TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Dream Yacht Charters "Breva"

We are ready to submit a deposit on a 40 foot catamaran called "Breva" in the DreamYacht Charter fleet at Hodges Creek. Our last rental out of Hodges was through the Catamaran Company and chase boat service for two major repairs was dismal. Any feedback on Dream Yacht Charter's service or this particular catamaran? We'll be sailing 3/23-4/1. Will probably come in to STT on Friday, ferry over and stay at Maria's by the Sea, and on Saturday we'll rent a car or taxi to provision and get ourselves over to Hodges. The boat is rented out the prior week, so unfortunately, a sleep-aboard isn't possible. Thanks for any help and advice!

Why not check out TMM. I was on Orion last November. Great boat. Great chase service. You can book direct with Mark and get owners rates.

How old was your last boat? What type repairs needed?

I second TMM.


S/V Sea Tiger (Lagoon 42... but booked those dates).

The cat was about 5 years old. We had noticed some steering issues, and when diving at our first stop, The Caves, we saw that one of the propellers was missing. Waited until the following afternoon for a dive team and repairs. Two days later we couldn't raise the anchor at Monkey Point- windless was broken. Dragged to shallow water, hauled it in by hand, motored to Great Harbour (as instructed) to meet the chase boat ...... that never came. Stuck there until the following afternoon when the repairman finally came. Mind you, one of our captains has been a sailor virtually since birth (raised on the Cape and the Maine Coast), is pretty good at repairs and is an engineer by training. We described the problem accurately so they knew what kind of equipment, tools, and repairmen they would need. They just didn't come when they said they would. And had they just been honest about when they would be there, we could have planned accordingly rather than sitting with the boat all day.

And thanks - I checked out TMM. It looks like there are several 3 and 4 bedroom cats available for 3/23-4/1. What harbor are they moored in? And do you know who I should contact to qualify for owner's rates? We are seriously interested!

1) looks like poor prep of boat prior to dispatching it
2) EXTREMELY poor chase boat (I can understand not able to fix problem with chase boat, but they should be able to tell you within a few minutes of expected arrival time of the chase boat.

TMM is located just inside Road Harbor. About a 2 minute taxi ride from the ferry.

Not all owners do direct booking of charters.

Chartered an Oceanis 41, Nautilust, from Dream Yacht Charters (DYC) via a direct booking with the owner last year (2015). DYC is a world wide operation with bases in the Caribbean and in Europe. The owner of Nautilust, whom we chartered directly with, picked DYC to manage their boat because of their reputation for great management of their fleets and favorable charter contract terms.

Nautilust was a new boat (about 8 months old when we chartered her). The boat was very well prepped, base support was excellent and that we did an owner charter made no difference whatsoever in how we were treated. We had a battery charging problem on the second day and being not far from Hodges Creek, we brought the boat back there and got prompt and technically sound evaluation. Turned out that the batteries were fine; the boat was equipped with an undersized alternator so, we just adjusted our charging times and everything was fine. We alerted the owner and he subsequently changed the alternator from the stock one that was standard issue.

Can't compare TMM but it's very well regarded here. I had no problems with DYC and it is a very nice and well maintained facility overall (there are two other charter companies within Hodges Creek).

I will say this: For an 8 month old boat, there were things that, had this been my boat, I would have pressed DYC to be more attentive to. Little things - a few bent latches on supposedly water tight hatches and too much corrosion appearing on shroud turnbuckles, around the mast step and elsewhere. This kind of stuff is preventable with thorough fresh water wash downs after use and application of proper lubricants. Don't think these comments have anything to do with your questions. I'd recommend DYC for your charter purposes if you like the boat and the price is right.

My experience unless the chase boat is already out or near ready to leave for another boat in your area. You will not see the chase boat until the next day. The reality on the dock is there is no crew and hoard of spares just sitting like fireman back at the base ready to run to your fix. The call for a chase boat goes into the que with everything else. In most cases the charter guests at the base dock will be cared for first and sent on their charter before the chase boat crew is free to come out and work your issue.

