Charter Company or Broker - captained boat

Good morning!

We are headed down to the BVI next June. We are a group of 15 and looking at chartering two boats with a captain only. I have quotes from both a charter company and a broker. Costs are pretty equal. The biggest difference is that the boats from the broker would meet us in St Thomas whereas the boats from the charter company will meet us in Tortola.

We have never chartered a boat before so I am curious to hear which you would recommend - charter with a hired captain - or through the broker which are two individually owned boats being captained by the owner?

Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated!

Jen

Good morning,

I'm the kind of person who likes to deal directly with the company so I have no experience with a broker. However, with a large group like yours, it sounds appealing to go from the airport in St. Thomas directly to the boat. That said, there is a charter company in St. Thomas that gets high marks on this forum - CYOA charters. They have very nice boats and I would get a quote from them also.
Finally, I would highly recommend that you collect everyone's share of the charter cost as you go along i.e. deposit and final payment. People as much less likely to drop out and if they do, you aren't stuck with finding replacements or collecting more from those left.
Fred

If the price is the same, leave out of St. Thomas! That will save a ton of money in ferry costs for 15 people. Your cost for the boat should be free for organizing that many. As in, have them all pay slightly more to cover you! This year planning for six has been an absolute nightmare for me as far as collecting money. My other two couples still owe me for the provision order and we leave in 25 days. I told them the boat will not leave the dock with them on it until I have the money in hand. Don't get in a position of collecting during or after the trip! Last charter one couple waited until the last day of the trip to give me their share for the boat envelope which we use for moorings, fuel, water, ice and trash. I reminded, bugged them every day and just got "oh yeah, yeah, I'll get that to you". Only downside to leaving out of St. Thomas in your situation as I understand is you would be on the boat with the owner as captain? I don't think I'd like that. Not with a group that large. I'd rather have a captain supplied by the charter company. That way if you got someone you really didn't like for some reason you could swap out. Owners have more rules and could be particular about things since it's their boat!

I don't think there's any issue going with a broker, but I'd want to know if those 2 Captain's/owners have worked together. That would be my only concern. If you go direct with a charter company, they are giving you 2 hired captains who very likely know each other.

Ok as far as collecting money as you go is a horrible idea. Here is how I have always run our charters. We charter the Moorings 514 Powercat. I take the total cost of the boat and divide it by 8 people and give them till 70 days prior to leaving the dock to pay that in full. People that pay are committed and are serious. Be firm on the payment schedule. I tell them from there very beginning that they must have $250 in $20 bills payable at the dock. This is $100 for fuel and $150 for food. I tell them from the beginning that if they don't have this then the boat can not leave because we will not have food or fuel. Any provisioning ahead of time is taken out of this kitty. I always provide receipts for any provisions prior. As I am checking out the boat the others go shopping with the food money to finish provisions. I pay mooring balls and trash out of this kitty set up. At the end we take whatever money is left over and go out and have a big dinner and drinks. As far as flights, hotel and ferry cost, I put that on each individual. I layout everything prior so there are no surprises. Remember you will have to feed your Captain and house him in one of the bunks along with tip. So don't forget about the incidentals that come with chartering with a Captain. This is why we bareboat!

Is this a trick?

Dan

HeHe.

When I ran a charterboat, a hundred years ago, we had lots of 'tandem' charters. The brokers knew, or would ask, who we were comfortable with as our tandem boat. Things ran like clockwork, because I knew the other captain's policies about anchoring, rafting, guest use of the equipment, etc. - and he/she knew mine. No lengthy discussions required.

If price is comparable, I'd definitely go with a broker. No additional cost to you, and the boats will have been cared for as an owner would care for his boat. I'd also not be afraid to take a cook. I know it's more pricey, but when considering the total cost of the trip - it's a really worthwhile luxury. You can reduce costs by indicating how many days/nights you'd like to eat ashore.

You also have an opportunity, through a broker, to match the vibe of your group with the vibe of the boat's crew. For example, we didn't take 'party-ers' - but preferred active, adventurous types. Other captains did party-ers well. The brokers knew that.

