TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums Southern Caribbean How have chartered in the Grenadines?

polaris - new airport will probably open some time in 2014

Somehow missed this thread... We chartered from Barefoot a couple of years back. Wind Dancer, a 40-foot Catalina.

Sailed from St. Vincent down to around Petite St. Vincent and back again.

Wind Dancer, to my knowledge, has been repo'd and is longer available.

I have a detailed chart with inset chartlets and sailing times I can email to interested parties. Send me a PM...

edit: lets see if this works...

Here's a small version of the chart.



a large version can be found at http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/svg_routes_052410s.jpg

Really cool Walt, you otta get a boat and join us!
Looks like we have 2 cats about to book, more the merrier! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

ok, but I want to see you tack a Cat through here with the wind on the nose... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duel.gif" alt="" />

Walt, If you were heading north the first tack looks a little lazy but the second and third was spot on perfect <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
For a furling main Windancer would get closer to the wind than you would expect. To bad she's no longer in the fleet.

Rhans -
On that day we were headed south-south-east with the wind on the nose, headed directly through that gap (of course).
Such was our luck during our trip.
We fought foul winds both ways!
It made us better sailors though.

After a few days we finally figured out how to sail Wind Dancer well up-wind. I'm sure you know all the tricks.
[color:"blue"]
Here's what I wrote in my trip log about sailing Wind Dancer to windward on our 11-mile leg from Mayreau to PSV.[/color]

"Our eastward progress was miserable, and during the close hauled run across the channel I played with the main traveler and Woody the helm until we found the right combination to maximize speed and windward progress. It immediately became clear that I’d have to crank the traveler to the windward side of the boat on every tack. Running with the main traveler in the center and letting the main tend itself was costing us 20 degrees tack-to-tack! Not wanting to get too close to Union Island and have the wind change back east I called a tack back into the channel, and then another tack SSW once we had the angle to make it between Clifton and Palm Island. On every tack the sequence was the same: Call “prepare to come about!” (aye, aye, aye from the crew), then helms alee!, Woody would turn us through the eye of the wind, and Barb and Lisa would wait for the jib to back for two seconds and then let-fly the windward sheet in a smooth controlled manner. Barb or Lisa would then haul the big jib in on the leeward side as fast as they could, and just about the time they ran out of steam on the winch I’d have the main traveler over to windward and then jump to the jib winch and crank it down tight the rest of the way. Woody quickly learned how hard to throw the helm over. Turning too hard stops Wind Dancer almost dead, and turning too easy takes too long and you also lose boat speed. We were becoming a well oiled machine. All the tacking with the big sails was really getting us a good upper body workout!"


[color:"blue"]And sailing south through the gap between Punaise and Mopion...[/color]

"Here’s the quick analysis… It’s 400 yards across the gap from shoal to shoal. There are coral heads marked on the chart on the Mopian side but of course I would not trust the GPS to micro-navigate around them. Chart plotters provide excellent context but not absolutes. I figure if we leave 100 yards of margin on either side for chart and navigation uncertainties, that leaves only 200 yards of safe water, or 600 feet. One knot is 100 feet per minute, so at five knots we could travel completely across the ‘safe water’ area in 70-ish seconds. Coming through close hauled at an angle of 45-degrees we’d have a little more time… perhaps 100 seconds (approximately the square-root of 2 times 70). That is not much time. Heck, it was taking us about 20 seconds to tack! Knocking off 20 seconds to tack on both ends leaves 60 seconds of sailing time in the gap. Just barely enough. So after figuring the numbers, the gap looked small but doable. The channel would support a full tack in the middle if necessary.