Unless you are talking to a leader on the dock via a cell telephone. You are likely just getting lip service from a the desk staff that is not in loop of the work orders at hand. I would also not expect anyone at the base to tell you to operate a boat you called in and reported unsafe. So the message back is sit there; we will send someone out.

With four decades of chartering. I would never plan my day around a chase boat. Just communicate to the dock and operations manager where the boat will be and how they can get into it or go back to the dock when the time is good for you. If any of this is important to you. Get the cell number from the person running the dock before you leave.

Once you detail a problem. The parts must be found, the tools must be found, a multi person crew must be freed up with a chase boat to travel to you, complete the repair, and then return to the base before end of the work day. That is much more complicated in reality that any brochure produced by a marketing team in a windowless conference room.

If a sleep aboard is not possible? That means the turnaround is really pressed with great chance the issues from the last trip and maybe many trips before will not be addressed. We will not take a boat we cannot sleep on and inspect the night before and morning of giving us and the crew all day to address any issues. Rushing away from the dock or rental boat turnarounds never ends well.

Great input, StormJib.

We too will not take a boat on a quick turnaround for the the exact reasons you state.

I cannot overstate the importance of getting the direct cell number of the person running the dock side operation. Our guy, whom we had his direct cell number and instructions to call any time day or night with problems, picked up immediately when we phoned about what we thought was a battery problem. We told him our intent, called when we hit the outer channel marker and was directed straight away to a slip where he boarded the boat immediately to trouble shoot. We went to the bar. 2h later we were back on the water.

Good advice. I completely agree w/the sleep aboard caution. In fact, its one of the big red flags I see about the boat we are considering for charter - we can't sleep aboard and there is no way that the dock staff can check out, clean, inspect, repair, test, and turnover a boat in a busy Saturday morning.

When we chartered Orion last November, we needed a water pump impeller change on the generator. we called the TMM base at 8am. The chase boat arrived at cooper island at 10:15am same day and we were on our way by 11am. The chase boat was not already out. I have toured TMM spare parts room and can vouch that they are extensive. The suggestion re poor support may apply to some charter companies. My experience with TMM support was very positive.

Orion is a sponsor here. If you click on their link for a personalized float plan, you will be directly dealing with Mark. You WILL save money and he is wonderful about answering any and all questions you may have.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> I second that for Mark. The float plan is awesome.

marianneg ... Sent you a Private Message.

All ... Thanks for the support!

Mark Welsh
www.Sail-Orion.com

We used Dream Yacht Charters in May, 2016. The boat was only a year old, but was maintained very poorly. The boat stunk so bad, I had to sleep outside most of the trip. The generator stalled out every hour of so. Had a mechanic out to look at it, but nothing he could do, we just had to keep re-starting. Doesn't work if your trying to sleep with the a/c on at night. One cabin a/c unit didn't work at all, one cabin had no lights, one cabin's toilet leaked

Many other small broken things that you would not expect on a new boat.

We have chartered from Conch many times, although their boats are older, much better maintained then DYC.

Ouch! That one will and did hurt all around. This is easy for me to say from an armchair 2,000 miles away with some 20/20 hindsight. I was not there. I have been there sometimes without success.

But, many miss the real purpose of the "checkout" some think it is all about checking us out to take the boat. The contract and legal terms of the "demise charter agreement" are there for the reverse. We are supposed to be inspecting the boat and her machinery before we take acceptance. For that reason we always push for the sleepover. If the boat "stunk" my travel companions(wife, three daughters) would make me refuse acceptance. I always start and run the generator for hours before we leave the dock. Generators have been our greatest trouble on charter boats. The modern electronics in them will shut them down at the first sign of something not right. That very specific electronic control module is also subject to its own failure, troubles, and gremlins. Yes, we do get some grief from the dock staff about running the generator at the dock. There is always some compromise reached for me take take acceptance of the boat.

Our key points, do a sleep aboard, inspect and fully operate anything you want to work during your trip. Never be in a rush to get underway. Send some of the crew off to shop, a pool, explore, lunch.... with a plan to be back to leave between 2 and 3 for the first anchorage after those interested in the boat have exercised all the important bits. Always have the smallest of the crew start and run the outboard before acceptance.

