Forums39
Topics39,176
Posts317,614
Members26,630
|
Most Online3,676 01:00 PM
|
|
18 registered members (WWII, KirkB, Manpot, fabila, SXMbeacher, Kennys, BillS, charlie, deliveryskipper, justaroofer, SXMScubaman, 7 invisible),
3,108
guests, and 348
spiders. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: QueenFifi]
#19655
05/01/2013 08:54 PM
05/01/2013 08:54 PM
|
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 397
jbuch02
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 397
|
While I am a newbie to BVI chartering I am not a newbie to sailing. I think I started this with my post last night.
I can not understate how much I appreciated and enjoyed reading the foregoing posts. Sandsailsun, you have been around boats!
I loved "bring less clothes and more money!"
Mooring ball pick-up, just hilarious.
Somewhere around my tenth year, only a year or two into my sailing life, I was involved in sailing instruction that taught us how to pick up a mooring ball. I was in a Penguin - some of you may know this boat .... about 13 feet, a single main, no jib. The mast is stepped forward about a foot or two from the pointy bow. We were instructed to put the boat into the wind to approach the mooring ball, leaving the tiller (lashed amidships on a bungie) to proceed forward as the boat slowed, drop the main, and grab the line attached to the mooring ball as it passed to port or starboard. In my excitement to get that ball, I forgot to drop the main, the boat accelerated as it predictably fell off and my skinny self, not wanting to lose that line, got pulled right into the water as I watched my Penguin sail off into other moored boats! Fortunately, or not, it capsized nicely before doing any damage to the moored fleet. Fun times.
More fun times ...... "nothing goes into a head except what comes out of your body." The wisdom of this statement is beyond mere importance. There is nothing worse than a clogged head to ruin a voyage. Nothing.
It does no good to tell your crew to follow their father's advice, fold only 2 or three panels of toilet tissue, never wad it up, wipe once. They will inevitably wad it up - several times - and the net amount of tissue will equal a third of a roll each time!
Thanks everyone. There is a lot of good stuff here for someone like me, planning my first charter trip in the BVI.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: kemahpirate]
#19659
05/02/2013 08:29 AM
05/02/2013 08:29 AM
|
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 559 Apex, NC
agrimsrud
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 559
Apex, NC
|
It's always a trade off to bring "stuff" or go light. Everything we pack I try to think if we can make due without or if I can just as easily pick it up in the ilons.
Things we now bring that noone else has mentioned:
- a couple of large mesh laundry bags. Huh you say? We stick the swim fins/goggles/etc in the bags and throw them down in the aft storage locker. It's much easier to get a bag of stuff out vs. standing on your head in a six feet deep hole trying to snag that last swim fin. Or having all that junk loose in the cabin or cockpit and stepping all over it.
- A 12 volt light that I can plug in at the cockpit table and hang from the bimini top. It gets dark and it's nice to have some light. Some boats will have a light for you. Some will not. It's small and it's worth bringing just in case.
- Water tight storage box. Small made out of transparent plastic. To put your small camera plus wallet in when you pack your shore bag - just in case it goes for a swim...
- Spare pair of sun glasses and reading glasses. Just in case you break a pair.
- We make a bit of food on board. So we bring four or five steel wool pads to clean up with. A lot easier to clean up that frying pan vs. a sponge with soap! And yes - I'm sure we could find that in the ilons as well but seems like we forget and it's small and light weight so why not (we pack a couple of duffel bags with stuff for the five of us).
- always pack a good attitude. Things will happen that you don't expect. Sometimes that might even be stressful or make you angry or sad - like when I stuck my camera in the plastic zip lock baggy and then later stuck the boat keys into the same baggy. No problem you say? Well I had swam ashore with those keys and the "float" on the key chain was no float at all - it was full of water. So I marinated my camera in the water in the plastic bag. Smart one!
- This year I'm also bringing a hand held depth finder. This is probably over the top but.... It drives me nuts that I don't really know if the depth finder on the boat has been calibrated or if someone has decided that a one or two foot safety factor should be added. I think that's nonsense - the depth is the depth. So yes... it's over the top but I'm bringing my own hand held depth finder. Just because I can and it's my vacation so I'm bringing what I want. So there.