I'd take a guess at Fred's comment regarding collect as you go along to mean collecting as you book the boat and every other step along the way. This is what we've typically done. I got the group confirmed, figured out the price and had everyone send me money - typically before anything was booked. Once on the trip, we'd share costs and I kept a spreadsheet of what everyone spent and could tell how much anyone couple/person owed or was owed. Usually we got it all worked out to near even in the end so little money was exchange. Just had different people pay the mooring fees and other bills as we went along.

I have tried all of these methods and my conclusion is there is no perfect solution. When I booked my upcoming trip I had one couple confirmed and they said they had a second couple. I booked the charter during a week that fit their schedule not mine. The day I booked I get a call that the "other" couple is out. A month later the first couple filed for divorce. I also held off booking until very late because the first couple lost his job and I waited until he found another. After several months of contacting every friend I have to get a second couple, even offering the trip for free, I finally found one. I told them they can go for free but have to get their personal expenses, flights and boat expenses. They are vegans so the provisioning has been a pain in the a@@. My friend getting divorced found a date but now I have to pick her up 2 days into the charter, rearranging schedules. Not to mention, our week is now Christmas in July. The first couple wants to eat out every day, the vegans want to eat on the boat every meal. I sent out a 30 page extremely detailed guide I spent hours putting together. Everything from tying knots to what clothes to bring, itinerary, pictures and video of the boat, you name it! I am 23 days out and still getting questions like how much are we going to sail? It's a power cat. Oh it's a catamaran? Do we have to get water taxis if we want to go ashore? No, we have a dingy! My point is that it DOES NOT MATTER how firm and clear you are with money deadlines or anything else, they won't care or take the time to read or listen. It's infuriating to me that I put in so much time planning and taking care of every single detail, all they have to do is set their alarm clock to go to the airport and no respect or consideration is given. Man keeping a spreadsheet??? That seems like a nightmare! I told my crew they can send me a check for the remaining expenses ahead of the trip to make saving/budgeting easier on them or they can hand me cash when we are at the STT airport or step on the boat but it's not leaving the dock with them on it until all money is in my hand. I am determined to find better friends or a better system next year.

good grief... my advice would be - take a smaller boat, go by yourself, and have a quieter life!

I'm thinking the same thing.

You need new friends. Lose the dead-weight.

...we always go on our own. Lots of space, on our own schedule...peace and quiet. No hassle, no worries, no issues. BVI at their best. We sometimes consider taking others...but whenever we are sitting in the cockpit with a cold Painkiller in hand after another amazing day of sailing and snorkelling, we look at each other and ask the question 'would this be more fun with other people?'. The answer continues to be a hard NO! We save sailing with friends for home!

Thanks everyone. This trip is for my middle daughter's graduation so it is close friends and family that are going - my oldest and her husband, my parents, my sister and brother in law, etc. I trust they will all get along and will pay in a timely manner. We have sailed the BVI several times but always as guests on my aunt and uncle's boat so this is new ground for me. Of course I also feel the pressure of making sure everyone is comfortable in whatever boats we decide upon. Your input has been helpful and I absolutely appreciate all of it!

We would love to do an all inclusive (meals included) but anticipate that other than breakfast and a few lunches we will be eating off of the boat most days. The cost just didn't make sense for us.

Jenny

How many boats are you going to take?

Currently looking at splitting amongst two boats. And while we would love to do bareboat we don't have anyone who can captain the boats so we have to have a cabin on each boat for the captain.

Moorings 4800 or 5000 or similar would work great for you. Each has a spot for a Captain and still gives you 4 cabins per boat.

I think Moorings requires a captain to have a stateroom.

TMM can provide captains

Hey Jennifer! I just returned from a "two cat cruise" in the BVI on June 18. Like your trip, this was a big high school graduation trip for my son, all family and friends. 17 people, 2 cats. We chartered both Helia 44's (4c/4h) from Virgin Islands Yacht Charters in Compass Point Marina which is on the East End of St. Thomas near Red Hook. I used to charter in the BVI, flying in to St. Thomas and doing the taxi/ferry/taxi cluster to a charter base in Tortola. Now it's a 25 min taxi ride to the boat, and the next morning we were in Great Harbor JVD in the customs office in about 2 hrs. Spent the afternoon at Soggy Dollar. pm me if you want more info.