We've gone with the Moorings multiple times, but this will be our first without a "sleep aboard". We are heading out on a Saturday - the contract states we will get the boat at noon. We won't be doing the chart briefing (never have in the past few times). Trying to coordinate food arrival, etc. What do you think the odds are that the briefing/etc will go before noon? What about refrigeration for food arrival prior to, etc?

What day of the week are you talking about ?

Never mind my last stupid question.... Duh !!

What you are asking is exactly the reason we switched to evening starts. We were told the same as you.... "Out by noon, blah blah blah". That never happened and our first day was always shot.

My sincere advice..... Stay on top of them. Live at the counter if necessary. But you are dealing with, as you well know, island time. On top of that, you are dealing with a day that not only are a lot of boats going out, but a lot of boats coming back in which are supposed to be back at the dock by 1000 hrs.

I wish you the best of luck !!

You should be able to board around 11am. Check in with customer service at 10am. If you don't have a phone that works in the BVI get one of the free ones from the electronic rental shop so customer service can call when the boat is ready. Walk the dock and look for the welcome sign with your name on it. When it goes up you can board. Plan your provisions for 11am. Once you board and have your gear stowed start pestering customer service for your checkout,

My last trip was a sleep aboard we were able to leave the dock by 9:00 the next morning. We were told we could go after the boat checkout they were there at 7:30 the next morning to go over the boat and finished by a little after 8. I was disappointed they refused to show how the GPS Plotter worked "because they didn't want to be responsible if we ran aground while using for navigation" The biggest holdup was waiting for Last Stop Sports delivery. Last Stop --Last Time. But that's another story.

WOW that's like saying were not going to show you how to raise the sail because we don't want to be responsible for anything that might happen as a result!!

I suspect the briefer did not know how that model plotter worked.
George

I would agree with that and they just didn't want to admit it. I was trying to think if I have asked anyone at Sunsail/Moorings about the chart plotter and I don't think I have. Don't really use it that much down there except as a general reference.

Each day, boat, and crew on your boat and on the dock supporting your departure will be different. I suggest Chill!. You are on holiday or vacation not working for the management of FedEx or UPS for the day. When all is done and ALL are ready to go look as the wind, weather, mood of ALL the crew and the time on the clock the head out in the easiest direction to meet your entire crews need for the evening. Very little is gained other than sweat and hassle in the "race" to try and leave the dock.

If the insurance companies and real lawyers get involved all the GPS plotters will disappear from the boats. There is simply no way to train a crew on the "safe" use of the tool and toy with the available staff on the docks. Like the swell in an unprotected anchorage using a GPS and chartplotter as your only and primary form of navigation is a time bomb that will go off with use over time. From the US Navy to the recent Volvo round the world race. Using the GPS and Chartplotter combo for actual navigation is a proven recipe for disaster. It is just a matter of time for every boat and every crew who simply follows the chart plotter around.

We used to find the arrival of the provisions on a Saturday to be the limiting factor in what time we were able to get off the dock.

Dock staff are expected to explain the operation of the equipment which is materially different than training someone on how to operate the equipment. As for chart plotters they are very valuable equipment that has a role on modern sailing vessels. I will guarantee you that more mistakes are made using a sextant than using a plotter. The Volvo event was human error not plotter error. The navigator did not follow standard practice and suffered the grounding as a result. using your logic I guess I should go out into the garage and rip out my nav system in both cars. I can just imagine the conversation with the car salesman who wouldn't show me how to use my nav system. And, btw I bought the car here in the US where lawyers are clearly involved.

Chill! Plan on 3PM and every minute or hour your entire crew and boat is truly ready before 3 is a gift. Cool some beer, have a book, take a nap and you and the people around you will feel much better at the end of the first day. The cats and dogs chasing their tales from the boat to the office and back are just another form of inexperience no different than the bad boat dancing you can see every day in the mooring fields.