Life's short - sail more!
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: QueenFifi]
#19661
05/02/2013 09:42 AM
05/02/2013 09:42 AM
|
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,595
jgoodwin
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,595
|
I know that there will be folks who don't agree with this, but I tie a line ( fairly thin strong cord like parachute cord) to the boat hook. This has saved the boat hook many times when we had newbies going for the mooring. I also bring a package of handi wipes--reusable, light and good for fast cleanups. A wrist loop on the flashlight that you take into dinner saves the risk of losing it in the dark. Also, don't shine the flash in the dingy drivers eyes!!! Seems like a "duh" thing, but I can tell you (and I am not a newbie) how many times I have swung around in the dink and blinded my husband!! We also refill small bottles from gallon jugs--sharpie perfect sense for crew ID. Can never bring too many clothes pins--do try to get the old fashioned wooden ones--the plastic ones crack too easily. Put more than you think you need when hanging clothes on life lines--the wind can quickly render them flying objects. Also, never set sail with anything hanging from the life lines, clothes, rags, bathing suits, etc.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: jgoodwin]
#19662
05/02/2013 10:38 AM
05/02/2013 10:38 AM
|
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100 Maryland
Twanger
OP
Traveler
|
OP
Traveler
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100
Maryland
|
My wife loves shelling and looking for sea-glass, so we bring small mesh bags to put her treasures in while she's searching for them.
I bring a waterproof resealable bag on a neck-lanyard to put my wallet, boat papers, etc. in for the dingy ride to shore.
We also bring a very large waterproof dive bag for carrying towels, coverups, cameras, etc. to the beach, and also for carrying goodies we bought ashore back to the boat.
Dingy rides can be wet - especially going back from White Bay, Jost to Great Harbor. Last trip the kids in the bow were wearing their snorkel masks on the ride back!
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: agrimsrud]
#19665
05/02/2013 11:49 AM
05/02/2013 11:49 AM
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
agrimsrud said: It's always a trade off to bring "stuff" or go light. Everything we pack I try to think if we can make due without or if I can just as easily pick it up in the ilons.
Things we now bring that noone else has mentioned:
- a couple of large mesh laundry bags. Huh you say? We stick the swim fins/goggles/etc in the bags and throw them down in the aft storage locker. It's much easier to get a bag of stuff out vs. standing on your head in a six feet deep hole trying to snag that last swim fin. Or having all that junk loose in the cabin or cockpit and stepping all over it.
- A 12 volt light that I can plug in at the cockpit table and hang from the bimini top. It gets dark and it's nice to have some light. Some boats will have a light for you. Some will not. It's small and it's worth bringing just in case.
- Water tight storage box. Small made out of transparent plastic. To put your small camera plus wallet in when you pack your shore bag - just in case it goes for a swim...
- Spare pair of sun glasses and reading glasses. Just in case you break a pair.
- We make a bit of food on board. So we bring four or five steel wool pads to clean up with. A lot easier to clean up that frying pan vs. a sponge with soap! And yes - I'm sure we could find that in the ilons as well but seems like we forget and it's small and light weight so why not (we pack a couple of duffel bags with stuff for the five of us).
- always pack a good attitude. Things will happen that you don't expect. Sometimes that might even be stressful or make you angry or sad - like when I stuck my camera in the plastic zip lock baggy and then later stuck the boat keys into the same baggy. No problem you say? Well I had swam ashore with those keys and the "float" on the key chain was no float at all - it was full of water. So I marinated my camera in the water in the plastic bag. Smart one!
