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Capt's Compass/Small cats #112492
11/17/2016 01:36 PM
11/17/2016 01:36 PM
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 229
West Chester, PA
ligot Offline OP
Traveler
ligot  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 229
West Chester, PA
My wife and I have taken the lessons and have now chartered cats 3 times and it's always with groups(6-8). We've found my wife to be shy around the groups so she's taken most of the chart/course, mooring ball responsibility and I've taken more of the behind the wheel work/fun.

We'd really like for her to get comfortable behind the wheel so we're (just the two of us) thinking of chartering a small 36- 38' cat so she can get the feel for the two engines along with maneuvering the wider boat and can gain confidence without other people around to watch.

Captain's Compass has 2 under $3K(we're not independently wealthy <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />) late season but not a lot of info on either. We've sailed a Lagoon but I don't know anything about an Admiral.

Does anyone have any specific recommendations for one or the other of these two? Why? Additional thoughts on CC?

Any recommendations for another charter company with a boat in that size and price that we should look at?

Thinking of a May to early June charter.

Thanks for any and all feedback.


S/V Tortuga
Lagoon 46
[Linked Image]
BVI Sponsors
Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: ligot] #112493
11/17/2016 01:56 PM
11/17/2016 01:56 PM
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 32
R
RJC86 Offline
Traveler
RJC86  Offline
Traveler
R
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 32
I would recommend CYOA

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: ligot] #112494
11/17/2016 02:41 PM
11/17/2016 02:41 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 528
Ohio
jagmansr Offline
Traveler
jagmansr  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 528
Ohio
Along with the 2 smaller cats, Captain's Compass has 2 slightly larger cats. One is our 42' Leopard Island Fun. I know for a fact that Captain Brent maintains all his boats in great condition and you shouldn't have any issues with any of his boats, Personally, I think our 42' is a perfect size regardless if there is only two of us on the boat or 8. I strongly suggest you ask Captain Brent your questions. He knows both those boats better than anyone and will give you an honest answer about them. I can assure you he has full intentions of making sure you are not only comfortable sailing but have a great time doing so. He'll set you up with the right fit, no worries. You will not go wrong chartering from Brent. The amount of repeat business he has confirms it.

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: jagmansr] #112495
11/18/2016 09:56 AM
11/18/2016 09:56 AM
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 87
P
PEDCO Offline
Traveler
PEDCO  Offline
Traveler
P
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 87
I would highly recommend Capt. Compass as Brent will give you a straight forward honest answer and make sure your charter is easy and enjoyable.
In all fairness -I am a repeat customer and will be on Island Fun Jan.2017

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: ligot] #112496
11/25/2016 09:00 PM
11/25/2016 09:00 PM
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 40
Texas
Boondox Offline
Traveler
Boondox  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 40
Texas
I'm not sure if I'm too late for this post, but wanted to throw my hat in for Brent and CC. We chartered Afloat (the Admiral) in February this year and had an absolutely phenomenal time. Now the couple that traveled with my wife and I were used to not having all the bells and whistles, and tbh that is the way we prefer it. Brent will also let you know the less "stuff" on a boat, the less chance for something to go wrong.

The boat is worn in but comfortable and clean. There were a few quirks that came up during the trip that in no way hindered our sail, but might not be expected on a newer boat. She sailed beautifully and was more than enough room for the four of us. Will 100% be chartering with CC our next trip down, and if we are with the same number of people, "Afloat" aside from the goofy name, will fit us just fine. PM me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

BD

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: Boondox] #112497
11/25/2016 11:12 PM
11/25/2016 11:12 PM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,676
An island state of mind
tradewinds Offline
Traveler
tradewinds  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,676
An island state of mind
Just know, whatever you boat you go with, you won't have an autopilot.

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: tradewinds] #112498
11/25/2016 11:20 PM
11/25/2016 11:20 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 933
Georgia & South Carolina
D
Deepcut Offline
Traveler
Deepcut  Offline
Traveler
D
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 933
Georgia & South Carolina
I like my auto-pilot. Maybe even more than air-conditioner in June.

But to each their own.

(Also, I don't want to take the chance of my wife having a less than outstanding time, therefore I will keep HER A/C and plan next trip as we head back to USA.)