If there is someone in your group that really must be fully entertained 24/7. Send them to do one of the tourist attractions on Tortola with the guidance to come back at 2 while the others calmly secure the boat and provisions for departure. In almost every case the rush on the dock, in the dock office, and in the mooring field once you get there is counterproductive. Chances are at the dock or the mooring field if you are sweating or feeling anxiety your are doing or going about it wrong. When you even feel the need to raise your tone on a charter you are way off course.

For the record the Vesta accident happened due to inadequate navigation planning, loss of situational awareness by the skipper, and most importantly reckless and improper operating of the chart plotter by Wouter Verbraak one of the best sailing navigators on the planet. There were no issues with the GPS. It was the reliance and improper use of the chart plotter for navigation that wrecked the boat. Any crew that simply follows the chart plotter around and uses the chart plotter as the primary tool for navigation is an accident waiting to happen. Only the ignorant and inexperienced will deny that. I personally would not referenced I was trained on anything by a car salesman or boat salesman for that matter.

Back to the chart plotter it would easily take more than one hour for skilled instructor to teach the knowledgeable navigator the limits on any one specific GPS and Chartplotter combination. Those talents nor time exist on the standard charter dock. The GPS and Chartplotter on the standard charter boat in not a safe nor proper tool for primary navigation and is nothing more than a toy. The person(prudent mariner) on the dock was more than correct if he or she said "I will not show you how to use this for navigation".

Someone is not having a good Monday... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

With all due respect you are being arguementitive and critical of people who have a different point of view. Good luck with that endearing trait.

Yes, I am critical of those that champion and encourage others to use the combination of a GPS and Chartplotter as a primary navigation tool. Guilty no question about it! Out sailing alone on your own boat do whatever you want. Other people's boats, guests aboard, you should be a little more responsible. No matter what the car salesman or electronic salesman told you.

Dear Carol Hill: as OP, I want to report a hi-jacking!

As such an experienced and seasoned mariner you must have a copy of "Chapman Piloting & Seamanship" after all it is widely held (even by curmudgeons worldwide) as the bible on the subject. Go to your copy which I am sure well used and absorbed and read page 555 from the 67th edition.

All right guys, let's tone down the conversation here...

Relax, slow down, you are in the islands. Planning on leave the dock by 3. Set everyone's expectations that way. You all will be better for it. Be grateful and delighted with each minute your boat and crew are ready to leave before three.


The variables like the weather are impossible to predict. The actual staff available that day, the other boats coming in and racing to planes/ferries, the number of other boats going out and how disruptive those crews might be to the base managers plans for the day. Then there is always an issue that may pop up with your specific boat that the dock manager decides to address. The refrigerated food deliveries always seem to work out. Those organisations do that everyday of the year with The Moorings. Communicate your plans to the food purveyor and the dock manager honestly and politely and they will work something out even if it does not look like they are launching into action like a NYC doorman. Do not be "the guy at the desk".

StormJib--you're not helping.

My wife is an excellent navigator. She reads a paper chart while I read the chart plotter. Between the two of us we have had excellent results both in the BVI and on Lake Superior. GPS is great but I would never want to have to rely on it as the only navigational aid.

I have never used the Moorings base in BVI, but in SXM, we arrive around 2 hours before departure time, so there is time to do all the final paperwork, check the boat, that everything is working (Personally check the water levels, and fuel levels) make sure charts are on board, etc. We usually get out of there within 30 mins of departure time, unless there is an issue with the boat. (Something not working, etc) When we arrive at 10am, I usually jump on board, and turn on the Fridge, so when we load food at 12, it is getting cold. A bag of ICE in the Freezer really helps to drop the temp quickly. Be nice and respectful to the staff, and they will go a long way to make your departure timely.
Not sure how this post started talking about GPS Navigation... Who knows!
If you have cruised the BVI many times, and are familiar with the area, then the chart briefing is not so necessary. The longest delay for us has been 1 hour after boat pickup... Crack a beer, read a book, and relax! If you are too rushed, you will be frazzled the first time you grab the helm, and that is when things go wrong! Enjoy your trip!