- This year I'm also bringing a hand held depth finder. This is probably over the top but.... It drives me nuts that I don't really know if the depth finder on the boat has been calibrated or if someone has decided that a one or two foot safety factor should be added. I think that's nonsense - the depth is the depth. So yes... it's over the top but I'm bringing my own hand held depth finder. Just because I can and it's my vacation so I'm bringing what I want. So there. I cannot figure out how I would practically use a handheld depth sounder from the helm of a boat? I do take the time to figure out with both help from the guys on the dock and my own eyes and mask what the reading would be when we touch bottom. That is all you really need for BVI anchorages and navigation.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: 706jim]
#19666
05/02/2013 02:26 PM
05/02/2013 02:26 PM
|
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100 Maryland
Twanger
OP
Traveler
|
OP
Traveler
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100
Maryland
|
706jim said: I'll second the sugestion about tying a line to the boathook. It is a loooong way down to the water on a large cat and if you happen to drop the hook, it's gone! Just don't tie the other end of this line to yourself, or you AND the boathook may go for a swim. Back in the 1970's I spent 6 weeks as a student aboard a 130-foot schooner. We got our wash-down water for the deck by using a bucket thrown into the sea. The bucket had a long line on it, and the professional crew was VERY careful to explain to tie the bucket to the railing, and not to yourself. We generally honked along at 8 knots or so, and that bucket would have pulled you right overboard if you weren't careful! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/drown.gif" alt="" />
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: agrimsrud]
#19667
05/03/2013 09:45 AM
05/03/2013 09:45 AM
|
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 308 Tampa, FL
denverd0n
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 308
Tampa, FL
|
agrimsrud said: - always pack a good attitude. This may be the very best advice of all.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: denverd0n]
#19668
05/03/2013 11:52 AM
05/03/2013 11:52 AM
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
denverd0n said:agrimsrud said: - always pack a good attitude. This may be the very best advice of all. x2 We had to vote one of our crew "off the island" last year due to a pervasively bad attitude.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
#19669
05/03/2013 02:01 PM
05/03/2013 02:01 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 559 Apex, NC
agrimsrud
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 559
Apex, NC
|
Anonymous said: I do take the time to figure out with both help from the guys on the dock and my own eyes and mask what the reading would be when we touch bottom. That is all you really need for BVI anchorages and navigation. Funny. I wasn't planning on using the hand held for anything other than the initial calibration. I'll stick it in the water and compare it with the depth finder on the boat. And either recalibrate it or just note how far off it is. A line with a rock on the end and a measuring tape will do the same. But I have the hand held so why not bring it? I guess my point was, in answer to the newbie question was that you should not trust the depth finder on the boat. A couple of years ago we had a Sunsail boat. Didn't notice until we had left the dock that the depth finder was reading 100 feet. That's a pretty important (most important?) instrument and it needs to be useful.
Life's short - sail more!
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: agrimsrud]
#19671
05/03/2013 02:50 PM
05/03/2013 02:50 PM
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
agrimsrud said:Anonymous said: I do take the time to figure out with both help from the guys on the dock and my own eyes and mask what the reading would be when we touch bottom. That is all you really need for BVI anchorages and navigation. Funny. I wasn't planning on using the hand held for anything other than the initial calibration. I'll stick it in the water and compare it with the depth finder on the boat. And either recalibrate it or just note how far off it is. A line with a rock on the end and a measuring tape will do the same. But I have the hand held so why not bring it? I guess my point was, in answer to the newbie question was that you should not trust the depth finder on the boat. A couple of years ago we had a Sunsail boat. Didn't notice until we had left the dock that the depth finder was reading 100 feet. That's a pretty important (most important?) instrument and it needs to be useful. What I really want to know is what the sounder says just before or when the keel touches. You can find a soft clean sandy spot and check by braille. Or you can do you own bottom safety check in shallow clear water to get an idea what the unit reads with say one foot under the keel. The bright sandy bottom will give you better light to look at the bottom anyway. Usually the better talent on the dock can tell you what the sounder will say with no water under the boat.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: Twanger]
#19673
05/03/2013 04:25 PM
05/03/2013 04:25 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720 Massachusetts
maytrix
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
|
Just download the manual for it and you can adjust their calibration
Matt
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: Twanger]
#19674
05/03/2013 04:30 PM
05/03/2013 04:30 PM
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Twanger said: This lying depth sounder thing is one of my pet peeves.