It can take hours for a trained technician to troubleshoot a generator spontaneously shutting down. If the control module is bad it may take time to source that unit specific part.

No idea why your boat stank? But, many of the modern boats with holding tanks and holding tanks bypassed have issued that can usually be cured with a good flush or chemical treatment. A bunch of bleach can work in a pinch. Sometimes even Tide and a great deal of freshwater. If the boat stunk there was a source. Bilge, orphaned tank, fouled tank, or maybe the AC coils. Tide, Gain, Bleach, Dawn, Vinegar... could have likely cured that at the dock. Note: Never mix Dawn and Bleach. The generator... never, ever count on nor promise an operating generator. Squid to unknown gremlins are taking them out of service in every anchorage every night.

At the end of the day. As hard as it may be. We should always be ready to refuse acceptance of the boat. At that point a "miracle" may just happen right their on the dock, right in front of you.

Many would refuse a problemed hotel room they were signed up to pay $100 per night. Why should we treat differently a vessel we are lined up to pay over $1,000 per day for?

Colleen ... WRT smelly boats ... TMM has installed the "Commod-er-izer" system on the entire fleet. See www.commoderizer.com if interested in details, but simply put it inserts a chlorine tablet into the onboard marine toilet system which reduces calcium scale and odors. Looks like The Moorings have followed suit. It really does help with smell and reduces likelihood of clogged heads. Mentioning this as I don't recall seeing this shared previously on TTOL.

Thanks - Mark (S/V Orion)

I mentioned the smell of the boat right after we stepped aboard. All of the holding tanks were checked, and I was told they were never used. They said it smelt bad because they just fueled the boat and the smell would go away. It never did.

It smelt of diesel and sh*t.

We couldn't do a sleep aboard, using owners time, for some reason, couldn't arrange a sleep aboard.

For the reasons stated by StormJib and others, we have done evening starts for 25 years, with a request for an early morning checkout. Have seldom had to leave the dock after 10:30 am.

We are planning an 8 day owner's time charter through DYC in June. When I inquired about the evening start, the owner's agent never hesitated and even threw it in at no additional charge.

We used DYC two times. First in 2012, boat was one year old, last time 2015, boat was 5 years old. Good maintance, no issues and great staff. This year we'll be back in November on a DYC Lagoon 400
Lars

I have a boat in the DYC fleet and was just there a couple of weeks ago. The office has recently relocated to a new building with a very, very nice bathroom and shower facility especially compared to the previous ones near the hotel.

Another shout out here for TMM. I had a charter a while back where we needed the chase boat a couple of times, they co-ordinated closely with us and met us the same or next day. We weren't really dead in the water and it also really helps if you can get to Tortola or VG to get the work done.

One of the guys arrived after spending the day at Deadman's on Peter island up the mast untangling a halyard in 25 knots of Xmas wind - not the best anchorage in those sea and swell conditions. Buddy was a trooper about it, but he got fairly beat up swinging around in the rig, so I did a filter change for him to give him a break.

That may be the most realistic note on the thread. The reality is the break fix guys on the dock and on the chase boats are usually juggling multiple repairs, parts shortages, and other issues at the same time. The chance that your boat is the only issue in the que and a crew is available for immediate dispatch is very low even for the best operator. Until the boat actually leaves the dock headed directly to you. You have nothing.

Very nice to hear about the new facilities, especially for our girls. Only 9,5 month to go

Thank you to all who have replied. We are ready to pull the trigger on a charter from TMM. Your recommendations and personal messages factored heavily into our decision. A few final details to cement with our group, but we anticipate a sleep aboard and sailing Sat 3/25-4/1. Hope we might meet up with some of you and say thanks in person

Which boat did you book?

Ohana. We are three couples and that boat's availability and our days matched up. Would have been happy with something a little smaller but it looks like a lovely cat and we hope to have a great time.

I will be disembarking (at TMM) on 3/24 or 3/25... haven't made flight reservations yet. ( and a friend will be on Sea Tiger 3/26>>> for a week. )

Perhaps I will see you at the base. I think you will enjoy Ohana.