Wes
s/v Sea Tiger (2022 Lagoon 46)
www.BareBoatBVI.com

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: tradewinds] #112499
11/26/2016 05:36 AM
11/26/2016 05:36 AM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 168
The Beautiful BVI
B
Brent Offline
Traveler
Brent  Offline
Traveler
B
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 168
The Beautiful BVI
Ahoy Tradwinds,
I love the internet.
All the yachts, except Moonshine, have fully functioning Autohelms. I do encourage my guests to have someone on the helm due to fish traps, ferry's, and cc captains. However, the Autohelms work and are part of the 2 hour yacht/chart briefing.
I hope some day you'll communicate with, or better yet charter with, my business so that you can contribute in an informed and positive manner. I think you would be very impressed by the value I offer my guests, most of who are repeats or referrals.
Fair Winds, Brent

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: Brent] #112500
11/26/2016 09:32 AM
11/26/2016 09:32 AM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
S
StormJib Offline
Traveler
StormJib  Offline
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S
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
When my group started this passion. We were chartering boats for less than $1,500 per week and we ALWAYS had a great time. With one small family or two couples you really do not need much. If you are going to pack five(5) couples on a boat? Maybe you need much more.

An engine that will start, two sails, some way to steer the boat, and a fresh water tank with at least one way to pump water is really all you need to have a great time exploring the beach bars of the BVI. In 1983 we did Belize for 10 days on a $1,300 charter. There was not even a radiator cap for the engine, no refrigeration, (3) couples, we went days without seeing other people and we all enjoyed an outstanding time. Less can be more in so many ways.

Today we generally charter the largest and newest boats we can find wherever we are going. We have never passed up trip dates based on the thought we could not find the "perfect" boat. We have never had a bad trip and all the hassles have been on large boats packed with stuff that would not work as planned. Generators seem to be common denominator of frustration. My two cents. Find the best boat you are willing to afford and go sailing anywhere you can get to.

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: StormJib] #112501
11/26/2016 11:31 AM
11/26/2016 11:31 AM
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 40
Texas
Boondox Offline
Traveler
Boondox  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 40
Texas
There was no issue with the auto helm on Afloat. It worked just fine.

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: Boondox] #112502
11/27/2016 08:00 PM
11/27/2016 08:00 PM
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,676
An island state of mind
tradewinds Offline
Traveler
tradewinds  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,676
An island state of mind
Oh Brent, I have chartered from you before. As a cancer survivor, I take exception to what you did, so I won't say much more.

And, you used to disable the autohelms.

Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: tradewinds] #112503
11/27/2016 08:12 PM
11/27/2016 08:12 PM
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 198
SW Florida
C
CptCook Offline
Traveler
CptCook  Offline
Traveler
C
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 198
SW Florida
Not everyone on this board is a fan of Brent and his operation. He states in an earlier post that most of his customers are repeat customers. That may be true, but I personally am aware of 4 prior customers that would not charter with him again. The issue was not with the boats, which in these cases were older and some items not working. That was to be expected with the bargin prices. It was due to a very confrontational attitude and raised voice accusations by Brent. As with anything, everyone will have different experiences.

Last edited by CptCook; 11/28/2016 12:47 AM.

"Be a Traveler, not a tourist!"
Re: Capt's Compass/Small cats [Re: ligot] #112504
11/30/2016 06:08 PM
11/30/2016 06:08 PM
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 75
Raleigh, NC
B
ben_gale Offline
Traveler
ben_gale  Offline
Traveler
B
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 75
Raleigh, NC
Hi all. I chartered with Brent (Island Fun) a couple of years ago, and had a very good experience. He has a few rules that other operators don't have, but they make sense for an operator of his scale, and he's quite straight-forward and upfront about these. Basically, if you stick to your agreements with him, he'll look after you just fine. If not, then I gather from these boards that you can expect to hear from him about it. Overall, his boats are older and more basic than you get elsewhere, but they are well-maintained, clean, functional and do the job - everything worked like a champ on our trip, and no maintenance calls were required. And I don't believe you can beat his prices anywhere in the BVI.

All that said, the thing I think you do need to consider is operating the boat with just 2 people - not always easy. For instance, Island Fun has a 1200+ sq foot mainsail, and it's heavy. We had 2 strapping college boys in our crew to haul it up, but I wouldn't have fancied doing on my own too many times. The smaller the boat, the easier you are going to find it to operate (hauling sails, maneuvering etc). You might also want to think about paying a little more to get electric winches - SailTMM has a couple of Mahe 36's for <$4000 in low season.

Have fun, whatever you decide!


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