Like others, I want to know the depth as precisely as possible. This is an aid to navigation! Sometimes the charter company thinks they are being smart by making the sounder read 1-2 feet less than reality. All this does is confuse me in times when I REALLY need to know the exact reading NOW. For example, crossing the shallow-spot on the way into Anegada. It's about 7 feet or so, and if the depth sounder starts telling me OH NO! it's 5 feet or 4.5 feet, it makes me immediately wonder if I'm out of the channel!
So to all the charter companies out there: please don't get cute with the depth sounder - please make it read as accurately as possible. Don't dial in a foot or two for a "stupid charterer" factor. You're already trusting us with your $500,000 boat, so this type of gamery simply serves to tick us off. Good Luck with that?
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: sail2wind]
#19676
05/03/2013 04:38 PM
05/03/2013 04:38 PM
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
sail2wind said: "You can find a soft clean sandy spot and check by braille."
there is also a new thing out called a dive mask. Not everyone puts their face in the water....
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
#19677
05/03/2013 05:17 PM
05/03/2013 05:17 PM
|
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100 Maryland
Twanger
OP
Traveler
|
OP
Traveler
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100
Maryland
|
Anonymous said:sail2wind said: "You can find a soft clean sandy spot and check by braille."
there is also a new thing out called a dive mask. Not everyone puts their face in the water.... The fishing weight and knotted string approach at the dock works pretty well.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: Twanger]
#19680
05/03/2013 09:48 PM
05/03/2013 09:48 PM
|
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 397
jbuch02
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 397
|
Twanger said:This lying depth sounder thing is one of my pet peeves .... So to all the charter companies out there: please don't get cute with the depth sounder - please make it read as accurately as possible. Don't dial in a foot or two for a "stupid charterer" factor. You're already trusting us with your $500,000 boat, so this type of gamery simply serves to tick us off. Second that. There are many who use only a good set of current charts and a lead line or a well calibrated depth sounder to navigate one's way through tight spots. As a newbi to BVI chartering, I'm perplexed that anyone with a brain who works for a charter company would do something like that. But, man, I appreciate the comments here that the depth sounder needs to be checked out thoroughly.... I liked the idea of asking the guy who owns the boat in the slip next to your charter boat what the depth there is. I have never been one to "add" a couple of feet to the sounder reading. It is what it is as long as you know its accurate. Calibrate.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: jbuch02]
#19681
05/03/2013 10:00 PM
05/03/2013 10:00 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,999 Macon, Georgia
GlennA
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,999
Macon, Georgia
|
I have a little 4 oz lead fish weight with a string knotted every foot. All of $.70 cost. When I get to the boat at the charter base I drop it over the side just forward of the mast and count the wet knots. I use that to compare to the depth sounder. Usually I find it set about a foot or so below the keel.
The other thing I do is find the knot log and clean it. 9 times out of 10 it is fouled with barnacles or other crud.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: GlennA]
#19682
05/04/2013 12:08 AM
05/04/2013 12:08 AM
|
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 610 NC USA
woodycooper
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 610
NC USA
|
Try the AICW behind Jekyll Island at low tide. Makes the BVI look like the Marianas Trench.
There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: woodycooper]
#19683
05/04/2013 04:10 PM
05/04/2013 04:10 PM
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
If you read the reviews at West Marine and others... Some claim the best us of the hand held depth sounders is as a weight to measure the water depth?
|
|
|
Re: Your top tips for newbie charterers
[Re: Dirichlet]
#19686
05/09/2013 02:46 PM
05/09/2013 02:46 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,961 St. John, USVI
RickG
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,961
St. John, USVI
|
I've been enjoying these posts, love the details. One basic sailing item I haven't seen on this list yet:
Make certain that stopper knots are in all of the appropriate sheets and lines.
We didn't notice until our fifth day that we were missing a stopper knot on our outhaul for an in-mast furler. Basic, but I never want to try and fish an outhaul out of a boom!
We take our microfiber towels with use and ignore the terrycloth towels provided. They dry in five minutes. We also take insulated water bottles and refill from gallon jugs as needed.
A lesson learned, if you put a 6 gallon case of water in a deep aft locker you will be getting down there to pull it out! Someone else mentioned frozen gallon of water to keep the adult beverage cooler chilled - works great!
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes, 2003 Beneteau 423 Grenada
|
|
|
|