So on a starboard tack headed south east we pushed as close as I dared to Mopian, and when about 100 yards from the danger line (visually estimated and by the GPS) we tacked south west, hoping to clear the channel. However, it soon became clear we’d never make it past the south side of the Punaise reef. So now directly between the islands we pushed as close to Punaise as I dared. Waiting to call the tack I judged the distance to Punaise and the reef that I knew was 100 yards closer. In the back of my mind I was thinking that this was not the time to blow a tack and get pushed down on the reef with a headsail backed because of a winch jam. We had to do this one right. We had not bungled a tack all day so I was not overly worried. Three hundred yards out from Punais I called ‘prepare to come about!’ The one hundred yard from Island to reef and 100 yards of buffer from the reef left 100 yards to go, which at four knots is about 45 seconds. I’m standing between the main sheet winches looking ahead to Punais and then back at Woody at the helm and Lisa and Barb at the jib sheets. They all confirm “ready about.” Ten seconds from my turn spot in the water Woody looks at me a little nervously and says “Don’t you think we should tack!?” I grin and think “So much for the math!” His intuition was good, and I called “helms a lee!” The fleeting concerns about bungling a tack were unfounded and we made a quick and efficient tack back to the south east and shot through the gap into “Crazy Corrigan’s Crooked Passage,” which is name of the north-east end of the broad calm sound between PSV to the east, PM to the south, and Carricou to the west. This was exhilarating sailing, but it was over all too soon."

Great stuff Walt!
Gotta love Woody!
Why don't you look at Barefoot's fleet and join us for 10-12 days starting July 1, 2014!
We already have Mucho Gusto, Capt. Mark Pratley joining us, hands off Aggie Cat, she is mine!!

TTOL Flotilla South! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Banana.gif" alt="" />

We're thinking about it Mark!

Hi folks,

Chiming in for the first time here. If anyone is considering joining our Grenadines 2014 Flotilla (saildoggie and CaptMark) on July 1st for 12 days please let me know. I'm developing a website and doing a video for Barefoot and might be able to get you a good rate. The more boats the better! You can reach me on Skype at - mark_pratley <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/pirate.gif" alt="" />

This is great for sailors that have not yet experienced the Grenadines, having Capt. Mark guide us along to all the cool spots!

I think we would like to go!

Cool, check the site and see what boat looks good to you! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Banana.gif" alt="" />

we are moving our boat south for the 2014 hurricane season, not sure where yet. St.Martin might be the easiest and most convenient to fly into. We will probably be down for those dates. We are not sure of the flotilla part, but would love to run into some TTOL friends and have a few drinks.

Fair winds, all - flights upwards of $800 into GND from LAX and a charter on top of that? Not going to happen in our near future...and we're already booked for the BVI in May. Hope you all have a great time!

Evan... If you are looking to go south for hurricane season, Grenada is your best bet. Pretty much out of the belt and very well set up either to leave your boat or to liveaboard. Very big cruising community down there. email or pm me if you want more details or recommendations.

Please post the site so that we can check it out. Barecat? Or do you use a broker? Where do we charter out of?

It's Barefoot and Horizon out of St. Vincent. See first page of this thread for link to Barefoot.

Barefoot will be getting back to me shortly on which other yachts are available for a July 1 charter start.

Unless it has moved recently, St. Martin barely qualifies as south of the Virgins ;•}

let's see 18.06 for St.Martin, 18.64 for BVI, me thinks that's south

Mike has a good suggestion, Granada is only 5 to 6 hundred miles south with favorable wind 3 to 6 days.

Major airport and decent yacht services.

Grenada has the nicest people in the Caribbean, too.

When looking at airfare from Colorado to Grenada, it was 25-30 hours and over $1100 for coach. I can get to SXM with 2 flights and 6-7 hours and fly first class for the same price. Grenada does have some of the nicest people in the Caribbean and it's beautiful.

Hi Mark,

Looking forward to our sailing vacation with you from Barefoot Yacht Charters again next year. We are chartering La Mouette (Lagoon 380 owners version). Hopefully we'll catch some fish this year. How many boats are we up too? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Banana.gif" alt="" />

Got that right, one of my top 3 favorite islands in the Caribbean for just that reason, and we've been sailing them for almost 10 years, currently on 5th summer season in Grenada and Grenadines! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Will be aboard Aggie Cat.

We have moved the start date to June 28 will start a fresh thread soon.
Queen Fifi is interested in a cat and maybe a couple others.

Dog, we loved our sail to the greadines a few years back. Everyone wants to go back, just hoping the new airport will be serviced by the big boys to make it easier to get there and back.

We have some wild rides and winds.(10-12 ft and 30+ winds) We were thinking of some place new next year also. You will not regret it and Barefoot sounds like the way to go...

Have some pic and stories that can not be shared on the fourm.