food, beverages, insurance, hotel rooms, cleaning fees, supplies, other incidentals, and the cost will exceed $7,000 before you know it. Depending on the season and the type of charter, the average price for a week's charter on "Irish Mist" is about $6,000 per week for four persons, $3,300 for a couple, all-inclusive, for a classic yacht with better equipment…including great food and service. We also have discounts for the summer months, kids, larger groups and longer trips.
Whichever type of charter boat you decide on, make sure it's from a reputable company. In Mexico it's a very poor idea to ever be a guest or paying crew on an "illegal charter boat". They have no Mexican insurance, and if caught can lose their boat, or at the very least be deported from Mexico. US insurance is not acceptable in Mexico. If a passenger were ever to get hurt, he would have no recourse against the owner. First of all, he (the owner or skipper) would probably be in jail! If you illegally charter a bareboat from an individual, you are the captain of record on the check-out papers, and take full responsibility for the boat. Since you are breaking the law, if you have any type of accident you will be in trouble along with the owner of the boat. There are boats that take on guests in the States and then sail to Mexico. This is a very gray area, and the authorities really have no way of knowing this is a paid charter, unless someone was to get hurt. Some of these same boats then advertise vacations at various Mexican ports. Unless they are a Mexican Corporation, the boat has been inspected and approved by the Port Captain, and they have work papers, they are illegal and will be caught. A legal Mexican chartering company will have a federal tax number, crew and passenger insurance, and the boat is inspected yearly for up-to-date safety equipment.
This is just one example for any given day on one of our trips. You get up at any time you like, and breakfast is ready in the cockpit with your favorite treats. After breakfast you leisurely discuss the day's activity with the Captain. The Captain weighs anchor and you are underway. If you like, you can help raising the sails, take the helm, or do the navigation. If you are not experienced the Captain will teach you if you wish. At the same time, the kids are kept busy and help handle the boat. While underway you will no doubt encounter some sea life, leaping manta rays, maybe a school of dolphin, sea-lions, or a whale. At lunchtime, you will be anchored at this unbelievable snorkeling spot, which you explore immediately. You see fish you've never dreamed of in your life. Kids go crazy over this. When you return to the boat, lunch is waiting for you. After lunch you go to the beach with the kayaks to explore, and swim a little. The kids snorkel and spot sea life they have never seen before. Later in the afternoon you will drop anchor in your overnight anchorage, a beautiful protected cove. Cocktails and hors-d'oeuvre are ready, and served as the sun sets behind the Sierra Gigantes. Later a fantastic dinner is served as you and your family exchange the wonderful experiences which you each encountered that day. You ask the Captain, “What is on the agenda for the next day?” the answer he says with a smile, “just another day in paradise”.
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LITTLE THINGS MAKE A DIFFERENCE PART 1 Ear plugs for sailing offshore and for noisy anchorages. They help muffle those irritating sounds that keep you awake.
Swimmer's Ear: Alcohol and boric acid (2.75%) to prevent ear infections. Use every time after you go underwater.
Large wheels on the dinghy, whether it's a hard dinghy or an inflatable. Good oars around 71/2 to 8 feet long. A cable to lock the oars and motor to the dink. A very good patch kit for inflatables.
After anchoring, take three bearings on the entrance of the anchorage, and write them down. The outside two will define the danger zones. If there's a wind shift, and you have to leave in the middle of the night, you'll know what's the safe course to steer.
The bow of a boat at anchor will naturally cross the direction of the wind as it veers from one side to the other. If it doesn't, you're dragging.
If you have an all chain rode, connect a length of nylon line to the bitter end of the chain, and to something very strong below deck. Always connect the bitter end below deck, and make sure the nylon line is long enough to reach through the deckpipe. If you have to leave the anchor and rode to get out of an anchorage quickly, you'll be able to cut the bitter end from deck.
Always carry a sharp knife. Everyone in the crew should have one.
Learn to tie a rolling hitch. It's better to use than a chain hook for securing a snubber to the chain, and it won't fall off! It's also the only way to secure a snubber to a nylon rode.
Never use an unsecured snap shackle (mouse it) to secure a bosun's chair to a halyard. If you're at the top of the mast and the shackle opens, you'll be very unhappy. Try to use the spinnaker halyard to secure the chair with a bowline with a long tail.
Install the strongest, biggest cleats or bollards that you can on the foredeck. You'll never regret it. Secure the snubber to these, and not to the windlass.
Carry spares! Gaskets, o-rings, bearings, fuses and breakers, light line, sail repair kit, duct tape, good electrical kit and some wire, impellers, zincs, bulbs for every light, white grease, oil, and every tool needed to fix everything on your boat. If you change to motor oil for the transmission, you won't have to carry transmission fluid. Most manufacturers allow this, but check with them first, and make sure you don't mix the two!
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MAIN PAGE * LA PAZ, THE CITY * WATER SPORTS * TESORO DEL MAR USEFUL LINKS * BAJA CRUISING NOTES * REFERENCES * ISLAND ADVENTURE VACATIONS
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